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cleaning up as cover


flask

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collecting trash is one of the top 5 ways to look like you're NOT searching for something. bring a trash bag, a dog, and a roll of TP and no one will suspect you of anything.

 

it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.

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quote:
Originally posted by flask:

collecting trash is one of the top 5 ways to look like you're NOT searching for something. bring a trash bag, a dog, and a roll of TP and no one will suspect you of anything.

 

it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.


 

I agree. I was under the watchful eye of a local goody-goody in a park recently. As soon as I picked up a few items of trash, I could get to the cache unobserved. I have discovered that there's something very uninteresting about watching someone pick up trash. Works like a charm. When they see that bag come out, the eyes glaze over and the head turns away. Unless the trash picker is wearing an orange jumpsuit.

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

texasgeocaching_sm.gifThe greatest labor saving invention of today is tomorrow....

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Here are some other ways to conseal yourself, take a camera *digital* and take or pretend to take pic's of area. Most people will move away, thinking your taking pic's of them, they get skitish. The other way I use, binocs, as in bird watching, but really looking for likely hiding spots from a distance. I also use CITO as a cover if the area requires attention. Most think you are doing community service for some legal*court* sentence, and will quickly exit the area as well! Keep up the good work!!! SF1

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quote:
Originally posted by DustyJacket:

Ive done the "Nature Photographer" trick as well.

Funny thing, I nearly always get a few good pictures.......

 

DustyJacket


I've done that once too. Funny thing is, I used the ruse with other geocachers who were returning from another cache. They didn't know me and had hit the cache I was at about a half hour before. They didn't bother to stop and say "Hi." They posted that on the cache page. That was kinda funny.

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

texasgeocaching_sm.gifThe greatest labor saving invention of today is tomorrow....

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Here are some other ways to conseal yourself, take a camera *digital* and take or pretend to take pic's of area. Most people will move away, thinking your taking pic's of them, they get skitish. The other way I use, binocs, as in bird watching, but really looking for likely hiding spots from a distance. I also use CITO as a cover if the area requires attention. Most think you are doing community service for some legal*court* sentence, and will quickly exit the area as well! Keep up the good work!!! SF1

We've done the pictures thing, and the CITO thing -- binoculars is another great idea! We'll have to give that one a shot, especially with micros. :unsure:

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collecting trash is one of the top 5 ways to look like you're NOT searching for something. bring a trash bag, a dog, and a roll of TP and no one will suspect you of anything.

I don't have a dog, so I just bring the TP and the bag. People keep looking at me wierd though.

Oh, dear, I've just sprayed coffee everywhere. :D

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by flask:<BR>collecting trash is one of the top 5 ways to look like you're NOT searching for something. bring a trash bag, a dog, and a roll of TP and no one will suspect you of anything.<BR><BR>it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I agree. I was under the watchful eye of a local goody-goody in a park recently. As soon as I picked up a few items of trash, I could get to the cache unobserved. I have discovered that there's something very uninteresting about watching someone pick up trash. Works like a charm. When they see that bag come out, the eyes glaze over and the head turns away. Unless the trash picker is wearing an orange jumpsuit.<BR><BR>Snicon_razz.gif<!--graemlin:;)-->icon_razz.gif<!--graemlin::lol:-->gans<BR><A HREF="http://www.texasgeocaching.com" TARGET=_blank><IMG SRC="http://www.texasgeocaching.com/images/texasgeocaching_sm.gif"> </A>The greatest labor saving invention of today is tomorrow....

That's because they don't want to be roped into the job of helping pick up trash in their own park.

 

I use that trick all the time. Also, taking my dog along the fringes of the park makes me a good citizen at keeping the doot away from where the children play.

 

Cameras work to some extent, but people do get curious just the same to see what it is you might be taking a picture of. They don't want to miss out of the excitment if it is something unusual.

 

I don't know about you others, but when I see someone looking through some binoculars, I'm trying to follow their line of sight to see what it is they are so intent on.

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collecting trash is one of the top 5 ways to look like you're NOT searching for something. bring a trash bag, a dog, and a roll of TP and no one will suspect you of anything.

Everyone in the whole world understands the need for dog walks. Any weird side of the road spot you are in is fine. I usually have the Ladies with me and they are better than cammo tape. The other day I apparently pulled over and looked like a suspicious person. The Ladies were with Trey and I was with my brother Satya. The local police had to pull in after me, park, run my plates and then drive real slow out of the lot. I figured if they actually asked me anything I would explain geocaching and let them play with the GPS. No chance. I just kept arranging the car and looking at a big map and shaking my head. Satya helped in the arranging and rearranging of the car and more map looking. After they left we got out and cached. If the Ladies were with us, no cares. I felt weirdly out of place and visible and obvious with out the girls. CITO wasn't going to work here, it was clean. Well, there was some dead thing that I wouldn't touch with any pole. The Ladies would have liked it. The camera or binoculars would attract too much attention. The trash bag is the best, nondog method. No matter what others assume, they aren't interested. If they are they are staring at you,they are wondering why you are doing this. Is it court ordered? Is it voluntary? Is it my job? Or they might be fellow geocachers.... Adopt a dog from the pound and find a true best friend. All dogs love geocaching! They also love trash. Sadie will seek the trash ahead of me. She knows what I'm looking for and she likes being first. If only she would sniff out the geocaches...

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CITO is incredibly helpful as camouflage.

 

For night-time cache-hunting, I go with the "I lost it" thing. We were caching one evening during the "half hour after sunset" that the park is still open. People kept walking past me (I should know better-- nobody is there at dawn when the park opens, lazybones!) so eventually I got out my flashlight and every time someone walked by, I would whine loudly to my husband "I guess I've just lost it, then-- are you suuuure you didn't see it?"

 

Worked like a charm. Everybody wants to help someone find whatever they've lost. But if you're *whining* about it, suddenly everyone has headphones on or needs to be somewhere else, fast!

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