I remember a time when many rural folks never even thought about locking the doors of their homes when they left. We didn’t lock our vehicles on our own properties or worry about someone stealing our dogs or about our children playing in the yard. Furthest from our minds was the idea that people would steal food from our gardens, chickens from the coops, or even cattle in the pasture. Well, those days are behind us now. We live in a time when rural property thefts are uncomfortably common. A time when, as my father used to say, “If it isn’t nailed down, someone will take it.” It does no good to simply complain about it. It’s reality, and we need to address it. So, what do you do to protect what you have?
When we think about protecting our property, especially when dealing with livestock, our attention usually focuses on four-legged and aerial predators. We worry about coyotes, foxes, bears, hawks, etc. We
