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I found some interesting information on 12 Volt security systems yesterday (alarms).

The problems that I've had in the past with game camera's are two fold: 1) if the criminal element know they are there they will merely cover their face and 2)the camera's can be stolen.

I'm still researching.

Hey Jeff, maybe something like this that your neighbor will hear.
http://www.cabinalarm.com/CabinAlarmKit.html

Jeff I may be new here but I have to say I am sorry for your misfortune and I'm glad all is well with your wife.

I will also add I admire your restraint,as one of the younger members of the forum chances are I'd be turning over stones best left unturned if I was in your shoes...........If you know what I mean.

With that said the advice given on the CL app is sound and well worth taking.

As far as the link Adirondack pond posted,I took a look and again while sound advice it is essentially a car alarm.The fact that it was a car alarm got me thinking(I worked for a car sound and security place in HS),because there are quite a few that have a sim card option these days.In other words if you have cell service and with a bit of help from folks here you could easily have a alarm that sends you a text message,triggers video etc,etc for a reasonable price.There are quite a few on the market these days that offer sms alerts to a smart phone and even a video record option.

I hate to say this but many of us are in your shoes as absentee owners,myself included,but with a little help from some forum members(I have one in particular in mind)I feel we could come up with a reasonably priced remote system for not a lot of money.That might set a few scumbags in another direction

Jeff,
Missed you guys at the conference and might just have to come to San Diego this winter to catch up....You guys have made it through alot and will for sure make it through this as well!!

Jeff - its good to hear Ricki is doing better. Thankful for that.
Thanks for updating us.
The bastards that steal should be removed from the gene pool since they show others that they are not willing to live within our rules. The thieves are probably within a 10-15 mile radius of your property. It seems you are getting some good helpful advice for future surveillance. Hang in there buddy.

jeff, If you pm me your address, I would be more than happy to contribute to your new security system. I hate thiefs and what they put the people they stole from through.

Happy Holidays to you and your family. Let me know if I can help.

That is one of the systems I'm looking at, thanks for posting the link though!

Trust me Robert, I know exactly what you mean.

At this point I am looking at a two fold approach, (1) a security camera(s) that sends images to either a website or an email address and (2) a 12-volt alarm system.

The problem that I have had with security cameras in the past are that if the scumbags know the cameras are there they will simply obsure their faces. I have had this happen in the past and have photos of trespassers with their faces covered.

Just let us know Natester and we would gladly meet up with you and your family!

Thank you Commander Cody. Ricki and I sincerely appreciate the sentiment.

Thanks HL. I appreciate the offer but it is not necessary. We will replace items that were stolen and fortify our defenses as time and budget allows and keep on keeping on.

Being an absentee owner certainly has it's challenges but I will not be deterred by low-lifes.

jeff there are 12v alarms out there that will notify you via text message,monitor sound and video on your phone for 2-400$ I found this along with a few others. http://www.gsm-secure.co.uk/GSM-Caravan-Alarms.php

when the time comes start a thread and hopefully it may prevent others from going through what you have had to.

Interesting, thanks Robert!

Have you thought about installing a little solar setup to provide power and keep batteries topped off? Perhaps run some lights on and off at irregular rates to give some illusion that someone is there?

A nice deep hole in the middle of the main roadway would be fun. Use a temporary bridge for you to cross, remove and replace with some crap lumber when away. Keep the truck for yourself when you find it in the hole.

Better yet, a moat. Goes well with a pond owner, right? Just kidding, but I AM glad your wife won the fight.

JHAP, if they want to get in, they will. A friend had one of those ocean transport containers dropped on his property and he used it for storage. He lived about 100 miles away. He put one of those "uncuttable" padlocks on it and felt secure.

Somebody stopped by that has a cutting torch, torched the lock off and cleaned him out. ATV, all the implements to maintain his food plots, riding mower, weed whacker, tree stands, etc., etc.

All you can do is fortify it the best you can, pay the insurance premium and keep your fingers crossed.

The thing that makes rural security more difficult is access. There are so many places that somebody could get access through. I've tried to figure out how to handle many of the same issues you all have talked about, but it's far more difficult than in an urban environment.

I'm leaning towards a battery powered self contained system that would operate even if the phone lines were cut.

Another thing I try to do is only use service people that have a brick and mortar business. I know of several people around here that got popped after a service visit from a friend of a friend. A mechanic came to one place to work on a tractor, and needed a wrench he didn't have. He followed the owner into his shop to get it, and the guy was hit 2 nights in the next week.

