Question for robbery (house/property) victims

[Newc]

I was outside just a few minutes ago (around 10:30pm) and I hear the usual sounds - dogs barking as they normally do rain or shine, day or night, distant traffic, etc etc.

Then I heard what sounded like a short burst from - of all things - a flute.

Not the high, whistly orchestra type, but more like a traditional wooden flute (don't ask me to explain it, I barely understand it myself).


Now, I live outside the city limits on a hill with no direct neighbors - my driveway is 985 feet long and the nearest house is probably 950 feet away. It's a fairly bare hill and I can see and hear just about everything in the area without obstruction. It's not out in the woods surrounded by trees and such, as it were.


My question is, did anyone who has experienced home and/or property robbery (tool shed, garage, etc) notice a similarly "odd thing to hear" sound in the time preceeding the discovery of the act, even if you couldn't really place the noise or the description sounded "impossible"?


As I said, most of the normal sounds are dogs, cats, coyote packs, vehicular noise (engines, doors), voices, the guy in his garage with the Mesa stack, etc, so new sounds are easily spotted. This is a new sound.

However, because of my location, pinpointing direction based on echoes is sometimes difficult.
This sounded fairly close, but could have been at a neighbor's house if the sound reflected off my wall.

It's not unreasonable to assume there's a small gang of thieves running about using a flute to signal each other - one guy watches the house for signs of movement and signals the others doing the heavy lifting with short bursts, rather than "ca-caw ca-caw" or other "hey, there's someone out there" noises.

[DRM]

Easiest way to find out is to grab a .45, an LED flashlight, and wait.

[DRM]

But in all seriousness, just keep your ears open and eyes peeled. It's hard to say because nobody but you were there, so I can't really give my opinion on what it could have been.

What has worked for me in the past is a small, 150 lumen LED flashlight. I heard some weird noises out back one day, stepped out, shined the light in the woods, and definitely heard the all-too-familiar pitter-patter of feet running away. Simple deterrent that possibly kept someone from doing something they would regret.

Just stay sharp, bro. It could be nothing, or it could be something.

[guitarsjb]

It's not unreasonable to assume there's a small gang of thieves running about using a flute to signal each other - one guy watches the house for signs of movement and signals the others doing the heavy lifting with short bursts, rather than "ca-caw ca-caw" or other "hey, there's someone out there" noises.

:ROTF: Yes, that is completely unreasonable in my mind..you have musical burglars? Maybe the echo is bouncing off your tinfoil hat. Seriously, that is a bit out there. :ROTF:

[VitaminG]

:ROTF: Yes, that is completely unreasonable in my mind..you have musical burglars? Maybe the echo is bouncing off your tinfoil hat. Seriously, that is a bit out there. :ROTF:

but seriously, Newc. Sounds like you have a ninja infestation. Have you noticed any ancient scrolls or jade swords going missing around the time you hear the bamboo flutes?

[toejam]

but seriously, Newc. Sounds like you have a ninja infestation. Have you noticed any ancient scrolls or jade swords going missing around the time you hear the bamboo flutes?

:ROTF:

[Newc]

Har har dee har fucking har.

Since you guys find it so improbable, maybe I've found the secret to getting away with it? Or maybe I'm ahead of the curve with common-sense detective work. Either way, I still say it's not unreasonable. No I'm not talking about guys in Ninja suits bullshit. I'm talking about a common-sense approach:

You've cased a target but there's always someone home, and their appearance outside is totally random. What do you do? You post a lookout to allow someone else to grab the goods. When the owner steps out, do you turn and whisper loudly "Hey, Jimmy, someone's coming!" like you're in some TV show, in which case the homeowner notices that there are voices coming from the corner of his house, grabs the gun, and blows you both away? Or do you rely on mouth whistles, which would also give the victim reason to suspect your presence?
Oh, I know, cel phones! Yeah, I'll just ring up Jimmy (since obviously he's not watching for my hand signals as he's got his face buried in the business) and his loud-ass retard raptrack ringtone can echo off the side of the fucking house in the middle of the night. Yeah, that's genius.
Or maybe wave a flashlight around? That way not only do I alert Jimmy AND the victim, but also the neighbors?
Or perhaps you try to figure out a way to actually get away with a crime by using something as simple as "the old Injun trick" of sounds commonly heard in the area. Yeah, I think if I wanted to get away with it, I'd pick something easy like that.

Maybe they are just dumb enough to blow into a Coke bottle, even though no one around has a Coke Bottle Wind Chime or a Jugband, but not quite 1950s stupid where they yell "SOMEBODY'S COMING!" and scamper away loudly.

I guess they can stop calling it "Common" Sense.


I checked around the house (with both loaded gun and flashlight), and the storage building where my Dad keeps his power washer and generator and other "easy-grab" tools (tablesaw, etc).

Everything's still there, as far as I could tell, and I saw no evidence of pilferage. However, only he knows what he has in the shed, so I'll have him check when he gets home.

Meanwhile, the next time you guys get hit, be sure to ask if anyone heard anything they have never heard before, no matter how odd or improbable. Chances are, they heard the lookout signal when they stepped out back to let the dog piss or put the trash out.

[VitaminG]

they've failed at the outset then, by not researching the lack of Jethro Tull tribute bands in the area and using a sound that clearly isn't common where you are. Of course, they could put their phones on mute and rely on text messages & call vibration to communicate...

[jacksonaxes]

Like the Mythbusters, I say plausible, but? :think: :ROTF:

[RacerX]

[SOB H.R.MC]

Your right,crow's dont ca-caw at night so the theives are using an owl call

[dg]

It was only a matter of time before his ghost showed up somewhere...

[atomic charvel guy]

newc, you're against pot, but why are you using meth dude?
all joshing aside, as far as i can see, if you've got a gun, that's almost all of your problem solved already.

[Hellbat]

It was only a matter of time before his ghost showed up somewhere...

:ROTF: Ahahah!. Hell no it's not too soon.

[lerxstcat]

Newc, you live in Tennesse. Maybe someone bought a Native American flute in a tourist shop somewhere. I have a friend who owns 3 of 'em and I'm sure the tune would carry at night.

Maybe visit your neighbors and ask 'em if any of 'em are playing a flute at night. I'm not saying someone couldn't concoct a scheme like that, but bird calls would be stealthier than Indian flute melodies.