DNF, hid his own, logged a find

[+MusicIsMedicine]

For the record, the cache these guys left was a regular sized cache, larger than my original even. It had a logbook, pen, and some swag.

[+niraD]

Now, I did place a throwdown once, being sure it was gone, but the cache was within 2 feet and right out in the open

Yep. I've found a couple caches that had throw-down "replacements" within arm's reach of the original (perfectly intact) container.

 

A local puzzle cache has two containers. One is the cache, and the other is a decoy hidden some distance away from the cache. The decoy has a note that tells you that you didn't solve the puzzle correctly, and that you should reread the instructions for solving the puzzle and follow them more carefully. Or at least, that's what was there when I found the decoy. :-)

 

Anyway, someone "replaced" the decoy with a throw-down film canister and more than a dozen people signed the log at the wrong coordinates before the owner figured out what was going on.

[knowschad]

Thanks to others for sharing their stories.

 

Reading these forums it might be hard to believe but we really do all agree on most things.

 

No, we don't!!

[knowschad]

But in this case maintenance or replacement wasn't neccesary.

 

I see that the person's log is still there. Have you taken any action yet?

 

Incidentally, I would strongly suggest assuming the guy was really trying to do the right thing, whether it turned out right or not.

 

There is enough of a history of people throwing down film cannisters when they do not find a cache that I rather doubt that he thought he was 'doing the right thing'. Anyone with that many finds should know better. I would suspect deliberately inflating his finds with a cheap film cannister. Pathetic, but it does seem to happen, and far too often. I would never throw down a cache just because I couldn't find the hidden one. (Could be why I have so many DNFs?) I have been known to replace logs, and even replace a broken container. But in those cases I have found the cache. These people did not find the cache, and the log should be deleted!

 

I honestly don't know how you could come to that conclusion, BD. In the personal case that I presented, between the three of us, we had, at the time, probably around 10K finds, and now around 20K finds combined*. In our case, we put out the temp in case other cachers came looking for it before the cache owner could get to it, and we notified the cache owner with a NM note. We claimed finds, which obviously some have issues with, but we figured, by the evidence that we would have had a log to sign if it hadn't been for some animal. We found the spot, we found the pieces, we found the cache. I can still sleep at night.

 

* Edited to add: All three of us have PLENTY of DNF's, by the way. Plenty.

Edited July 10, 2009 by knowschad

[+texasgrillchef]

Our city is considering a PERMIT ordinance for the city park system.

 

This will REQUIRE that in each & every cache that the log have on it the PERMIT #. Without the permit # the cache could be in violation & could possibly be removed by City park employees.

 

I don't know if I approve of this & other ordinances that are being proposed in various cities about geocaching. But be prepared it's coming. There are serveral HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATIONS in texas that won't allow any caches on any of its Parks unless it was placed their by a member of the HMA.

 

So if your a cacher and have a DNF on a cache. Be very carefull about replacing the cache WITHOUT the original owners consent or knowlege. As you could in the future possibly be breaking the law, &/or an HMA agreement the original CO has with their HMA.

 

All I am saying is just be carefull about replacing caches.

 

TGC

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

All I can say is that I'd feel cheated if I was the second person to come along and found out I discovered a replacement cache rather than the original.. especially if the original was still there!

 

The reward for me is in finding it - the harder the find the greater the reward.

[+briansnat]

I guess some of these power cachers are so impressed with their ability, that if they don't find the cache within 20 minutes it simply must be missing, and heaven forbid they miss out on that smiley.

 

They are not doing owners a favor when the owner has make a special trip to sort out the issues created by their throwdown. I've had to do it myself and in every instance the original cache was still where I hid it.

 

I recall reading about one case where there were 4 caches at the location thanks to several throwdowns.

[+CluelessTwo]

To be honest, as a new cacher reading this, it sounds like the cachers in question are just that big headed that they think that there is no way they could ever not find anything. The fact they did not find the cache means that you did your job right. Some of my best cache hunts have been those that have taken around an hour but I wouldnt give up on. I only started a week ago but we have found 26 caches.

 

Now if all the caches were easy then I would of just given up caching within days of starting as I would not of seen the point.

 

I spend longer than 15 - 20 minutes looking for my car keys most days. If thats all the time they took to look then its a poor attempt at finding a well placed cache.

 

Claire xx

[+BigFurryMonster]

I found two caches inches apart. (yes, INCHES)

 

Question is: how many inches?

[+niraD]

I found two caches inches apart. (yes, INCHES)

Question is: how many inches?

I don't know about bittsen's example, but I found a cache that had a (much less interesting) throw-down container about 6 inches away.

[+bittsen]

I found two caches inches apart. (yes, INCHES)

 

Question is: how many inches?

 

About 8 inches, maybe 10.

One was inside an electrical box and the other was connected to a piece of conduit leading to the electrical box (if I recall correctly)

[+MusicIsMedicine]

Hello there.

 

I'm not sure if you've been following the logs on my KVR cache, so I thought I'd send you a message. I visited my "K.V.R. #4 - Out With The Old, In With The New" cache on the 4th of July to check on it. I found that my original cache was still in place where I hid it, not far from the replacement that you hid on the 23rd. I've removed your replacement cache and will be removing your "found it" log from the cache page.

 

Thanks,

Canada4Life

[+E = Mc2]

Going with the flow here: Delete their logs and send them an email explaining why.

 

That said, I just don't see the logic in "I can't find it so it must be missing." The ONLY time I'll replace a cache is if I've already found the original and it has since gone missing. If I happen to be heading to that area anyway, I'll bring along another container and put it out for the next finder.

[+roziecakes]

I found two caches inches apart. (yes, INCHES)

 

Question is: how many inches?

 

About 8 inches, maybe 10.

One was inside an electrical box and the other was connected to a piece of conduit leading to the electrical box (if I recall correctly)

 

Wow! Were they both caches or was one a Letterbox? I've found a letterbox right next to a cache before...

 

-Rozie

[+bittsen]

I found two caches inches apart. (yes, INCHES)

 

Question is: how many inches?

 

About 8 inches, maybe 10.

One was inside an electrical box and the other was connected to a piece of conduit leading to the electrical box (if I recall correctly)

 

Wow! Were they both caches or was one a Letterbox? I've found a letterbox right next to a cache before...

 

-Rozie

 

Honestly don't know what the difference is between a letterbox and a cache but both appeared to be micre caches.

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Isn't a letterbox supposed to have a stamp in it?