Had to "Clear" my Backyard Last Night....now a Question

[fiddletown]

I can't believe you would put your family and yourself at risk over a noise in the backyard. Why try to be a hero when the cops get paid to do that. Slow down on the cowboy tactics and let the professionals investigate the scary noises outside....

it is called self-reliance...

No, it's called "serious tactical error."

Solo clearing is an extremely dangerous activity. Those who have training in doing it have been convinced by their experiences in training that it is not something to do unless absolutely necessary. If one goes to investigate, he (1) doesn't know how many adversaries, if any, he might be facing; (2) becomes an easy target for ambush or being flanked; (3) you leave your family defenseless if a bad guy gets around you and into the house. If in fact you go looking and come upon one or more bad guys willing to engage you, the odds are overwhelming that you will lose.

It's a good idea to get some training in clearing, however. While it's generally a bad idea, but sometimes you might have no choice. For example, if you are separated from a family member, then you really have to go find him/her and get then get to a place of safety.

The OP was successful here because no one was there. If a bad guy had been there, and if he was willing to fight, things most likely would not have worked out so well.

Tactically, the best plan is to (1) arm yourself; (2) make sure everyone is together in a defensible place of safety; (3) look and listen as best you can; and (4) if you can't identify the sound as benign, or have identified it as most likely a threat, call the police, stay on the line and wait.

...Inside the house, is a whole different story....

Not really. You have the same concerns about getting ambushed, flanked or the BG getting by you and to your unprotected family.

[bombadillo]

You've gotta call for them to be able to work also.

[voiceofreason]

I like a red filter, but it IS more difficult to make out shapes/see clearly in comparison to using a white light.

60 lumens (up to 120) is about right for a residential area IMO. Anything more and I feel like I'm losing too much of my own ability to see once the light goes off.

I have a mixed opinion on the main topic, so I'll keep following this thread and learning from others.

[Lives_In_Fresno]

If I go outside, they may get me while I am going thru an open door and now they have a easy way into the home. I would rather they give away their position by making noise breaking a window or door.
All legalities aside, I feel inside would be more effective.

Am I wrong?

Well, I think that the likelihood that the perp hears you coming out the door is quite small, as opposed to the likelihood that you will notice him. This is your turf, and he has probably only been here once.

Also, when I go outside, my wife is right behind me locking the door.

[Lone_Gunman]

Well, I guess it's a good thing some crackhead didn't stab you in the neck when you came around the corner. That sure would have sucked if your daughter grew up without a father because you weren't smart enough to stay in the house. Glad you had fun playing superbad mall ninja in your backyard though.

[NSR500]

I would not have gone outside. It would be better to keep the tactical advantage inside than to step outside into the trap of an assailant.

[uhlan1]

I wouldn't have done that, waaay too vulnerable. But SO response where I live can be over 20 minutes
I would have sent my trained German Shepherds out the door, grabbed a gun in the extremely unlikely event an assailant or assailants could defeat them, grab a snack and wait inside for the squealing.
Superb night vision, hearing, scent abilities, low to the ground at up to 30mph, wouldn't take long, under a minute. Don't bark when they're searching either and they won't miss anyone in the dark. Many guys dogs we've trained were searching for guys who never saw them coming until about 600-800psi of pressure delivered through sharp teeth were attached to some part of their anatomy.
For perimeter defense, get a Shepherd or a Malinois and stay in the house. You could be going out the back while they're coming in from the side or front and suddenly they're between you and your family.
Don't have a dog? Call the cops and bunker with the family behind you.

[bigmike82]

"Why go outside when you are already safer in your home?"
Because it's silly to call the cops any time you hear a noise. 9999 out of 10000 the loud noise is going to be completely harmless and not a squad of AK-47 wielding hajis out to rape your wife. You're gonna waste public resources any time a squirrel runs across your roof?

OP: A good sized dog is the best first line defense you can have. They make for excellent warning systems AND can keep a bad guy at home (unless you have some of the golden retrievers I've seen, in which case they'll show the BG your gun safe for a scratch behind the ears).

[Squid]

I hear noises outside all the time, in both urban and more rural suburban.

Birds, racoons, wind, branches, people tossing trash and even your odd elderly immigrants looking for the wrong address.

What I know about 'tactical' wouldn't fill a thimble, but it sounds like things are a little high strung around your home.

You always gotta think it might be some drunk good old buddies doing a practical joke on you, or maybe someone else's drunk good old buddies with the wrong address.

[Laythor]

you clear a room, you avoid a yard

[TeddyBallgame]

I had a couple of comments to make, but, then I see Mr. Fiddletown did an excellent job of saying the same things I was thinking...It's admirable you feel the need to get out there and not let the potential problem come inside, but, keep in mind, you know the inside of your house better than anyone, so, its still probably the best place to stay, WITH your family, that's where you belong

Whatever goes on outside can be dealt with later, your main job is protect your family INSIDE your home...you'll also be shielded much better from a legal standpoint...no sense in protecting your family OUTSIDE, only to harm someone out there, then end up going to jail for a period of time over it

I hear noises all the time outside my home at night, keeps me up, even my exterior lights coming on, BUT, until they crack the perimeter of my dwelling, they get to live

[Safety1st]

Glad it was nothing. But going outside reminded me of those horror movies where the character goes outside saying "hello....is someone there?" while the audience yells, "don't go outside, don't go outside!" LOL.

[dieselpower]

I can't believe you would put your family and yourself at risk over a noise in the backyard. Why try to be a hero when the cops get paid to do that. Slow down on the cowboy tactics and let the professionals investigate the scary noises outside. Inside the house, is a whole different story.

Who is dead asleep at 10:45pm anyways?

call 911 over a bump in the night? Do you run to the ER for a boo-boo?

Raccoon, Opossum, Human, cats... in that order. Those are the things that make dumps in the night and humans make up like 1% while Raccoons and Opossum make up the other 98%.

You did everything correct.
1) Never open or disturb curtains or blinds. It draws attention easily.
2) Don't turn on lights where you are, best to turn a light on then move away from that source. Any eyes will be looking to that rather then somewhere else.
3) Weapon mounted light source to free up the other hand for cell phone and object manipulation.

Peepingtoms target homes with no dogs and no dogs on either side of the home. They are very quiet and 99% are caught by a neighbor, not the homeowners they are peeping on.

Many dogs ignore pest animals not in their yard, my dog is the exception to that rule...he smells or hears anything outside and I know the whole neighborhood knows he does too...

So if a neighbor has a dog and its barking and you hear noises outside, expect there to be something there... think tactical and have someone dial 911 on your command.

Do not shoot a person in your backyard, you have very little legal grounds to do so, and there is a good case to be made for you as the aggressor. If they do not cooperate and lay down as directed, back off into the house while 911 is called.

[socal147]

Flash Bang FTW

[TeddyBallgame]

weighing the options, the popular phrase, "I'd rather be tried by 12, then carried by 6", always sounds so superlative, but, given the circumstances, why put yourself in that situation...I'm betting whoever said that never had to face serving 15 years to life, for second degree murder

gun ownership demands responsibility...we read about it all too often, right here in this forum, law abiding gun owners who overstep their boundaries, and end up leaving a sh** stain on the entire gun community...and it always comes back, in the way of more gun laws and restrictions, that only haunt the gun owners that haven't done anything wrong