Investigating noises outside

[eldirector]

I'm a little baffled by the level of fear demonstrated on this forum. I know, you call it preperation - whatever. Where the hell do you people live that you wouldnt even go outside of your own house at night becuase there was a sound out there? Or that your primary reaction to hearing noises outside is to grab a gun?

Apparently there IS a such thing as being too careful. "Did you hear that honey? A sound outside. I'm getting a gun!"

WTF?

I know this is a gun forum, but is there anyone who finds this kind of behavior a little out of whack?

Meh. I was just playing along with the scenario.

In real life:
- Strange noises outside BEFORE bedtime, I'd investigate and still be armed for the day. Probably just a dog, some critter, or a neighborhood kid.
- Strange noises outside AFTER bedtime, and they'd better be LOUD to wake me up. I can see most of the yard from the safety of the house, either with floods or cameras. I've only gone out once or twice to check the shed, garage, or car. All of which I can see from the house, but I went to check the locks AFTER I saw it was clear.

 

[Expat]

I have heard noises. I have gone outside. There is enough light that I can see all the way around my house. I have the Glock 22 with light mounted so if I shine it in his face, I also have the pistol pointed at his head. I have never found anyone so far. Wind noises, animals has been about it. I would feel foolish calling an officer out for just a random noise.

 

[eldirector]

If you are walking in the flower beds next to my daughter's window late at night, then, yeah, you might.

 

[eldirector]

Knock yourself out....

31 N. Green Street
Brownsburg, IN 46112

 

[lovemachine]

Knock yourself out....

31 N. Green Street
Brownsburg, IN 46112

I'm coming over tonight. What's for dinner?

 

[youngda9]

Chicken and Stove Top ?

 

[Sylvain]

Knock yourself out....

31 N. Green Street
Brownsburg, IN 46112

That's an old trick.
It's your Ex wife current address, right?

Genius man!

 

[littletommy]

Throw a distraction rock first, saw it in a movie but sorta makes sense here, double element of surprise

No no no! You wanna gobble like a Turkey, then when BG turns to look, you shoot him in the forehead, twice.

 

[Mr. Habib]

Knock yourself out....

31 N. Green Street
Brownsburg, IN 46112

What you did there, I see it.

 

[eldirector]

Ya'll might want to Google that address.

I might be ballsy, but I'm not stupid!

But you are welcome to stomp around late at night in the bushes at that address.....

 

[Sylvain]

What you did there, I see it.

I had to Google the adress.

You might actually have more guns than all of the force combined.

 

[eldirector]

I had to Google the adress.

You might actually have more guns than all of the force combined.

Yeah, but they can legally shoot you for stomping around. I can't

 

[7th Stepper]

First, turn all the lights in the house off. By doing that, you eliminate the potential BG the benefit of seeing you through the window. It also allows your eyes to focus on what could be going on outside. Then turn on all outside lights so you can see them. Personally, I would stay inside and not stand directly in front of the window. When looking out the window, do it from an angle.

Be ready in case the prowler situation turns into a home invasion scenario. Make sure the wife is armed as well and have a plan set up ahead of time as to who will go where and do what.

If in fact, you determine that there is a potential BG, call the cops. If the BG comes in, lay that person out on the floor with a few well placed rounds and wait till the cops show up.

Ok, are you sure you're not BOR in disguise? We've set up almost this very same scenario and have worked it out to the n'th detail. And it almost matches yours exactly. The only difference that I'd do (if I were here alone) is that if the noise was in the backyard, I'd set the hounds to roust the BG out.

Most on here know that we have a Pit, who's about as friendly as you can get, UNLESS it's someone he doesn't know, and feels doesn't belong on his turf. We have 2 others as well, mine is my avatar, and altho he's the smallest of the 3, he's the loudest and most likely to bite. Our 3rd is BOR's dog, the breed of which he's asked me not to disclose, but let's just say that I keep threatening to saddle and ride him, or teach him to harness and pull me around in a cart, both of which he'd be very capable of doing. And he's definitely NOT friendly, especially to things that go BUMP or THUMP in the night!

The rest is almost exactly what BOR's taught me to do, with a couple of variations. 1- don't look out the peephole in the door, unless you want one right between the eyes! And 2 - get yourself into what BOR calls a "fatal funnel" (I think that's what it's called) where no one can sneak up on you from either side, or from behind. A bathroom with a vanity area is perfect, that way they (or just he, but I always think there's more than just 1) are forced to meet you head on, and 2 to the chest, 1 between the eyes, solves that problem. I have a laser on my weapon, which makes it easier for me to hit what I'm aiming at. My night vision sucks unless my eyes have adjusted to the darkness. But the dogs are perfect in either light OR dark areas, they're designed to adjust that way almost instantly. Easier to hunt prey that way.

Secure your position, THEN call 911. Give your name, address, a brief description of what's going on, (ie: my name is...., I'm at ....., I need police and an ambulance, someone's been shot, or, we have an intruder, etc.,") and then hang up. Everything you say is being recorded, and more details than that they could, and might/would use against you in a court of law.

Wait in this area until the police arrive, announce who they are, and then make your location known. And by that point the dogs would be in there with me, behind me, but guarding my flank as well. Plus I won't risk them being shot.

What can't be seen, is a potential threat, esp if you're a woman alone, and all precautions must be taken to maintain your own safety. I would give dispatch the code to the garage so they wouldn't have to break in thru a window, but other than that, I'm not moving, until I know it's 100% safe, and totally under control.

We have the luxury of having a fenced backyard, because I wouldn't let the dogs out front, regardless of what I heard. We'd hole up in the bathroom until help arrived. I 2nd the "lights out", that way no one can see me, and I would have my flashlight and PK.380 on me at that time, as well as our 20 gauge by my side. It only makes sense to me to make sure that the dogs and I are safe and well protected, "stuff" in the house can always be replaced, that's what ins is for.

I hope you never find yourself in this situation, it can and most definitely would be a very scary experience.
7th Stepper

 

[7th Stepper]

I'm a little baffled by the level of fear demonstrated on this forum. I know, you call it preperation - whatever. Where the hell do you people live that you wouldnt even go outside of your own house at night becuase there was a sound out there? Or that your primary reaction to hearing noises outside is to grab a gun?

Apparently there IS a such thing as being too careful. "Did you hear that honey? A sound outside. I'm getting a gun!"

WTF?

I know this is a gun forum, but is there anyone who finds this kind of behavior a little out of whack?

Fear? No, I'm not afraid, I carry because I value my own safety, health, and because I can, and that's guaranteed by our 2nd Amendment Rights.

Where do I live? In the real world, OZ this ain't.

Why wouldn't I check out a noise outside in the middle of the night by going outside? Because I may be a blond, but it's a dye job, and I have an aversion to being assaulted, especially because I'm female, disabled, and therefore easy prey.

I own dogs to do the preliminary "leg" work, they're faster and more effective than I am at dealing with someone/thing who wants to harm me.

Why do I assume this? Because again, I live in the real world, and I don't believe that sticking my head in the sand will magically "make it go away". And the idea that "it only happens to other people, in big cities" is laughable. To the general public, I AM "other people". But I prefer NOT to be a victim, been there, done that, have the scars to prove it! Being a "survivor" is preferable to my way of thinking, and it's how I choose to live my life.

And if that makes me "a bit out of whack''.... then so be it, but I'll be a live whack, rather than a dead one.

I believe in self reliance, after all, ""when every second counts, help is only minutes away". And in this day and age, to think otherwise is a misconception that can get you killed. Do you read the papers? Even in small towns, where people still leave their doors unlocked, crime still happens. In fact, those areas are a criminals favorite playground.

