Stolen Travel Bugs!

[knowschad]

I had placed eight travel bugs into a cache of mine (GCWFC4) over the last couple of months. The cache hasn't seen much activity. Yesterday I recieved a lot that said that all eight were missing from the cache. Today, I stopped by and checked on it and, yup... not a single TB to be found, although the swag was still there. One set of footprints in the snow led to and away from the cache, for what that is worth (not a whole lot... I followed the same set myself).

 

Who would steal only travel bugs, and why? It would have to be a cacher to understand the difference. What good would it do them... they can't log finds on them without giving out who they are. What is the point?

[+BlueDeuce]

You stuck eight TBs over a period of time in one rarely visited cache and then one day all eight vanished?

 

[+meralgia]

perhaps a cacher who visited the cache earlier than billionsincache put playdoh in the cache and it was ravaged by wild beasts. ; ) wink, wink.

 

I'm truly sorry for the loss of those bugs and the violation of your cache. Folks are traveling these days; we can only hope that they turn up in a log soon!

[knowschad]

You stuck eight TBs over a period of time in one rarely visited cache and then one day all eight vanished?

 

 

Yup. And I was the last person to log a visit (to drop 5 TBs) before the person that reported the problem. All I can hope for is that maybe an out-of-towner stopped by, grabbed them all (which I have NO problem with, BTW) and haven't been able to log their finds yet. But I'm not holding my breath on that idea, either.

[+BlueDeuce]

Give it time.

 

If you're willing to drop 5+ you have to assume someone else out there is willing to pick up 5+.

 

Putting all your eggs in one basket and such...

Edited December 10, 2007 by BlueDeuce

[+meralgia]

I would have picked up most of them. It's not uncommon for cachers to swipe all the travel bugs in a cache. In fact, I swiped five TBs (from caches I've visited before) to bring to an event. If I'm not heading to an event and see some interesting bugs, I wouldn't hesitate to nab as many as would fit in my bag, log them, and place them in my own frequently-visited cache (if I don't have time to cache other spots) especially during the snowy season. Tis better to place them than to make them sit my car for a few days.

Edited December 10, 2007 by meralgia

[+BlueDeuce]

I would have picked up most of them. It's not uncommon for cachers to swipe all the travel bugs in a cache. In fact, I swiped five TBs (from caches I've visited before) to bring to an event. If I'm not heading to an event and see some interesting bugs, I would log them and place them in my own frequently-visited cache (if I don't have time to cache other spots) especially during the snowy season. Tis better to place them than to make them sit my car for a few days.

 

Especially when they don't belong to the cache owner. Not sure exactly what got stolen here, or by who.

Edited December 10, 2007 by BlueDeuce

[knowschad]

I would have picked up most of them. It's not uncommon for cachers to swipe all the travel bugs in a cache. In fact, I swiped five TBs (from caches I've visited before) to bring to an event. If I'm not heading to an event and see some interesting bugs, I wouldn't hesitate to nab as many as would fit in my bag, log them, and place them in my own frequently-visited cache (if I don't have time to cache other spots) especially during the snowy season. Tis better to place them than to make them sit my car for a few days.

 

I totally agree with you. As is repeated often here, travel bugs are meant to travel. If someone wants to take them all and move them along, that is a GOOD thing. But I would have expected them to log at least one find by now. I'm dreading the idea of having to notify eight TB owners that their bugs have gone missing.

[+BlueDeuce]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

[+meralgia]

Especially when they don't belong to the cache owner. Not sure exactly what got stolen here, or by who.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. Someone with footprints--cacher or not--stole the TBs. Are you implying that knowschad stole them from other caches to put in his?? Good for him--that's the sole purpose of TBs... to move them along.

 

One of my bugs was in a "They Must be Nuts" Tour Group which included Maggies Cat, Little Engine #9, Autumn Rose Coin, RDJ Fishhook River, T&A Warrior Rogue, Manokwari Indonesia UD, Crash"s USA Coin, Celebrate 100, Lil K, Fire Bug 001, Rusty Rudder, and Crawler Zach"s Jedi MM Racer. The cacher that was moving these bugs along didn't steal the bugs because they were conscientiously logged at every chance the cacher got along the journey.

