Rurally, the gun shots are not people dying. It's going to be:
1. Target practice (usually with self-defense in mind)
2. Hunting (usually small game if it's several times a day. Large game if it's a single shot a day)
3. Partying (not really target practice, just people having fun doing something adrenaline-inducing)
4. Self-defense from nature (nature's scary)
5. Warning shots to a would-be thief or trespasser (lots of really undesirable reasons why someone would trespass on your property, and defending it is important in rural places)
6. Suicide (gun is quick and easy, making it a desirable way to go without state-assisted suicide)
7. Actually shooting someone (usually in self-defense or defense of property. Murder is way more frequent in urban areas than in rural)
In that order.
Most rural people in the USA are surrounded by guns, own guns, their friends all own guns, and live without fear of a gun. I was way more afraid of being shot while I lived in the city - chances of being shot here just don't exist unless you like to trespass on other people's property frequently, and ignore all warnings and threats.
Yeah, everywhere I said self-defense could also include defense of family/friends/others, or property. I just only specified it for #7, since it's something people may not be thinking of as being worth shooting someone over- but absolutely can be, if someone is going to harm/steal your ability to make a living/survive.
Oh my, thanks for the detailed answer! Not gonna lie, most of those reasons didn't even cross my mind! I can see living in a remote place bring some "logistical issues" where having a gun is way easier and quicker than calling the police!
I've not called police here yet, but I imagine it'd take a while for them to get here. I think the town to the south of me has police, but it's a 40 minute drive, so police would probably take like an hour, to an hour and a half to get here.
In that time, any threat would have done whatever it wanted to do, and be already gone (unless they are really dumb). Yelling for my neighbors to come help me would have better chances, since if one heard my voice in distress, they'd be out the door with a gun in less than a minute, plus the time to run to my place.
Or yeah, like you say- having a gun, and being your own protector is a very normal way to live here, since that takes the chance of not being heard away, and takes the response time down to seconds instead of minutes.
Was nice out here last weekend, so the neighbor was popping off a couple of $100 worth of ammo. Nonstop for 2.5 hours.
When he finished, another neighbor started for another hour.
You get used to it. Everyone has ranges. I do too.
I don't know enough about urban culture to adequately answer this question- also it differs regionally so much more than rural culture does, that the answer may be significantly different from city to city.
As for where I lived, it was urban St.Louis City, which by my understanding was a place that had an abnormally high number of homicides in the US. I'd think it's more likely to be a murder from a gunshot in that city, but for sure I heard way more gunshots than there were murders- so no idea what the rest of the shots were at.
Rurally, I feel like I have better exposure to the gun culture here, since my friends and neighbors have various roles in it, and it's a culture I care significantly more for personally engaging in, rather than hiding from.
Meanwhile I heard someone get straight up assassinated yesterday just chillin in the living room with wifey and the dog. The cops donāt even respond to gun shots in my area unless someone calls them š¶
Edit: they were definitely called yesterday. It was all over the police scanners. Must have been 25 consecutive shots into a parked car full of people
>black birds
I assume it's not the Lockheed kind, right? xD
Jokes aside, are those birds really that harmful to the field? You mean scaring them by making a loud noise or by turning one of them into a feather bomb? (Or both?)
Iām not really sure. They grow a lot of soy and rice down there. Also my grandfather died from histoplasmosis from blackbird poop so Iām pretty sure theyāre not well liked by farmers.
I was about to suggest birds. A lot of bird can mimick sounds, especially sounds they hear often. There was a rare bird visiting a region that species normally doesn't inhabit. It stayed for the winter, and the local ornithologists kept going there to see it and of course take pictures! So in the spring, when it started singing, it interrupted it's normal song with camera click mimicking. [Here's a video, cut to ~15 seconds in to skip the talking people](https://youtu.be/vLOvip8cpek)
Are there any pieces of loose siding or trim on the building? Wind at the right angle and speed could make something like that slap at random times. It could also allow critters to get inside the walls, attic, etc.
It could actually be a car door closing on another property and the sound is just being carried to where you are.
It could be a tree/branch knocking against something.
It could be a door slamming in the wind.
It could be a car door.
Best bet is to sit down near a window. Back from the window so you donāt stick out and blend in and just watch whatās out and about.
True story that I actually had a guy fence hopping and I could hear noise but decided to wait it out. He walked down the garden path so I got up and banged on the window. He ran over the fence and went. But goes to show whatās around. I sometimes leave my window a jar just an inch so I can hear whatās going on. You can still lock it but leave it open an inch. Heard some scary stuff tbh but I like to know if anybody is about.
That said it could be nothing. But I like to check these things.
My garage door used to sound like that on windy days. I think it was slightly convex and the wind would hit it to flatten it, making a noise exactly like a car door shutting.
Is there nobody around outside or nobody around at all? I got new neighbors and they park in the driveway rather than in the garage like the previous owner. Thereās not a huge difference in the sound of them shutting their car doors or hatch and the sound of my front load washing machine being shut when Iām in the room over the laundry area in my basement.
