[SNAFU]

Say it gets bad quick. My scenario is this:

Feel like i am prepared with ammo and weapons.
Feel like I have enough food an water for a few months.
Live on a pond and have 15 acres with hundreds around me to "utilize".

Problem is this....There me, avid hunter, can shoot, have some tactical training, not a ton...have read many books about defensive positions, but dont have the "people power". It's me, wife, 12 yr old daughter who can shoot, 9 yr old son who can shoot, father in law who is retired DEA, mother in law who is useless.........bottom line, not enough to cover a perimeter to keep us safe. Neighbors are few and far between but say another 3 men who will likely not leave their homes.....how do i defend my interests? have talked to friends within 15 miles and told them (those that dont laugh at me) to hole up here, but say they dont make it. I am spread thin. I can feasibly only cover front and back of the house from decent coverage, but have to sleep sometime. Flanks are bare and uncovered. Do i hole up inside or do i try to counter threats before they get in? Would be easier inside, but by then could be too late. Do I risk the roof and cover 360 while exposed? Am i SOL? curious to see what you guys think as I dont have the experience to know better.

 

[Omega Man]

Is this your home...or a firebase?

You make it sound as if your SHTF scenario involves the world declaring war on you and laying siege to your home. Have you done something stupid to end up on a government crap list? Does the ATF think you're some militia guy with a bunch of unlicensed machine guns or something?

Unless you have ticked somebody off, is a full scale invasion a likely scenario for you?

Do you have a perimeter? I mean a real perimeter with razor wire, interlocking fields of fire and all that jazz?

Suppose you do get a few extra guys and have enough manpower to cover all your bases...what happens after that first shift when everyone gets tired?

My own personal defensive scenario, what with me living out in the boonies, doesn't involve much more than possible burglars or beggars. I'm too far out for political riots to effect me and roving gangs of raiders won't be much of a problem unless the whole world goes down the drain, in which case any surviving buddies of mine will consolidate at one of our houses (whose ever is in the best shape) and turn his farm into a firebase.

 

[Horned One]

Three things come to mind.

1. If possible, hide your property from view by blocking the driveway or road. Make people think no one is there, and you may not have to defend at all.

2. Create a decoy location that will attract raiders. Then you can keep your eye on one spot and ambush them as necessary.

3. If your property is fenced, and you have the resources, three or four dogs could patrol the area and give you plenty of warning if someone was approaching.

 

[Crutch]

Hey SNAFU, I know what you mean man.

So lets assume you have no more power. Grids down.

What are your surroundings like? Are you on the main road? Do you live down in the woods?

The long short of it, is that someone is going to have to take watch. But I want you to imagine this. Dead Silence. That's what you will have. You will hear trucks coming from miles away.

Still, your going to need someone (or something) to keep watch. Dogs, alarms, traps, and geese might help as well.

African Geese are both unexpected and extremely aggressive. As well as ugly, and delicious.

 

[his1911]

I'm kinda in your boat Omega Man, unless things go really down the drain I should be ok for a bit. And the several friends I have we'll all secure the better of our locations and work from there. May not be the perfect solution but it'll have to do until something better presents itself!

 

[Nolan.Sackett]

Well said OmegaMan!

If your that remote you probably don't have much to worry about. Just keep low profile and don't advertise.

 

[Nolan.Sackett]

WOW! I just read hornedowl's reply. Decoy location? Ambush raiders? Good grief I hope your real good at telling raiders from nonraiders.

 

[Bullets~n~Beans]

Still, your going to need someone (or something) to keep watch. Dogs, alarms, traps, and geese might help as well.

Good job for the useless mother in law. Your word not mine. And you didn't say if your wife could shoot or not.

Keep in mind that asking a 12 yo girl and a 9 yo boy to shoot another human being is a pretty tall order for them.

 

[Alligatorgars]

Say it gets bad quick. My scenario is this:

Feel like i am prepared with ammo and weapons.
Feel like I have enough food an water for a few months.
Live on a pond and have 15 acres with hundreds around me to "utilize".