 

Perhaps the person who nabbed the bugs from knowschad's cache hasn't gotten a chance to stop and log them.

[+meralgia]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing? His cache wasn't rarely visited, and it was in a perfectly fine spot.

[+BlueDeuce]

Especially when they don't belong to the cache owner. Not sure exactly what got stolen here, or by who.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. Someone with footprints--cacher or not--stole the TBs. Are you implying that knowschad stole them from other caches to put in his?? Good for him--that's the sole purpose of TBs... to move them along.

 

One of my bugs was in a "They Must be Nuts" Tour Group which included Maggies Cat, Little Engine #9, Autumn Rose Coin, RDJ Fishhook River, T&A Warrior Rogue, Manokwari Indonesia UD, Crash"s USA Coin, Celebrate 100, Lil K, Fire Bug 001, Rusty Rudder, and Crawler Zach"s Jedi MM Racer. The cacher that was moving these bugs along didn't steal the bugs because they were conscientiously logged at every chance the cacher got along the journey.

 

Perhaps the person who nabbed the bugs from knowschad's cache hasn't gotten a chance to stop and log them.

 

I'm implying that knowschad harvested bugs to stick in his cache. I'll have to read each page to check the goals.

[+BlueDeuce]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing? His cache wasn't rarely visited, and it was in a perfectly fine spot.

 

No, eight bugs owned by fellow cachers. The point is to travel not be recuse fodder for an out of the way cache.

 

The cache hasn't seen much activity.

Edited December 10, 2007 by BlueDeuce

[+meralgia]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing? His cache wasn't rarely visited, and it was in a perfectly fine spot.

No, eight bugs owned by fellow cachers. The point is to travel not be recuse fodder for an out of the way cache.

You obviously haven't visited the cache; it's not out of the way but it's not a PNG either. I don't remember it being much further than 300' away from the parking lot.

[+BlueDeuce]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing? His cache wasn't rarely visited, and it was in a perfectly fine spot.

No, eight bugs owned by fellow cachers. The point is to travel not be recuse fodder for an out of the way cache.

You obviously haven't visited the cache; it's not out of the way but it's not a PNG either. I don't remember it being much further than 300' away from the parking lot.

 

Sticking eight bugs into a cache is not a good idea. There's a good chance that all eight could go missing. hmmmm.

 

Don't harvest bugs to try to entice people to your cache, that's not what bugs are for.

[+meralgia]

Don't harvest bugs to try to entice people to your cache, that's not what bugs are for.

What are they for??

 

I'm sure that Knowschad only wanted the best for the TBs, and I doubt he placed them to entice people to come to his cache. It's snowy and miserable out here, and folks won't go too far for a cache--his or any others.

[+meralgia]

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing?

I must say... you never answered my original question.

[+BlueDeuce]

Are you simply upset because five of yours have gone missing?

I must say... you never answered my original question.

 

Don't even pretend that just because I don't own these bugs you can choose to do whatever you want with them. I mean it.

[knowschad]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

 

Hey dude... backoff. This isn't a situation to get confrontational about. The cache is NOT rarely visited. It was a good cache to put TBs in, and I feel bad that they may have been taken, so just drop it, OK? This isn't about a fight.

[+BlueDeuce]

Don't harvest bugs to try to entice people to your cache, that's not what bugs are for.

What are they for??

 

 

To travel. Not to be gathered and stuck in a cache with a bunch of other bugs

[+meralgia]

I had placed eight travel bugs into a cache of mine...

Let's rephrase this one... what if said this instead:

Over two months, eight travel bugs were placed into a cache of mine...

Is it his responsibility to move a few of the bugs so the cache wouldn't appear so enticing?? Edited December 10, 2007 by meralgia

[+BlueDeuce]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

 

Hey dude... backoff. This isn't a situation to get confrontational about. The cache is NOT rarely visited. It was a good cache to put TBs in, and I feel bad that they may have been taken, so just drop it, OK? This isn't about a fight.