The worst part was that he filed 2 separate insurance claims and the deductibles almost were as much as the loss. He assumed they wouldn't be brazen enough to come back, so he filed his first claim immediately.

Sites like Craig's List only exacerbate the situation. Stolen items can be turned almost immediately, because not all buyers are honorable people. I'm not sure many people wouldn't turn down a $5,000 Snap On tool box offered for $1,500.

We had a solar system.... they stole it!

That is an unfortunate reality. Heck if they wanted into either the Ag Building or Tool Shed bad enough they could take a chain saw and cut right through the walls - that happened to one of my clients a few years back. Someone cut a 4' x 4' hole in the wall of one of his buildings and cleaned him out.

I agree. Remote properties with a lack of power make for a tempting target.

I know I cannot prevent this from happening however I am just going to try to make it as difficult as possible so that my property is less desirable than others.

If you have a neighbor you can trust who can frequently go on your property and shoot a few hundred rounds every few days, and leave a lot of the shells and shot-up targets around, it can help.

Granted, ammo's getting costly...but you know....

Probably more costly in CA...

I'm working on that. We are going to give our immediate neighbor access to our property (a gate key). I've encouraged him to enter the property whenever he likes.

Ammo costs about the same in California as everywhere else and most of the large ammo suppliers ship to California.

Now guns, that is an entirely different story.

As a side note I'm getting to be a pretty good shot with my Winchester Model 94 (in 30-30) and it is very fun to shoot!

Winchester Model 94 30-30 is old school, JHAP! Shot my first deer with that particular model and caliber.

I think you have to use nearly lead free bullets in the condor's range so these shells would be quite a bit more. At a range may be a different story. Here we shoot off the deck or window. Sometimes we open the window for the first shot but it doesn't matter after the initial blast.

I'll bet that several of us have run a few rounds through a "thutty-thutty".....I know I've owned a couple...may still own one?.....

I'm not ashamed to say I love my 30-30. Several years back I went on a quest to purchase a pre-1964 30-30. Took a while but I found a beauty. There is just something about a lever gun that I find appealing. So far I've never killed a deer (grew up in the city). I did scare the hell out of one with my 4Runner though.

Our property is outside of the lead-free zone. We don't see any condors in El Dorado county, we do however have Turkey Vultures with lousy attitudes though.

May? Sheesh you must have a great gun collection!

I have a pre 64 Win 94 in 30-30 that I seldom shoot anymore. My 14 year old Grandson shot at a doe with it a month ago and missed. He actually reloaded his own 170 grain bullets before the hunting season. But then, he's been reloading since he was about 7 years old. He has talked me out of the thutty-thutty but can't haul it home until I have dimes on my eyes.

I also have a Win 1873 in 38-40 with some really old factory ammo. I actually killed a deer with it about 30 or so years ago.

Other than the Colt Python (my sweetheart) I don't have any modern guns. Most are older non modified military 30-06 shooters and some old Jap Ariskas that I never shoot. The neatest one is a Swede in 6.5x55 mm. Great gun with a great cartridge.

I killed my first deer in 1967 with a brand new Marlin 30-30. It was a mule deer in Northern Arizona. I wish I had kept it but traded it to my Father in law for a Model 1917 Eddystone Arsenal in 30-06. I modified and scoped it. It has been my real go to gun for hunting every since and has taken elk, antelopes, pigs, whitetail and mule deer throughout several States. OK, toss in a couple of "feral" dogs.

I may have a South Texas mule deer hunt coming up so I have to start practicing at longer ranges.

I also have 7 or 8 pistols but, like Quigley, have just never had much use for them.

Like Quigley, doesn't mean you aren't good with the pistols, eh?

Dave, I figured that would be your response. I am now a "has been" when it comes to short guns. But, I'm not a "never was". I once spent 6 months learning to only move the tip of my finger on the trigger using a 1911 .45 caliber. Then I mastered it and quit. With some arthritis in my fingers and everywhere else, I doubt that I could pick it up again.

Those were the days when I thought that a pistol would be a good self defense tool. Then I started reading Louis L'Amour(as you have) and he mentioned several times about pistoleros changing their minds when they looked into the "big eye" of a shotgun.

Now, you would be safe as long as you didn't jump around and try to take evasive action. Then you might get hurt. If you stood still, you probably wouldn't need life or medical insurance.

Dave, six months to learn to shoot a 45. How long to consummate your marriage?

Not near that long.

Learning to shoot a pistol correctly takes more concentration than almost anything I've ever done. Try to move only the last joint of your pointer/trigger finger. You'll see what I mean.