Security

I thought I would introduce this topic.  We have a maple sugaring operation that has been attacked over 6 times.  The last time cost us over $2000 to put right. 

I have built a bulletproof box to protect the evaporator, put plate steel on the door, lexan on the windows and installed 2 camera systems. 

This seems to have deterred them for a while. 

We have also suffered from timber trespass and four wheeler damage. 

What can we do to secure our permaculture operations? 

What have you done? 

location becomes a huge question here
in some places you can shoot back and run single wire fences in such a way as to injure the atv riders, but they are rare.
in others posting your property actualy increases your risk of liability if they flip the bloody atv's over on themeselves.

You could try posting signs that say something like,

"NO TRESPASSING!
  NO HUNTING!
  BEAR HABITAT!
VIOLATORS WILL BE EATEN!"

do not string a single wire to stop ATV's..if you cut their heads off you will be prosecuted for manslaughter..even if they are trespassing.

the signs are a great idea..but make them truthful..like "firearms practice area, no trespassing"

If you raise nettle and blackberry, another honest sign might read "beware of plants."

I understand some people raise chickens with fighting bloodlines as free-range meat birds, due to their fast weight gain, predator resistance, good foraging instincts, and the emotional distance one can maintain from them. This entails some minor risk to the chicken farmer, but may not be the sort of threat a trespasser would expect when reading "attack animals on premises."

Jokes aside: What motivation do you suppose is behind this all? Is there anything your community might do to mitigate the underlying causes of it? Might there be some sort of "honeypot" that would attract attention without being precious to you, and potentially be a hassle to the trespassers once they engage with it (similar to a cup of beer for slugs)?

Aggressive geese.
Maybe it was the same gang twice. And they won't stay away because of a sign. You could make a more aggressive sign telling because of break ins you will shoot/have traps or whatever and you might install a movement detector coupled with some very bright lights.
You might as well write this to the local paper. First people might watch your property more second you might defer at least the timber trespass as readers might realize that this is not great for you.

Here in South Africa Ostriches are probably the best security guards.  But make sure you raise them yourself because they can be vicious.  I won't enter an ostrich camp if you pay me...

a lot of great ideas..but also I would contact the local authorities and complain about what is going on, it might not just be happening to you and if enough people are being affected maybe an arrest can be made.

What works for me: Check out your State's wildlife department guidelines for fur trapping on private property and post your land as described. Nothing I have ever tried works as well as home made signs wired to the fences and gates stating: (DANGER! HIDDEN STEEL TRAPS!). I had found that other signage (keep out, stay out, posted, and so forth) only peeked the interest of intruders.

Signs warning of traps may be effective. If you set any traps, make sure they are not set in a way that could be misconstrued as being set for the capture of a human!!  A game camera coverning the area's high value equipment, along with a couple of bright lights on motion-sensors could go a long way.  And if you could stay up for a few nights, or camp on the property, and catch them in the act, a couple of shotgun blasts into the air and some loud cursing would make most people reconsider their nocturnal hobbies.

What about alarm mines?
combined with some sign post about shooting,  can be quite impressive. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D_3nAfmcqY

If you are in a zone that supports bamboo, some species are great for a natural barrier,(because of there very strong and sharp thorns, that would definitely penetrate human flesh with ease and sink in about a few inches) although this will take some time to grow. I had one go through my fingernail like butter on a hot day. It hurt like hell to say the least.

Poison oak or ivy is good also.

Very big loud scary dogs.

Is the sugaring operation on property that is inhabited or is it offsite from your home?

Mac

Dogs and having things close by both help. Things that are farther away are harder to protect. Some of our land is over a mile from our house and those areas get violated by mechanized trespassers and unapproved hunters despite the very clear signs to keep out. We let some people hunt on our land in the fall during the major hunting season and they do help police those areas running off other hunters - vested interests.

By timber trespass do you mean firewood cutters or logging operation because if it is the latter you can sue them which tends to get not only thier attention but other companies in the area. For firewood cutters I have found hearing the saw and showing up with my 12 guage in one had and sherrif on the way helps same as it does with ATVs or other trespassers (I got a pond that used to draw em in till word of the crazy guy with the gun spread). A less agressine approach is one that has been mentioned and that is natural barriers like thich thorny hedges, close spaced trees, etc. I also have been known to string 3 strands of barbwire as a fence making sure to flag it with white or orange strips as well as no trespassing signs. Of course it is easy to cut but it is a deterent as would be any fencing. Also if they are not paying close attention and hit it in an ATV I can prove I did everything I could to prevent it. Game cameras placed along the popular illegal ATV trails would also be a good idea and nothing says if you can't ID the rider a couple printed posters or an ad in the newspaper shaming the rider(s) would not at the very least have the folks who know them by say the ATV giving them hell. These things will help for the outlying property. As far as the outbuildings and such go I recomend whatever large dog(s) that is not a lab or hunting dog. You get them as pups and raise them to be basically friendly so no one gets hurt by a mean dog though. Just the simple fact you have a big "mean", "unfriendly", etc dog tends to keep people honest. Good luck and I wish you the best because security can be a pain because of idiots out there.

I1st notify the local authorities and get them involved.
2nd Post signs that state no trespassing so PD can actually arrest them for trespass.
3rd See what your firearm laws are and buy a shotgun. Good for defense and can be loaded with rock salt shells for non lethal defense.
4th put sufficient barriers in their way such as large boulders, t-posts pounded into the ground and marked.
5th camp out, catch them in the act and have PD respond or use the salt shells if allowable by law. If you can have them arrested then follow through and press charges so that the courts will hit them with some fees. They won't want to do that again.
6th Video surveillance is a good idea as it will re-enforce your claim of trespass and any other crimes they may commit. Hunting cameras that activate with motion are a good cheap alternative for this kind of activity.

Hope this helps,

John

Slightly off topic but i was working my land the other day and saw some kid who looked like a hoodlum riding up the street on his bike. I didn't really think much of it but I often watch people near my land to see what they are doing. He had no idea i was watching him. When all of a sudden i see him hop off his bike, run into my neighbors yard and start picking his flowers. So i started whistling, you know like a bird. He looked frantic hoping to get his flowers before a car came. Finally he took off with his flowers, the same way he came, as if that was his plan the whole time. As he started riding away I increased the intensity of my whistling and made it sound more human. The look on his face when he realized it was a human was priceless. Finally he saw me and huffed. And rode away.

questions.

what he honestly riding his bike up the street to go steal someones flowers?

will that be a future deterrent to him near my property knowing that I know who did it?


I sort of wished i hadnt notified him and got in my car and followed him, but that way he wouldn't have been startled and possibly learned his lesson. hmmmm

what he honestly riding his bike up the street to go steal someones flowers?
Umm Yes. In fact he may have done this multiple times before. Now I have never stolen flowers from someone's yard but I have collected wildflowers roadside and took them to my wife at work. It had a great effect and her coworkers were jealous for months.

will that be a future deterrent to him near my property knowing that I know who did it?
Yes and no. It depends on the person's mentality. He may say "Oh I never know when that person is watching so I better not come back.", "Oh that person saw me and did not report me so next time I should be okay.", or even"Oh that person saw me I better be more careful no one is watching next time."

Your situation just goes to show how people do not respect private property when there is something they want on it.