I have only been caching for a few months and have a little over 100 finds...I have no idea where that puts me in the caching pecking order...not that it matters I guess. I have hidden 12 caches and generally I am having a blast.
Most times I read through the logs left by previous cachers before I go on a hunt.
Sometimes there are clues, sometimes there is good advice on what routes to avoid, etc. I can tell if a cache has been found successfully over a period of time or if it has been plundered. The most important thing I have seen is the folks who DO log their "no-finds".
My neighbor took his family hunting a cache but he didn't read any of the logs. No one had found that cache...ever. It was gone...taken by a park ranger in the wildlife refuge. There were at least 6 or 7 "no-finds" posted that would have helped him decide whether to attempt the hunt.
He and his family got lost, spent way too much time looking for the cache and almost put themselves in a dangerous situation.
As the owner of a few caches, it does make me feel good to know that folks enjoyed hunting them. And when a DNF gets logged, it does encourage me to make sure the cache is still there and that my coordinates and clues are appropriate.
I have found some rather bland caches and I still logged a TNLNSL just to let the owner know that I was there. I have also had a cacher email me for a clue when they couldn't find the cache and they never logged their "no-find". Is that a stats thing?
Maybe I never thought or worried about someone using the caching logs, statistics, etc for harmful reasons.
I guess I understand both sides of the discussion.
Stay safe out there, y'all Maybe I'll see you on the trail. I promise not to follow you home!