Cache Container swapping/theft

[+madaxeman]

Hello All

 

I had the sad experience of seeing one of my steel ammo boxes go missing last year, from an isolated location in the Yorkshire Dales.

 

I replaced that one and it still survives (Now sprayed black and marked up as a Leeds University Geology project!) - But the other week I found another of my ammo boxes had been taken, again from a well hidden, isolated location in the Dales and had been replaced by a small crappy plastic box.

 

The odd thing was that the cache contents had been transferred into the new box by the thief !!

 

Has anyone else experienced such odd behaviour.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Has anyone else experienced such odd behaviour.

I've heard about it in isoldated parts of the USA. Some folks are willing to spend more money in gas to nick an ammo can than it would cost them to just buy one and have it delivered to their house. Go figure.

[+Bill D (wwh)]

Someone, I think it was Pharisee, had an ammo box stolen and the whole contents were left in place in a plastic carrier bag.

[+Al & Tracy Smith]

I did a cache in the Midlands, GCH4F1 which had great views. However, the cache was supposed to be a Ammo Can, but all that I found was a soggy log book, a TB and other cache stuff in a ripped zip lock bag - some git had pinched the box!

[+Pharisee]

Someone, I think it was Pharisee, had an ammo box stolen and the whole contents were left in place in a plastic carrier bag.

 

He's had two ammo cans stolen....

 

The first was a small one and the contents were emptied into a Tesco carrier bag and re-hidden. That was back in 2004. More recently, in June last year, a large ammo can was taken and replaced with a lidless round plastic tub. Both caches were immediately archived.

 

To have it happen once was 'unlucky'; to have it happen twice was taking the p**s. There was a spate of ammo can thievery around the same time as I know I wasn't the only one to be targeted. I suspect someone was checking through cache pages looking to see if ammo cans were mentioned and then wandering off to nick 'em. I removed all references to ammo cans from my remaining cache pages and as far as I know, all the remaining ones are still in place.

[+currykev]

Try a micro...they aren't so tempting to steal!

[+madaxeman]

Thanks for the advice chaps.

 

I will use less desirable containers for future caches and remove any references to ammo boxes from my current cache descriptions.

Edited March 19, 2009 by madaxeman

[+fat bloke]

I did a cache above grassington and the box was gone but the gear was in a sealed plastic bag!

[+aliandtone]

We had a ammo can stolen. We had been careful not to mention it in the description, until it was visited by a cacher who left a post to say 'wow a ammo can' . We then recieved a 'did not find' report, went to investigate and it had gone! :-(

[+JeremyR]

There was a run of box thefts around a small area of north Lancashire last autumn. The contents were left in baggies with a note saying the boxes were removed because 'they' (cachers not landowners) had deemed the locations to be "dangerous", which was utter twaddle.

 

The peculiar thing was that the thefts all happened several months after they ceased logging finds online. I gave up trying to work out just why they'd suddenly start looking for caches again just to remove the boxes and leave the contents without an online log. As far as I know, all the containers concerned were cheap-ish Lock&Locks not ammo cans which makes it even more bizarre. Several of us know who it was and it seems that they've now grown bored of their silly little game because they haven't logged in for a while.

[+Cushie Butterfield]

Our ammo can was stolen last year, it had been found one afternoon and was missing the next morning. I contacted the first team just in case they had put it back in the wrong place but they never replied.

 

I wouldn't use an ammo can again. I had bought it in Brussells and carted it all the way home on the train for the cache.

 

Another two specially made containers have also gone. Just cheap containers from now on.

[+Jonovich]

Had one of mine go last year - it's now a lock & lock.

 

TFTC = Thanks For The Container?

 

Jon

[+wimpyt2560]

We have a Geocoin (well, did have) in a cache in Cornwall. Reading the recent logs, it seems that the cache has been swapped from a micro to a larger container (odd!). However, surprise surprise, it looks as if the TBs & GC's have gone. Really annoying as our GC was a FTF prize and had only covered 54 miles since we dropped it in Cornwall last October. The other annoyance is that the Cache owner won't answer my E-mails!

[The Red Kite]

A friend (cacher) went to great trouble to acquire an ammo box for me and even delivered it to one of my local caches for me to collect. It was stolen complete with contents soon after being placed. It was very well hidden so only a cacher could have known its whereabouts.

 

It was intended to be a TB trade point for visitors to leave/pick up TBs on their way in and out of the area; fortunately(?) only my own little Red Kite was resident at the time.

