How do you handle mailbox vandalism?

The first thing I would do would be to look around and see if it's a lot of folks losing their mailboxes or just me. If it's a lot of folks, I think I'd go the reinforced mailbox route. If it's just me, then there's a grudge out there not dealt with, and I'd invest in the camera, cause they'll be back.

My idea was always to buy the extra large mailbox with the round top and buy the regular sized mailbox with the round top. Place the regular one inside the big one and take the door off the regular one. Fill the 2" gap in between the 2 mailboxes with concrete. A baseball bat would break and likely the hand of the person swinging it when you hit a mass like that. AND... its a legal mailbox approved by the postmaster......

They make a HIGH SECURITY mail box that is soild steel I think almost a 1/4 inch thick. Just weld it to a 6 inch steel pipe and let them try it. When a bat or 2x4 hits something that solid it will shake the crap out of who ever is on the other end. and it is all legal.

On other notes there was some old timers around here years ago that stoped the problem with a pressure cap and 1/4 stick of powder which I do not recomend as one time the had the rear end of the truck smack the porch after some one hit the box with a piece of stove wood. And some how no one got hurt.

Another option is a 12 ga. and rock salt. Take a number 5 shot shell poor out the lead and fill with rock salt. Wait for mail box bashers and then light them up. Will not kill them but will make them wished they were dead every time they take a shower for the next month.

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Freedom Loving American
All right reserved without out prejudice or US. UCC1-308

When my brother was a teenager he and buddies would steal watermellons from one farmer's field. One night he waited for them with a double shot shotgun using rock salt. Yeah, he was a bit 'tender' for about a month.

Today, likely the farmer would have been successfully sued.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I knew I could count on you all for some creative ideas.

An update...DH came home Friday from work and put the mailbox in a new hole full of concrete. So far (Sunday morning) the box is still standing and unharmed. We'll see how long we can go this time without an incident. DH is interested in getting a PO box, but our post office would be about a 16 mile round-trip drive. I really don't want to pay the gas money for that so we'll see how long we can put off that scenario.

Thanks again everyone!

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www.SAHMville.blogspot.com

Someone educate me, wouldn't a game night camera take a photo of any vehicle passing by? I'd be tempted to rent a gorilla suit so it got some nice 'Bigfoot' photos.

How often do you really need to receive mail? If once a week, ask local Post Office to simply hold your mail for pick up if you are in the area and deliver whatever is left each Saturday.

This is the main reason we've had a PO box for the last 14 years. We have never had to worry about our mail being lost or stolen or having someone know that we aren't home because a box has been sticking out of the mailbox for 10 hrs.

deb
in wi

I don't have the mailbox issue, but apparently Thursday night, during the raging storms here, someone went down the road where my property is, and took out several mailboxes, as well as hooking up to my cable gate, and ripped it down, destroying the posts as well.

Game cam going up.

Well we got hit they really had to work at it to get it. I is crazy season right now. there is a special fishery that will open soon so people travel to the river from out of town (over 150 mile one way trip) they set up their fishing gear illegally early to get a prime location. So these people are not law abiding persons. They bring with them tools four wheelers and booze, drugs. Fish and Game claims that it is a DNR issues. The troopers say it is a another dept. Mean while we wait for the season to end. It makes for being alert each weekend. Our place is a prime location for the crazys --private and open then you add that there is a large sign on a border poperty with a For Sale sign.

Getting a post box is a 24 mile out of the way travel. It is not happening. The post office will hold our mail for 30 days free and I got spare legel boxes when a store went out of business just 2 bucks a box. We are one of the few around here with a mail box as many just have mail dellivered at work. (that surprized me was so common). Guess what I will be doing on Wed. The post is still up its not going to come out with out a major attack. One inch solid pipe former steel cable spool with a 4.5 inch square in the center this is set in concrete. Oh well.

We've had it happen twice in the 8 years, since we've lived out here. Each time it was kids, knocking over 12 to 18 mailboxes. Ours is one of the b;ack plastic boxes. They knock it off the post. But the box never breaks, dents or bends.
So, I just call the Law, to report it, Sheriff, & Postmaster. And then I put the old box back up. I don't know if they ever catch the Kids.
There was a guy on our road that had a feud going with a neighbor, for awhile. They kept tearing up mailboxes, fences & gates. I think they eventually burned out on the stress & settled down.

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Old John

If you go the game camera route hope it isn't a COP!
Had a guy here with that problem and his game camera captured the cop at work.
Nothing was done to the cop and they scared the poo out of the guy with the camera cause here its not legal to record a cop!

+1 This is the solution.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

A friends mailbox kept getting batted by kids when they were growing up so their dad replaced it one day with a similar box made of steel. The next time the kid came by he smacked it with a bat so hard he broke his own arm when it ricocheted back. Karma.

Ours is super thick solid steel on a heavy duty steel post so we've had zero issues. It may even be cast iron; the door on it weighs a ton. Even the flag is solid 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick.

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"For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book... making love whenever you feel like it, then you know. The south has got you.”

The county road ends at our house the mail box is in front of the house the mail lady turns around at the mail box and goes back out. The trees are one quarter of a mile from the house that gives me time to unload a 75 round drum magazine as the come down the road to the house reload as they turn around and get off 75 more rounds before they get out of sight. Of course we are the only people on our county road so I have a clear field of fire. Not for everyone but thats what I tell everyone and as long as they belive -------------

Thats a crap law. There's people in every profession that do things they shouldn't, it helps keep people honest. The LEO should have gotten something for messing up. Here there's a guy that has a roadside stand that uses the honor system. He has a camera up monitering it. A LEO helped himself to some of the product. I forgot what happened to him, but I know that he got into trouble for it.

Around here, I've seen mailboxes with two t-posts on each side.

We had a string of mail box and trash can vandals around here a few years ago. Everyone knew who it was but there was nothing we could do about it. It was two kids (ages 15 and 18 = brother and sister and their friends) who lived down the road. People were afraid to "tattle" on them.

Finally we called their house, told their parents that "someone" was tearing up mail boxes and trash cans and the "Police" had told the whole neighborhood to be on the "look out" since "Drug Dealers" were around and the Police would be "patroling" the area. Another neighbor even called over there to brag that the "police" had set up cameras in the area. Not a single mail box was touched thereafter.

Your case may be different since you might not know who is doing it. But, the Police did tell us that multiple events in the same area usually meant kids from that same area. Perhaps you could just pass the word around to neighbors to be on the watch out?

Good luck - it is so annoying when that happens.

Oh, that is freaking brilliant! Evil, but brilliant!

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Icelandic Sheep and German Angora Rabbits

Someone puts grass in our mailbox everyday. One day it was a dead possum. I'm never in the front of the house to see who is walking past the house, doing this. It's got to be a kid, but it's really getting on Dh's nerves.

Get some of those little "pull poppers" (a little firework type thing that makes a noise when you pull the strings on either end). That should give them a scare. Just let the mailman in on it.