mocrash

Here's one I came across recently where the cache has apparently been missing for a while and people are still logging finds, most of them explicitly stating they only found a magnet: mocrash 11/01/2014 Needs Maintenance Magnets are still there. Cache is gone. Premium Member 10/25/2014 Found it Found it Found with KS Guy and man from Iowa. Premium Member 10/18/2014 Found it Found it I was in Kansas City for a short trip with the muggle hubby. I love bookstores, so we ended up here. I found the magnet where the cache was. I didn't have a replacement container else I would have helped you out. I have a pic of myself pointing it out as well. If you aren't cool with this log just delete it TFTS! Premium Member 09/27/2014 Found it Kinda magnet only Premium Member 09/27/2014 Found it Only found the magnet. Great area Premium Member 09/18/2014 Didn't find it I gave this a quick look and only found a magnet. I hope it's not missing. I didn't look very hard, though. Too many people around.

I have two in Springfield, MO. GC4CFY7 & GC4CFZ7

Wow. Impressive. That's one of the coolest TB's I've seen.

Okay, so, here's a log that showed up in a cache of mine, D1T1. "Although we were unable to lacate cache container with log, I am marking this one as found." The cacher had found the "sister" cache on an identical host. This hide is designed to bring people to a cool local feature and the cache itself is easy to find. There are literally only two or three possible hiding places, and I've never had another DNF (aside from the one time the cache went missing and literally wasn't there to find). The cacher assumed the cache had to be in the exact same place, and neglected to look in the only other possible hiding place on the host. Whatever. I emailed him and told him but he never came back to find it. Actually, come to think of it, when it actually WAS missing, I did tell the cacher who DNF that he had been in the right place, the cache WAS missing, and that he could log a find if he wanted, and he chose to come back and physically find the cache. I'm sure you can guess which of the two was a 275 find cacher and which was a 5451 find cacher... That said, I considered logging a DNF as a find myself once. I solved a long, time consuming, driving all over town kind of puzzle, arrived at GZ and the cache was gone. Confirmed with CO that I was in the exact right place. CO said he'd replace it and never did. I felt like I HAD found it, but didn't get credit for it. While I didn't log the find, I did finally understand how these things happen.

Thanks, Leprechauns, for expressing what I was thinking this morning but didn't take the time to say myself. Yes, I too was impressed with the tone of the follow-up posts; even after it took some extended questioning to get to the heart of the issue, there was never that "you people are so mean" that comes up so often when the poster doesn't get the answer they wanted, and sugar-coated at that. Well, that came out awfully convoluted, but I hope you can understand what I was getting at. Thank you both for the kind words. That's really nice of you to say, and I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experience. Happy New Years!

Isn't that the most frustrating thing? Really no answer as far as I can tell. It sounds like it's missing to me, although I'd give it a week or two to be sure. You don't know if/when it was taken from the cache, and as I just learned through an experience of my own, sometimes it pays to be patient on these things. Cachers sometimes don't get around to logging for a few days or even weeks and "missing" TBs may show up.

Any thoughts about the value of a polite email to anyone who grabs your trackable. Something like, "Thanks for grabbing my trackable. I appreciate you taking the time to share in his journey and look forward to seeing where you take him." Maybe help make them realize there's a person behind the trinket?

That's interesting, but seems like it won't get a whole lot of action. I'd never take something that big myself. I found one in vegas that was a full sized coconut bra and even though it was super creative, I thought that would be too much of a pain to take along. I've been leaning more toward smaller ones lately. Apparently, not everyone agrees. I just double checked and the coconut bra is not where I saw it any more. Here's one that I thought was pretty cool and much more portable. Not my own idea, but I wish it was. The owner asked people to add coins to the TB as it travels the world collecting tips. http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=4370114

That's crazy. I've always wondered if that happened, since I've found "lost" TBs years later. Sounds like good timing. What would you do if both were active at the same time?

I'm exactly the same way, unfortunately. I try not to take trackables, because I know this, but I keep caving. Each time I think, "maybe this time I'll be better!". I, on the other hand, have received an owner email a time or two. Although they've always been polite. BTW - I got the trackables from the truck that I hadn't logged yet, and finally went online and retrieved them from the cache. Almost two weeks late. I think that's the longest I've waited to log trackables. I found them on the 16th, didn't have internet until we came home on the 18th, and then left them in the truck. So this thread was good for something. Yes, good for something. A few years ago, I found a TB, logged it into my inventory, then had no idea where it was. Three months later, I found it behind my sofa during spring cleaning. My guess is that my cat picked it up off of the coffee table, jumped on the sofa and then dropped it into in unknown cache behind my sofa. Three months, it was back there. I felt bad and got it into a cache quickly. Never heard a word from the owner. I'm curious why Fizzy attracts these whiny TB emails? Okay, so if I can ask another question then. As a TB owner who has sent out several TBs, most of which have been retrieved by one cacher and have not been moved, at what point is a polite inquiry justified? I have a couple that are just a month now, and one that's going on three months. Again, I personally try to move a TB within a month, or at least log some visits so the owner knows it's still active, but apparently that's not always the case. And I know it's winter, so people tend to be out caching less too. So, how/when do you guys address that situation?

Reading further into this thread, it's on commercial property in a busy area. I wondering about permission, and if the landscapers that will eventually show up know not to take the cache and throw it in the trash? Good question. And actually, that's been a problem for me once before with a different cache. I did get permission for the cache, but that wasn't relayed to landscapers who did find and dispose of the cache. This cache is the same basic idea. I have permission, but I have no way to make sure that gets relayed to landscapers.

