muggle wars

[666hotline]

I have an ongoing problem with a group of young muggles that can't seen to grasp the basic concepts of geocaching.It all began when I placced my first cache Tree Dweller,it had not been in place for very long when I saw this group of muggles picking it up and throwing it into the nearby bushes.I went over hurridly to retrive it and tried to explain to them what it was,they replied by saying"yeah it's ours cos we put our car in it" I did not think it was best to reveal that it was my cache to avoid further problems.

 

After explaining this encounter to their aunt she laughed as well with me being so young.Several days later during a maintinance trip it simply was not in it's hiding place,this situation was made all the more worse by the fact that at the time the cache contained an active travelbug.We promptly disabled the cache and informed the owner of the travel bug.After an extensive search the cache was recovered recklessly thrown into a hedge,thankfully with all it's contnts.It was then moved to another tree a short distance away,we thought the troubles were over but they were not.The next day I was walking near the cache site when I met one of the young muggles again,he turned to me and said " 'ere you remember that box what we found?,well it's gone" I casually said to them that someone must have moved it.It was settlexd for a while in ait's new spot until today.The tree which had become the cache's new home has been used by the muggles to build a den,to their glee they have also recovered their precious 'box thing'.A few minuites before writing this I entered this den and stole it back with stealth,I am writing this looking at the cache which has now been disabled again,hoping to replace it soon.

 

So what I want to know is,does anybody else have an ongoing war with a certain muggle?are you trapped in an evergrowing circle of lies to keep your cache safe? if so let us know

[+gpsfun]

Perhaps the muggles are having fun playing with you and your cache, in which case it would be good to move your cache beyond their range of play.

[Skippermark]

Sorry you're having cache troubles. I looked at the cache online and it appears to be a pretty urban park. My guess is that it'll keep disappearing. Since the kids are probably local, they'll keep seeing people find it no matter were you hide it and take it again. Sometimes it's best to just cut your losses and archive it.

[+4 Paws And Then Some]

In my area too there have been two caches hidden by two different people in two different places in a small park located by a cul-de-sac. The second hide was pretty good too I thought but they were both muggled and destroyed. Someone took pleasure in scattering and smashing the contents. It's very disheartening. I recommend simply leaving the area alone, although I secretly want to create a cache that they cannot find and won't destroy...

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

Reading this just gave me a flashback to trying to get through the thick heads of some of the neighbour kids why they couldn't build their fort in my side yard with materials they'd stolen from nearby construction sites. Their parents didn't seem to care about the theft or the trespassing until one of the kids broke a $50 fish tank we'd set on the side of the house to dry after rinsing. Show a mother a picture of her son holding a hammer moments after the incident and see how flippant she is then. So, after they had to pay for that, ALL the offending children were kept from our yard. None of these kids were my kids' friends so it was just really weird why they thought they could assume part of my yard.

 

My bad anecdata aside...

You can reason with muggles but sometimes you cannot reason with young people of a particular disposition. The entitlement and lack of respect is just... woh.

 

I'd recommend moving it out of the park altogether. If you want to keep a cache in the park for the sake of having a cache in the park, do an awesomely camo'd micro. Make people climb a tree for it. Do something beyond the interest of these muggles. The kids just want "the box" so do something else. Relocate this ammo box where it'll likely receive more respect.

 

My two cents.

 

- Elle

[+J-Way]

Other than welding a logging chain to an ammo can and padlocking it to a tree, then padlocking the lid closed, there's really no way to defeat an infestation of young muggles. They're worse than termites, and Orkin refuses to cover then under their warrantee. Even the most skillfully camoflaged container is at risk because eventually a cacher will find it while the young are watching.

