RURAL LIVING PERIMETER PATROLS (RECCE)

DO THEM OFTEN IN ALL WEATHER

Living Rural gives you huge advantages when it comes to a grid-down event in that you have likely been working your way towards self-sufficiency since you decided to move out of the city.

Meaning that you probably have some solar setup to at least keep your electronics powered up for the life of your system (batteries last about 10 years) which to be honest is way more than you will need.

If America is without grid-power for more than a year, the working theory from all the expert EMP task forces is that NINE OUT OF TEN (9:10) Americans will be dead at that point, likely yourself included.

But until your end comes, protecting that self-sufficient parcel of land from would be "raiders" is best done from a distance, as opposed to an Alamo defense. That means RECCE or Reconnaissance Patrols of the surrounding area to spot any potential threats before they reach your doorstep is going to be a way of life.

My homestead is surrounded by timber land and is quite dense. So, my RECCE patrols are along the lines of a traditional military model. Because while staying hidden is the goal, it's not always possible and I want a fighting load out to get me out of the area and back home if needed.

If you are suburban, then how you blend is completely different than those of use living Rural. City patrols might be best conducted as a homeless person pushing a cart, situational awareness and "Gray Man" tactics is always the right answer here and the balancing act between defensive posture and blending in is always a consideration.

The following is based on my AO of heavy wooded areas with large surrounding homestead plots on an average of 10 acres each.

Being the "Gray Man" in my environment means full camo or earth tone clothing and not being seen at all since there is no reason to be out in the woods otherwise in a SHTF scenario except to poach deer and anyone coming across you in the woods will likely not take kindly to someone poaching in "their" neck of the woods.

One of the best challenges I’ve taken is to be moving through the AO during hunting season, unseen. It’s risky but will make you pay attention. It will be even riskier in SHTF, best to make your practice as real as possible now.

The order given below is purposeful in that I'm showing the largest outer circle methods first then the ever-shrinking perimeter circles until just outside the homestead proper.

SEND UP THE DRONE!

One of the best ways to cover the surrounding areas is to use a drone.

I have a DJI Maverick-Mini that cost around $500.00 and does not require registration or licensing to use (although as of 02.2022 there is legislation to outlaw them in congress) and while it's a force multiplier when it comes to gathering local intelligence, the ability to use it "offline" has been reduced by DJI themselves in recent firmware upgrades requiring login via the internet to allow full use.

I have since come to the realization that drones are not worth the money for the ROI they give one if they are crippled. Do your homework and get something that is totally unregulated if you go that route.

It has an excellent camera and can take video for further analysis after flight but given the limitations of the software and internet access requirements, I would not purchase this knowing what I know now.

I did take a look into hacks on the firmware to see if this unit could be made into a grid-down system and found none.

If you want to do a quick survey of the surround area, this is the way. Just be aware that it's like using a laser, it points back to you on its return path.

It doesn't work well during high winds or heavy rain, but it is an option and one I will use as long as I'm able.

SNOOPING AND POOPING

A traditional military patrol is your best option of finding out what is going on directly around you, but they are slow, and you are exposed as is your homestead when you are away from your base of operations.

Remaining unseen and unheard is not as easy as you might think. Most in my parts are experienced hunters and you need to be constantly considering the angles of sight you might be walking into if you want to remain undetected.

Also, camouflage is paramount for staying concealed. The usual rules apply, sound discipline, slow smooth movements, listening stops, etc. Patrolling really is an art form and it's been almost 40 years since I did it professionally as a young 0311/0331 while in Uncle Sam's Misguided Children, but after a few patrols it comes back to ya.

Practice often with an observer looking for you with binos and see how successful you are. Have them call you out on the radio when they spot you then consider how you could have navigated a better route.

Having even a cheap thermal monocular like the FLIR Scout TK will give you an advantage during the day and night. Make sure to use it on your listening stops. It's not a day hike, patrolling is slooooow and strenuous work.

Unless you have NODs, a night patrol will be more detrimental than good. You will just be a crashing bull in the dark letting everyone in a 1/2 mile know where you are on most nights unless a 3/4-Full moon is out for you. Even with NODs it's very hard not to make noise in a dry forest without going even slower than normal.

How many times have you heard a deer while sitting on a stand somewhere, do you really believe you are quieter? If you stumble close enough to someone in the woods that they are in listening range, you will be giving away your position. The key it to observe them first. NODS / Thermal make that a whole lot easier.

TRAIL CAMS

While you are making your rounds on patrol you will want to check your trail cams for recent activity. You can't be everywhere at once; trail cams are great intel tools for cheap. I've actually gone to a "time lapse" style cam that I can't say enough about. Battery life is measured in months (14) per set of 2xD batteries as opposed to weeks of my trail cams with 8xAA batteries.

I'm using the The Brinno MAC200DN and plan to purchase more in the future. Check them out.

People are lazy in general and will take trails over bushwhacking every time, placing a trail cam at these choke points is a good idea, just consider that you are in the same choke point when checking them. This is another reason for the time lapse camera, it does not require a motion "trigger" and can be place a good distance from these choke points.

OFF-GRID CCTV

See my Off-Grid CCTV post on what I'm using. I've been very happy with this system. This system allows me to check key areas of the homestead from any location on it even when off-grid.

TRIP WIRES

Placing trip wires (Perimeter Alarms) with noise makers at chest level is one way of letting others know that the woods they are wandering in are not empty.

Most will consider the warning and leave, thinking that the next layer of defense is more than a warning. Placing a small sign that says "turn back now, you have been warned" on your noise device (they will follow the trip line) helps reinforce this line of thinking.

These placed on the property perimeter and are close enough to the house to serve as an early warning device to require immediate action. Hopefully the dog will pick up on them and alert also.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

Meet Spartacus! He's the best alarm system available off-grid. He can smell or hear you coming from 500+ yards away and has a bark to wake the dead. Nothing beats a dog!

If all else fails, they will alert you, they can hear and smell way better than you, ignore them at your own peril.