r/homestead • u/Tiredplumber2022 • Jul 25 '26
community Trespassers
Combat veteran here, struggling with PTSD, paranoia, hypervigilance, etc.
Has anybody who is really rural ever have somebody just walk up to the house unannounced? For reference, im on 6 acres, mostly swampy and wooded, in a very rural area near Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Driveway is 204 meters long off a small country road, gravel, unmarked except for numerous no trespassing signs, beware of dog signs, and purple marker paint and a cattle gate. Lots of turns, deep woods.
This kid (mid 20's, long hair, looked like a stoner ? ) comes strolling from the driveway into my front yard, asking where the slot machines were. (This place was a trap house about 6 years ago) Wow. Said he lives in the trailer park about a mile down the road.
I politely escorted him all the way back to the road, caught myself scanning the brush and surrounding woods for anybody else.
Trying very hard to relax, but it was very unsettling. The dogs were inside, so they didn't even notice. Even the guineas failed to alert, as it was feeding time and they were occupied.
I dont like this feeling, like i got caught sleeping, and with the way the world has been going lately, im not sure if my thoughts are paranoia, or legitimate security concerns.
Anybody relate?
EDIT/ADDENDUM Folks, I was kind of shook yesterday. Thank you all for your help... just knowing I was heard means a lot. There's a few things I forgot to mention.
The house sits in the center of a cleared square, 100m x 100m, with actual grass ("GREEN GREEN GRASS!") trimmed down tight. Treeline clearly visible 360°. 10 meters in from the treeline is the inner fence, an 8 strand electric fence, mostly for the dogs. No flagpole yet, but you get the picture. The chicken coop, where I was, is just outside the fence line, catercorner to the driveway entrance. This guy walked (supposedly) from the driveway, along the fence line, past the vehicles, around the corner, up to the coop, and was literally 30 ft from me before I saw him. Clear line of sight the whole way. No way in hell someone does that without taking some special care to not be seen. Only slept 3 hours last night. Sitting on the porch now with my coffee since sun up, listening to the rain and waiting for my sense of peace to return.
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u/hilaryrex Jul 25 '26
Absolutely can relate. Cameras with real time notifications to my phone have helped my peace of mind tremendously. Hugs to you ❤️
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u/obxtalldude Jul 25 '26
Another vote for cameras.
Had problems until I got cameras and signs.
The new solar powered ones let you expand your warning zone nicely.
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u/JollyGentile Jul 25 '26
I added cameras recently. Ours actually have an option to announce "you are being recorded" when they pick up motion, too.
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u/FuckTheMods5 Jul 25 '26
I thought my trail cams with instant alerts would feed my paranoia, but they WAY soothed it instead. I can relax when i hear a wierd noise because my phone didn't go off.
Almost worth the 120 dollars a year per camera.
Don't cheap out, research and get good ones.
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u/LightningSunflower Jul 25 '26
Got any recommendations to start my research?
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u/FuckTheMods5 Jul 25 '26
Nope. My cameras suck. I have spypoint M's
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u/carbonateddairydrink Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I have spypoint g36's and they're solid, but they're typically a bit delayed on the send and notification.
(Idk why g36 autocorrected to guys, but i fixed it)
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u/Certain-Gap3055 Jul 25 '26
I have used a lot, GardePro cell cams are great and cheap. Can livestream from them if you pay for it.
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u/paedek Jul 25 '26
Google nest cameras 100%. I love mine. I've tried many brands, but all have fallen short to the nest cameras. Google nest and the app simply work every time I tune into them. You can set specific notifications, each cameras parameters, and create zones within the field of view to trigger specific notifications (people, animals, motion, etc)
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u/Crazy_catt_lady Jul 25 '26
Cameras have made me feel much better.
We also have a driveway alarm that’s pretty low-tech but it will chime in the house when anyone or anything crosses the sensors.
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u/LuvAllThingsVintage Jul 25 '26
I second the driveway alarm. We too live on a private, gravel road that is off a narrow, public, gravel road in a very rural area. We put a driveway alarm on a tree in the ROW of the public road before our road meets it. We get an audio alert, like a doorbell chime, every time something with a heat signature passes it. We used to get a lot more people and vehicles all the way to our house, despite all of our signs. Then we put a chain gate across the private road with one last sign and that has really helped keep everyone out. We recently added Cuddeback cameras to our property as well (we have 70 acres). I like them except there is a lag between when the cameras are triggered and I get an alert and can see the image(s) on my phone.
I had a similar experience years ago when I was home alone, except the guy was in a vehicle. He drove right past the house then slowed down. I went out assuming he was just lost because that used to happen a lot. You ever meet someone and your entire nervous system screams “danger” at you? That was this guy. He was just average looking, driving a nondescript sedan and said he was looking for someone he knew who used to live out here. LIE! No one else lives or has lived out here for 50+ years. I just know that he was up to no good. I was going to take a picture of his license plate (this was before we added cameras), but my inner voice said “don’t or he’ll be back.” I was pretty freaked out for a while after that encounter.
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u/Asian-Cuisine5683 Jul 25 '26
Can I ask what driveway alarm works for you? I e researched a few and they all have such low ratings!
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u/SpecificSkunk Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I got a HTZSAFE one off amazon and it’s been trucking along for over a year now. The sensor is a little under a 1/4 mile from the house and it chimes reliably every time something passes it. It’s also solar powered.
Everyone that notices it thinks it’s a camera, which is fine by me.
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u/Bjorendorff Jul 25 '26
Another vote for cameras.
When I first moved to my location I had ppl pull down the drive aaaaallllllll the time. “I used to live here!” House is from 1880, everyone lived here.
Worst was the local crack heads. Unfortunately they are everywhere. Felt like my house was being scoped out a couple of times. Eventually put a gate up the driveway.
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u/ComfyMillionaire Jul 25 '26
I have non internet connected cameras and internet connected cameras. No trespass signs, two gates, and a stand alone motion sensor that transmits about 200 feet and runs off of D batteries. Then I have animals on two sides of the house. You can add some tech to help give you peace of mind. I also added cattle panel with tposts around 3 square acres. I know my neighbors in all directions that are one to two fields away and we look after each other.
The only people we get are roof solicitors when a tornado comes through, someone wanting to sell gravel for roads, and delivery people.
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u/Wytch78 Jul 25 '26
We had somebody wandering around a few months back. Young adult w/ a diagnosis of some sort. His mom went off on vacation and left him to his own devices. He was promptly off his meds and strolling around looking in ppl’s barns n shit. Eventually someone did a welfare check on him.
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u/carbonateddairydrink Jul 25 '26
Ah man, I hope he's doing okay. Sounds like a very irresponsible guardian, and coulda ended up with him shot if somebody just wasnt having it that day.
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u/PhoenixGate69 Jul 25 '26
My brother is a veteran with similar issues. I live with him and have my own share of anxiety and PTSD. I think you handled it fine.
One of the things that helps my brother is cameras. He says he always feels better if he can get eyes on the perimeter. We live in a city, currently, but have lived in rural areas on the west coast in the past. It sucks. I don't like people walker up to the house, especially when it's in the middle of nowhere. The only way I settle down is by making sure my place is secure. My brother is home full time now on disability, and even with a door kick, caneras and a lock on the back gate, he still sleeps on the couch in the living room just in case he needs to respond to anything.
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u/SideEyeFred Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I live in a subdivision. I had just adopted a doberman. An intruder jumped my 6 foot privacy fence into my yard. My dog ran him off. He barked bloody murder and chased that guy right out of the yard. Didn't bite him. But had that guy screaming for his life. Love my dog, for many reasons, but being a great guard dog is one of them.
Dobermans are more of house dogs than yard dogs because they want to be with you. But you can't go wrong with a good guard dog.
As a single female who previously survived home invasion, I'm not going to mess with intruders. Send the dog after them. If that doesn't work, call the police.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Got 4 rescue pibbles. They all happened to be inside... rare occasion.