 

It's amazing how many kids have an "I found it so it's mine" mentality, and how many parents let them get away with it. I watched a kid steal one of my son's toys on a beach once. He just walked up to his toys, looked around to see if anyone was close and watching him, grabbed a boat, and ran off. We were about 200 yards away returning from a potty break, so I couldn't chase him. Eventually I walked down the beach looking for him and the boat. I never found him, but I found the boat floating abandoned in the surf. Stupid kid is probably going to steal my car in about 6 or 7 years. If I find my son playing with a strange toy he WILL tell me where he got it and he WILL take it back if it was stolen.

 

Back on topic, this is probably a war you can't win. The muggle young have endless time and easy access to the site. Unless you want to set up 24-hour surveillance I recommend letting them have the pack and archiving the cache.

[4wheelin_fool]

If a muggle finds it accidentally, it means that you did not hide it well enough. A person that finds a cache accidentally usually has much less respect for it, rather than someone who intentionally goes and looks for it. If you put authentic stickers on it, and a note inside of it, that may help, but not always.

Edited August 31, 2008 by 4wheelin_fool

[+darklighter]

I think it might be time to give up on that cache. Use the container for another cache, somewhere else, where it will be better appreciated. =)

[666hotline]

Other than welding a logging chain to an ammo can and padlocking it to a tree, then padlocking the lid closed, there's really no way to defeat an infestation of young muggles. They're worse than termites, and Orkin refuses to cover then under their warrantee. Even the most skillfully camoflaged container is at risk because eventually a cacher will find it while the young are watching.

 

It's amazing how many kids have an "I found it so it's mine" mentality, and how many parents let them get away with it. I watched a kid steal one of my son's toys on a beach once. He just walked up to his toys, looked around to see if anyone was close and watching him, grabbed a boat, and ran off. We were about 200 yards away returning from a potty break, so I couldn't chase him. Eventually I walked down the beach looking for him and the boat. I never found him, but I found the boat floating abandoned in the surf. Stupid kid is probably going to steal my car in about 6 or 7 years. If I find my son playing with a strange toy he WILL tell me where he got it and he WILL take it back if it was stolen.

 

Back on topic, this is probably a war you can't win. The muggle young have endless time and easy access to the site. Unless you want to set up 24-hour surveillance I recommend letting them have the pack and archiving the cache.

There was a note in it,and even their aunt read it.They misinterpretted the note and believed it meant anyone could take it

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

There was a note in it,and even their aunt read it.They misinterpretted the note and believed it meant anyone could take it

 

Then they're idiots and their aunt is an idiot. This pretty much reinforces the wisdom in the unified advice you've received.

 

- Elle

[666hotline]

It is worth noting that this cache has now been muggled again,some kids found it and then just tipped the contents onto the floor.

[+chuckwagon101]

I have an ongoing problem with a group of young muggles that can't seen to grasp the basic concepts of geocaching.It all began when I placced my first cache Tree Dweller,it had not been in place for very long when I saw this group of muggles picking it up and throwing it into the nearby bushes.I went over hurridly to retrive it and tried to explain to them what it was,they replied by saying"yeah it's ours cos we put our car in it" I did not think it was best to reveal that it was my cache to avoid further problems.

 

After explaining this encounter to their aunt she laughed as well with me being so young.Several days later during a maintinance trip it simply was not in it's hiding place,this situation was made all the more worse by the fact that at the time the cache contained an active travelbug.We promptly disabled the cache and informed the owner of the travel bug.After an extensive search the cache was recovered recklessly thrown into a hedge,thankfully with all it's contnts.It was then moved to another tree a short distance away,we thought the troubles were over but they were not.The next day I was walking near the cache site when I met one of the young muggles again,he turned to me and said " 'ere you remember that box what we found?,well it's gone" I casually said to them that someone must have moved it.It was settlexd for a while in ait's new spot until today.The tree which had become the cache's new home has been used by the muggles to build a den,to their glee they have also recovered their precious 'box thing'.A few minuites before writing this I entered this den and stole it back with stealth,I am writing this looking at the cache which has now been disabled again,hoping to replace it soon.