Okay, well, good news on the original topic. Everyone who had their money on "he's being impatient and it's probably just a delayed log" was right. They were finally logged out, and it appears that I was connecting two independent incidents and seeing a pattern that was just a coincidence. Yeah, exactly right. Two consecutive incidents where all the TBs in the cache disappeared right after being placed. The first time TBs went missing without logs, I waited a week to mark them missing and they never showed up, so I just assumed it was the same thing. Perhaps "terrorism" was a little strong, but it really felt like that at the time. As you probably noticed, I've only hidden 7 caches, and this was a first for me. Thanks so much to everyone for the advice and understanding. I definitely learned a lot from this experience. For the most part, cachers around here seem to log everything pretty quickly, and I myself log trackables the same day I grab them, so it never occurred to me that some people might not. I feel the same way as wmpastor, I think. Even when I'm out of the country, as long as I have internet or cell phone access, I try to log TBs same day to avoid any problems or inconveniences. And I guess we should add one more item to wmpastor's list of possible inconveniences: "over-reactive CO's freaking out and posting threads about how their caches are being terrorized."

I hope you're right. I'll give it a week and keep you guys posted.

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache. Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area. Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown. BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully. Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen. BZZZZT. Wrong answer again. You marked the 3 trackables as missing on 12/2 with a note that someone was collecting them and indicated a problem back then. Three weeks later on 12/23 you visited the cache and dropped 2 coins into it. You are now saying that you revisited the caches since then and discovered the new ones gone? That's a bit quick, the person likely hasn't logged their find yet. Relax, man. I'm not sure why you're so determined to prove that I'm wrong here, unless you're just one of those guys who likes arguing on the internet to try to prove how smart you are. The worst I'm being is impatient, and that has been pointed out to me already in a much less confrontational manner. If that's the case, we don't know if I'm right or wrong about the second incident. I hope I AM wrong about it. But I'm definitely not wrong about the history of the cache. Yes, on 12/2 I recognized an incident. An incident, not a pattern. And yes, I placed more trackables in the cache roughly three weeks later. And yes, I've revisited the cache since placing the last two coins or I would have no way of knowing they vanished right away. And yes, it is possible someone on vacation grabbed them, didn't log anything, and will log them next week when they get home. So, let's put this in perspective here. I think someone is watching my cache and taking trackables from it as soon as they are placed. I'm not putting together a posse to go have an old fashioned hangin'. I came onto a discussion forum to seek advice. Some cachers have offered advice or shared similar experiences and I have appreciated it. It helped me and didn't harm them. You have come on here and tried to nit pick details to show me how wrong I am and how smart you are. Well, if you think I'm wrong about everything, then just don't offer advice. Simple enough.

Hello. I'm MoCrash. Springfield, MO. I guess I'm a lurker. I've posted a few times, mainly when I need advice. I've tried joining other conversations, but any time I've thought of something worthwhile to contribute, I read the thread and someone else has beat me to it, usually with more knowledge than me as well. But I definitely learn a lot from reading the conversations on here. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences!

Haha...no,not you. I understand that kind of thing, especially if you're traveling. If I wasn't seeing a pattern, I wouldn't sweat it. Haha...PERFECT! Thanks for the advice. Pretty sure it has to be a cacher though - they always come right after a new TB drop is logged and they never take anything else, even though some of the swag is actually cooler looking than some of the TBs that have gone missing. It would make more sense and be easier to handle if it had just been muggled.

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache. Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area. Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown. BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully. Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen.

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache. Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area. Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

Okay, so, based on the suggestions from you guys, it appears that my best options are: 1. Wait a few weeks and hope I'm wrong about the last couple TBs that went missing 2. Make the cache premium only and remove the word "TB" from the name 3. Temporarily archive and hope the terrorist moves on. 4. Downsize or disable What do you guys think about posting a log on the cache basically telling the terrorist that tb's are not collectibles, that if he is planning on moving them, he needs to log them, that if he is keeping them, he is stealing and ruining the game for everyone else and that all that is going to happen is that he is going to force me to archive the cache so no one else loses their TBs? Any chance it's ignorance and I can solve it that way? My gut says no, but that would be an ideal solution if it worked.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I may end up having to do that. I just hate excluding anyone and that also assumes that the collector is not a premium member himself. Plus, I myself am not a premium member yet. That was my initial thought. Are you guys being serious? I totally thought that was a joke. If I DO get a picture or video of the perpetrator, then what? I hope you're right and I'm over-reacting. But what you can't see from the stats is the change in pattern. Yes, over the history of the cache, many trackables have safely come and gone, most "dipped." However, on 11-30, the following logs showed up on the same day: 1. "Dropping TB." 2. "...No more trackables. I think a local cacher is collecting them. I hope yours gets moved along..." Since that day, all trackables left behind have vanished without a trace. No problems with every single TB being logged out and moved on from my cache. That's the point. TBs SHOULD be moved along. The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace. Thanks for the advice. I hope that works.

Yeah, official time is a week I believe, but, in my experience, it almost never takes more than a day. Very impressive and greatly appreciated.

I hope you're right. It just fits the pattern too well. Also, I know 48 trackables have passed through, but keep in mind that the majority of those were visiting, not dropped. And all trackables left in the cache since the first theft have gone missing. I'll give it a few days and we'll see.

A game camera and a tranquilizer gun.

No, that's the one. It had a decent amount of TB traffic until the terrorist struck. But the last five TBs to be left there (including the two still listed as being in the cache) have vanished in the exact same way, each gone within a day of being placed.

Thanks for your replies guys. So even if I find out who it is, I guess I can't do anything about it. It doesn't have to be a "hotel" per se. It's not even near a highway. But it's a large urban cache that should be perfect for locals moving trackables. I almost feel like it's my responsibility to either downsize or archive so no one else loses their TB. I guess there's a reason my hometown is a TB black hole. I just hate that this one person is ruining the game for so many people.