Problem is this....There me, avid hunter, can shoot, have some tactical training, not a ton...have read many books about defensive positions, but dont have the "people power". It's me, wife, 12 yr old daughter who can shoot, 9 yr old son who can shoot, father in law who is retired DEA, mother in law who is useless.........bottom line, not enough to cover a perimeter to keep us safe. Neighbors are few and far between but say another 3 men who will likely not leave their homes.....how do i defend my interests? have talked to friends within 15 miles and told them (those that dont laugh at me) to hole up here, but say they dont make it. I am spread thin. I can feasibly only cover front and back of the house from decent coverage, but have to sleep sometime. Flanks are bare and uncovered. Do i hole up inside or do i try to counter threats before they get in? Would be easier inside, but by then could be too late. Do I risk the roof and cover 360 while exposed? Am i SOL? curious to see what you guys think as I dont have the experience to know better.

Local friends? The guys at the church, work gym are a good choice if you work out. I am constantly meeting interesting ppl in the gym. Ive been working out for 20 plus yrs and have met all arms of the law and military there, lawyers, doctors, millionaires and gang bangers. Some I would contact and some, oh no. Point is there is always someone with preps training but no land.

 

[AK-47MASTER]

Keep it quiet!

As long as no one knows you have supplies and you can stay hidden, you will be fine long enough for the zombies to take care of themselves.

 

[Omega Man]

Keep in mind that asking a 12 yo girl and a 9 yo boy to shoot another human being is a pretty tall order for them.

Obviously you didn't attend the same public school as I did.

I still have to wear orthopedic shirts to this day

 

[Omega Man]

...mother in law who is useless...

In my entire life, I've never met ANYONE who had anything nice to say about their mother in law.

I'm starting to see a pattern here.

 

[Horned One]

WOW! I just read hornedowl's reply. Decoy location? Ambush raiders? Good grief I hope your real good at telling raiders from nonraiders.

Of course! They wear lots of black leather and chains, right? :

Seriously though, we're talking worst case scenario here, so yeah there could be some unsavory people showing up to take your stuff. I'm not saying shoot first, ask questions later, but you've got to be prepared to shoot if you're taking care of your family.

Personally, I'm much more optimistic about how people will behave after the SHTF, but I could be wrong.

 

[MikeK]

And if those friends do make it, your months worth of food will become weeks worth, because I'd almost be willing to bet hard currency that they won't bring a damned thing with them. It'll be entirely up to you to put them up and feed them.

This is a major problem we discuss here a lot and I have yet to see a workable solution to it. I used to try and get people to prepare. The very few that actually acknowledged the need lost interest the second they realized it would take their girl chasing, bar hopping, or toy buying money. Me and another prepper spent a lot of time talking to the neighborhood at the last place I lived, trying to get organized. A few of them were "on board" as long as we'd put up the supplies for them, so all they had to do was show up.

 

[JohnWStiner]

In my entire life, I've never met ANYONE who had anything nice to say about their mother in law.

I'm starting to see a pattern here.

My mother-in-law is the greatest person I know. She is beautiful, kind, loving and looks over our family every night with quite solitude. Did i forget to mention that she is in a brass jar sitting on the fireplace mantel? Just kidding.

 

[Crutch]

Good job for the useless mother in law. Your word not mine. And you didn't say if your wife could shoot or not.

Keep in mind that asking a 12 yo girl and a 9 yo boy to shoot another human being is a pretty tall order for them.

hahaha! I'd take African Geese over a useless mother in law anyday! :


You are right though, even mother in laws can take watch.

 

[Crutch]

And if those friends do make it, your months worth of food will become weeks worth, because I'd almost be willing to bet hard currency that they won't bring a damned thing with them. It'll be entirely up to you to put them up and feed them.

