Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

[+Lacomo]

Why do people move caches they don't own. Is there ever a reason to move someone else's cache? I went to one of my caches today to replace a log book that was full, and the cache wasn't where I put it. It took me about 5 minutes to locate it where someone had moved it to. This is not the first time this has happened I've had it happen with other caches. What do you think? Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

[+Zop]

Why do people move caches they don't own. Is there ever a reason to move someone else's cache? I went to one of my caches today to replace a log book that was full, and the cache wasn't where I put it. It took me about 5 minutes to locate it where someone had moved it to. This is not the first time this has happened I've had it happen with other caches. What do you think? Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

 

I'm sure this is going to open a can of worms but to me, while most cases are certainly NO, there are times where it is a courtesy to the hider.

 

Example, I have come across caches that have been muggled, improperly re-hidden, fallen from their perch, or over exposed by over zealous gardeners. In most of those cases, I would indeed move the cache enough to insure that it will not be muggled right away but these movements would usually be followed by an e-mail to the owner or at the very least a note in the logs.

[sdarken]

When a cache moves it's most likely caused by careless cachers, muggles or animals. Newbie cachers (particularly in a group) may not realize the importance of returning it to exactly the same place and some locations might make it difficult to find the original hiding place (eg: an ivy hide). Depending on the location a cache, it's possible that it might move by small amounts over a period of time rather than than one big movement.

 

IMO, the least likely reason would be an experienced cacher intentionally moving your cache.

 

My rule of thumb is that unless a cache is in obvious danger of being muggled, I put the cache back exactly where I found it and, if I have a concern, I contact the owner. Sometimes it's tempting to improve the hide but I resist that urge.

[+OzzieSan]

Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

 

Do you mean like this?

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Yes, I had to move two on a recent cache run. Here's the log:

 

I got the emails at 9:28... a new series just published... Cache Course 101... there were 15 of them, but I didn't check my email until after 10 o'clock.

 

I haven't chased an FTF in years, but this is too good to pass up!

 

Order a PQ, load the query into my Garmin 60 CSx and into Cachemate on my BlackJack II and I'm on the road by 10:30. It's a weekday morning after work hours have already started... surely I won't get 15 FTFs... but maybe I will pick up a few!

 

Got to #101 just before 11 a.m. - Old Boy Hiker (OBH, locally known as the Cache Ninja for how fast he gets FTFs) and Villagers3 have already found it! Looks like the Cache Ninja has a Ninja-ette hot on his heels!

 

Dang - This calls for a change of strategy!

 

Head for #115... FTF! Yes!

 

#114 FTF! Woohoo!

 

#113 FTF! There is a God!

 

#112 FTF! Signing the log and up comes We5Fish.

 

From then on it's a race, but neither of us wants to ACT like it's a race, so we just sorta casually saunter to the next few caches... trying to casually saunter one step ahead of the other, ya know. So, while he's signing the log I saunter on down the road!

 

#111 I get to ground zero first, but We5Fish nabs the FTF. I better step up my casual sauntering technique, this guy is quick!

 

#110 is a replay... score 2 for We5Fish. Huh. Drive faster than he's willing to. The hell with casual.

 

#109 Arrive at ground zero together. Guess he was willing to drive faster than I thought. He comes up with the FTF by literal seconds. That's my story and I am sticking to it!

 

#108 Okay, he got the darn FTF, and this is gettin' embarrassin'! But I am glad he did, turns out this is #400 for him! Woohoo! Took a picture for his milestone.

 

#107 Get there together, but he's on the phone! Oh yeah, I have it! Ooops... Villagers3 and OBH have been here. Not bad! We5Fish and I both got 4 FTFs and met the Cache Ninja in the middle!

 

#106 Got a 30-second lead on We5Fish, grab it... but the Cache Ninja and Villager3 have beaten us both. There won't be any more FTFs.