 

So what I want to know is,does anybody else have an ongoing war with a certain muggle?are you trapped in an evergrowing circle of lies to keep your cache safe? if so let us know

 

 

Doctor/Patient Scenario********

 

Patient....."Doc, my bush keeps hurting when I hit it with this muggle box! Each morning I hit my bush in almost the same place with my muggle box and it HURTS! What in the world can I do??"

 

Doctor......"Stop hitting your bush with your muggle box! That will be 275.00"

 

[jholly]

It is worth noting that this cache has now been muggled again,some kids found it and then just tipped the contents onto the floor.

 

You know, some places are just not destined to have a cache. The kids know you put them there, they keep looking. The only way to beat them is stop putting them there.

 

Jim

[+sduck]

The world's a big place, find a better place for the cache. No point in having recurring issues when you can easily avoid them.

[+Parabola]

I would suggest it might be time to look for a new home for your cache. Obiviously it's going to keep disappearing so why waste your time and effort's and cost of containers in replacing it.

 

They know where it is and sound like they are just going to keep taking it out of spite.

 

There are ways to keep a cache from moving like using a chain and padlocking it to a tree or something. But really if they see that they will probably come along with bolt cutters.

 

Good luck with your cache though. That's too bad but really it's not worth the fight. Move it too a new location.

[+Kabuthunk]

Another suggestion... if you have an identical cache container (going under the hope you didn't put like... 20 hours of work or something to this one), you could always essentially make a 'duplicate' of the cache, leave it for them to find and keep in their little tree fort, and then just place yours like... a hundred or so feet away. Not close enough for them to find it too messing around their little area though. They think they're screwing with your game, and your cache lives on nearby.

 

I find that sometimes it's best not to tell brats that something is wrong, because it's almost guaranteed that it will be repeated in the future, usually moreso.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Back on topic, this is probably a war you can't win. The muggle young have endless time and easy access to the site. Unless you want to set up 24-hour surveillance I recommend letting them have the pack and archiving the cache.

There was a note in it,and even their aunt read it.They misinterpretted the note and believed it meant anyone could take it

The cache is compromised. Pull it and go somwhere else.

 

Take the cache and hide it somewhere else is a common muggle reaction to caching. If you can't explain the real concept to them such that the lightbulb goes off. You can't actually ever plan on that cache being available to find by a normal cacher.

[+Team Peredox]

Another suggestion... if you have an identical cache container (going under the hope you didn't put like... 20 hours of work or something to this one), you could always essentially make a 'duplicate' of the cache, leave it for them to find and keep in their little tree fort, and then just place yours like... a hundred or so feet away. Not close enough for them to find it too messing around their little area though. They think they're screwing with your game, and your cache lives on nearby.

 

I like this idea, but take it further. Make 10 or 15 identical empty fake caches and hide them all over the park just for them to find. Maybe one day they'll eventually just get bored of it and give up.

 

I do however think that putting a real cache anywhere in the vicinity is a lost cause at this time. When they see someone actually find it, they'll zero in on its position. Best advice is to either move it or keep an eye on the location for a few months. Perhaps in the not too distant future that gang of ruffians will find a new place to hang out or will have forgotten about it altogether.

[+Taoiseach]

Take the cache and hide it somewhere else is a common muggle reaction to caching. If you can't explain the real concept to them such that the lightbulb goes off. You can't actually ever plan on that cache being available to find by a normal cacher.

 

So, you don't hide it somewhere else? - You Just bury it right there?

 

[+BigFurryMonster]

It's probably illegal in your area to plant a paint bomb in a fake cache, right ..?

[+Kohavis]

I'd at least be sporting and give them a 50-yard head start ....

 

DN MUGGLES!!

 

[666hotline]

finnaly took the time to archive the cache but am planning to make a super hard puzzle in this area,possibly named "tree dwellers revenge" in honour of it's predecesor