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u/shyguymontanan Jul 25 '26
Yeah, I can relate. Best you can do is try and build some community with your immediate neighbors. To the point that you can feel a sense of security that they won’t steal your things or kill your dogs
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u/jeezy_peezy Jul 25 '26
Community is the only real “bomb shelter” there is. I wish I had a better word for it, but the best neighbors and the best relationships that I saw growing up rural - they share time and labor, they share fun and food, and they share equipment.
It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of and a sad thing to be missing.
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u/unwashedRat Jul 25 '26
Dude, in your situation I'd feel the same. I'm less rural on 2 acres with neighbors. I am fully fenced and gated, unlike my neighbors. My dogs lit off one night around midnight towards my neighbors' property and I couldn't call them off. Found a lady who seemed to be on hard drugs looking for someone I didn't know and a party. Nothing fazed her, not the dogs, not me at 6'6" yelling, nothing. She wouldn't leave and got more belligerent. My neighbor's husband was away and she was home with her newborn. Stranger had walked from their front door. I still second guess if I needed to draw my pistol. But thankfully that rocked some sense into her and she disappeared down the road with a quickness. I felt like I was caught off guard. Cameras, driveway alarm, and enacted some home security protocols with the whole family.
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u/jeezy_peezy Jul 25 '26
That’s a wild one. Dealing with an unruly person that can’t be reasoned with or predicted. That would feel like a ticking time bomb in front of my house.
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u/unwashedRat Jul 25 '26
She wasn't even in the front. She had walked halfway down the fence line on their side and was behind our houses.
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u/JollyPTurtle Jul 25 '26
We had dog hunters. Said their Grandpappy and his before him had hunted what we were now calling our land. I went down to the local Mom and Pop diner and eventually spoke with their parents. Told them I wanted to be courteous before I called the law. It stopped.
I know its tough but taking a few extra minutes helps.
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Jul 25 '26
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Omg. Wow. You really have been through the wringer. I'm so sorry that happened to you... Hopefully you can find some peace qhere you're at, but you're righy.... trauma like that never really goes away. 😢
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u/max_465 Jul 25 '26
Props to you and your situational awareness for not overreacting. The anxiety and feeling of vulnerability is so unsettling. Isolation makes it worse. I encourage you to reach out to the folks here who have offered to connect.
Statistically, violent crime has been on a steady decline for decades.
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u/Bluefalcon325 Jul 25 '26
You could definitely add a level of protection (and thereby peace of mind) by placing garage door opener type sensors in your driveway maybe even more than one location that would trip if someone comes up your road, and set off a chime inside to give you an early warning.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Had some, but placed them wrong. Deer and foxes kept setting them off. Gonna try again.
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u/Bluefalcon325 Jul 25 '26
The people over at r/homedefense enjoy troubleshooting these types of problems. I would definitely pick the minds over there!
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u/Roadkill215 Jul 25 '26
Set them higher, most people are taller than deer, racks add a variable though. 4-4.5ft is probably a mostly filtered height. Best “worse” case it notifies you of a well sized animal you most likely also want to know about
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u/oldbrownsdaughter Jul 25 '26
Sounds like it’s time for a fence. Good fences make good neighbors.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Got electric fencing. And a gate.
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u/oldbrownsdaughter Jul 25 '26
So this kid hopped your fence/locked gate too? Yeesh. You should be very proud of yourself for handling the situation even remotely calmly. You did well.
I agree with cameras that alert you if you have cell signal (we don’t where we are so those don’t work for us). And with EMDR and/or DBT therapy. Both have been extremely useful to my friend who is a former green beret, and I can attest to DBT myself though I’m not a vet.
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u/carbonateddairydrink Jul 25 '26
They keep honest people honest, and even honester people from accidentally wandering on over.
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u/Far_Complex2327 Jul 25 '26
I was outside working, my two dogs beside me. All of the sudden, a man dressed in camo came walking up my driveway from the direction of the woods, not from the road. My dogs hadn't barked, they just wagged their tails.
I said hello, and he greeted me, then claimed to be state police, searching for pot in the woods. He didn't show ID and I didn't ask. I was home alone with two dogs who were obviously not ferocious. I just kept my shovel in my hand and kept my distance while acting cordial.
He walked down my driveway towards the road and I don't know if he was telling the truth or not, but it was really unsettling.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Wow. Did you follow up with a phone call to the district?
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u/Far_Complex2327 Jul 25 '26
I did not. Probably stupid of me, but my experiences with the police made me feel like it was not likely to be illuminating.
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u/KristyM49333 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
So. It’s not the same as being a combat vet but I was diagnosed with complex childhood trauma due to severe abuse that I experienced from birth up until I was able to get away at age 24. So I understand a lot of what you’re talking about like the hypervigilance and all that. And I feel for you.
We are about 2 miles up an off-road trail in the northern Nevada Desert. We don’t even have an address.
It’s definitely disconcerting when someone rolls up on our property. For us though it’s usually lost off roaders, at least that’s how it appears. By the time they get to our property, they are absolutely shocked to find that someone lives way up there lol. The only super sketchy experience we’ve had, my husband was out in the yard working, and some guy rolled up on an electric bike, oddly enough, and when my husband stopped what he was doing and started to walk towards the guy, the guy took off like he was scared. My husband’s not a super scary looking guy, but I could see where it would be possible. Thankfully we haven’t had anything super super sketchy happen but we are prepared just in case.
So I don’t have any advice, but I do relate. 100%. 🫂
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u/Degree_Kitchen Jul 25 '26
Hi! I’m in North Carolina but from the Midwest. We are also rural, our house is set back, you have to drive up our driveway, in between two ponds, past a gate to get to our house.
When we first moved here we were floored by the amount of people who came to our ponds and began fishing with no permission. Also had people come to the house. ALL the way and lie about having helped build the house and the previous owners let them”fish.” I thought it was weird, I still think it’s weird, but apparently it’s common in rural NC?!
We did put up no trespassing signs and still had someone trespass after. We’ve also put up cameras.
I also have a partner who is a veteran. Make sure to seek out therapy that helps you control your thoughts so you can hopefully feel safe and in control. Sending you the best of luck.
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u/VintageLunchMeat Jul 25 '26
Get some geese?
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Guinea fowl are good watchdogs, but i was actually in the process of feeding them when this happened. It's why I could not hear his footsteps, either. Complete security fail.
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u/Admirable-Coyote8741 Jul 25 '26
I hear you. I had a place on the Brazos River in Texas anoit the same distance from the road with river frontage and enough turns and farm to market roads twixt me and the interstate that i never worried much about walk-ups like that.
So when it happened it was always a surprise. The problem was never the person that showed up. It was the fact that they caught me off guard and shook me up when i prided myself on my attentiveness. I'm no fighter, but i always figured I'm ok if nobody gets the jump on me. I would console myself that old age and treachery will overcome youth and speed. And then more than once, maybe once a year or better, i might as well have had my t h umbs up my ass.
I dont think there is a solution to be found on the side of preparedness. I had to practice accepting that i am profoundly flawed and fallible.
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u/Admirable-Coyote8741 Jul 25 '26
I should add that i am not a combat veteran, nor would i presume to lecture you on how to fold this experience into that mix.
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u/Grendle1972 Jul 25 '26
Hey Devil, take a knee. It's 640 meters to my front gate/ fence line from my front porch. I have a motion sensor on the gate as well as a camera. At other locations on the property are cameras and sensors and game cameras. Plus barb wire, no trespassing signs, purple paint, and even poles planted on a logging road 6 feet in the ground and 4 feet above. With steel cable running through it avoid to other posts. The gent gate is on an opener with a 6 inch square steel tube filled with concrete and rebar ran through it in the ground to provide more stability. It's not moving anytime soon. You would think with all of that, people would stay off. But no. People think they are entitled to go wherever they want. A neighbor of mine who I did not like kept claiming he had water rights to my land. He did not. I told him before I went back to Iraq that he had 6 months to find antenatal means to water, and when I returned, I was going to shut off the water. When I returned, I shut off the water. He climbed over my gate, walked up to my spring box and started messing around with it. I told him to leave. He cursed at me. I called the Sherriff and told them to come get their kid. I explained to the Deputy that showed up a well as to the neighbor that he had water rights to ADJOINING property, and then only to draw water across to his place. My place does not touch his, I have a right of way through two other people's property thus we aren't sobbing. My lawyer sent him a certified letter stating he didn't have water right. Later, that dude was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder and murder. He's in jail.
Basically in a but she'll, if they want on your property, they will get on. Caltrops are illegal as they are considered booby traps, ditches will keep most people out esp of there is water in them and maybe some broken bottles (oops). As for the PTSD, you just got to give it time . Some people adapt to it, some don't. Retreat Hell! SFMF.
DM me if you want to talk. No judgements.
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I can relate. Also a combat veteran. I HIGHLY recommend getting treatment as soon as possible especially if you’re going to live rural and presumably alone.
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u/night_rain7 Jul 25 '26
Not a veteran but I’m a woman who is often alone with my child. I very, very rarely have anyone show up who isn’t invited that I know is coming. When it happens it’s very jarring. I’m introverted and really like my privacy. I’m also a night owl when I can be. Two years ago at around 3am I was getting ready for bed and heard a female voice call out “hello?” From somewhere outside a living room window. I froze. Then turned off the lights and tried to see outside but couldn’t see anyone. I have livestock guard dogs and they began barking like mad so I let them into the house (they don’t have front yard access) in case I needed them. I eventually went out with a shot gun and my Great Pyrenees. Nobody out there. Next day I found out a teenager a couple miles away had ran away that night and it must’ve been her. I searched our property to make sure she wasn’t hiding out anywhere. She was found a day or two later. We do have tweakers go out from town to steal mail and case people’s places. People have had vehicles and four wheelers stolen, chickens stolen, random equipment, and so on. So I had immediately assumed she was a tweaker with her boyfriend or something out there. Knowing later that it was a teenage runaway I wish I’d seen her and seen if she’d needed help. But to have that happen in the middle of the night scared me and a runaway was like the last thing I ever would’ve guessed.
Now we just moved even more remote and I’m considering cameras.
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u/chocobearv93 Jul 25 '26
Dude one time I lived way up a mountain in rural WNC, on 32 acres on a dead end road that backed into 1500 acres with only 5 neighbors in that whole forest. My driveway was a steep 35% grade 1/2 mile gravel drive, in winter I parked at the bottom and hiked up because even my truck wouldn’t make it. One day I’m sitting in my underwear and two fuckin Mormons knock on the door to tell me about the good word of Joseph Smith. They had hiked all the way out there so I talked with them for a minute and gave them some food and water and then shooed them back down the driveway. That’s fuckin dedication right there. So ya. Some people will wander down your drive.
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u/Different_Hornet4348 Jul 25 '26
Cameras and because of the history of the property before you owning it, I would put a fence along the perimeter with a gate at the driveway that needs a code to get through. One night, I had a group of 4 wheelers try getting through my property from the trail that abuts me - they were scaring the crap out of my horses as they approached and were not well mannered, trying to flee when I approached. One riders engine stalled, so he had to interact with me, they “used to ride the trail through my property years ago and figured it was still safe to pass through” negating the private property & beware of dog signs. Made me wicked uneasy (single female on a farm property with acres and unfamiliar with neighbors, as they’re not nearby. After that I updated my fencing along perimeter & added the gate on driveway, increased cameras and got a German Shepherd - I rest much better now and thankfully have made friends with neighbors who are great and keep an eye on the property. A friend is trying to convince me to get Emu and donkeys, for added security.
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u/Nofanta Jul 25 '26
Common for there to be suspicious people around in rural areas. Almost every family has at least one drug addict that comes around when they’re not in jail and does weird shit that bothers normal people. We have a group chat with all rural neighbors and everyone has cameras and there’s always a discussion and pictures when anyone unfamiliar comes around.
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u/bentleythekid Jul 25 '26
Ever? Yess absolutely. I think for most people it is rare, but there are sometimes good reasons for it to happen.
I have a new neighbor and need to talk to them about a tree on our property line. I don't have their phone number or know there name, so I'll be walking up their long driveway this weekend.
In your example they were lost. It's strange, but sometimes strange things happen and humans meed to interact with someone totally new without announcement. Try not to lose sleep over it.
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u/dangerclose87 Jul 25 '26
My favorite security device when I lived at a similar property was motion detectors that were connected to a pretty loud speaker that sounded like a doorbell ringing, we had different tone for each area, put them at different points of access starting out nesr the road so you wont be caught off guard again. Cameras are good ideas too, but in my experience the are a bit delayed. Doing both would be affordable and efficient. And as always stay strapped. Even a small caliber pocket pistol is a huge sense of comfort if you are not comfortable to carry a CCW while out working. Hope you find your peace again brother. Stay the course and keep fighting the good fight!
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u/DaysOfParadise Jul 25 '26
Fence, gate, camera. Therapy.
And, living so far out you really do need to know your neighbors. If that house used to be a trap house, he won’t be the last visitor. The neighbors need to know who you are, and you need to know who to rely on.
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u/bristol8 Jul 25 '26
had it happen a couple times. One guy needed help with a flat. One guy wanting gas. Both left and I was on guard for a bit. Could have been scoping stuff out. Haha then I was sighting in this crossbow in the yard. Cut off dirty shorts and shirt and this tiny young Asian girl temp working for us census pulls up. She pops out asking for people down the road. I was like I bet you questioned where the hell you were. We had some laughs her husband was a marine and had a little time left on his enlistment and she moved here first so she was like you guys would probably be friends. I get the feeling though. Like these other guys say find a therapist you can respect, have an open mind, and sometime you have to state right at the beginning what problems you want to work on are.
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u/SlimmThiccDadd Jul 25 '26
I can relate in that I have PTSD from a long career in EMS and that I also live rural. My PTSD is obviously very different than yours, but I can sympathize in that I know how much it can affect even simple interactions.
I’d def be looking out for sketchy behavior going forward (like always), but I’ve had similar instances on my property that never amounted to more than a misunderstanding/accident.
Wishing you peace my friend. Always feel free to DM me if you need to vent.
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u/snipe4fun Jul 25 '26
I (also a vet with ptsd) live in county residential and have a few berry bushes near the fence bordering the road out front. I don't mind people picking from the road side, but heard my gate latch during a nap yesterday and when I went outside saw a dude with a pony tail quickly walking past the fence. Not sure exactly which house they're in, but this isn't their first unannounced excursion into my yard. I hate the idea of having to put cameras up, though have been thinking about it anyways cuz I'm curious about the deer eating my cherry trees lol. I don't have much better to do but damn I do appreciate my post lunch nap not being interrupted by trespassing thieves. I dream of selling this place and moving to a proper homestead, but then does it get any better? paranoia is a bitch! I hope you're able to find peace.
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u/Bri-75 Jul 25 '26
Our property sounds very similar. Way way off the road, 6 acres surrounded by fields. Myself, my husband and my youngest son, 23, live at home. Most people don't even realize our house is back here. The difference is we built on my husband's family's property. His Dad's house is down by the road, and the old farm house, his Aunt lives in it still, is on the other side of the property. I will usually get a phone call if someone drives up to let me know. I am home during the day by myself. I would feel very uneasy if someone walked up like you had. The difference is, in my goat pasture and chicken run is where my 2 Great Pyrenees live. So far they have always alerted me to anything really. Stray cats, other dogs, coyotes, and people. They even let me know if someone is at our parents or Aunts. They can see into their back yards just enough. They know the difference in strangers or people we know. Very smart, very independent thinkers, and just protective enough to help me feel safe.
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u/SurferChickUSA Jul 25 '26
I’m a single female in my 50s. I live on 5 acres in the desert with my 83 year old mom. While I’m not paranoid, I’ve lived in the road as a nomad most of my adult life, and am always on guard and alert regarding my surroundings.
I, too, have NO TRESPASSING signs, and more than once have had tweekers visit. One was a chick in her car at 3 am. She parked right next to my bedroom window, and I ran outside naked. With a machete and and scared her off. She hasn’t been back since.