So no, I'm not afraid, or "a bit out of whack", I carry because I can, and I defend myself if necessary. I leave the dying to old people, who've lived good, productive, long lives. I'm not ready to go yet, especially by someone else's hand, greed, or stupidity

Stay out of my bushes, and you'll need never fear me. I'm a responsible, law abiding citizen, exercising my God given rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and protected by our Constitution. Walk your dog on the other side of the street if you care to, it won't bother me at all. And it'll make MY dogs much happier as well. And WHY in the H*** would you and your dog be in my bushes in the first place? There are plenty of other places you dog can go poop, NOT on my property!
7th Stepper

 

[Bill of Rights]

Ok, are you sure you're not BOR in disguise? We've set up almost this very same scenario and have worked it out to the n'th detail. And it almost matches yours exactly. The only difference that I'd do (if I were here alone) is that if the noise was in the backyard, I'd set the hounds to roust the BG out.

Most on here know that we have a Pit, who's about as friendly as you can get, UNLESS it's someone he doesn't know, and feels doesn't belong on his turf. We have 2 others as well, mine is my avatar, and altho he's the smallest of the 3, he's the loudest and most likely to bite. Our 3rd is BOR's dog, the breed of which he's asked me not to disclose, but let's just say that I keep threatening to saddle and ride him, or teach him to harness and pull me around in a cart, both of which he'd be very capable of doing. And he's definitely NOT friendly, especially to things that go BUMP or THUMP in the night!

The rest is almost exactly what BOR's taught me to do, with a couple of variations. 1- don't look out the peephole in the door, unless you want one right between the eyes! And 2 - get yourself into what BOR calls a "fatal funnel" (I think that's what it's called) where no one can sneak up on you from either side, or from behind. A bathroom with a vanity area is perfect, that way they (or just he, but I always think there's more than just 1) are forced to meet you head on, and 2 to the chest, 1 between the eyes, solves that problem. I have a laser on my weapon, which makes it easier for me to hit what I'm aiming at. My night vision sucks unless my eyes have adjusted to the darkness. But the dogs are perfect in either light OR dark areas, they're designed to adjust that way almost instantly. Easier to hunt prey that way.

Secure your position, THEN call 911. Give your name, address, a brief description of what's going on, (ie: my name is...., I'm at ....., I need police and an ambulance, someone's been shot, or, we have an intruder, etc.,") and then hang up. Everything you say is being recorded, and more details than that they could, and might/would use against you in a court of law.

Wait in this area until the police arrive, announce who they are, and then make your location known. And by that point the dogs would be in there with me, behind me, but guarding my flank as well. Plus I won't risk them being shot.

What can't be seen, is a potential threat, esp if you're a woman alone, and all precautions must be taken to maintain your own safety. I would give dispatch the code to the garage so they wouldn't have to break in thru a window, but other than that, I'm not moving, until I know it's 100% safe, and totally under control.

We have the luxury of having a fenced backyard, because I wouldn't let the dogs out front, regardless of what I heard. We'd hole up in the bathroom until help arrived. I 2nd the "lights out", that way no one can see me, and I would have my flashlight and PK.380 on me at that time, as well as our 20 gauge by my side. It only makes sense to me to make sure that the dogs and I are safe and well protected, "stuff" in the house can always be replaced, that's what ins is for.

I hope you never find yourself in this situation, it can and most definitely would be a very scary experience.
7th Stepper

Since I was asked about it, I have two comments about the above:

I said nothing about the peephole other than that if there is light behind you, it can be seen from outside when that light is blocked (and thus, that someone is there.)

If you're doing the fatal funnel, you don't want to get into it, you want to create it. Our house is set up such that there are several places to create one, and avoiding it can only be done by staying out.

Our goal is not to kill, but to stop the threat(s). If the threat happens to be killed in the process, that is not my concern. My concern is the life, health, and well-being of my family and property. The intruder's is his own problem, and if he cares for it/them, he should have chosen a different home to invade.

Of note: Just because I didn't say anything about shooting through a peephole doesn't mean it's not possible. I think it certainly is possible and something to be aware could happen. This is even more reason to have those lights inside off, IMHO.

To add to that, I am no tactics or training expert. I've learned what I know on INGO and from people I've met here. I've put that together with what seems to make sense in our home environment and passed it along to the person I love more than anyone else in the world.. She's an apt and willing student and has come up with some concerns that I hadn't considered. We make a great team and I am a very lucky man. And I'm at work, so no, she's not standing behind me as I write this.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[goinggreyfast]

Ok, are you sure you're not BOR in disguise?

