Why was my cache muggled?! :(

[+deeboz]

I hid a cache a couple of months ago in a really good spot. Many people commented on what a good hide it was and how it was creative. The cache was a small pill bottle hidden in a wooden timber in the ground, placed with permission.

 

Inside the cache was a cache note, log, and a few trade items. On the outside of the cache it was labeled with an official geocache sticker with the words "please do not remove" on it.

 

I just don't understand why or how this cache was muggled..

 

Can anyone with experience please give me some insight as to why or how this cache was taken?

 

Thank you!

[+StarBrand]

161 hides and over 10 years experience. My answer.

 

 

It happens.

[+Totem Clan]

I couldn't have said much better myself.

 

 

You did every thing right. That just happens.

[+lamoracke]

well, and will assume its this cache

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c3722c8e-a01b-4fe3-9af7-cf95248cc173

 

you put your cache on the campus of a university. Permission or not, it would be hard for anyone to find it without being seen. Perhaps someone else saw it being found or put back and took it. Perhaps someone found it by accident. Perhaps a maintenance person found it and tossed it. Just because you have permission does not mean the clean up staff are aware of that. Those are the 3 least nefarious reasons I can think. Caches get taken, its a reality. The more urban, the more often, and being an a campus sure seems like a spot that would be hard to not get taken. A small pill bottle would seem like garbage to some. Unless its really hidden well where no one would casually sit down at or clean up, its going to happen.

[+deeboz]

well, and will assume its this cache

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c3722c8e-a01b-4fe3-9af7-cf95248cc173

 

you put your cache on the campus of a university. Permission or not, it would be hard for anyone to find it without being seen. Perhaps someone else saw it being found or put back and took it. Perhaps someone found it by accident. Perhaps a maintenance person found it and tossed it. Just because you have permission does not mean the clean up staff are aware of that. Those are the 3 least nefarious reasons I can think. Caches get taken, its a reality. The more urban, the more often, and being an a campus sure seems like a spot that would be hard to not get taken. A small pill bottle would seem like garbage to some. Unless its really hidden well where no one would casually sit down at or clean up, its going to happen.

 

yes, good points, but it was very well hidden and out of plain sight. And even with the label "official geocache, please do not remove".. I just don't understand why someone couldn't respect that. Thanks for the advice

[+WRASTRO]

well, and will assume its this cache

 

http://www.geocachin...f7-cf95248cc173

 

you put your cache on the campus of a university. Permission or not, it would be hard for anyone to find it without being seen. Perhaps someone else saw it being found or put back and took it. Perhaps someone found it by accident. Perhaps a maintenance person found it and tossed it. Just because you have permission does not mean the clean up staff are aware of that. Those are the 3 least nefarious reasons I can think. Caches get taken, its a reality. The more urban, the more often, and being an a campus sure seems like a spot that would be hard to not get taken. A small pill bottle would seem like garbage to some. Unless its really hidden well where no one would casually sit down at or clean up, its going to happen.

 

yes, good points, but it was very well hidden and out of plain sight. And even with the label "official geocache, please do not remove".. I just don't understand why someone couldn't respect that. Thanks for the advice

Because not everyone respects our game and plays by the rules we try to enforce. Clearly someone found your cache who did not respect anything about it. I hope your future hides fare better.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

I just don't understand why someone couldn't respect that.

Now there is a word that I haven't seen or heard of in a while.... respect. Therein is the "why"!

[+DragonsWest]

well, and will assume its this cache

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c3722c8e-a01b-4fe3-9af7-cf95248cc173

 

you put your cache on the campus of a university. Permission or not, it would be hard for anyone to find it without being seen. Perhaps someone else saw it being found or put back and took it. Perhaps someone found it by accident. Perhaps a maintenance person found it and tossed it. Just because you have permission does not mean the clean up staff are aware of that. Those are the 3 least nefarious reasons I can think. Caches get taken, its a reality. The more urban, the more often, and being an a campus sure seems like a spot that would be hard to not get taken. A small pill bottle would seem like garbage to some. Unless its really hidden well where no one would casually sit down at or clean up, its going to happen.

 

yes, good points, but it was very well hidden and out of plain sight. And even with the label "official geocache, please do not remove".. I just don't understand why someone couldn't respect that. Thanks for the advice

 

All it takes is one curious person to observe a cacher making the find or replacing it and deciding they have to investigate it themselves, then decide they need it more than anyone else does. The world is full of jerks, you need look no further than any day's news headlines to see that. All you can do is replace and hope they don't return.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

well, and will assume its this cache

 

http://www.geocachin...f7-cf95248cc173

 

you put your cache on the campus of a university. Permission or not, it would be hard for anyone to find it without being seen. Perhaps someone else saw it being found or put back and took it. Perhaps someone found it by accident. Perhaps a maintenance person found it and tossed it. Just because you have permission does not mean the clean up staff are aware of that. Those are the 3 least nefarious reasons I can think. Caches get taken, its a reality. The more urban, the more often, and being an a campus sure seems like a spot that would be hard to not get taken. A small pill bottle would seem like garbage to some. Unless its really hidden well where no one would casually sit down at or clean up, its going to happen.

 

yes, good points, but it was very well hidden and out of plain sight. And even with the label "official geocache, please do not remove".. I just don't understand why someone couldn't respect that. Thanks for the advice

 

The geocache sticker is a wise choice to have on your container. But, that isn't any kind of guarantee that if a non-cacher finds it, they'll replace it as found. To us, that wording is our bible. To someone trimming the shrubs at the university, it might just be alot of gibberish and into the trash bin it goes. Not saying that's what happened to your cache but it's possible. As others have said, all you can do is place the cache and hope for the best.

[+The A-Team]

it was very well hidden and out of plain sight.

It may very well have been when you hid it, but someone may not have re-hidden it as well after they found it. Someone, many finders ago, may not have put it back as intended. Later finders, doing what most of us normally do, replaced it as they found it and perpetuated the incorrect hide. Some muggle/maintenance guy spotted it and removed it.

 

For urban caches, muggling is just a way of life. No matter how well you think it's hidden, there's almost always someone that will find some way to stumble upon your cache.

[+kunarion]

The world is full of jerks

Say it isn't so!

[+The Jester]

The world is full of jerks

Say it isn't so!

It isn't so!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's only half full of jerks.

[+WarNinjas]

It just happens is right. Sometimes maybe someone hid it in another spot. I found a cache that had been missing for months. There was already a new one in place that had been found many times and I happen to find the old one over 40 feet away. All you can do is go place another one and hope for the best.

-WarNinjas

[+The_Incredibles_]

I started a thread awhile ago on the subject of muggling.

 

It's possible that a cacher told his/her friends about it and they told other people, who told their 10 year old son, who went to check it out with his 10 year old friends and they muggled it. Or like others have said, it could have been a maintenace person or maybe even someone gathering wood for their fireplace!

 

Alot of muggles are kids. If you think about that, it makes alot of sense that even if they found it they might just shrug and toss it in the bushes. All of my caches that went missing had stash notes. I was really upset when my first one got muggled, but now I just take a look at why it possibly got muggled and replace in a slightly different location, possibly with a different camo job. Fortunately I have a number of containers ready at my house so it's not such a big deal. Some cache owners will have duplicates ready to go, even for more elaborate camo jobs.

 

Location of course is a big consideration. If you're going to put it where you did, it's going to have a much higher risk of getting muggled than if you put it far out in the woods. That's just the reality of hiding caches.

[+OZ2CPU]

geocachers are the worst mugglers !

many dont care how well they re-hide and how muct attention they draw when looking for a cache,

then the next day it is compleetly visible and removed as litter, by park clean up dudes.

 

it is actually often I see the container placed ON TOP of a bunch of small branches.

[+Ike 13]

I have an ammo can hidden at my college. I chained it down. It is hidden well, but easy to see someone retrieving it. Awhile back it was raided. All the swag stolen and traded for with packs of ketchup. They left the log and the can (thanks to the chain). Even the best hides in the most out of the way area can be stumbled upon.

[+power69]

I hid a cache a couple of months ago in a really good spot. Many people commented on what a good hide it was and how it was creative. The cache was a small pill bottle hidden in a wooden timber in the ground, placed with permission.

 

Inside the cache was a cache note, log, and a few trade items. On the outside of the cache it was labeled with an official geocache sticker with the words "please do not remove" on it.

 

I just don't understand why or how this cache was muggled..

 

Can anyone with experience please give me some insight as to why or how this cache was taken?

 

Thank you!

Teenagers or treehuggers

[+Castle Mischief]

Teenagers or treehuggers

 

Just as likely older busybodies or conservative bomb-scare habitualists. No need to make narrow definitions and call people names.

[+A & J Tooling]

I've seen many that were hidden in a place someone luved to go to as a child. And they assume no other children have found the place since. I've caught kids red handed with the caches in hand. They're kids. That is what kids do.

[+DragonsWest]

A fellow cacher has tried to keep some hides in the Philippines, where a relative would look after them. Unfortunately once the locals discover it the cache can no longer be hidden there as some people view them as gifts left for them by some kind of gifting faerie. Short life spans those.

 

I've resisted doing hides in town as we have a large number of street people -- nothing particular against them, but they have enormous amounts of spare time, as long as they've got a shelter to feed and house them -- they'll sit and watch someone do anything and if they figure it has any sort of value or utility to them it becomes their possession.

[Clan Riffster]

Can anyone with experience please give me some insight as to why or how this cache was taken?

It's a common fate for P&Gs. If you'll move it about 4.79 miles on a heading of 170 degrees, it'll likely last a lot longer. As an added bonus to the suggested location update, you'll probably get a lot less of those offensive "TFTC" logs as well. The downside of doing this is you'll have a cache that is possibly going to be in place for years, which suggests using something a bit more waterproof than a pill bottle. I hear ammo cans make good containers.

 

Good luck on your replacement!

[+geocat_]

"I took it!"

 

 

[+Colonial Cats]

We had a great nano hide (yes, nanos can be good caches if done right) that had terrific camo. Cachers (those who could find it) loved it. However, some muggle (I think) kept stealing it, so we had it archived.