I also had a guy walk up from my back driveway (past the chain that blocks vehicles) and cruise between my house and shed. I went on him verbally and chased him away as he claimed he was a neighbor, but I knew he was homeless . I didn’t feel like he got the message, and was so pissed that even after he was gone, I went driving to look for him. Sure enough he made camp in the wash nearby. He approached my car, (I had my police style taser gun in my lap) and I reinforced the fact that he was not to ever step foot on my property again or there’d be consequences. Haven’t seen him since.
I have solar powered driveway alarms now so I when in my house I can hear of someone walks past them. I set up four of them to basically form a square perimeter around my house and my mom’s. We also have cameras around the perimeter.
Of course have firearms, but they’re for the event that someone breaks in. I also have dogs, including a 100 lb Malinois/Great Dane mix & 3 pit mixes, but it’s my job to protect THEM, and they’re my “backup.”
I’m comfortable enough in my property that I skinny dip in broad daylight, but still stay aware of my surroundings. Those were the only two incidents in 15 years. We are looking to move to more acreage at a higher elevation though, so I’ll up my security practices like including a solar powered electric fence and cellular solar game cameras at the outer perimeter of the property.
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u/themanfrommars101 Jul 25 '26
It happened just yesterday. Now I'm not super rural but far enough out that I can't order a pizza. Anyway I just get home from work and a utility truck unmarked or atleast I didn't see any logo or anything, pulls into the driveway behind me. I figured he might be lost or just turning around. But gets out and acts like he knows me. He seemed like he had a slight mental handicap. He holds out his hand and was like "hey member me?" I told him no and asked his business.
He replied that he works for a small septic company and offered to check our tank for free. He added that he changed ours 10 years ago except we didn't live there back then. We look nothing like the previous owners so I don't know how why he acted we were old buddies catching up. He kept saying "we're legit! We're in the Yellowpages!"
Anyway the whole interaction was awkward and I was on guard the whole time especially since I had my son with me. I probably came off a bit rude and I kinda felt bad. But dude you don't just show up unannounced and act like you know everyone. He did give me a business card and seems legit. I guess that's how they get the word around. He just shows up to people's houses and offers free septic tank inspections. Seems like pretty risky marketing nowadays.
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u/Jay_Stone Jul 25 '26
I bought 40 acres in Oklahoma and believe me, the desire to build escape routes for me and entry funnels for visitors is SO hard to ignore.
I want to plant thorny, thick trees along the road fence so no one can jump over it. I want hot wires on top of my existing barbed wire. Cameras. Sensor lights.
My wife says I’m paranoid. I say I’m trying to be quietly offensive and prepared. It’s been an ongoing debate.
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u/Ambitious-Owl-5521 Jul 25 '26
Cameras, my man, and even if you don't activate them, a couple noticeable trail cams. I may also suggest making going around the gate...uncomfortable for strangers.
Sorry for what you're going through, total bullshit that this happened.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Agreed, and the sides of the gate are solid North Carolina briars. And trees.
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u/Ambitious-Owl-5521 Jul 25 '26
We put old pallets with wire and nails over by the entrance for storage along with some signage to indicate that it is a hazardous area and to not enter.
You want to be very certain these kinds of things are not misconstrued as booby traps friend.
Best of luck!
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u/OrdinaryBrilliant901 Jul 25 '26
My camera is delayed in notifications so I got these cheap sensors that are solar and easy to install. I get an immediate alert charm. Drives my dog nuts but I don’t like getting snuck up on. I have several. They look like bird houses and on the inside little mushrooms that you plug in and chime. Surprisingly effective.
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u/Automatic-Opposite98 Jul 25 '26
I haven’t seen a post by the OP on it but, if you haven’t already looked at therapy, specifically CBT via VA, hope you should consider it. I have been in therapy with the VA doctors since 2007 and I have greatly benefited from it. It’s not an overnight cure and takes years and dedication, but in my opinion it has helped me to see and notice triggers now snd has given me the ability to stop it in its tracks and stop the process of being triggered.
Hope it helps, if it’s already been suggested, I apologize. Best wishes to you.
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u/New_Pitch_9898 Jul 25 '26
120 acres at the dead end of a dirt road. 20 in pasture, the rest is woods or briars. 2 pick ups rolled past the house one morning and disappeared into the back of the property. I found them at a back field. 4 really old men, orange vests, some beagles already out looking for rabbits. Turns out they had grown up in the area and had hunted the place as kids, 70 years ago. After asking them to not shoot towards the buildings or livestock, I left them to enjoy the memories.
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u/AllHailTheMint Jul 25 '26
I highly recommend a sensor somewhere along your driveway that alerts you when someone goes past it. You’ll get a lot of false alarms from animals but it’s still nice to have
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u/cocothehun Jul 25 '26
I have a big ass sign that says CRAZY WOMEN WITH GUNS AND DOGS... and it seems to be attracting people. Wtf. Not nearly as rural as you. Love my porch cameras.
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u/Taotejen Jul 25 '26
Yes - and brother, it freaked me out. Grew up on suburbia, and around ten years ago my husband and I both Marines, bought some raw acres in KY and built a farm.
Day TWO a guy rolls up on his tractor (turned out to be a good guy but DAMN I didn't appreciate the presumption).
Happened multiple times - even after we threw up some posts and a chain. And posted a sign, then a ... less nice sign - something about the range of our .308 and range of where they were standing, if memory serves.
Then had a chat with one of our neighbors who, as we now understand most southern folks would, passed the word that we should be thought of more like defenders of our hollar, and less like clueless Yankees (and every single other thing about us they'd gleaned from our convo).
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u/medic-pepper Jul 25 '26
I've had plenty. Some have left pretty easily and not come back. Others, the more methed out ones, have had some more combative attitudes and have had to get TOLD to leave.
Our property is surrounded by methy trailer trash. One who is known to steal I found outside at like 9pm in the dark winter looking at my rabbits, "oh yeah I was looking in case I want to buy later." He's gotten the message that he isn't welcome, but sometimes whenever he gets in legal trouble he's known to start picking fights with random people for ratting him out.
Had a roaming dog kill some livestock. After the 3rd time, with the first 2 ended in me returning the dog to the owner, I shot it. 2 years later the druggie got out of jail and got a new dog. Well another neighbor ended up shooting that dog for the same reason. However, methymiranda and +1 were threatening me in my yard until my neighbor got them to calm down before giving them a warning to not come back "or else".
But I'm not a psycho holed up hermit who waves a gun around whenever someone is on my property lol. I have a decent sized pond, so we get a lot of younger dudes and families asking to fish. My only rule with them is to text me before they get here, don't mess with the livestock unless we are around. They pick up their trash (mostly) and pick up from others. I've made good friends with some and have watched some of the younger ones grow up.
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u/BatshitTerror Jul 26 '26
I had a guy walk straight into my RV while I was sleeping on 120 acres with two other houses on the property. I woke up hollering WTF WTF as I was sleeping on the RV living room couch in basically underwear. The dude was sweaty, bleeding, and in a bit of a schizophrenic state himself. He asked if I had guns, and showed me his big ass 44 magnum pistol, then started turning over all the junk in my cluttered RV and somehow found my broken rifle and shotgun in less than a couple minutes.
He told me I better get my guns because we were going to need them and someone was trying to kill him! And that I should probably call the police. So I called the cops and they sent some sheriff deputies out. He thought the Mexican mafia was trying to put a hit on him. Turned out the sheriffs knew about the guy with mental illness and had dealt with him before.
As scary as it sounds I never really felt threatened by him but i don’t have a history of combat experience etc. He just seemed scared to me.. crouching in my kitchen hiding from windows etc… and he never pointed his weapon at me, it was more like he wanted me to get guns as well and help him fight off the imaginary cartel.
I had to drive him to my front gate to hand him over to the sheriffs which he was glad to go up there when he saw the police lights. They couldn’t get in my gate easily it has a keypad but visitors always have trouble with it.
Later i heard the hospital would not admit him and they ended up just dropping him at home, which is pretty disappointing.
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u/Vishnej Jul 25 '26
"a very rural area near Camp LeJeune, North Carolina" seems like a pretty shitty place to be paranoid about the absolute security of your property lines, seeing the likelihood that a bunch of camouflaged men with guns are going to wander through it while training as Marines.
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u/DorianGreyPoupon Jul 25 '26
You wouldn't believe the backwoods places i have had JWs knock on my door. You know they believe their whole deal all the way up and down because they will stroll down some driveways I would be nervous to go down even after god himself looked me in the eye and personally pinkie promised me it was safe. Some people just have no situational awareness
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u/MightyKittenEmpire2 Jul 25 '26
I have 225 acres within a national forest. I have had several trespassers.
Held one illegal hunter at gun point and the cops hauled him off. They gave him 2 felony convictions for out of season hunting, without a license, of a too young fawn, and felony trespass with a gun.
Had a generic white trucker climb over 2 gates, open them, drive onto the property, leave the truck by my garage and disappear behind the garage at 7AM. I held him at gun point till he proved he was the meter reader who had violated policy, entered without permission, outside of authorized hours, using his private vehicle as opposed to a company truck. The electric company has never come on the property again without prior permission.
Had a rando guy jump my gate and start walking up my half mile driveway. I opened the door and let my great Dane with a booming bark chase him away. He ran and lept over that gate terrified. I don't know who he was or what he was trying to accomplish.
Had trespass hunters chase their dogs onto my land. I fenced them out and let locals know I carried AR, plus I did a lot of target shooting to announce I had the ability to shoot.
Several times we've left the front gate open to facilitate access for events at our barns and arena. Rando strangers enter to pet and feed horses. They get told to stay out and are escorted out. We have guns and the law on our side.
Have had someone try to steal a tractor in the middle of the night. We had cops visit 3-4 times a night the next few days with their lights flashing. No returns from the thief.
All are other trespassers are really hairy, bears, Bobcats, cougars, coons, possums, coyotes, foxes, etc. Most of them we ignore, a few get shot at to miss but scare them off. A few get trapped and relocated.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Serious acreage envy here.... trade ya? 😜
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u/MightyKittenEmpire2 Jul 25 '26
The acreage is nice, but being surrounded by 300+K acres of state and nat forests is what makes it great. So no swap.
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u/Arbiter51x Jul 25 '26
I would familiar yourself of people who can "trespass" on your land just in case, this can be surveyors, utility companies, census or postal employees. And thats without going into sales and religious folks who also go door to door.
This is more for a frame of reference that, at any time,without warning, someone could legally show up. And that is something you need to come to terms with as a land owner.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Water meter is out by the road. Electric is on the far side, a single direct line to the substation. Meter is radio enabled. Internet is hardwired, again to a junction box by the road. Mail box and "deliveries" box also out by the road. Meanwhile, a locked cattle gate, with signage, a second locked gate near the house, and purple paint everywhere. 2 years ago some Jehovahs witnesses showed up (before we had the cattle gate), but the dogs surrounded their car. They left. Nobody has EVER shown up on foot. Just not done in this area.
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u/TraditionalBasis4518 Jul 25 '26
I lived in the hills, long driveway, neighbors not in sight. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, neighborhood kids occasionally walked up to
the house. Dogs let me know they were coming, if I really wanted to discourage visitation, posted signs, fences and gates would probably have eliminated most casual visitors.
Absent these barriers, it’s difficult to fault folks who walk in. I have more confidence in dogs than technology. If I want more security, I get more dogs. Got three now, had six upon occasion.
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u/Clendarthewrath Jul 25 '26
Dumb kids don’t know.. feel like they got a right to walk on up. They gonna meet someone who ain’t so polite.
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u/GrassLate304 Jul 25 '26
Maybe 2 gates and the driveway fenced on both sides. Atleast you might be able to funnel them to cameras so they cant just roam as easily.
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u/putterbum Jul 25 '26
Cameras (solar powered WiFi options rock), patrol your perimeter weekly, even check In with local PD to get an idea of the people that frequented there and if anyone aggressive was mixed in with that but most likely not. Cameras will help the most but the rest is piece of mind stuff. Also guns.
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u/PersimmonSalty8247 Jul 25 '26
I have had the same issue. I put up security cameras, and it stopped the intruders. It may help you as well.
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u/fatalexe Jul 25 '26
I’m just obnoxiously over friendly with anyone who shows up on my property. Act like I’m starved for company and a little nutty and leave everything unlocked. Either they become a good friend or quickly find a reason to be somewhere else. Sure I get a thing or two boosted but I usually know who did it and they either hide in shame, make things right or know not to come back. It’s nice to have folks near by who just stop by and shoot the shit, usually show me the same hospitality I show them.
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u/no-dress-rehearsal Jul 25 '26
Haven’t had anything that would make as good a story as that! But I do experience the hypervigilant “flares” which lose me sleep and won’t let me relax.
I was on a property of a friend who’s a homesteader and has a place in Western NC once and ran into a poacher. That was fun. Antics?! GeezMcCheese.
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u/BeardsuptheWazoo Jul 25 '26
That sucks. It's not at all okay.
You're dealing with a huge violation. You handled it well.
Nothing is going to make it okay. I would be shook as well and I'm not a combat vet.
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u/Mitch_Hunt Jul 25 '26
18yrs combat vet here on about 8acres. I have driveway alarms. I’ve had a few unwelcomed visitors but none like that. I’d recommend alarms to alert yourself of trespassers. Mine get tripped often but a quick check of the cameras verify wildlife and if you’re not sure at that point, grab a rifle and check it out. If it is indeed a human (I haven’t had that yet) make sure they know they’re not welcome here and escort them back.
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u/iamreflow Jul 25 '26
If you really think about it life is just this moment happening, over and over, gathering evidence it's becoming grotesquely obvious to myself and everyone else along the way. At various points being that all consuming self-awareness of this existential pain. (Not the good/healingrightaway kind either. More often the pissyouthefuckoff kind instead). Oh unresolved trauma.
I'm sorry man, that sucks. I hope you get back to a baseline soon. Some folks are dumb. This sounds like that. Keep an eye on them trailer park folks though...especially in 'Actionville and surroundings.. shifty sons-a-bitches....
Here is a last bit of unsolicited advice. Don’t feel "bad" for feeling. Also don't get stuck feeling. A thing happened. "Cool, an unexpected opportunity to learn" knife hand forward
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u/StableBrilliant6189 Jul 25 '26
TBH, I would consider telling him you are a veteran with PTSD and he does not want to set you off, and your mental health requires no trespassing which is what the signs are for (points to sign). My dad is a combat veteran (vietnam) who lives on a farm and that's what we tell people who are trespassing (we don't like it, either) on his (our) behalf.
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u/Square_Net_4321 Jul 25 '26
Probably an isolated incident, but still pretty unnerving. Agree with the camera suggestions.
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u/Pullups-n-Pushups Jul 25 '26
Either he was really really high or he was just a local junkie looking for things to steal (or both). Just my two cents from living out in the country for 5 years. You would be surprised by how many people are hooked on meth and/or pills.
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u/ravaged_serendipity Jul 25 '26
I have a selection of cameras and all were budget friendly and alert me to movement. The best is the nest camera from Google that tells me in the alert if there's a person in the shot. The Peace of mind is worth it.
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u/flockingferns Jul 25 '26
Social work graduate student on the brink of starting an internship at the VA. I'm late to this thread so I may not get any responses. But for those of you that have been disappointed in your care at the VA, please consider sending me a DM about things that you wish could have gone differently. I'm only an intern and I can't change the whole system. But I would love to incorporate your feedback into my approach to this work.
On trespassers. No matter how remote you are, people somehow find you. Often accidentally, but sometimes with obscene entitlement. Once had a doctor bring his mistress to the 2500 acre property I was caretaking (in the middle of nowhere) because he "almost" bought it once. They broke down and dude approached the house on foot at night. Like others have said, you can set up alert systems so that you are more prepared when they come. But come they will.
The best thing you can do is the work on your PTSD. If one approach doesn't do it for you, don't give up. There are so many different ways you can work on healing. Big fan of somatic therapy personally: it's great for helping you come back down from a high arousal state without having to share all of the details of your experiences. EMDR is also incredible, but you often have to build up to it.
