anyone having human predators?

I used to live next to my mother in a secluded area. She was having a problem with someone stealing her heating oil from her tank that was right behind her house. One night my dog started barking her head off so I put her outside. She immediately ran behind my mothers house. Turns out there were two men behind her house so I called the police. Then I took the dog and went back behind my mothers house and found the men hiding under another building that was closer to the road. My dog ran them out from under the building and down the road. Later the police told me those two men were wanted for something and they would be "gone for a long time." They found them walking up the road back to their truck that was parked almost 2 miles from our houses.

Good thing those 2 were caught. If they weren't caught, I would have set a bear trap at the oil tank.

I've had a kid stolen and I've had someone shoot and take off with one of my turkeys. Both incidents were very far apart, so I don't think by the same person. I keep lights off for two reasons: 1 because I'm more likely to see that someone is around with a flashlight if it's dark, and 2 because my enclosures are quite a ways from the road, so they aren't visible without lights. Can hardly see the enclosures from the road during the day, which is how I prefer it!

I agree absolutely, BrownSheep - People are crazy!

bj taylor said:

one side of our property is bordered by a railroad. we've started having men riding the rail illegally dropping off onto our property. they're camping and we've found some weapons w/handcuffs. we're dealing with it, but i'm wondering if people are seeing more behavior like this and subsequent loss of livestock?

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Someone dumped weapons and handcuffs?!

Do not touch the items and inform the police. Those could be tossed after being used in a crime and should be treated like potential evidence!

We always thought it would be fun to have a ornery Jacob ram in the field...can you imagine to look on a uninvited guest's face when a 4 horned ram came running at them? You could take a video and win on a "Funniest Video" show!

Wished I could've seen that...

I luckily haven't had anything stolen from me or shot (though I fear for my llamas all the time cause they are friendly and one could pass for a deer at a long distance), but we had an incident 4 or so years back when some random idiots were going around with shotguns trying to break yard lights. Ours is on our shop, so it was a distance away from the end of the driveway and they missed terribly, but the BB's went through both aluminum walls of the shop. I was freaked out cause what if someone was in there. I wanted to grab a gun and go shoot the tires of the idiots' cars and call the police, but they took off as soon as they shot.

Luckily, a few days later the people were caught and they were also wanted for some other things, so they were put away for a long time.

I live on a gravel road that only has traffic made by the mailman and neighbors and plows. My road connects to a road that leads to a town of 500 10 minutes away. So, not a lot of traffic which is nice.

I have come to a conclusion that my guardian llama has multiple personalities. Some days he likes me and other days I have to look over my shoulder in fear he is going to harm me. Dude almost took my head off with a round-house kick last summer. Today he spit and snorted at my teenage son. I do know that the llama hates sunglasses and hats. I have to take my sunglasses and hat off before entering a pasture with the goats and guardian mini-mule where the llama is or he is on high alert and breathes down my neck.

Is your llama intact by chance?

He may see you as competition for breeding rights if he is. All the guard llamas I have met stay a fair distance from people and usually just observe.

He is intact for now. LOL! He is the only llama we have though, only other critters in the pasture with him is a mini-mule and 30 goats. There's really nothing for him to breed. I am waiting until it gets cool weather before I get him castrated.