 

#105 Stopped at Play Ball! on the way to this one as I saw our friend Betaman there looking. I had already found it so I left We5Fish to find it with him and moved on. Was signing the log for this one when a Deputy rolled up. Can't have a Rambler Cache Run without cops! He wants to know why an old one-legged fat man is caressing his sign post. Not in those words, but the 'Jeez there's a lotta nuts out here' came through. I start to explain the game and his eyes glaze over... "Have fun" he says and off he goes.

 

#104 GPS says ground zero is right over there... just about right where that guy is working a bull-dozer! 'Well' says I to me, 'this ain't good'. Read the hint - Yep, the cache has gotta be right there where he's working. So I walk over to ground zero, about five feet in front of his big blade. Now, you think the cop thought I was nuts, wonder what the dozer driver thinks when I walk in front of his path and stand there with my GPS! The hint tells me it's in an oak tree, and this is the only oak left standing... in fact it's one of only two trees left in the area! The dozer driver shuts down his machine and quietly asks if he can help me. The underlying message I can read in his face is 'What the HELL do you think you're doing?!'. I explain the game, he thinks it sounds cool, gets down from his machine and joins the hunt... and finds it before I do! Now he explains that he is the property manager and gravedigger, and that they are expanding the cemetery. A co-worker walks up and they debate leaving the tree so the cache can stay there! How cool is that?! But it was decided that roots and caskets don't mix, so the tree had to go. He told me the cache was welcome to stay and pointed out an area about 60' away where it would be safe. I moved the cache, marked the new coordinates, then went and put a note in #s 105 and 103 with the new coords for 104 so that people coming from either end would see that it had been moved.

 

#103 Uneventful, TFTC!

 

#102 Since I started at 101 then went to 115 and worked backward this was the end of the run for me.

 

Jack and Jill Watch Out For The Hill is just across the street from #102, so I went after it. The manager came out and questioned me, said that he personally didn't care but that it was a corporate thing, we'd have to remove it 'till we got their permission. Liability, he says. So I moved it a block up the road and sent the owner the new coords.

 

On the way home a friend called and wanted to take me to lunch, so 16 caches, 4 FTFs, met We5Fish, saved 2 caches, and got a free lunch... now that's what I call a good day!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Why do people move caches they don't own. Is there ever a reason to move someone else's cache? I went to one of my caches today to replace a log book that was full, and the cache wasn't where I put it. It took me about 5 minutes to locate it where someone had moved it to. This is not the first time this has happened I've had it happen with other caches. What do you think? Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

 

A few weeks ago I was searching for a cache where the coordinates seems to be pointing to a spot the was described fairly well in the cache description. After 20 minutes or so of expanding my search but not finding any place which fit the description, I headed down a trail (not the one I came in on) and spotted an ammo can with the cache name on it in the grass a feet off the trail, about 150' from the published coordinates. I returned it to the spot where I figured it was originally hidden, added a log book and a few trinkets, then sent the owner email when I got home to let them know what I had done.

 

It's entirely possible that it wasn't a geocacher that moved your cache. It may have been found by a non-geocacher and tossed on the ground nearby (or not so nearby). The next geocacher to find it may have found it in the open the hit in a spot that they assume it was originally hidden.

[+Lacomo]

Well TheAlabamaRambler I guess there is a reason to move someone elses cache. Good story!

[+briansnat]

In rare circumstances I could see why someone would move a cache.

 

I did just this last weekend. I found a cache sitting in the middle of the grass and a very obvious hiding place was about 20 feet away. The GPS was pointing to that hiding place. A look at the cache told the story. There were two teeth marks puncturing the lid of the container. I guess a bear dragged it from its hiding place, so I moved to where I was pretty sure it belonged and patched up the holes with duct tape.

 

Another possibility is that you've accidentally compromised the cache location and have a good reason to believe that if you put it back it will go missing. This happened to one of my caches and I was grateful that the

finder actually mailed me the container at his expense so I could put it back.

