Anyone Had A Cache Stolen?

[Tc & Fezzi]

:-(

After being informed by a cache seeker that he couldn`t find one of my caches I set off today and drove 30 miles to the cache location.

 

Sure enough, the cache was gone! No debris or evidence of vandelism but it has just vanished!

 

I am quite saddened by this is it was more than a cache to me but a sort of memorial for my long dead dog - the cache was named after him - Chips.

 

Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get it back? What are my chances? Should I do another one nearby?I can`t fathom why anyone would be so cruel as to steal it - it was well hidden and even contained my phone number to call if it was causing a problem.

 

Any ideas please?

 

Tc

[Sparticus]

Unfortunatly this happens too often.

Other cachers I know have had good caches taken. They rehid them close to the original and are still there today.

 

I also had a very good multi cache box taken. It was hidden in a place not many people would go to. Unfortunatly nobody contacted me until there was a DNF posted on the cache page.

 

I'm sorry your cache has gone. It's an occupational hazard I'm afraid.

[+Rocky Balboa]

Dont feel too bad, I had my Charity cache emptied by persons unknown sometime in the last 2 weeks. It had contained over £25 pounds according to reports & stated that it was for charity on the lid so no excuses. Hope the culprit can live with the guilt...

[+GAZ]

Yup, me too......had six of mine stolen......never to be seen again I even replaced one and that went the same week

[+Renegade Knight]

Quite a few. No rhyme or reason. Some of the easy ones that I would think a muggle could find were found and replaced and some might of even became geocachers. Others that were difficult finds for cachers let alone those not looking, were taken.

[+klaus23]

It happened me once too... no trace.

 

i think some people read the cache note and think that the cache 'is' the treasure.

I looked for the vanished cache in a 100yd radius but no luck.

I guess the secret is to hide it really well.

[+stu_and_sarah]

Don't feel too bad. They do go missing, but I'm sure many are not taken through spite or malice.

 

Imagine you're a kid, and you're walking through the woods. You find a cool box, but you're in a hurry. Would you open it there and then, or take it home to open later?

 

It's a shame they can't then replace it once they discover its purpose, but then again, would they actually remember exactly where it came from?

 

Don't worry over it too much - some caches go missing. Some get plundered (a real shame). Some live for many years without a hitch. It's all part of the fun of putting something unattended out in the wild.

 

Personally, I think it's astounding how many of them actually survive.

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

[+Naefearjustbeer]

I have had one disapear completely and one disapear and then be returned. Someone at my work had been out walking and found one of my caches and took it home!! Whilst having a conversation with our IT man who has a gps this person said oh you might know what this thing is it looks like it is something to do with gps. To which our IT man said put it back someone is probally looking for that box in the place you found it. So in was returned the following week. The guy that took it was a manager at work out walking with his kids. He had read the stash note but still took the box home with him!!!.

 

At least it ended well.

[+Pharisee]

I think I've been quite lucky(?) in this respect. Of my 20 caches, only on has been 'hit'. It's the very first multi-cache I set about 18 months ago. The final cache box is still in place although according to the log book it's been found by 'geo-muggles' on more than one occasion. It's the third part (of four) that has gone missing twice now and the cache is temporarily off-line while I sort out yet another location for that part

 

Just remembered... I had a couple of the micro cache elements go missing on my latest cache but as they were set at ground level, I'm reasonably sure that this was down to the local wildlife (the cute, furry kind) rather than humans. When I replaced then, I sprayed them and the surrounding area with a non-toxic animal repellent that I bought from the local pet shop. It's supposed to keep cats & dogs out of your flower beds but seems to work on squirrels and rabbits as well

Edited May 12, 2004 by Pharisee

[+Subarite]

Of course - it has happened to me a number of times. Just check my archived cache list!

 

Andy.

[Tc & Fezzi]

Don't feel too bad. They do go missing, but I'm sure many are not taken through spite or malice.

 

Imagine you're a kid, and you're walking through the woods. You find a cool box, but you're in a hurry. Would you open it there and then, or take it home to open later?

 

It's a shame they can't then replace it once they discover its purpose, but then again, would they actually remember exactly where it came from?