 

All future caces will be micros

[+Pink-Inc]

Ammo cans are very difficult to get hold of - the local army surplus store knows we are looking for them but can't get hold of any. On-line they are also difficult to get.

 

Perhaps the thieves are going to recycle them for their own caches? Would be strange if you went to a cache and it was in your own stolen ammo can ....

[+willow177]

I've spent today dealing with one of my ammo cans going missing from Ilkley moor. I doubt people will be as bothered by the new container though, it is now small tupperware. I will remove references to ammo boxes after reading this, as it seems as though this isnt isolated.

[Tooeygeotrashed]

We have a Geocoin (well, did have) in a cache in Cornwall. Reading the recent logs, it seems that the cache has been swapped from a micro to a larger container (odd!). However, surprise surprise, it looks as if the TBs & GC's have gone. Really annoying as our GC was a FTF prize and had only covered 54 miles since we dropped it in Cornwall last October. The other annoyance is that the Cache owner won't answer my E-mails!

 

Don't be too mad about not getting any replies from emails - if, that is, you are contacting them through their profile - it is notoriously unreliable. Groundspeak blamed my isp when I raised this with them, but that is twaddle (according to my isp), unless you have an independant contact email you will be lucky to get a reply if they sent one, if they ever received yours.

 

As for Ammo cans being stolen, or any cache for that matter, unfortunately the more publicity that is given to geocaching the more this kind of thing is going to happen, in the long run Earth Caches are more work to put together - but at least they can't be stolen !

[+madaxeman]

Well I just found out that, once again, two of my cache boxes have been blagged (GCPE40 - Calendar Girls & GCVYWK - The Sheffield Pals, both in fairly isolated, hard to get at locations) so I have only two left.

 

It's only a matter of time I reckon, as one of the remaining caches has been blagged once already.

 

I have tried to find cache locations which have a bit of history and may interest the visitor, but I think some of the current crop of "geocachers" are only interested in theft & destruction.

 

I will not be replacing/renewing any future cache casualties

Edited February 4, 2010 by madaxeman

[+Simply Paul]

Someone, I think it was Pharisee, had an ammo box stolen and the whole contents were left in place in a plastic carrier bag.

Ditto. Last year my only ammo-can cache also had this happen to it, despite a lack of Ammo Can! info on the cache page. I also archived the cache. It's a shame but I suppose it could be worse. At least it wasn't a TB Hotel taken with everyone's bugs and coins, which is something I'm always worried about.

[+Stokesy]

I had a camoflaged micro (actually it was a bit bigger than a micro) go missing. Someone posted a photo of the cache they found on their log....a 35mm film pot....

 

I left a rather "harsh" note on the cache page as the original container cost me £8 and I was not happy, and the cacher who swapped it actually swapped it back again!

 

I can't know for certain who it was, but reading the logs, I have a pretty good idea it was a newbie young cacher who perhaps didn't know better.

[+Fuchsiamagic]

I only ever use ammo boxes on my puzzle caches, so it makes it more difficult for a causual thief. None gone so far...

[+Fuchsiamagic]

Duh!...

Edited February 4, 2010 by Fuchsiamagic

[+currykev]

It was very well hidden so only a cacher could have known its whereabouts.

 

Sorry to hear about your lost cache. But I think your statement cannot ever be 100% true.

[+currykev]

Is this thread

a.size matters - would you complain if a micro had been swapped with an ammo can

b.cost matters -I spent xxx£ on that ammo can.

or

c."blast" those fellow cachers. Call a special constable immediately!"

[+Jaz666]

Well I just found out that, once again, two of my cache boxes have been blagged (GCPE40 - Calendar Girls & GCVYWK - The Sheffield Pals, both in fairly isolated, hard to get at locations) so I have only two left.

 

As I wrote on one of your caches last year, quite a few Ammo boxes or similar large containers went missing in the area, but your Sheffield Cache widens the radius now.

 

It's a possibility that some people think it's easier to take an ammo can, rather than try to find somewhere local that sells them. But as all the swiped boxes have been in remote locations I think it's unlikely.

 

I suspect they are being taken by one person, and the remote locations raise one suspect in my mind; I'll do some digging.........

 

(p.s, something you posted on a cache page earlier isn't going to win you any friends)

[+maxkim]

It's sad when it happens, I have lost several caches over the years but have come to accept if you leave stuff in the great out doors and then tell people where it is... if it has value to them .... some will take it... Answer don't leave anything you you would hate to loose... If this means you resort to 35mm micros so be it... a micro may be better than no cache at all??? or an ice cream tub etc. I loose approx. 1 cache per month on average due to theft, animals, weather, etc. You just get used to it, or adjust the container to fit...