Naw, I'm sure he's much better at this kind of thing than myself. Actually, it's what my father taught me when I was young. Turn off the inside lights, turn on the outside lights, muster "the troops" into the "safe zone" and make sure everyone knows what to do. We have a couple of dim night lights around the house as well, so we can actually get a pretty good idea where things are in the room without compromising our location.

My wife and I don't have children so it's normally just the two of us. We have a dog, but she's more of an alarm than anything. If someone is in our yard, she knows it and is very prompt at letting us know. Our home is also fairly small and shaped in a "O" pattern with the bathroom square in the middle of the home. All other rooms have at least one window. From the inside of the home, it's very easy to see what's going on outside. We also live on a corner with a street light so it provides quite a bit of light outside.

 

[7th Stepper]

Naw, I'm sure he's much better at this kind of thing than myself. Actually, it's what my father taught me when I was young. Turn off the inside lights, turn on the outside lights, muster "the troops" into the "safe zone" and make sure everyone knows what to do. We have a couple of dim night lights around the house as well, so we can actually get a pretty good idea where things are in the room without compromising our location.

My wife and I don't have children so it's normally just the two of us. We have a dog, but she's more of an alarm than anything. If someone is in our yard, she knows it and is very prompt at letting us know. Our home is also fairly small and shaped in a "O" pattern with the bathroom square in the middle of the home. All other rooms have at least one window. From the inside of the home, it's very easy to see what's going on outside. We also live on a corner with a street light so it provides quite a bit of light outside.

Good plan on your part. We also have motion sensor night lights, so that I'm not stumbling around in the dark, tripping over furniture, dog bones, dog toys & beds, stuffed animals, baby gates, and stuff like that. We still have to keep the 2 larger dogs apart, so I'm forever climbing over baby gates at every turn. And yes, our dogs (or furry family members as we think of them) are spoiled beyond belief, like our daughter was when she was a peewee. And on the nights we have all 3, one of them always shares the bed with us, "just cuz", esp if I'm here by myself. So we have a triple alarm alert team at all times.

We have one child, altho she's a child no longer. She does spend the night here from time to time (re: my post on her psycho roomie and her having to move out quickly) she came here for the duration of finding a new place to live. She also stops by sometimes at night, and she knows that if it's after a certain hour, call and let us know she's coming, so that we don't mistake her for an intruder.

The dogs bark at her coming in as well, altho it's a "happy" bark, not a menacing one. Her friends tease her, "you'd better call your parents and let them know you're coming, so they don't shoot you". Said in jest, because we always, ALWAYS practice "Rules 1 thru 4" If you know gun safety, you know what the 4 rules are. Besides, it's just courtesy on her part, so she doesn't scare the bejesus outta me. Loud rummaging noises in the kitchen at 3am, do tend to make me very wary, not enough to pull Betsy out, but definitely on edge. Anyone other than that tho (they'd get the menacing, roaring, growling, snarl) is enough to set me in motion to protect myself from an intruder in a heartbeat.

On the few nights I'm here alone (sort of, if you don't count the dogs) I'm very aware of my surroundings, have everything locked down tight, and have my cell on me at all times. Our subdivision is a very quiet neighborhood, and we're lucky to have good neighbors, but being disabled has made me far more aware than I'd be if I weren't.

I think you & Bill would get along great, as the saying goes, GMTA! (translation: Great Minds Think Alike) Take care and stay safe. Regards, 7th Stepper

 

[jeremy]

DO NOT GO OUTSIDE!!!

Why are you running around like Manny the Mall Ninja in your Mickey Mouse underwear and your Ho Chi Minh flip flops?

Don't get out of the boat, er, don't expose yourself like that. You are inside the house. In a very strong position, why give it up unless your place is on fire?

You're going to go outside and do what, Skippy? Save your favorite rake in the tool shed? Leave your wife to fend for herself? Create an opportunity for blue on blue gunfire when you leave contact with your wife? Go out and point a gun at the clumsy 15 year old neighbor sneaking a cigarette and go down for felony stupid?