 

The cache hasn't seen much activity.

 

 

Not fighting, just stating an opinion and then responding to some questions.

[+BlueDeuce]

I had placed eight travel bugs into a cache of mine...

Let's rephrase this one... what if said this instead:

Over two months, eight travel bugs were placed into a cache of mine...

Is it his responsibility to move a few of the bugs so the cache wouldn't appear so enticing??

 

If over two months eight bugs had been dropped and retrieved without being logged out I'd be worried.

[+meralgia]

I was honored to find this travel bug in the cache and put it in mine... See Gatie II's log for more details.

[knowschad]

Yeah, it's better that eight bug owners had their bugs stuck in your rarely visited cache.

 

If you'll take a look at the cache logs, the previous find was only five days previous to my dropping off the last 5 TBs. The next previous find was 12 days earlier. When I said that it hasn't had much activity, I was referring to when it was first placed.

[Keystone]

Don't even pretend that just because I don't own these bugs you can choose to do whatever you want with them. I mean it.

Wow. That sounds like something my ex-wife would say, if she were into geocaching and travel bugs. Please dial it back a notch.

 

Moving thread to the travel bug forum, where Eartha reigns.

[+BlueDeuce]

Don't even pretend that just because I don't own these bugs you can choose to do whatever you want with them. I mean it.

Wow. That sounds like something my ex-wife would say, if she were into geocaching and travel bugs. Please dial it back a notch.

 

Moving thread to the travel bug forum, where Eartha reigns.

 

Sorry, I did get a bit angsty there.

[+BlueDeuce]

I'm going to bed now so I'll summarize my 'fight' .

 

It's never a good idea to place several Tbs into one cache. If it gets lost or muggled - high loss rate.

 

No one should be pooling bugs to place in their cache. Sounds to me like you're trying to make it a hotel.

 

If a travel bug hotel is in a good spot for the quick and easy exchange of travel bugs, then an empty hotel won't stay empty long. People are always looking for a convenient place to drop bugs off. The owner of a well-placed hotel should actually be pleased if the hotel is occasionally empty, since it shows that the hotel is serving its purpose: to get bugs moving quickly. And if a hotel does stay empty for long periods of time without the cache owner continually raiding other caches to re-stock it, then it's not a good place for a travel bug hotel. - the hermit crabs Dec 2005

[knowschad]

Don't even pretend that just because I don't own these bugs you can choose to do whatever you want with them. I mean it.

Wow. That sounds like something my ex-wife would say, if she were into geocaching and travel bugs. Please dial it back a notch.

 

Moving thread to the travel bug forum, where Eartha reigns.

 

Whoops! You're right, of course. I rarely visit this forum, so I forget that it exists. Thanks for the move!

[knowschad]

I'm going to bed now so I'll summarize my 'fight' .

 

It's never a good idea to place several Tbs into one cache. If it gets lost or muggled - high loss rate.

 

No one should be pooling bugs to place in their cache. Sounds to me like you're trying to make it a hotel.

 

If a travel bug hotel is in a good spot for the quick and easy exchange of travel bugs, then an empty hotel won't stay empty long. People are always looking for a convenient place to drop bugs off. The owner of a well-placed hotel should actually be pleased if the hotel is occasionally empty, since it shows that the hotel is serving its purpose: to get bugs moving quickly. And if a hotel does stay empty for long periods of time without the cache owner continually raiding other caches to re-stock it, then it's not a good place for a travel bug hotel. - the hermit crabs Dec 2005

 

You're continuing to be "a little bit angsty" I'm afraid. The cache is a very large cache, near frequent traffic, yet well hidden. Yes, it was a perfect place to put the TB's that I had gathered recently because they SHOULD have been able to move along quickly. Please stop trying to fault me for that.

 

In any case, you have failed to answer my primary question... why would someone steal TBs? This is not a case of a muggled cache. Someone took the TBs and left Beanie Babies (some of the TBs were also Beanie Babies), Matchstick cars ( some of the TB's were Matchstick cars), etc. Get my drift??? This wasn't a muggle... this was a fellow cacher.