 

Don't worry over it too much - some caches go missing. Some get plundered (a real shame). Some live for many years without a hitch. It's all part of the fun of putting something unattended out in the wild.

 

Personally, I think it's astounding how many of them actually survive.

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

Thanks you guys. Stu thats a nice positive way to look at it and you post cheered me up a bit.

 

Tc

[+klaus23]

I agree with Stu - that's the scenario I like to imagine as well.

I think people take them innocently - because if they took them after reading the stash note then that would be mindless vandalism

[+stu_and_sarah]

I agree with Stu - that's the scenario I like to imagine as well.

I don't need to imagine it - I was always bringing cool boxes home from the woods!

 

They never had contents, though.

 

Probably a good job really. Some of the contents I read about would have been rather too educational.

[+spottyspaniels]

Hi

One of my caches disappeared recently, complete with 6 Australian travel bugs. I scoured the area, but found no sign of it.

 

Then, a week later it suddenly reappeared, no explanation, no log entry, but one TB was missing. I wasn’t so much concerned about the cache as the TB’s who were 10000 miles from home.

 

My guess is that someone found it, took it home, then had an attack of remorse.

 

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

 

Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get it back? What are my chances? Should I do another one nearby?I can`t fathom why anyone would be so cruel as to steal it - it was well hidden and even contained my phone number to call if it was causing a problem.

 

Any ideas please?

 

Tc

Only two types of cache hiders. Those who have had a cache stolen, and those who are going to have a cache stolen. It's a shame.

 

I would replace it in the same general area and try again. Move it away enough so the theif won't have an easy time of finding it again. Call it Chips II.

[+minstrelcat]

That's a real shame. It was a good cache and I remember it because of the neaby meridian marker.

 

Like others have said, losing caches is a fact of life. We've lost our micro in Norwich and it looks like we have another cache MIA that we must get around to confirming.

 

Hope you get that Chips 2 out there soon!

Lisa

[Team Tate]

Even stranger was this log for a travel Bug that we had retrieved in the past - the 12th May entry!

 

5/12/2004 LiquidEric grabbed it [visit log]

I found this smiley in a case along with geocaching supplies. The case was in the middle of the road in a Folsom, CA neighborhood. I think someone stole it and probably decided they didn't want it. I'm sure whoever owns the equipment in the case wants it back. If you own the equipment or know how I can contact the owner please call Eric at (510)

 

The guy, LiquidEric, appears to have found the details & then logged onto the site to report that he had found the TB. He registered on the 12th May.

Another act to restore our faith in humans!

 

Sarah x

Edited May 13, 2004 by Team Tate

[+The Wombles]

Cache loss is an expected part of hiding caches.

 

Sometimes the best hidden ones will go (perhaps somebody intentionally taking them?) whereas the ones that you think may have a short life still remain.

 

We've even lost a webcam cache (Tree-huggers attacked the Avebury webcam) and a virtual (noticeboard removed)!

[+Gary & Jane]

We suspect that a lot of caches go missing after they've been found by careless cachers who are spotted by onlookers who then go and investigate after they've gone.

 

We always move right away from the cache site but close enough that we can see if any bona-fide cachers come along. That way at least if anyone sees us looking through a box of goodies they won't know where to look for it. It's also so much more relaxing. You're not having to constantly look over your shoulder and you can spend time reading the log book etc.

 

We're amazed that cachers sometimes admit to having been spotted but don't seem concerned. We received this log on one of our caches: "Found the cache easily but got funny looks from a little girl who was wondering what we were doing all standing there in the middle of the trees trying not to look suspicious!" It may be a coincidence but the cache was reported missing by the next visitors.

[+Volvo Man]

I just found out about this today, I'm really sorry to hear about it going missing, it was kind of a landmark for me too, having found my very first trade item had been placed in it. It's also my first "Last To Find".

 

The cache was very well hidden and not at all obvious to non cachers. It wasn't even somewhere that would have made it obvious if the camoflage slipped. I made sure it was well covered when I left, and there were no muggles about. In fact, as I remember it, I even needed to use the GPS to find my way out of the woods afterwards, as it was so far in from the park.