This is a major problem we discuss here a lot and I have yet to see a workable solution to it. I used to try and get people to prepare. The very few that actually acknowledged the need lost interest the second they realized it would take their girl chasing, bar hopping, or toy buying money. Me and another prepper spent a lot of time talking to the neighborhood at the last place I lived, trying to get organized. A few of them were "on board" as long as we'd put up the supplies for them, so all they had to do was show up.

MikeK!

I know what you mean man. That's why I started a local survivalist meetup group. To make friends, where friends who are worthy of having might be. I know that sounds bad, but when you have a group of honest to God Real survivalists, you have found the hardest working, best people life has to offer. Shallow or not, finding people with common interests, work ethics, and principles is a breath of fresh air.

My neighbor is coming on board with the survivalist mindset. Couldn't find a more perfect person. Yankee Carpentry is second to none, and me and him have never had any problems handling our whiskey.

My Ideal situation would be, all of my neighbors being survivalists, and we working together to survive. But hell, if I just had him, we'd be ok.

Rural New Yorkers might as well be considered the South. Seriously.

 

[Moccasin]

Say it gets bad quick. My scenario is this:

Feel like i am prepared with ammo and weapons.
Feel like I have enough food an water for a few months.
Live on a pond and have 15 acres with hundreds around me to "utilize".

Problem is this....There me, avid hunter, can shoot, have some tactical training, not a ton...have read many books about defensive positions, but dont have the "people power". It's me, wife, 12 yr old daughter who can shoot, 9 yr old son who can shoot, father in law who is retired DEA, mother in law who is useless.........bottom line, not enough to cover a perimeter to keep us safe. Neighbors are few and far between but say another 3 men who will likely not leave their homes.....how do i defend my interests? have talked to friends within 15 miles and told them (those that dont laugh at me) to hole up here, but say they dont make it. I am spread thin. I can feasibly only cover front and back of the house from decent coverage, but have to sleep sometime. Flanks are bare and uncovered. Do i hole up inside or do i try to counter threats before they get in? Would be easier inside, but by then could be too late. Do I risk the roof and cover 360 while exposed? Am i SOL? curious to see what you guys think as I dont have the experience to know better.

As Omega Man noted, unless you have reason to expect the Golden Horde to show up in force at your gate and lay siege, you MAY be over reacting. Some simple preparations should keep you safe under all but the most extreme circumstances. Fences. Unfilled moats. Blackberry vines planted on those bare and unprotected flanks so no human can go through them. A hidden observation post from which you can watch the approaches to your house. Reinforcing the walls of your house with steel and brick so it's bullet and fire proof. Battery operated motion detectors and trip wires around the perimeter and attached to warning devices so you know when someone is coming. Changing the terrain so attackers are fighting uphill, perhaps literally. And of course, keep in mind the collapse people fear so much may never happen...

 

[ww1military]

The "textbook" military answer is to channel the approaches. Or in more practical terms make certain avenues of approach "impractical". Barbwire and tangle foot, a small pond, hedges made-up of nasty plants will do a lot of this. Done a little bit at a time you can limit the approaches that most anti-social types will take. This "channels" them into the areas you choose to defend.

If it is your bad luck to have a bunch of ex-SF types these won't do much but then you are in pretty deep trouble it you have to tangle with a group like that anyway.

 

[MikeK]

MikeK!

I know what you mean man. That's why I started a local survivalist meetup group. To make friends, where friends who are worthy of having might be. I know that sounds bad, but when you have a group of honest to God Real survivalists, you have found the hardest working, best people life has to offer. Shallow or not, finding people with common interests, work ethics, and principles is a breath of fresh air.

My neighbor is coming on board with the survivalist mindset. Couldn't find a more perfect person. Yankee Carpentry is second to none, and me and him have never had any problems handling our whiskey.

My Ideal situation would be, all of my neighbors being survivalists, and we working together to survive. But hell, if I just had him, we'd be ok.

Rural New Yorkers might as well be considered the South. Seriously.

Sounds like your system worked out really well. Our survival group formed over several years. I didn't have a meetup group like you, but I lucked into a few fantastic folks. One family from the shooting range, another from church, and a few fellow gun show dealers.