Rural living is great for privacy, or is it?

[JamesHW]

Used to get JW's in the city when we first purchased the house. I politely but tactfully told them to buzz off and haven't seen one in 20 years. Up in the country our house is right on the road like they did in the 1800's (I have a pic from before they paved the road). Used to think about moving the house further back, but instead just got used to being by the road. We are friendly with the neighbors across the road and they keep an eye on the place, though I discourage them from confronting anyone, just call the sheriff if they see anyone suspicious and take a picture if they feel like it and text it to me.

Last trip we had an odd occurrence...A couple in a Prius drove in on our new gravel road that goes back by the house to the field. They drove back to the field and turned around and slowly drove back as I walked out of the house to say hiya. They went ahead and turned right and drove 30 yards down the road and stopped (55 mph speed limit don't ya know) causing a couple of vehicles to pass them. I stood by the road gawking and then they went down to the next neighbor across the road and drove into their driveway and turned around and then drove by heading south. I was pissed but only because I was curious about what they were looking for and they didn't stop to let me help

 

[NorTracNY]

Interesting stories here. We have never had JW, but are in prime Mormon country. When we first moved in, we had two gorgeous young ladies show up. I'd have enjoyed talking to them, but was in a hurry to go somewhere.

Hearing about visitors going to anyplace other than the front door is pretty scarry. That's not someone that's looking to talk, it's someone scouting out the place to steal for drug money. I don't have a problem with someone driving up to knock on my door. If they are respectful, I'll be likewise. It's scary the number of people that sound very put off by that. I understand no-trespassing signs, but let's be civil. If there is no way to contact you posted on the sign, I would expect some people to ignore it and knock on the front door. There are situations where someone may need to get in touch with you and it could be to your benefit.

 

[groundcover]

Good friend was over at lunchtime when JW's stopped by, he kept them busy for an hour or so asking them about vacuums. " your sure you don't have any vacuum cleaners because we could really use one !" Round and round he went, it was comical, they have never been back !
Then I was at an estate when the vacuum cleaner salesman showed up and wouldn't take no for an answer. I put my iron rake in front of their tire and told them to back out the half mile while I called the PD. The cops had them spread eagle over the hood when I went by, they haven't been back either!

 

[beowulf]

Just when you feel a sense of security because you live in the mountains, you learn you need to always be vigilant. Once I woke up at about 2 AM on a Summer night with the window open and heard the distinct sound of tires on gravel - going very slowly. I looked outside and saw a car creeping up the drive way very slowly with only the parking lights on. They were about two thirds of the way down our 850 foot driveway. I got up and watched as they kept coming - just creeping along - I assumed they were trying to be quiet. I knew they had no business there.
I dressed and got my shotgun and went outside positioned behind a tree. They kept creeping along. I thought about firing a shot into the hillside, but instead turned on an outside light. They immediately stopped. They waited. I waited. Nothing. Then after about 3-5 minutes they slowly backed up and turned around and left.
Since then, I have a different gate which we keep locked, and installed a device that beeps in the house when someone approaches the gate, and bought a .357 magnum revolver (and obtained a CCW). The beeper is one of the best things I have done. It is not only useful to alert when someone is at the gate who should not be there, I can know when a package is arriving, or when guests arrive and I have forgotten to leave the gate unlocked.

 

[mark02tj]

We live about 450' back from the road - surrounded by trees. You can't see our house from the road.

Got some JWs a couple of months ago. I was in my (walkout) basement when the driveway alert went off. I followed my barking dog out the door and came around the to front of the house. There was an old gentleman in a suit standing in the driveway looking a little nervous with the dog. He explained that they'd seen the No Trespassing sign at the end of the driveway but didn't feel comfortable backing back out on to the main road. When they saw the dog he thought he'd better explain himself instead of just leaving. He was a nice guy and I was nice to him.