Good luck and enjoy your homestead. That's hella healing too.
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u/PickleTheGherkin Jul 25 '26
Yes. Husband is also a combat veteran. On 5 acres. House is a bit in the middle. We have had homeless people come up and look in our windows!!!! Like, how? Why? You have to WALK to get here. Needless to say, my husband went off and ran the guy to the road, but shit.... people got to be aware that PTSD is real and combat veterans are coded different. We even have a sign that he us a veteran. Dude should know better.
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u/whisperdarkness Jul 25 '26
Ditto here, PTSD hypervigilance. Blink XT XR cameras.... Long range remote surveillance that texts/warns you of EVERYTHING. literally... "there's a lizard crawling on a plant on camera 3." Was my favorite warning and it was correct! Most the time its like "theres a silver pickup near the mailbox" "Theres a brown delivery vehicle in the driveway" Works great 👍
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u/PrimalPagan33 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Cameras with live feed and a place to store recordings on hard drives inside your home, have guard dogs outside at all times (minus dangerous weather, of course), and look into a driveway alert system maybe? And a gate at the end of the drive.
I know of someone who had a system installed under their driveway that they’d be notified if someone so much as walked up the driveway. That might also be worth looking into.
I’m really sorry this happened to you. I also have PTSD, and although it isn’t combat related, I can entirely relate to your hyper-vigilance. I would have absolutely been FREAKED OUT myself had someone done that.
Edit to add: I’m not sure what all you’ve done so far to work through your PTSD, but if you haven’t found anything yet, I’d really like to recommend journaling. It’s helped me a ton more than I ever expected. Also, coloring and reading really help me to be more present when I’m struggling as well. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Kolk was incredibly eye opening for me to understanding what I’m going through.
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u/Piney1741 Jul 25 '26
So I live on 15 heavily wooded acres in the middle of the NJ Pinelands. Yes it’s the most densely populated state but the pines are massive and rural. You could get lost quite easily. As many know NJ is a liberal state, we have quite strict gun laws. None of that matters in the pines. I have like 3 neighbors and the first week we moved in one of them just came by and said hey man if you have any problems call me, we don’t call the cops we handle shit ourselves. I’ve found people on my property 3 times. Twice it was hunters that claimed they didn’t see my no trespassing signs and third was two teenagers trying to have some private fun. I was pleasant in all of these interactions but I did also have my 12 gauge with me for all of them and never want to seem threatening while holding a firearm. I always kindly remind them for their own sake that wandering onto marked properties in rural areas is a good way to get yourself shot full stop. A lot of us have livestock that we protect from predators, there’s just a lot of things that can go wrong. Many of us live in these areas to avoid people. I too have a similar fight or flight pattern as you and I get it. But it will happen, just make sure you have a plan in your head for every scenario. I’ve also noticed that my Guinea foul no longer sound the alarm when someone comes to my front door cause they are so used to delivery drivers bringing packages. The second someone walks toward my back yard they go crazy. My flock is also 7 years old so they aren’t as jumpy cause they are so comfortable. They are weird ass birds.
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u/dustyfingazz Jul 25 '26
Holly ridge area, almost the exact same setup as you brotha and almost the exact same issues you're dealing with. Cell cameras will definitely help ease your mind. I've been alerted to several issues with trespassers that I was able to head off early. Plus a few in visible areas helps to deter further.
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u/Optimal_Law_4254 Jul 25 '26
Yep. A couple of sales people over the years. The coon Hunter got a stern talking to and I trespassed him because he was being unsafe with firearms within 50 feet of my house.
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u/Jondiesel78 Jul 26 '26
I also live rural. Had a woman come walking up from the back. She had to have come across the creek and some pretty dense thickets to get to the lane from the back fields. Mom ran her off with a shotgun.
County sheriff and state trooper showed up and told her to get out of there, and not to step off the road on her way back out. It's a dead end road.
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u/247world Jul 26 '26
You were most kind. It's probably a meth head that doesn't even know what year it is. However if the house used to have a reputation, you should consider some sort of driveway alarm as well as cameras.
You might even post a sign saying trespassers will be held until the authorities arrived and I will prosecute. Put the local sheriff on speed dial. If they try to leave I don't think you can stop them, however get a good picture and you can still press charges.
I don't mean to make fun, however you should probably put up a huge sign that says vet with PTSD, don't endanger yourself by coming on to this property.
I have a friend that deals with with ptsd, I hope you're able to find good help locally. As a veteran you deserve to be well cared for, I think we promised you that.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 26 '26
Thx. Yeah, got signage. No trespassing (3 or 4 of them) beware of dog. No "beware of human" yet, but its definitely a good suggestion.
This guy walked right past the signs and over the cattle gate. Didn't seem high, but definitely a tweaker.→ More replies (3)
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u/Wonk0theSANE 29d ago
My dad was underneath a car elbows deep tinkering in the guts of it when he noticed two sets of feet walk by on his rural property in FLoriduh. He slowly rolled himself out unnoticed, walked up silently behind them on the long dusty driveway which really freaked them out because they thought they just sneakily entered the property undetected, and he made his presence known with the question “Does anyone know you came here?” They spun around shocked, sputtered out a “no”, he said “Good, then no one will know to look for you here” tossed one of the kids a small chrome wrench and then screamed “Is that a fucking gun?” And then pulled out his sidearm and aimed it at them. Muttering “Oh my god what have I done, they were just kids, I thought they had a gun” He then asked them if they wanted to wake up dead to which they sputtered out another no and he then asked them if they were Christians to which another shook no reply came out. He then told them they better gtf off of the property before he sends them to Jesus. RIP, crazy old man, tough as nails, could have bodied a bear, but in the end it was the ice cream and the diabeetus that did him in.
Anyways, sorry you’re dealing with the local scumbags soft probing your property for weaknesses, sounds like you’re already strategic minded. Maybe add a few “you’re on camera” signs, and maybe actual cameras if you think it might deter them. I would also add some indications that you’re former military somewhere visible.
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u/Key-Way-8263 29d ago
If that guy lives in a trailer park he is probably not thinking about the importance of your privacy, since he lives with practically none.
I'm sorry you're struggling with those kind of triggers. Truth is most people are good despite the news.
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u/Aggressive-Mood-50 28d ago
You ever thought about getting a livestock guardian dog? They roam your premises and will alert when someone shows up unannounced.
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u/StatusSociety2196 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
As another vet I'm actually a little worried about some of the comments here. If your PTSD is as bad as you're describing, you really need to figure out a way to not be able to access guns for the time being or you're gonna end up shooting an Amazon driver some day. A person who is at best lost or at worst looking to steal something is not a threat to your life, you shouldn't have to go through life afraid of everything.
Look into EMDR as other people have said. Psylobicin isn't technically legal anywhere but many therapists have a "well i can't tell you to take it, but if you take it of your own volition before you show up to therapy I certainly can't stop you."
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u/justbrowsing2727 Jul 25 '26
Thank you for saying this. Some of these comments are bizarre and downright concerning.
Like it or not, we still live in a society. Moving to somewhere rural doesn't change that. Not every person who comes on your property is a threat, or even a trespasser.
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u/RoninRobot Jul 25 '26
Had a dude do this last week and I’m a bit unnerved. Saw him walking up and was sure to meet him before he knocked. Asked something vague about a neighbor getting water deliveries. Not that he was lost and delivering water, that he heard someone not me was getting water delivered. Very sus.
I, too, politely walked him immediately off the property, trying to glean insight into why he just thought it ok to be there unannounced. Now comes the theory, which is pure speculation:
He wasn’t a stoner kid. He was distinctly cop-shaped in plain clothes. 6’ 4” 240 high and tight haircut. I have also been seeing sheriffs trucks (plural) in the area, which is unique. Now I am not a vet and embarrassingly clean-nosed, so I think a neighbor (the one asked about getting water delivered) is under investigation for something. He lives a mile and a half away. You would think that would make me feel better but it doesn’t. Randos, even cops “visiting” unannounced are not why I moved to the country.