 

Now, please stop with the bashing and get on to constructive conversation, OK? Thank you.

[+BlueDeuce]

Waiting on the wife to finish watching her show...

 

"why would someone steal TBs?"

 

In this case I'm not sure that they were stolen. Give it some time and I'll bet they'll turn up.

[+meralgia]

Now, please stop with the bashing and get on to constructive conversation, OK? Thank you.

I took a look at those bugs, and IMHO none of them seem particularly "worth" stealing. They're not geocoins that could be sold on ebay, for instance.

[knowschad]

Waiting on the wife to finish watching her show...

 

"why would someone steal TBs?"

 

In this case I'm not sure that they were stolen. Give it some time and I'll bet they'll turn up.

 

Whew! Thanks for backing off, BlueDeuce. That is exactly what I am hoping for, although it is kind of odd that they haven't logged anything by now.

[+BlueDeuce]

although it is kind of odd that they haven't logged anything by now.

 

They might be a snarky cacher (ever meet one before? ) and they might be taking some time to release that many.

 

Or they were anonymous and dropped them elsewhere without logging them in. I hope not.

[+meralgia]

A well-known cacher in our area graced my cache in November and took a bug, but there was a substantial delay in both the log and the TB tracking. When I discovered the mishap, I wrote a brief note to the owner to let them know of the situation. Thankfully all was righted in the end, and the TB even showed up at my event on Saturday! What comes around goes around--sometimes.

 

In fact, the bug is still sitting in my entryway cozy and warm... I should make a trip out to my cache to drop it (and three others) soon!

Edited December 10, 2007 by meralgia

[+Snoogans]

Well it appears this thread has sorted itself out. However, I still don't see what put sand in BD's shorts enough to shoot the messenger other than maybe the fact that over 1/3 of his own TBs are missing.

 

Dunno. That was odd and out of character for the posts of his that I have read.

 

I have a well established TB hotel that appears to have been recently hit for 16 trackables.

 

 

I believe the OP's main point was that it's a cacher that would do this. I agree. What I do is put a watch on ALL the missing TBs and mark them missing from the cache. Sometimes they turn up a year or more later. Always with a log of, "I found this TB, but it wasn't logged into the cache I found it in."

 

My cache that was hit is a well established and SECURE TB hotel that quite a few folks revisit to trade bugs.

 

I have been hit about once a year on at least ONE of my Houston area caches. Others get hit too. Almost always the same people too.

 

I always wonder who this person is trying to hurt. They aren't hurting me.

 

There is a verrrry short list of suspect(s) and all of them are not worth bothering to reason with. They have issues and most likely expired meds. They are more worth my laughter than my anger.

 

Here's a premptive "Lighten Up Francis" to anyone who would blame ME for these bugs coming up missing. It's obvious from the picture I posted that there is a childish party pooper in the mix.

Let go. Back away..... and buy some more trackables OR restart another bug using the old, unused, tracking number. These are the risks we take when we place personal property in public trust.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Snoogans

[+Snoogans]

No use cryin' over spilled milk.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Snoogans

[+Snoogans]

 

Good lord! I just looked up Donkey Punched.

 

That reference gives away the age of the person that wrote it. It certainly doesn't seem to be who I thought it was....

[+Belfrypotters]

Good lord! I just looked up Donkey Punched.

Well, the things you learn from Wikipedia, and from these forums !

 

But back OT, I agree that it's either a TB collector (and every area seems to have one), or someone who hates TB hotels and wanted to anonymously rescue the bugs. Hopefully they'll show up in some other cache soon.

[+meralgia]

Perhaps it's one of those gang rituals... go into the woods and steal travel bugs. At least they aren't shooting at people.

[4wheelin_fool]

 

Who would steal only travel bugs, and why? It would have to be a cacher to understand the difference. What good would it do them... they can't log finds on them without giving out who they are. What is the point?

 

It could have been that guy who wrote the WIRED magazine article: "Be a GPS Prankster".

[knowschad]

No one should be pooling bugs to place in their cache. Sounds to me like you're trying to make it a hotel.