 

Finally, if it's on private property, or in a park, and the property owner or land manager sees you and demands that the container be removed.

 

But to move it because you think you know a better hiding spot, or because you think the coords are off, or whatever, that's wrong.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

We once removed a cache (temporarily, for about an hour) because some kids were watching us. We didn't want the cache compromised, so we just tucked it in our backpack and wandered around the park. The kids had apparently watched us do some of the cache hunt, because they kept watching us...

 

so... we just got out some trash bags, and started CITO'ing! We even invited them to join us in picking up trash.... they quickly lost interest, and left the area. After another 15 minutes or so, we returned the cache to its original spot, trying to hide it well.

 

We then wrote to the CO saying that it might have been compromised... but apparently it was ok, because it lasted for a while after that.

 

Malia

[+Mokzii]

I literally -JUST- rehid a cache that didn't belong to me.

Not even 2 hours ago.

I've had it for a couple of days, rescued it from certain destruction. (Super-Hero theme plays)

But really - the area where the cache had been was bulldozed, and the cache was sitting out in the open, with zero cover.

Anyone who passed on the trail would have seen it.

Didn't have my GPS at the time, was out for a walk and decided to see who had logged after me. (I'd found it previously.) Since I couldn't rehide and send coords, I brought it home and emailed the owner.

He thanked me, gave me permission to rehide, and I just sent the new location.

 

So yes...sometimes it can be okay, I s'pose.

[4wheelin_fool]

It seems to happen mostly when one cacher finds it and hands it to someone else to sign in and rehide it.

[+Dread_Pirate_Bruce]

Well, I found a cache here in SoCal. It was in the general vicinity of LA Airport. My GPS had it at N 33° 57.073 W 118° 26.672. Someone has indicated that they found it at N 40° 22.791 W 106° 34.756.

 

But, seriously, if a cache has been compromised it should be moved. In fact, that happened to me today. The container was out in the open and the contents were strewn out on the ground. We rescued the cache and hid it nearby ... with a note and phone call to the CO.

[+jackrock]

Cache migration is a common problem. I try to be very careful to put it back exactly where I find it even if I think it could be better. If a partner finds it, I ask before placing it back so I don't assume. I recall moving one a few inches on purpose. I moved it a few inches out of the ant nest but still, essentially the same place. I explained in my log why I did it. The ant nest had clearly been built up around the cache and had buried it. I knew the owner and was sure he didn't want cachers to have to dig the cache out of the nest each time.

[AZcachemeister]

I see T.A.R beat me to give you one of the cases when the cache should be moved.

Another would be when the forest fire gets to within 100 feet.

[Clan Riffster]

Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

Yes.

If I find a cache and the property owner tells me to get it off their land, I'll move it, and PM the owner that I have it.

If I return to a cache I've found before, and I see it's been moved by muggles or critters, I'll replace it to its appointed spot.

[TermiteHunter]

I'm sure there are valid reason's to move a cache such as those discribed above but I have yet to find the need to move any cache container. It may not be where I would have put it or how I would have placed it or at the coords according to my GPSR but I leave them the way I find them. If I have a concern I will send a message to the owner especially if they are new to the game of hiding or it doesn't fit the usual style for the experienced. I think some are just too fast to second guess the owner and re-hide as they see fit.

[+KBI]

Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

Yes.

If I find a cache and the property owner tells me to get it off their land, I'll move it, and PM the owner that I have it.

I had to do that once. On a layover in Texas.

 

After I’d just pulled a cache from its hidey hole under a bridge in Corpus Christi, a port authority security guard appeared. He said their cameras caught me retrieving the container. He was almost apologetic, and said he was familiar with geocaching, but explained that no items were allowed to be left under the bridge, and wouldn’t let me put it back.

 

I put the container in a bag and left it with the hotel front desk, and then emailed the very understanding owners, who later picked it up.