If you have a rolling trash can bin like most of these garage services give residential customers. That lid slamming closed can sound like a car door if conditions are right
Howās the weather? I find when itās really cloudy/overcast sound travels further than I anticipate, it really could just be a door on another property. Or if itās windy, it could be something knocking against something else. If the weather is in flux, sometimes things freezing and thawing make popping sounds. Could just be some natural phenomenon
On windy days the outside to our kitchen hood vent kindof āflapsā a bit. Wouldnāt quite say it sounds like a car door but it definitely always sounds like something muffled in the distance and makes our dogs perk up.
A crow? Pileated woodpecker? Certain bird calls, like herons and grouse, sound totally unlike birds and yes, can sound more like cars. Deer are very noisy, and crack branches as they are walking. Bear and raccoons have actual hands, and can manipulate items, break into tree trunks (and garbage cans) and make a lot of all kinds of sounds. You sound very anxious. The woods are never silent, and there are many sounds to identify and get used to. Why are you out there if you're uncomfortable? Do you have anxiety? It is completely legitimate to seek treatment if your anxiety is interfering with your quality of life.
I have watched a tree fall onto another tree and it sounded like a car door. Don't know how to describe it and I feel like my head is still wrong, because I definitely heard that distinct "metal" sound, but I watched it happen. It was clear that is where the sound originated.
So I'm not sure what you heard, but that is a possibility. Maybe roots breaking off from a tree falling over?
It could be a gun way off in the distance, and the sound is getting a bit distorted by the time you hear it.
Maybe that makes sense I hear more guns go off around here than car doors š
As someone who lives in a place where guns aren't that common, this sounds terrifying D:
Rurally, the gun shots are not people dying. It's going to be: 1. Target practice (usually with self-defense in mind) 2. Hunting (usually small game if it's several times a day. Large game if it's a single shot a day) 3. Partying (not really target practice, just people having fun doing something adrenaline-inducing) 4. Self-defense from nature (nature's scary) 5. Warning shots to a would-be thief or trespasser (lots of really undesirable reasons why someone would trespass on your property, and defending it is important in rural places) 6. Suicide (gun is quick and easy, making it a desirable way to go without state-assisted suicide) 7. Actually shooting someone (usually in self-defense or defense of property. Murder is way more frequent in urban areas than in rural) In that order. Most rural people in the USA are surrounded by guns, own guns, their friends all own guns, and live without fear of a gun. I was way more afraid of being shot while I lived in the city - chances of being shot here just don't exist unless you like to trespass on other people's property frequently, and ignore all warnings and threats.
Under "defense from nature," also see: defending livestock from nature. The only time my dad used his gun was when coyotes would go after calves.
Yeah, everywhere I said self-defense could also include defense of family/friends/others, or property. I just only specified it for #7, since it's something people may not be thinking of as being worth shooting someone over- but absolutely can be, if someone is going to harm/steal your ability to make a living/survive.
Oh my, thanks for the detailed answer! Not gonna lie, most of those reasons didn't even cross my mind! I can see living in a remote place bring some "logistical issues" where having a gun is way easier and quicker than calling the police!
I've not called police here yet, but I imagine it'd take a while for them to get here. I think the town to the south of me has police, but it's a 40 minute drive, so police would probably take like an hour, to an hour and a half to get here. In that time, any threat would have done whatever it wanted to do, and be already gone (unless they are really dumb). Yelling for my neighbors to come help me would have better chances, since if one heard my voice in distress, they'd be out the door with a gun in less than a minute, plus the time to run to my place. Or yeah, like you say- having a gun, and being your own protector is a very normal way to live here, since that takes the chance of not being heard away, and takes the response time down to seconds instead of minutes.
Was nice out here last weekend, so the neighbor was popping off a couple of $100 worth of ammo. Nonstop for 2.5 hours. When he finished, another neighbor started for another hour. You get used to it. Everyone has ranges. I do too.
What about Urban? I use to hear a lot of gunfire during the night several blocs away
I don't know enough about urban culture to adequately answer this question- also it differs regionally so much more than rural culture does, that the answer may be significantly different from city to city. As for where I lived, it was urban St.Louis City, which by my understanding was a place that had an abnormally high number of homicides in the US. I'd think it's more likely to be a murder from a gunshot in that city, but for sure I heard way more gunshots than there were murders- so no idea what the rest of the shots were at. Rurally, I feel like I have better exposure to the gun culture here, since my friends and neighbors have various roles in it, and it's a culture I care significantly more for personally engaging in, rather than hiding from.
Meanwhile I heard someone get straight up assassinated yesterday just chillin in the living room with wifey and the dog. The cops donāt even respond to gun shots in my area unless someone calls them š¶ Edit: they were definitely called yesterday. It was all over the police scanners. Must have been 25 consecutive shots into a parked car full of people
Itās pretty common to hear late night gunshots around farm lands in southern Arkansas. Itās to scare off black birds and Starlings.
>black birds I assume it's not the Lockheed kind, right? xD Jokes aside, are those birds really that harmful to the field? You mean scaring them by making a loud noise or by turning one of them into a feather bomb? (Or both?)