 

Come to think of it... who says? I can "pool bugs to my cachce" if I want, and I can make a TB motel if I want. It is none of your business, and it has zero to do with someone stealing TBs without actually muggling the cache.

 

I agree with Snoogans... I've seen other postings by you that were very respectful and very thoughtful, but this one... man! You've blindsided me, buddy, and I'd sure like to know why! I am a concientious cacher with a fair amount of experience and don't feel that I ever deserved to be blasted by you like that.

[+BlueDeuce]

No one should be pooling bugs to place in their cache. Sounds to me like you're trying to make it a hotel.

 

Come to think of it... who says? I can "pool bugs to my cachce" if I want, and I can make a TB motel if I want. It is none of your business, and it has zero to do with someone stealing TBs without actually muggling the cache.

 

I agree with Snoogans... I've seen other postings by you that were very respectful and very thoughtful, but this one... man! You've blindsided me, buddy, and I'd sure like to know why! I am a concientious cacher with a fair amount of experience and don't feel that I ever deserved to be blasted by you like that.

 

Okay, do you want me to back off, or do you want to me to go back to my original point?

 

Seems like yesterday you wanted to me to give the ol' warm fuzzy about eight bugs lost in one cache.

 

Leave them alone and they'll come home.

[knowschad]

Back on topic...

 

Why? Why would someone plunder the travel bugs and not the cache itself? What would be the point of stealing them? It isn't as though you can re-use them. None of them were valuable objects by themselves.

 

I have placed watches on all of the bugs, although I haven't flagged any as missing yet. I guess I'm still hoping that it may have been a travelling cacher that hasn't been able to log his/her finds yet. But I doubt it.

[+meralgia]

Leave them alone and they'll come home.

Baaa.

[+BlueDeuce]

Leave them alone and they'll come home.

Baaa.

 

Exactly.

[+BlueDeuce]

Back on topic...

 

Why? Why would someone plunder the travel bugs and not the cache itself? What would be the point of stealing them? It isn't as though you can re-use them. None of them were valuable objects by themselves.

 

I have placed watches on all of the bugs, although I haven't flagged any as missing yet. I guess I'm still hoping that it may have been a travelling cacher that hasn't been able to log his/her finds yet. But I doubt it.

 

I've already answered that question to the best of my knowledge.

 

I'd have to say that in the long run putting several TBs into one cache isn't the best idea. I started discussing that but was told I wasn't answering the question.

 

OP keeps getting things back on topic.

[knowschad]

 

I've already answered that question to the best of my knowledge.

 

I'd have to say that in the long run putting several TBs into one cache isn't the best idea. I started discussing that but was told I wasn't answering the question.

 

OP keeps getting things back on topic.

 

Yes. The topic was "Stolen Travel Bugs!, Why? Who?", not "Is it a good idea to put several TBs into one cache?". And I've yet to see any rule and/or guideline that supports your opinion about several TBs. Thanks for your opinion. Noted.

[+salmondan]

Out here I see people do that regularly as they get ready to post a new cache.... seeding their new cache so to speak.

 

Back on topic...

 

Why? Why would someone plunder the travel bugs and not the cache itself? What would be the point of stealing them? It isn't as though you can re-use them. None of them were valuable objects by themselves.

 

I have placed watches on all of the bugs, although I haven't flagged any as missing yet. I guess I'm still hoping that it may have been a travelling cacher that hasn't been able to log his/her finds yet. But I doubt it.

 

I've already answered that question to the best of my knowledge.

 

I'd have to say that in the long run putting several TBs into one cache isn't the best idea. I started discussing that but was told I wasn't answering the question.

 

OP keeps getting things back on topic.

[knowschad]

Out here I see people do that regularly as they get ready to post a new cache.... seeding their new cache so to speak.

 

That isn't uncommon here, either, although in my case, the cache I put them in was very near where I work and had never before been muggled, in spite of being a rather large cache, and so it was a convenient and seemingly safe place to drop them.

 

I am STILL wondering WHY, though. What would the possible motive be?