Turn on the outside light and see what is out there: deer, dog, rhino out for a night run, neighbor's kid, etc. Having a gun is not a substitute for wisdom.

Great advice for those that live in town...

However, I do not live in town. So I will be securing my yard and buildings. Before I call the Sheriff...

 

[hoosierdoc]

Great advice for those that live in town...

However, I do not live in town. So I will be securing my yard and buildings. Before I call the Sheriff...

I recently followed an impaired driver during the day in Shelby County. After 15 minutes, she turned into her driveway and the officer had not yet arrived on scene. She was all over both shoulders of the road as well.

At night in the country, you're on your own for quite a while

 

[Bill of Rights]

I never said I walk my dog in peoples bushes. And I have read the newspaper and seen the evening news reports - crime everywhere, people always dying, street gangs are taking over the whole entire city, we're all going to be killed if we go outside so bring a gun, bla bla bla. I dont pay any attention to that garbage any more. The news reports do not come anywhere close to accurately representing what happens in the world. There is far more good going on than is reported. A LOT of people are unaware of that fact.

We live in the same world. Granted, I'm not a small disabled woman, so our outlooks are different. Just because someones worldview differes from yours does not mean that you live in the real world and they do not.

The part that I consider out of whack is jumping to the conclusion that someone is going to harm you FIRST. If a persons FIRST reaction to someone being on their property is to ready themselves for violence, then they are a bit out of whack. Its a frame of mind I'm talking about, here, not the possessions one owns. You dont have to agree - its my opinion, after all.

I may have missed it, but I don't see where she said that you or anyone else doesn't live in the real world, traildog, only that she does live in it. It seems clear to me as well that you have different sets of life experiences ThT have shaped your respective world-views, something to keep in mind before criticizing others actions and reactions, IMHO.

Good plan on your part. We also have motion sensor night lights, so that I'm not stumbling around in the dark, tripping over furniture, dog bones, dog toys & beds, stuffed animals, baby gates, and stuff like that. We still have to keep the 2 larger dogs apart, so I'm forever climbing over baby gates at every turn. And yes, our dogs (or furry family members as we think of them) are spoiled beyond belief, like our daughter was when she was a peewee. And on the nights we have all 3, one of them always shares the bed with us, "just cuz", esp if I'm here by myself. So we have a triple alarm alert team at all times.

We have one child, altho she's a child no longer. She does spend the night here from time to time (re: my post on her psycho roomie and her having to move out quickly) she came here for the duration of finding a new place to live. She also stops by sometimes at night, and she knows that if it's after a certain hour, call and let us know she's coming, so that we don't mistake her for an intruder.

The dogs bark at her coming in as well, altho it's a "happy" bark, not a menacing one. Her friends tease her, "you'd better call your parents and let them know you're coming, so they don't shoot you". Said in jest, because we always, ALWAYS practice "Rules 1 thru 4" If you know gun safety, you know what the 4 rules are. Besides, it's just courtesy on her part, so she doesn't scare the bejesus outta me. Loud rummaging noises in the kitchen at 3am, do tend to make me very wary, not enough to pull Betsy out, but definitely on edge. Anyone other than that tho (they'd get the menacing, roaring, growling, snarl) is enough to set me in motion to protect myself from an intruder in a heartbeat.

On the few nights I'm here alone (sort of, if you don't count the dogs) I'm very aware of my surroundings, have everything locked down tight, and have my cell on me at all times. Our subdivision is a very quiet neighborhood, and we're lucky to have good neighbors, but being disabled has made me far more aware than I'd be if I weren't.

I think you & Bill would get along great, as the saying goes, GMTA! (translation: Great Minds Think Alike) Take care and stay safe. Regards, 7th Stepper

While I said upthread that I'm no expert on tactics or training, I have to say I have a great student and I could not be more proud of her. She is always learning (as, IMHO, should we all!) and always applying discernment to define what is and is not good info... Including what I pass along. I'm not always right but I'm always willing to learn new stuff.

Blessings,
Bill