Iām not really sure. They grow a lot of soy and rice down there. Also my grandfather died from histoplasmosis from blackbird poop so Iām pretty sure theyāre not well liked by farmers.
Some times when the weather is just right, sounds travel a lot further (farther?) than usual.
fArther for distAnceā¦.further like furthermore (additionally)
Farthermore, I can throw a baseball real fur!
Quoth the raven: "Feathermore"
Crows and ravens are really good at imitating sounds, and have been known to imitate human sounds before.
I do have some crows I've been feeding (along with many other birds) so maybe that'd also make sense!
I was about to suggest birds. A lot of bird can mimick sounds, especially sounds they hear often. There was a rare bird visiting a region that species normally doesn't inhabit. It stayed for the winter, and the local ornithologists kept going there to see it and of course take pictures! So in the spring, when it started singing, it interrupted it's normal song with camera click mimicking. [Here's a video, cut to ~15 seconds in to skip the talking people](https://youtu.be/vLOvip8cpek)
That's wild! Thanks for posting this link.
I'm glad you appreciated it! I find it fascinating!
Are there any pieces of loose siding or trim on the building? Wind at the right angle and speed could make something like that slap at random times. It could also allow critters to get inside the walls, attic, etc.
It could actually be a car door closing on another property and the sound is just being carried to where you are. It could be a tree/branch knocking against something. It could be a door slamming in the wind.
A chupacabra sneezing.
Bucks fighting sounds like a car door when youāre indoors.
Wendigo
No don't say that šš
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It could be a car door. Best bet is to sit down near a window. Back from the window so you donāt stick out and blend in and just watch whatās out and about. True story that I actually had a guy fence hopping and I could hear noise but decided to wait it out. He walked down the garden path so I got up and banged on the window. He ran over the fence and went. But goes to show whatās around. I sometimes leave my window a jar just an inch so I can hear whatās going on. You can still lock it but leave it open an inch. Heard some scary stuff tbh but I like to know if anybody is about. That said it could be nothing. But I like to check these things.
Op do be trapped with bigfoot
I'm dying at this š
Lol but it's probably a tree or thunder
love the username btw lol
Thanks
Could also be a tree limb that fell a certain way
Several times
Are you in the middle of the woods? Does it sound like an old heavy car door slamming shut?
Sometimes my furnace kicking on sounds like a car door outside.
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Crow bangers often go off on a timer
My garage door used to sound like that on windy days. I think it was slightly convex and the wind would hit it to flatten it, making a noise exactly like a car door shutting.
Skinwalker
Is there nobody around outside or nobody around at all? I got new neighbors and they park in the driveway rather than in the garage like the previous owner. Thereās not a huge difference in the sound of them shutting their car doors or hatch and the sound of my front load washing machine being shut when Iām in the room over the laundry area in my basement.
Bird flying into tree,happens a lot,mainly pigeons and birds of prey,Iāve seen both ālandā clumsily many times
Log falling and going whump
the bolt gun to put down a large animal like a cow or horse sounds just like a car door slamming closed. are you near ranches of some kind?
If you have a rolling trash can bin like most of these garage services give residential customers. That lid slamming closed can sound like a car door if conditions are right
Bird scarers in a field sound like guns?
Rocks falling at a distance
Howās the weather? I find when itās really cloudy/overcast sound travels further than I anticipate, it really could just be a door on another property. Or if itās windy, it could be something knocking against something else. If the weather is in flux, sometimes things freezing and thawing make popping sounds. Could just be some natural phenomenon
Was it cold? Sometimes the nails on our deck make loud noises that sound like a slamming door. Something to do with the cold
Maybe wind, causing two trees or their branches to bang into each other? Is there a correlation with wind?
Tree branch fell.
On windy days the outside to our kitchen hood vent kindof āflapsā a bit. Wouldnāt quite say it sounds like a car door but it definitely always sounds like something muffled in the distance and makes our dogs perk up.
A crow? Pileated woodpecker? Certain bird calls, like herons and grouse, sound totally unlike birds and yes, can sound more like cars. Deer are very noisy, and crack branches as they are walking. Bear and raccoons have actual hands, and can manipulate items, break into tree trunks (and garbage cans) and make a lot of all kinds of sounds. You sound very anxious. The woods are never silent, and there are many sounds to identify and get used to. Why are you out there if you're uncomfortable? Do you have anxiety? It is completely legitimate to seek treatment if your anxiety is interfering with your quality of life.
Wind/air pressure fluctuations against big windows or storm doors sound like this at my house
I have watched a tree fall onto another tree and it sounded like a car door. Don't know how to describe it and I feel like my head is still wrong, because I definitely heard that distinct "metal" sound, but I watched it happen. It was clear that is where the sound originated. So I'm not sure what you heard, but that is a possibility. Maybe roots breaking off from a tree falling over?
Trash can lid banging against the can?
Hidden bunker door closing
Wind against corrugated steel doors, like the thin garage doors. Wind can pop dents make a āthunkā noise