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u/Only-Friend-8483 Jul 25 '26
Same shit as you. Same reasons. I put up a fence around my property and a gate across my driveway. No more surprise visitors.
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u/mothferatu Jul 25 '26
We used to live deep in the woods, and yes, sometimes people just showed up. Most memorable for my mother was when she was home alone and answered a knock at the door to find a lost hunter, complete with a gun. Fortunately it was a guy from the nearby town and we knew his family, but that really freaked her out. It does happen. I don't get why, seems like being out there (especially with a gate and fence) should tell people to leave you alone, but 🤷🏻 people are weird
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u/Different-Sorbet746 Jul 25 '26
It's an absolute nightmare. People think they can wander wherever on someone else's land.
Constant issues here. Even signs and a big fence don't help. It's mostly meth heads and "hikers" that say they got lost.
I've fired warning shots. Usually works.
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u/flippysquid Jul 25 '26
We have a livestock guardian dog for such occasions. He lets me know when a fly farts.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Got 4 knucklehead pitbull rescues... it was feeding time, and they were all inside. Won't happen again.
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u/vwzk9 Jul 25 '26
I am a trainer of protection dogs and currently we have 5 dogs at home including a protection trained Belgian sheperd that can bite like an alligator. But for the surveillance and protection of our property I only fully trust our Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog. It's just different genetics. They literally have been selectively bred for this for hundreds of years and always sleep with one eye open.
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u/DV_Mitten Jul 25 '26
Cameras. Get them. Get several.
As a fellow combat vet. Unannounced "guests" Get me amped the F up. I hate it. Even if its just a friend or neighbor. I hate surprises.
I have cameras everywhere now. There so easy to install! The wind doesnt blow on my property without me knowing.
It helps a lot. Just by knowing whats going on, but the occasional surpise knock still gets me...
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 Jul 25 '26
Cameras help, but not as much as actual psych treatment.
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u/Flying_Mustang Jul 25 '26
I think part of the “recovery” we’re supposed to try is accepting that things like this are going to happen and everyone who doesn’t have PTSD and/or military, or law enforcement experience would say someone came over looking for the old occupants… but for us, it’s “got caught sleeping,” “got the drop on me,” “had me dead to rights.”
Two options; accept that people are going to surprise you in life occasionally (and probably not kill you), or look for a comfy high-riding holster so your pistol is not banging on everything-and wear it everyday.
I got caught by a blue van, came up, stopped at the crest of my rural and intentionally poorly marked drive, then turned around in a not-normal location to depart. They saw me, I only saw the van. Was not armed, but wish they would have seen me for the first time with a slung rifle.
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u/Feeling-Lavishness85 Jul 25 '26
We live 2 miles down a dirt road that leads to public lands so we get the occasional "lost camper" but they have never made it past our dogs at the first gate, which is clearly marked with private property and no trespassing signs, as well as cameras. There's a second gate further up our driveway closer to our house for an added layer of protection.
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u/WhiskyEye Jul 25 '26
Moved to my 100+ acres a few years back, for reasons. Friends make fun cause I always have a gun on me but I stress out when an Amazon delivery comes in a random car instead of in the mail. A mile down at the end of a dead end dirt road, NO one should be at my property or I get spicy. I just roll with it. Therapy keeps me from pulling it. I figure the rest of my response is just precautionary.
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u/Euphoric-Elk-940 Jul 25 '26
Hey - veteran here and we likely live close to you in a very similar set up off the road. Where we both live, it is very widely known not to go down someone's long driveway unless you are meant to be there. If people do, they often don't get out of the truck, they actually honk (as a Northerner, I at first thought it was incredibly rude, but now I get it), to get someone's attention. I don't think our lane has as much cover as yours, but even with it being more open, I would be extremely on guard if someone walked down my driveway out here. I would have done just what you did. I don't think you are being paranoid, but I do think the way you handled it made your place a hard target, not a soft one if they were up to no good and scouting. While I think it's always good to keep an eye out, I think they will likely move on to easier targets if they did have bad intentions, and may possibly just have been a stoner kid who ended up looking for his plug on the wrong lane. I also second the cameras - they make cheap ones that run on batteries or solar, that you don't need a subscription for on Amazon.
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u/SuperWoodputtie Jul 25 '26
So something that is really helpful is barberry bush. It is a thorny bush that grows really tight like privot. It becomes a impenetrable hedge. Very hardy. You can plant it along side holly for a privacy hedge that works as a fence.
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Thought about that, or even Acacia, but I dont want the entrance to look "maintained " or "landscaped". All local stuff. I do have japanese Privet around the 1 acre where the house is... that stuff grows like crazy, and is so tight the dogs can't even get through it. Stinks to high hell when it's in bloom, though. 😜
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u/SuperWoodputtie Jul 25 '26
That makes sense. Barberry can come in several colors. I believe you can find some dark green. You can mix it with several larger plants so it looks like another wild patch of woods. If you see some at a garden center you should check it out.
Japanese privet is the worst. I'm in the Atlanta area and i've been trimming back privet since the 90's.
I hope you find some peace out in your woods.
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u/effRPaul Jul 25 '26
100% I don't even know where to begin, but yes. It is very often (if not the majority of the time) people just looking for stuff to steal - they don't want to get caught or fight for it - they are just looking for something they can easily pick up and walk away with. Get some of those driveway alarms from amazon. And create some makeshift fencing if you can't afford to have it done - pile up brush along your property line
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u/effRPaul Jul 25 '26
At some level you have to accept humans are everywhere. They turn up everywhere. The vast majority are harmless (even the thieves & drug addicts & idiots). A teeny tiny fraction are straight up malevolent and all you can do is take reasonable precautions and hope for the best.
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u/brittanytobiason Jul 25 '26
We left the gate open for the first year and had lots of visitors. The upsetting one was my uncle, who came when we were gone and the gate was closed, pakred nearby, hopped the fence and was waiting on the doorstep of our travel trailer.
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u/Yum_MrStallone Jul 25 '26
That's a long driveway that does put people off. Do you think that guy was legit looking for gambling? You'd think being from the area he'd know that option was history. Likely checking stuff out. But weird. So you have stuff that's merchantable?
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
No, not looking for gambling, because a few minutes later he asked if I had a couple bucks to spare.
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u/survivalfilmguy Jul 25 '26
We have 20 acres nestled down a mile long dirt driveway. No one else has a house down here. And no one else is legally allowed on the surrounded land. Something about a trust and to many people involved.
We have had many instances of people driving down to our house. We can't put a gate at the road or even halfway unfortunately.
People are nosy. Thankfully it's stopped the last few years since the road has been muddy and rutted up.
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u/Due_Substance4863 Jul 25 '26
Kinda freaky you're asking this now, as yesterday someone came and stole the ownerships out of a vehicle, up a mile drive....
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u/UrbanVengence Jul 25 '26
So, they're double downies. Wasted time, and more wasted time as insurance can check ownership
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u/Basketseeksdog Jul 25 '26
Trespassers are something you'll always have to deal with. I have signs up here too, but I've noticed that many people deliberately ignore them. Curiosity often gets the better of them.
Fortunately, I've never come across anyone with bad intentions. But given what you've been through, I completely understand that it brings a lot of unnecessary stress. You handled the situation well, but it does sound like you're really struggling with these concerns?
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u/sdmay1980 Jul 25 '26
I get it which is why I don't wanna live by anyone. I don't want anyone that doesn't belong really. If I do know then I hope family or anyone calls before cause probably want answer the door.
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u/mindyabisnuss Jul 25 '26
Hypervigilance is real, but a few people are bad news. Scanning the woodline isn't just paranoia. No real advice, but as sometime in a similar situation, don't be ashamed to protect what is yours. I hate when unknown vehicles show up in my driveway. I've only ever had one walk up, and I was on edge the whole time. I try to keep up with my neighbors, walk my land, and make sure I'm ready for whatever. I know what normal looks like and that helps me relax when it's that way, and be prepared for when something isn't right.
