Glenn Rice Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 It's confirmed -- my Heck Table cache has been stolen. That's the SIXTH stolen cache in southwestern SD. Team Family Affair has had 4 stolen completely; another was just the box stolen and replaced by a cheesy plastic container, with geocaching.com stenciled on it! Several of these caches (they were all ammo boxes) were chained to trees; the locks were broken. The fact that one box was replaced by a different container seems to suggest that the thief is a fellow geocacher (or pretends to be one) who is TOO CHEAP to buy ammo boxes! This is almost impossible to believe, since most of the stolen caches were in out-of-the-way spots that are supposed to be difficult to get to. Why would anyone take the time and trouble and gas $$$ to save $3.95 on an ammo can that is easily obtainable in any surplus store? It really cheeses me off that one of our fellow players could be so cheap & selfish. Quote Link to comment
+ionekoa Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 i doubt this person is a geocacher in the strictest sense of the term. in video games (online multiplayer, roleplaying) people spend, hours a day for months and or years to develop their characters, there are also people called "killers" they are not there to enjoy the game, only to ruin it for other people, they get off on destroying peoples hard work for no other reason than that they can. this guy is probably the same brand of character. stumbled upon a cache or the site, found out about it somehow anyway, and decided it would be fun to ruin it for people. these people are everywhere, they have no lives of their own so they just go around ruining things for other people. Quote Link to comment
Birksland Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 As the last person to see the Heck Table cache I can attest that it was in fine shape when I left it. It's quite a climb up to the top of the table, let alone finding a place to park, so I have a hard time imagining that it just "walked off." I did notice a NPS ranger checking out my car when I was on top; I don't know if it's related. It's such an out-of-the-way cache that my money is on the Park Service, though I could be wrong. If someone is just stealing caches to be a pain, they picked a very isolated one to include. Chris Quote Link to comment
CloneZone Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 The Heck Table cache, even though not in the Badlands National Park, would have been in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, which is administered by the National Forest Service, so you might want to check with them to see if their regulations prohibit caches like the Park Service. Quote Link to comment
Glenn Rice Posted October 1, 2002 Author Share Posted October 1, 2002 Huge props to Team Family Affair from SD for replacing the stolen/removed Heck Table cache! The cache is now virtual, though, to avoid the same outcome... Heck Table II Quote Link to comment
+Bobhiker Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 I don't think the park service would take a cache, only to replace it with a cheaper one. I am really surprised that you had trouble even with it chained to a tree. One thing you can do is become a premium member of geocaching for $30 a year, and make it a members only cache. Doing so, the owner of the cache can see who looks at the cache page. Then you can see who has looked and visited, and who has just looked, and possibly taken! Also, if the park service wants to see it, they have to help support geocaching to do it. You will also see when they look at it too. Plus, you know your setting out to find a good cache when it is done by a member. Less likely to be destroyed. Good Luck. Maybe thats why they call it the Bad Lands. Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 charter membership does sound good, those pocket queries make it real tempting but i dont see how making a cache an MOC is going to keep it from being pludered. even you if you can see who looked how can you prove it? and what would you do make them put it back?? id say just hide some more caches, maybe use better camo this time to cut out any random passers by that may have wondered off with their new geoprize.... and dont think youll get over on the park service, if you piss them off they could deside to start pulling anything they dont like Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 I personaly think that member only caches around this part of the contry is a bad idea. I know that I probaly will not get a membership because there is not enough cache to warrant me to pay that right now (I am in college, so I am basicaly broke for the next couple of years). And these member only cache will only be visited by people out side of this region, and hindering the growth of new ones here. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
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