TexasCHLforum.com

i8godzilla wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote: This happens all over the place....not just Texas and not just along the border. My ex in-laws had a place in East Texas years ago. The place would get hit once or twice a year. It was locals doing the crime out there. Many vacation spots in that area got hit all the time. We have had deer leases where folks would steal feeders, stands and anything else that was not nailed down. Again, I suspect locals. In most cases it seemed like the illegals would sleep, make some food or something and move on. They might grab a sleeping bag or blankets, but not much else. It is hard to cart off big items when you don't have a vehicle.

The time to be concerned is when spending time out there. I would definitely keep lots of lights on around the perimeter so they know it is occupied.

Not just Texas. In previous threads I have mentioned that we have property in TN. On the property there was a small cabin and an "RV Pad". The cabin is just a square with two windows and a door. We had a small 23' Jayco that we left there and used from time to time when we were there. We we went over a year without visiting the property. On our recent trip to FL we made the out of the way drive to check on our property. What we discovered is the RV was gone. After a few weeks of dealing with the local sheriff's office, we found out the RV was converted to a meth lab* and was confiscated. We are still trying to determine where it is, how or if we can get it back, why we were never notified, etc. Bottom line--as others have said--do not leave anything there that you may want. Crime is committed by all nationalities whether or not they got here legally or not.

*Upon our return to TX we found out that TN now has first place in the meth lab count.

Meth Lab!!! That is crazy! You may not want the trailer back. From what I hear, the chemicals they use in that stuff are highly poisonous and soak into everything. That place is probably contaminated now.

Meth labs have become quite a problem for rural communities all across the country. My son in laws Dad just told me his neighbor caught some meth junkies in his fertilizer storage house. There is something in that stuff they use to make meth. He gave chase and they started shooting at him. The get away driver crashed the car at the end of a curve and his two accomplices jumped out and ran off. At least they got the driver. He told me the driver was so burned out, he didn't know what had happened. He told the sheriff he was glad to see him. He needed help with his car! LOL... the sheriff told him, "yeah, we will help you out", and cuffed the nut for his ride to jail. This all happened in a city called Paradise, not far from Decater. It use to be safe living in the country!

WildBill wrote:

PUCKER wrote:Just a thought, for a secure dwelling, you might want to consider a shipping cargo container with a high-end padlock or two. A crowbar may be able to defeat it, but I don't know. It would require a lot of tools/time to get open, the downside is that it could be locked from the outside when you are on the inside. Of course, you could make an escape hatch on the roof/top, with a ladder. Just throwing that out there. I know that some folks have built HOMES out of cargo containers. They are quite sturdy...and don't burn!

BTW - it really is a sad state of affairs that this discussion has to take place.

It's probably worse now, especially near the border, but this has been a problem for a long time. Many people with vacant vacation properties have experienced break ins when they are not in use. Still it is sad.

This happens all over the place....not just Texas and not just along the border. My ex in-laws had a place in East Texas years ago. The place would get hit once or twice a year. It was locals doing the crime out there. Many vacation spots in that area got hit all the time. We have had deer leases where folks would steal feeders, stands and anything else that was not nailed down. Again, I suspect locals. In most cases it seemed like the illegals would sleep, make some food or something and move on. They might grab a sleeping bag or blankets, but not much else. It is hard to cart off big items when you don't have a vehicle.

The time to be concerned is when spending time out there. I would definitely keep lots of lights on around the perimeter so they know it is occupied.

YWHIC wrote:Decided to do a fence with LOTS of signs (in both spanish/english) and install some fake cameras and a free standing and NOISY perimeter alarm..

also going to maybe install a camera (inside) which transmits pics with cellular MMS pictures when the camera senses movement or I send a message to the camera from my cell.. cost is $120-180 for one unit.. which is 5v DC with VERY low draw.. should be able to run right off the Solar panel.. without having to leave a big 12v battery sitting there..

AT&T services the area and I just grabbed an AT&T go-phone for this project (with a TX number assigned) in the coming months.. just got to put the ATT SIM card into the camera and program my other cell to receive pics and my email address also..

I will buy the unit and test when I get closer to having the $4400 I need in the bank..

I am not trying to rain on your parade but I will bet money on it that all that stuff just ends up getting stolen or vandalized. The sign thing is kind of funny. It is like thinking a gun buster sign will keep criminals from bringing concealed guns in the store. So a picture of some Hispanic dude and his friends is sent to your cell phone. Now what??? Response times in those areas can be long enough that the guys can drag your cabin off before the mounties arrive. Locked doors will get you busted locks or windows. As a feller who has had many a place in areas along the border,(always for deer hunting), I recommend you leave the door unlocked and don't leave anything that can be carried off by hand. They will sleep in your place and move on. If your not there, all the fences and security in the world will do nothing for you. It might even make some of the local teens think you have something of value in there.

I have been on deer leases where illegals crossed through. We always left the doors unlocked. No point in making them break in. Less damage that way. The few times we left sleeping bags in the place, they would be gone. We would leave water and sometimes left over drinks or food out there. It would usually be gone also. Our goal was to keep things friendly so when we were out there, we didn't have to worry too much about trouble. It usually worked. I can remember watching them cross through on occasion from my deer stand. Other than messing up my hunting for a few hours, they never looked for trouble. Like any other situation, I am sure there were good guys and bad guys. We were lucky and never met the bad guys but we did stay alert to the possibility.