 

They placed a new cache down the road a few days later. They named it "Port Authority Shouldn't Bother You This Time."

[+KBI]

Aaaaaaand ....... dupe post ......... deeeeeeeee-LETE!!

Edited August 14, 2008 by KBI

[+MarshMonsters]

I would never just move a cache for the heck of it. I would only do this if the cache was in immediate danger of being found by the wrong people. I would email the owner and post a note on the page with information about the cache and move.

[+Renegade Knight]

Why do people move caches they don't own. Is there ever a reason to move someone else's cache? I went to one of my caches today to replace a log book that was full, and the cache wasn't where I put it. It took me about 5 minutes to locate it where someone had moved it to. This is not the first time this has happened I've had it happen with other caches. What do you think? Is there ever a reason to move a cache you don't own?

 

Mostly I think it's the doofie factor that causes cache movment. There are reasons to move a cache. They are all exceptions to the rule of "Put it back where you found it". The first reason to move a cache is when the clue says "The cache is Here" and you found it "There", Feel free to put it "here" if where "here" is, is clear. Clan Riffster has pointed out another one. I moved one that had had it's hiding spot bulldozed so now it was in the open in a rather smashed condition.

Edited August 14, 2008 by Renegade Knight

[+slukster]

In rare circumstances I could see why someone would move a cache.

 

I did just this last weekend. I found a cache sitting in the middle of the grass and a very obvious hiding place was about 20 feet away. The GPS was pointing to that hiding place. A look at the cache told the story. There were two teeth marks puncturing the lid of the container. I guess a bear dragged it from its hiding place, so I moved to where I was pretty sure it belonged and patched up the holes with duct tape.

 

Another possibility is that you've accidentally compromised the cache location and have a good reason to believe that if you put it back it will go missing. This happened to one of my caches and I was grateful that the

finder actually mailed me the container at his expense so I could put it back.

 

Finally, if it's on private property, or in a park, and the property owner or land manager sees you and demands that the container be removed.

 

But to move it because you think you know a better hiding spot, or because you think the coords are off, or whatever, that's wrong.

 

I can definately see why a person would think that the cache they just found was not in the correct spot and want to return it to where it should be. Even when the cache description says return it exactly how you found it, it appears that where you found it is not correct based on the cache description. You think that the cacher before you misplaced it.

 

Just last week this occurred to me. Some yahoo cache owner got mad at me and cussed me out because I moved the container from a spot that clearly wasn't where it was supposed to be. In his cache description he clearly says that if you can't return it to where you found it, then don't do this cache. I mentioned in the log that I had moved it based on the cache description, and to let the cache owner know that it didn't appear to be where he had placed so he could double check it to make sure it was returned to the right place. He was real sore. I guess I should have returned it as I found it and then emailed the CO to let him know that I didn't think it was in the correct spot and let him determine if it was replaced correctly. Because he was such a jerk to me I am going to go back and move it to somewhere completely different and then ask him if that is where he wanted it. Unbelievable.

 

briansnat, I am just messing with you. I understood your frustration.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I found em in the wrong spot,

I found em on the trail.

I found em in the treetops,

And even in the mail.

So I try to place em were de go.

But who am I to know.

It might no be the right place,

But do the best I can.

Now it is in that space,

For the next geocaher man!!

[+UncaBee]

One time we found a cache in an area that was about to go under construction, like only a day or two away from being dug up and destroyed.

 

We immediately notified the cache owner who did not live in the immediate area and requested permission to move the cache out of harms way. The owner was quite agreeable. We found another location about 100 feet away that was very similar to the description of the orig site (base of hollow tree type). We sent new coords, photos close up and of the general area.

 

The owner updated the cache page and the next time she came to the area she checked on it and all was well and she really appreciated the heads up.

 

The key point being that we notified the owner BEFORE moving anything and worked together to relocate the cache. I think there is a sidewalk now where the cache used to be.

 

UncaBee