Craziest "visitor" was 3 or 4 years ago. One morning sweetie is getting ready for work and hollers that there's someone coming down the driveway. I came downstairs and didn't recognize the car. He turned around pretty quickly, but I put on some shoes, hopped in my Jeep and headed out after him. I didn't see which way he turned out of my driveway but I drove around a bit and found him pulling out of the gas station and heading into town. I'd already called the cops with a description of the car and called them back when I spotted him. the local cop (we generally only have one on patrol at any given time) was in the drive-thru line at the McD's next to the gas station and I saw him exit the line when he got the call. I followed the car into town (different PD) and called back again. The guy noticed I was following him and headed back out of town! Called the Township cops again and they finally caught up with him a few miles out of town. I pulled to the side of the road while the cop talked to him. He let the guy go and came over to me afterwards. Turns out the guy was an acquaintance of the girlfriend of the former owner of our house. He supposedly came down the drive to see if she was still living at the house. The cop was familiar with the names of the former occupants (small town) figured his story checked out. He was laughing about how nervous the guy was when he figured out I was following him!! LOL!

That was before I had the driveway alerts. I also now have cameras!

 

[Garandman]

December 24th, 2011, and I had three "elders" knocking on my door because my nephew's then newlywed wife was a former Mormon whose family is well-heeled and well connected. Connected enough to get three young men over to speak with us on Christmas Eve. At the end of the day they were sent to give my family a message.

They are really hard on the "Exmo's"

We had two NH SP show up at our door (700' drive) one winter night about 2AM. I invited them in as it was -10°. They said there'd been an accident at the corner (which is common) and had we seen or heard anything? Wasn't clear if they thought we'd been involved or what.

Thought this was a very odd investigative technique.

 

[jerrybob]

:laughing: definitely a meat lovers pizza. Or maybe he said "I told you to hold the sausage".

:thumbsup::laughing:

 

[JRobyn]

...... Since then, I have a different gate which we keep locked, and installed a device that beeps in the house when someone approaches the gate, and bought a .357 magnum revolver (and obtained a CCW). The beeper is one of the best things I have done. It is not only useful to alert when someone is at the gate who should not be there, I can know when a package is arriving, or when guests arrive and I have forgotten to leave the gate unlocked.

I so totally agree. We installed two long-range Dakota Alert MURS transmitters with buried induction triggers, one way out at the main road, just inside the gate and a second a few hundred yards before our houses (us and in-laws). Separate receivers, one in each house. Very reliable once I got the sensitivity dialed in. One of them still goes a little funky if it rains so much that the trigger is sitting in an underground lake, but that's short-term. Almost zero chance that anyone could make it down the long driveway without at least one of them triggering. HUGE peace of mind.

 

[greenmojo]

A couple of years back (previous home), I went to go jump in the shower after a long day of working outside. Wife and children were in Texas (I'm in Washington state), so it was nice and quiet.

As I ran the shower water, waiting for it to warm, I thought I could hear a slight rumbling, but wasn't sure what it was until I turned the water off. It was a truck idling. With the light on in the bathroom, I couldn't see anything out of the bathroom window and didn't want to draw attention by switching the light off, so I tossed pants back on and went down the stairs to the living area where it was still dark. Walked into the kitchen, grabbed a Glock laying on the counter and looked straight out into the face of a man standing 10' from the kitchen window in the middle of the back yard, with his truck pulled around the back of the house by the shop.

He couldn't see me yet, but instantly I felt like he had crossed the line of acceptable behavior. I called out to him from inside, asking what he wanted. He jumped back a step, looked at each window of the house not knowing where I was, stuttered and told me he was selling firewood. I explained that the house didn't have a chimney and he didn't have any firewood, he stuttered more as he backed up and got into his truck and backed his way back around the front of the house and left.

I think back, and wonder if I'd have jumped in the shower, what I may have stepped out into.

~Moses

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Walked into the kitchen, grabbed a Glock laying on the counter ...


I think back, and wonder if I'd have jumped in the shower, what I may have stepped out into.

~Moses

You might have stepped into the muzzle flash from your own Glock - the last thing you'd ever see.


You leave guns just laying around on the kitchen counter?!?!?! :confused2: