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Chased away...


cejs

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I just went searching for a cache, GC2ZYTM and was chased away by a neighbor. It's within a homeowner association park, it is marked as private with a large sign. The man who asked me to leave was very polite, but either way I felt like a criminal. Ugh, I hate it when this happens...

 

Here is my DNF log:

Was asked to leave the area, park is marked as private. Was told that unless I live within the association or was a guest of someone else, I should not be there.

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I just went searching for a cache, GC2ZYTM and was chased away by a neighbor. It's within a homeowner association park, it is marked as private with a large sign. The man who asked me to leave was very polite, but either way I felt like a criminal. Ugh, I hate it when this happens...

 

Here is my DNF log:

Was asked to leave the area, park is marked as private. Was told that unless I live within the association or was a guest of someone else, I should not be there.

You did right - just leave - even if placed with permission, the problem with such a cache is that the entire neighborhood isn't aware of the permission.

 

I'd actually be tempted to put a "NA" log type on that one unless there is a reference for finders to use as to who gave the permission.

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I just went searching for a cache, GC2ZYTM and was chased away by a neighbor. It's within a homeowner association park, it is marked as private with a large sign. The man who asked me to leave was very polite, but either way I felt like a criminal. Ugh, I hate it when this happens...

 

Do the subsequent finders a favor and file a NA log. If it's clearly marked as private property, the cache has no business being there. Let the CO explain to the reviewer why he has the magical permission needed to invite the general public into a private park. (He almost certainly has no such permission.)

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I just looked, the CO only has 9 finds also, so it might be an education things with him/her.

 

You mean the NA log? I'd say so. Believe it or not, cases of caches in "gated communities" or "private homeowners association parks" have come up several times over the years, and it usually turns out it's a teenaged cacher who lives there. Although I specifically remember the last case, within the last few months, was a college student who "used to live there". :)

 

Reading that cache page, I'd say there's about a one in ten billion chance that cache was placed with permission, and the general public is invited to go there and find it.

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I do have some strong feelings against these private parks, but either way, sounds like OP should send CO an email to archive it if he/she does not want to do the NA. Not much one can do unless the CO has blatant permission from the association, which is theoretically possible, and it needs to be on the cache page.

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I had to put NA on few of those with a photo of the sign, and note to the reviewer. The reviewer would disable or archive and contact the owner to see if they have permission. As with Private parks like this in most cases they usually fail to get them. Though cachers can find the cache doesn't mean it is the right place for it. Sometimes the finders fail to see the signs and don't know they are not allowed. I was co-FTF on one and we were being watched by the neighbors walking their dogs. The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

The last one that was archived the CO who lived there said they were going to get permission. Nothing happened so I am sure they learned they wouldn't get it.

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There's a couple of these in my town, hides in a little park that's part of a subdivision. I've never had a run-in with neighborhood watch, but you did just what I'd do. I'd just say OK and leave, then post an NM/NA log with exactly what happened.

 

You know, the only real run-in's I've had have been with Mall Security at our local mall. One of the seasoned cachers has a fake rock in a rock garden on the edge of the park-n-ride parking lot at our mall and I've spent quite a chunk of time looking for it (still DNF'd at the moment). 3 out of 4 times I've gone to look the Mall Security has come out to see what I'm up to, turning all the rocks in the median over. Twice its been the same old-bloke, and once he even got out of the truck and looked with me for a bit, totally fascinated with my story. Once it was a younger guy who just rolled his eyes when I said "geocaching" and drove off.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Ha! Bet having the FTF was of some comfort with the rent-a-cops on the way and the mean ol' "We don't like your kind here" people shaking their tiny fists at your retreating back.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Sorry, but that's no a lousy excuse.

Fixed it for ya.

FTF is not a valid reason to ignore private property signs. The correct thing to do would be to turn around, go home, and log a NA so no one else attempts it. Going for it anyway just makes all of us look bad and doesn't solve the obvious problem. Honestly, I would have thought a cacher with so many finds would know better.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Sorry, but that's no a lousy excuse.

Fixed it for ya.

FTF is not a valid reason to ignore private property signs. The correct thing to do would be to turn around, go home, and log a NA so no one else attempts it. Going for it anyway just makes all of us look bad and doesn't solve the obvious problem. Honestly, I would have thought a cacher with so many finds would know better.

I was thinking the same thing about knowing better. The FTF excuse is really really bad. Just goes to show some FTFers will do anything for the FTF. Truely sad.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Sorry, but that's no a lousy excuse.

Fixed it for ya.

FTF is not a valid reason to ignore private property signs. The correct thing to do would be to turn around, go home, and log a NA so no one else attempts it. Going for it anyway just makes all of us look bad and doesn't solve the obvious problem. Honestly, I would have thought a cacher with so many finds would know better.

 

Thanks for the correction. MUCH better.

 

And I agree with the rest of your post as well.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Sorry, but that's no a lousy excuse.

Fixed it for ya.

FTF is not a valid reason to ignore private property signs. The correct thing to do would be to turn around, go home, and log a NA so no one else attempts it. Going for it anyway just makes all of us look bad and doesn't solve the obvious problem. Honestly, I would have thought a cacher with so many finds would know better.

+1

 

To the OP, post NA and let the CO and the reviewer sort it out. If it needs to be archived it will be.

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The sign was very big and carved in wood. We felt so uncomfortable being there.

 

My question is why did you keep looking? If it is obvious that the area is private, I leave and head to the next one.

Hey I couldn't just leave a FTF sorry.

 

Sorry, but that's no a lousy excuse.

Fixed it for ya.

FTF is not a valid reason to ignore private property signs. The correct thing to do would be to turn around, go home, and log a NA so no one else attempts it. Going for it anyway just makes all of us look bad and doesn't solve the obvious problem. Honestly, I would have thought a cacher with so many finds would know better.

 

Thanks for the correction. MUCH better.

 

And I agree with the rest of your post as well.

And your right next time I won't.

Maybe tomorrow on the next FTF

Edited by jellis
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Glad to see this one's been handled.

At best these are not comfy.

 

I've been to several 'private parks' with CO's stated 'permission' and I've never been chased away, but I still don't like it. I am a caching junkie and so will attempt some 'not right' situations I feel sort of reasonable about.

 

Saw one with the permitting manager actually named on the cache page, still was uncomfortable on the search. They have their reasons for posting and we are always invading.

 

I'll search them, but would not miss them if they never happened. There are lots of 'comfy' caches to pick from.

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Do the subsequent finders a favor and file a NA log. If it's clearly marked as private property, the cache has no business being there. Let the CO explain to the reviewer why he has the magical permission needed to invite the general public into a private park. (He almost certainly has no such permission.)

 

Agreed.

 

If a geocacher is confronted by a propety owner/manager telling them to leave or private property / no trespassing signs and there is no mention of explicit permission on the cache page then a NA log should be filed ASAP explaining what happened.

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