Edited May 14, 2004 by Volvo Man

[sidewallwolf]

We have never had a cache nicked, but one of ours (Revirhsa), was completely geo-trashed by some unknown people. The contents of it were spread across a field of cows, and a poor geocacher had to go round and pick it all up. Also, Robin Lovelock had 32 caches geo-trashed. Even if he is an "exile" of geocaching.com, he still shouldn't be treated like that. Shame to the miniscule proportion of the geocaching community who geo-trash.

[+Pharisee]

Just been for a routine check on my "Don't Feed The Ducks" cache and found that it's gone. Not only has the box and contents been taken but they've nicked the hiding place as well !!!! The hiding place being a great chunk of pine tree trunk about 2.1/2 feet long and a foot diameter that had been hollowed out to conceal the box. Hope they got a hernia carting it away

[+BugznElm'r]

Lost one but can only guess whether it was stolen or jsut plain lost ...

 

I have several theories about cache loss:

1 - Many caches are hidden in an unnatural way (under piles of logs or stones). To many locals the disturbance can scream "look here, something is hidden". People look, bye bye cache. I went on a tracking weekend a few weeks ago and I'm amazed how much caches stand out now!

2 - Elaborately hidden caches are good but they rely on the next people there to hide them just as well. if someone goes there at night or in poor weather or they are in a rush, the cache gets put back but it isn't hidden as well. Bye bye.

3 - Curiosity. If you knew nothing about caching and saw someone going into a box wouldn't you take a look? How much credibility would you give to a web addy and the words "Official game piece"??? Imagine you are a youngster and you find a box full of toys!

4 - General disturbance. A cache creates paths to it quickly. These paths are then used by others. Remember that when you hide a cache under some sticks or stones that people (especially dog walkers) pick up sticks to throw all the time. Put a pile of stones up and people will kick them over. Bye bye cache.

5 - Caches also wander (especially micros) unless the have a specific spot where they live. I have a magnetic micro that wandered nearly 70 meters in a few months!

 

I accept cache loss as a part of caching - I hate when it happens but it's part of the game.

 

Now travel bug loss is quite another thing ...

[+Cave Troll and Eeyore]

Now travel bug loss is quite another thing ...

We know that feeling we have never heard another word about our "Hope" TB who made it all the way to the USA then disappeared just after the first logged photo was put on the site. I know someone must have fallen in love with her but she was our first TB and not only that I made her for Cave Troll's Birthday present a lot of time and love was put into her creation and she had such a special mission.

 

We still hope that whoever has her will have a prick of conscience and put her back into a cache, any cache so that she can continue on her journey. I know one thing and that is that I will never make another TB Bear. Or put any bear that I have made into a cache (originally my small bears were going to be a very special Cavetroll & Joan Sig Item)

 

Still very upset about the loss of "Hope TB"

 

Joan

[groovy chick]

i've never had a cache taken/trashed but i had one that was nearly washed away by a flood once, luckily it survived unmoved! stu and sarah will remember this one! groovy chick

[Tc & Fezzi]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I had a phone call today from someone who had found the ammo box and the log book. Looked like it had been vandalised and he said the book had been written in!

 

However - I am to return to the area on Saturday and will use the box and add more goodie and replace it in the the same wood so people can still have fun with the neaby meridian marker. Look out for Chips2!

 

Tc

[+Fangsy]

Aww, sorry to hear this one has been taken

 

It's was the only one in England I've found to date (all others in Wales or S. Africa so far) while visiting some friends in E. Grinstead at the time. It -was- very well hidden too, I did quite a few laps of the right spot before homing in.

 

I hope you do replace a cache there or very nearby soon, it's a lovely spot!

[The Birds]

Another one bites the dust. "Whitfield Wander" has gone along with "Huggles the travelling bear TB" Still, whoever had it carefully replaced the camoflage.........

The Birds

[Tc & Fezzi]

Chips is back! I buried ChipsII last week in a new even better location but in the same wood.

 

Thanks for all your replies. Lets hope this one lasts longer ehh?!

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=143756

 

Tc