funny observation

[+nfa]

Let me start out by saying that I fully support the rule of no food in caches...I think that it makes sense given the wide array of containers that people use, that food might spoil, that food might attract wee-beasties (and some not so wee...), etc.

 

That being said, I setup a private cache last year for our local geocaching group, and have been watching it for about a year, and have yet to see any animal activity associated with the food inside the cache. The cache contains some beef jerky, some sealed convenience store brownies/cookies, and some homemade gorp in ziplocks...

 

I live in the Adirondacks, home to moles, vole, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, mink, fishers, martins, oppossum, wolves, coyotes, bears, etc...and not only has the ammo-can not been muscled open for its food treasure, it has not been scratched or even moved from its original location...

 

I just find it interesting that in a wildlife-rich area, a cache that is chock-full of food has not been molested in the least...

 

Jamie - NFA

[+briansnat]

I think an ammo can probably provides a good enough seal to keep odor from being released and is strong enough to keep out all but the largest animals. An interesting experiment would be to hide a Lock n Lock or Rubbermaid container with the same things inside nearby and see what happens.

 

Anyway, I have a cache in a brand new Lock n Lock that never held food and had nothing that was edible or odoriferous inside. It was twice gnawed through and moved from its hiding place by who knows what. Go figure.

Edited August 11, 2006 by briansnat

[PCFrog]

Well if it’s an ammo can they can see for themselves that they can’t open so why try?

 

I found quite a few good old plastic containers that been torn open and removed by critters.

 

If I remember right, the type of containers I seen ripped open were.

 

Pill bottle

Peanut butter bottle

Film canister

Gladware

[+sbell111]

Don't forget the good old rusty coffee can. I've yet to find one of those without chew marks in the lid.

[+ADKcachers]

I recall, more years ago than I care to remember, camping in the southern Adirondacks. My mom opened a peanut putter jar and found a raccoon handprint.

 

Nice of the critter to close it when he was done.

[+sbell111]

I recall, more years ago than I care to remember, camping in the southern Adirondacks. My mom opened a peanut putter jar and found a raccoon handprint.

 

Nice of the critter to close it when he was done.

Ummm....

 

Did your mom have a wicked sense of humor? Could she have been messing with you?

[+ADKcachers]

No and unfortunately she's not too bright either. She wouldn't have thought of it.

[+Isonzo Karst]

I once stayed in camp reading while everyone else went out diving (head cold). Late morning a huge number of raccoons decended upon the camp ground. I watched as two large males skillfully and smoothly unzipped the half moon zippers on the many 2 man pack tents in the campground. They'd check in each one, and finding no food, exit and REZIP the tents. *

 

* several sites down they hit the jackpot, some guys had put their coolers in their tents. I watched the whole pack of coons scatter ice water food and coolers about inside and outside of those 2 tents. The guys had come into and out of the campground with earsplitting noise at 10pm, 1am and 3:30am - base speakers that separate you from your fillings. I wasn't inclined to rescue their belongings.

 

Anyway, the idea that a racoon might open and CLOSE a container isn't completely off. The idea that a racoon would abandon a jar of peanut butter is nuts, however!

Edited August 11, 2006 by Isonzo Karst

[+GreyingJay]

With all due respect to the original poster (a cache full of food, eh? sounds cool ) I'm frankly not sure I would want to eat anything I found in a geocache.

 

Although I do love beef jerky...

 

Edit: also, I have found most ammo cans to be stinky. I'd hate to eat something that had been sitting in there for too long...

Edited August 11, 2006 by GreyingJay

[+Iowa Tom]

I had no food in an ammo box of mine but something got it open and tore up the baggies inside. I don't know if it was properly latched by the last cacher, which was one of my 8th grade students.

 

I find that something, raccoons I suppose, seem to like chewing on plastic lids.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Let me start out by saying that I fully support the rule of no food in caches...I think that it makes sense given the wide array of containers that people use, that food might spoil, that food might attract wee-beasties (and some not so wee...), etc.

 

That being said, I setup a private cache last year for our local geocaching group, and have been watching it for about a year, and have yet to see any animal activity associated with the food inside the cache. The cache contains some beef jerky, some sealed convenience store brownies/cookies, and some homemade gorp in ziplocks...

 

I live in the Adirondacks, home to moles, vole, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, mink, fishers, martins, oppossum, wolves, coyotes, bears, etc...and not only has the ammo-can not been muscled open for its food treasure, it has not been scratched or even moved from its original location...

 

I just find it interesting that in a wildlife-rich area, a cache that is chock-full of food has not been molested in the least...

 

Jamie - NFA

 

I think that's interesting too, but interesting in an anomalous, unusual and out-of-the-ordinary way.

 

I've been a camper for many years and have found very few things dedicated animals can't or won't get into!

 

As a geocacher I have found a couple of animal-muggled caches, both with and without food in them.

 

I am glad you are having a good experience with that cache, but think the no-smelly-stuff prohibition makes more sense than hoping a cache will be the exception!

 

Ed

[+sbell111]

I had no food in an ammo box of mine but something got it open and tore up the baggies inside. I don't know if it was properly latched by the last cacher, which was one of my 8th grade students.

 

I find that something, raccoons I suppose, seem to like chewing on plastic lids.

That was me. Sorry.

[+hikergps]

Most scavengers type animals are curious by nature, and will tear open anything foreign to their environment to see what is inside and what it tastes like regardless of contents. I use ammo cans as cache containers, 1 Geocache and 3 others listed on a different site. My geocache hasn't had signs of animal tampering, and is near homes to several different types of small to medium scavengers. The 3 others are placed in a scavenger rich environment far from home. One of them has an MRE in it. It'll make a good experiment on container integrity.