[matspud]

Another amazing coincidence was that someone had also dug up his parents lawn with a pick axe. What are the odds? Such a shame as that was almost like a bowling green.

[amandap80]

I had shoved twigs of pyracantha in amongst the shrub foliage (a very thorny and sharp plant). The neighbours heard the screams. It must have really hurt too.Strangely it never happened again. It may also have something to do with the fact that the following day his beloved car was coincidentally smeared with dog excrement with a warning that next time the consequences would be far worse. Another amazing coincidence was that someone had also dug up his parents lawn with a pick axe. What are the odds? Such a shame as that was almost like a bowling green.

Anyway, gutted for you.

Considering booby trapping said pumpkins - perhaps mild electric shocks. Or gluing thumbtacks to a 'bait' pumpkin. It must be kismet that so many unfortunate events befell the youth. Odd.

[SuperSonic]

Gutted for you as that is an amazing size. There are some horrible people around. I'm not an advocate generally of revenge as the law is always the best option. I do hope he or she gets caught and is prosecuted.
once had a problem where we used to live with a drunk youth who on his way home from the pub would like to pull up plants and shrubs from our front garden. One night I caught him at it and called the police ( they turned up roughly 19 hours later). In the meantime I followed him home and woke up his parents but they did nothing.

It only happened one more time though, a couple of days later not so much to do with his parents intervening but more likely the fact that I had shoved twigs of pyracantha in amongst the shrub foliage (a very thorny and sharp plant). The neighbours heard the screams. It must have really hurt too.Strangely it never happened again. It may also have something to do with the fact that the following day his beloved car was coincidentally smeared with dog excrement with a warning that next time the consequences would be far worse. Another amazing coincidence was that someone had also dug up his parents lawn with a pick axe. What are the odds? Such a shame as that was almost like a bowling green.

Anyway, gutted for you.

That story Nos, true as it may be.

[nosferatu]

I hasten to add that it wasn't me who did the lawn or the car......that was my brother who took umbridge on my behalf and did it without my knowledge. He has a much different and far more confrontational outlook to me and was nothing compared to what he had originally planned. All of our old neighbours thought it was me and had they contacted the police I could have ended up in a spot of bother. That's why I advocate getting evidence with the pumpkin smashers and calling the police to avoid things escalating. The lad ended up a druggie.

By the way, we don't have much of a front garden here but all the shrubs have pyracantha twigs in the middle.

Hope you catch them

[badgers]

I, like matspud would suggest a paintnball gun. A pellet gun, although warranted, can cause serious damage, and way more trouble than you need. But a paintball gun, hurts like hell and will mark your "target for the sheriff and possibly ruin their "cool kid" new clothes.
Also a pellet gun is much like the BB gun, and as said to Ralphie in another holiday story "You'll shoot your eye out!!"
Another quote I heard somewhere "Vengence is mine sayith the gourd!"

[Raven]

Paintball gun and video so we can all watch! Paintballs freakin' hurt, too. Would serve them right!

[GeordieKin]

I hate this kind of mindless destruction of other people's property. I can only think there must be something satisfying about smashing a huge pumpkin. It would be good to have one carved out of stone and painted up to look real. Then when they kicked it or stamped on it they'd end up the loser.

Here, we don't have that kind of problem, but when I lived in a town we regularly had our plants stolen and lapped fence punched or kicked in. So I ended up taking them down and made a basic fence using bamboo. It had a vaguely Japanese look. One morning I looked out the window and thought "What's different?" It took a minute to sink in. My bamboo fence had vanished. So then, like Nos I had the pyracantha idea and planted a low hedge of it. Nobody ever pulled that up!

[amandap80]

That has been the thing that has bothered me the most I think, the mindless destruction. I was raised to respect other people's property. I won't even walk through someone else's yard! How can someone look at something a stranger purchased and think 'I will destroy that and waste another human being's time and money.'? I know it was just a pumpkin, but in some on your instances it has been actual landscaping and fencing! I cannot fathom someone who has so little empathy.

[SCAREcrow]

amanda I am terribly sorry for your loss, Its hard to believe that some people have no respect at all. She was a beauty of a pumpkin. What a sad story

nos - awesome story, I had a good laugh at that

[amandap80]

Perimeter secured.

[ghostface]

Perimeter secured.

[mesmark]

It sucks to have people like that around, but it's amazing how many there are.

I hope you never have to even look at the surveillance videos.

[NikkiRae]

Good luck! I came across a smashed pumpkin while walking the puppy today. Houses have been getting egged since mid-September. I refuse to put my pumpkins out until Halloween night while I'm sitting with them. My neighborhood is not a safe place for pumpkins....

[amandap80]

It sucks to have people like that around, but it's amazing how many there are.

I hope you never have to even look at the surveillance videos.

I am hoping the fence is enough of a deterrent. We shall see.

[nosferatu]

Good luck! Hope it works. It'll look fab painted alternate black and orange. Only joking, just electrify it instead.