[+Happy Humphrey]

I have only two left.

Luckily (or not, depending on how you look at it), they're the two of yours that I've found.

 

I feel a duty to say in public that they are two absolutely first-class caches. Please don't lose heart just because of one or two sad cases!

[+smstext]

just wondering if the stolen ammo cans were actually geocachers or just muggles who stumbled on it and thought what a great box they could use at home?

[+Madyokel]

I'm a bit gutted that GCPE40 has gone missing.

Its a cache I have not found as I wanted to do it with Littleyokel..

From the logs it seems the cache is still there..

I see no mention of the cache going missing although the original Amo tin seems to have gone.

Maybe I should go for a look..

[+t4e]

 

Don't be too mad about not getting any replies from emails - if, that is, you are contacting them through their profile - it is notoriously unreliable. Groundspeak blamed my isp when I raised this with them, but that is twaddle (according to my isp), unless you have an independant contact email you will be lucky to get a reply if they sent one, if they ever received yours.

 

 

 

that is not true, when you contact someone through their profile it goes to the e-mail they registered with, is also where all notifications go...you can only have one email address

 

if they don't reply is by choice

[team tisri]

 

Don't be too mad about not getting any replies from emails - if, that is, you are contacting them through their profile - it is notoriously unreliable. Groundspeak blamed my isp when I raised this with them, but that is twaddle (according to my isp), unless you have an independant contact email you will be lucky to get a reply if they sent one, if they ever received yours.

 

 

that is not true, when you contact someone through their profile it goes to the e-mail they registered with, is also where all notifications go...you can only have one email address

 

if they don't reply is by choice

 

With the best will in the world emails do sometimes go missing, although whether that's down to Groundspeak, the ISP, or the vagaries of the internet will never be known.

 

It's also possible someone meant to reply but genuinely forgot, or got swamped by so many mails they deleted one by accident, or their spam filter got overzealous and they never saw it etc.

 

I recently got a mail from a cacher I'd contacted to ask a question about a cache - it was weeks after I'd sent the mail. The first line was an apology as my email had got lost in their system. It happens, so if something is important it doesn't hurt to send a follow-up email later.

[+The Teddies]

Some people are very sad.

We have had 3 ammo cans go missing with all their contents , They were full of swops for children.

One was replaced with a ice cream container and only the log book.

We also had a tool box full of art materials for children the whole lot went missing with someones TB inside.

These were all placed in locations where no one usually goes, except cachers.

Very sad that people need to spoil our game.

The Teddies

[+Team Edwards UK]

is this site any good to anyone wanting ammo cans?

http://www.greenleafoutdoors.co.uk/Spare-A...Cans_AOD4Y.aspx

just did a quick google search (uk)

[Jester1970]

Stealing ammo containers is pretty low. Why can't they steal crap nanos?

Edited February 16, 2010 by jester2005

[+drdick&vick]

Content deleted

Edited February 16, 2010 by DrDick&Vick

[+LondonCacher]

Out of curiosity (and not wanting to stir up any arguments) have the stolen ammo cans been from public or members-only caches? I've got a great spot for a nice big ammo-can cache; I'd like it to be public, but I want to know if that makes it higher risk.

[+Just Roger]

Out of curiosity (and not wanting to stir up any arguments) have the stolen ammo cans been from public or members-only caches? I've got a great spot for a nice big ammo-can cache; I'd like it to be public, but I want to know if that makes it higher risk.

 

I don't know bout Public or PMO but from other threads on the subject it seems to be agod idea not to mention "Ammo Box" on the cache page - just list as a regular and leave it at that. A few years ago a regular listing probably meant Ammo Box but these days that is no longer true as there are many less around and many more Klip Loks

[+choccymandm]

I don't know bout Public or PMO but from other threads on the subject it seems to be agod idea not to mention "Ammo Box" on the cache page - just list as a regular and leave it at that.

 

Speaking from experience of having one pinched, we adopted an ammo can cache and purposely removed any reference to it in the listing, a month later a comment was logged about it being an ammo can ... 2 months later and its gone. So now if anyone ever mentions ammo can in their logs we kindly ask them to remove it explaining why.

Edited February 17, 2010 by choccymandm

[+FuzzyBears]

Saw a heap of ammo cans of various sizes last time I was here

http://www.anchorsupplies.com/

 

if that's any help......

They seem to have them quite often.

 

Sue FuzzyBears