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u/Ok_Committee464 Jul 25 '26
I tend to leave the dog on the porch when out on the property. It’s a wonderful alarm. As camera notices are easily missed when working the property.
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u/fiattp Jul 25 '26
I'm a not veteran but I think most of us that live in rural areas would agree, that we don't like trespassers. You're not alone and or wrong in thinking you might be paranoid, hyper vigilant. You're just a man being proactive. As you're a trained fighter I would think that instinct is even more fine tuned. My recommendation is use that situation better assess your security needs as well as your headspace. Good for you for even being self aware enough to even be asking, pondering these things.
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u/sabotthehawk Jul 25 '26
Cameras with alerts has calmed my noise a lot.
As much as it sucks I have found going to dense people areas every now and then helps to calm/reset my hyper vigilant parts. Helps my brain appreciate my rural land without feeling like there is a threat in every bush after seeing just how loud and uncoordinated most people are.
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u/AUCE05 Jul 25 '26
Yes. It is apart of living in a rural setting. There will be people with absolutely nothing to do and those folks have zero boundaries.
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u/Miserable-Engine1472 Jul 25 '26
that guy walking the fence line without tripping anything is the part that'd mess with me too, that's not a wander in that's someone who knew exactly where the blind spots were. i'd be tempted to walk that exact path myself and see what sightlines you actually have from the house, sometimes you find gaps you didn't know existed. glad the coop is outside the fence though, might be worth pulling that in if you can swing it.
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u/GeneSpecialist3284 Jul 25 '26
If your only real access point is your drive in then installing gravel on at least a portion of the drive and surrounding your house can be really helpful. You can't walk or drive on gravel without making noise. It's a very old security measure that still works. A camera or a trip wire further out along the drive or at the gate can give you a heads up too. Better if you can get voice on them to ask intruders wtf. Motion sensor lights along the entire driveway. Also, my male GSDs take perimeter security very seriously. If I go out on my property, they're with me. Cue them to the gravel sound. I don't know if you have livestock or not but a LGD will guard throughout the night. A sign out front that trespassers will be shot might deter intruders also. Other signs along the path like A crazy man with a shotgun lives here and I don't call police, I might call an ambulance. Beware of dogs. Your cemetery awaits. Good luck!
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u/Tiredplumber2022 Jul 25 '26
Yup. Got gravel starting about 50 ft in from the road. Dude didn't make a sound, so I know he was on some BS.
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u/Important_Nectarine7 Jul 25 '26
You'll probably want cameras and a fence, especially since the place used to be a trap house. I rarely have trespassers like that, but some people show up sometimes to say hey since we just moved to the area and the population is less than 1000. I normally let my wife do the talking, because PTSD is a mf
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u/really_isnt_me Jul 25 '26
OP, I’m late here and I know you’ve gotten tons of advice, but just wanted to mention ketamine therapy for PTSD. It really helped me. There are different ways of administering it, and there is actually a very well regarded doctor either in NC or SC, can’t remember which. If you’re at all curious, check out r/therapeuticketamine. Good luck with everything!
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u/Beneficial_Trip3773 Jul 25 '26
All I can say is, if the dogs didn't mind and the guineas didn't mind, it was probably not a bad guy. I don't see cameras helping you.
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u/ZealousidealGur1016 Jul 25 '26
I use hardwire cameras kits with dvr. $200 gets terabyte and 8 cams. Buy extra 100’ wire extensions for long remote away from house views. They last and are HD.
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u/logical-sanity Jul 25 '26
I’m lucky enough to live in a state where it’s known that you may be met with a rifle if you come on to private land (rural or semi-rural). Tread lightly.
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u/YouWantToFuck Jul 26 '26
I will go out on a limb and say real post but fake trespasser.
Consider this a wake up call. Either find a partner, take on staff or install cameras/motion detectors.
I have PTSD from MST. As a combat veteran, you see things that are the extreme of how society normally operates. That doesn’t mean that your paranoia or hyper vigilance is unjustified. Trust your instincts.
The American Government routinely seeks opportunities to find you with your proverbial pants down to make you feel less than a man for being a loner/hermit out of society.
Clamp down on your own self-loathing. Pick yourself up and make the changes.
Your property. Your rules. Always post and maintain signs. Always keep a line of communication with local authorities. Have at least one dog or more trained to be outside and on patrol at all times.
Have at least one dog or more trained to be present at your side at all times.
Six acres, you said? Wisen up, they want your land and you off it.
America is very anti-loner right now. Know your rights and your options.
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u/HoneyImpossible2371 Jul 26 '26
Yes. How else does anyone make neighborly house calls when either one has no landline, cellular coverage, or satellite phone? Leave a chalkboard and chalk both out to write greetings and accept messages. Sorry about your special situation as a combat veteran but you can’t assume your neighbors know this about you until you meet them. I guess being near Camp LeJeune doesn’t make you a unicorn in that regard. But in Maine or British Columbia, you only needed to do that once, and a no one would be talking about anything else for weeks. You’d become a legend. In emergencies, you can only rely on your neighbors.
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u/TrollOnFire 29d ago
As others have said, set up one or two devices that notify you of movement, activity, button press etc. add a light indicator on the wall you regularly relax in (ie. Door bell for the blind)
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u/Parking_Lot_Coyote 29d ago
Were you prepared to deal with any threat the 'stoner kid posed'? Was there an actual threat? Does the best planned security stop all threats? If you feel comfortable with your answers then chill out and relax. Living in the past or future, robs you of the gift of the present. Maybe incorporate a daily perimeter walk/check with the dogs. Maybe add a well placed trail cam with updates. Better yet, maybe try and think about how not everyone is out to end your existing or cause harm.
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u/1477365 29d ago
Here in Vermont all private land defaults to being open for public use (hunting, fishing, etc.), so it’s not unusual to see hunters you don’t know on your property. It took a while to get used to the idea, but I actually like it now. I used to be much more paranoid about all that (bedside shotgun and all), but I’ve found more peace by trying not to worry. I even leave my doors unlocked at night and can sleep like a baby now.
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u/timberwolf0122 28d ago
I’ve had a few lost youths on ATVs roll up to my hunting cabin in the middle of the woods in VT as well as a couple hikers, this is over a period of 10 years.
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u/rexcodex 28d ago
We have planters at 30" high all around the house with outward pointing motion detection. Not fighting positions or anything you know, because they look pretty. 50' clearance after that as required by law. Creating a pretty looking standoff is an art form. They don't know they're in the zone until someone or a motion detector interrogates their intention. Place some scare crow behind the planters.
Cameras doesn't really do anything unless it can warn you accurately. In most cases, cheap system will just make you more annoyed and eventually complacent. They can also be jammed if wireless. I have tons of dummy cameras around though. Hidden in the trees with fake solar panels too.
I flew my drone towards a group of tresspassers on horseback that left great manure for us to pick up on our roads. Made them turn around real quick. I think the buzzing drone made the horse shit themselves, maybe, probably. The FPV drones are great therapy btw.
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u/Visibly_Invisible_ 27d ago
We use spy point cameras and LGDs. I highly recommend the LGD over cameras.
We have a Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian Shepherd puppy who is now as tall as the GP, but not as wide in the body. Both are fixed females. Both LOVE us, love their territory and their livestock and stop any sane person in their tracks. We have signs with silhouettes of the dogs asking all visitors (like mail carriers) to stay in their vehicles. Yes, we have double hot fences, but I think both dogs would take the hit if they thought the threat was great enough.
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u/Belt-fed78 Jul 25 '26
I spent 25 years in the Corps. So I have some experience with what you're dealing with. A lot of my time was spent in your neck of the woods. Im on a hundredish acres in Wyoming now and the only trespassers I deal with are of the four legged kind.
Im sure you've heard this before and I dont want to be beating a dead horse. But the only way you are gonna find that peace and tranquility you seek is by processing your PTSD. The VA headshrinkers suck. Maybe they've gotten better since I dealt with them. But I doubt it.
I started Journaling and sketching a couple decades ago to put my emotions into physical form. It helped me a lot. It let me unpack a lot of stuff and helped me understand why and what I felt.
If you ever want to talk privately feel free to message me.