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stolen cache- advice?


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Sure, ammo boxes are coveted by thieves. There are some caches around here that magically changed from an ammo box to some other container. But this week, one of my match tube Micros vanished. So it's not just ammo boxes.

 

This is something to discuss with the trusted local cachers who have been caching a while. Sometimes there's a reason for the cache spot being available. That is, cachers previously placed caches in the area, and the the containers were always getting muggled.

 

I suggest that because I also learned the hard way. I had a hide that seemed perfect. Nobody was around, and the ammo can was hidden among large boulders in a little forested area in a park. Then experienced cachers remarked how they could never keep a cache there... that crowds of bored teens would descend on that place and play on the rocks during soccer games. My ammo box seemed to become displaced by several yards, or opened and dragged and dropped. Then one day, it was gone. Now I always ask people before placing a cache, why there are no caches in my selected spot. Especially if I know a cache was archived.

 

One place where an ammo box would tend to walk off, I placed an evil micro instead, hidden in a new way that I thought would be fun to find (well they're not “new”, but let's just say I hadn't heard of one like it). Same thing at another place, where it's an ammo box, but protected three ways: It's a Multi (few cachers hunt those), It's a Premium Member Only, and it's over-the-top aggressively hidden high difficulty in an out of the way place off trail, so someone passing by likely won't even know it's there. You would not believe where people wander around.

 

Once it's gone, you definitely shouldn't place another one right there, right away. Consider what might have gone wrong, ask around, and try a new strategy. Good luck!

Edited by kunarion
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In my experience "Beware of muggles" and ammo cans (or other regular-size containers) are incompatible. Even if you have a great hiding spot where the container won't be noticed, finders still need to be able to retrieve and replace it. When muggles are an issue, someone is likely to see a finder retrieving or replacing the ammo can.

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Listing it as premium member only does not, in itself, stop or prevent caches from being stolen. At best, it prevents basic members who steal caches, from seeing the listing. A premium member may have taken it. Or a muggle or basic member may have found it accidently and taken it.

 

Ammo cans are a hot item. I'm sure some cachers on here remember when they could be had for $5-$10. And now the same ones cost up to $25. Someone's more likely to take an ammo can, than a different container, simply because it's an ammo can.

 

Looking at the listing, it looks pretty close to people. And it doesnt exactly bkend in. That means, it's more likely to be muggled, regardless of container.

 

And a bit off topic, but please log properly. You logged a find, and a DNF on your cache. For general information, you should choose the write note option. Since the cache is missing, you should log it as temporary disabled, until you replace it, then log it as enabled when it's good to go. If you are not going to replace it you should archive it. Otherwise it's not exactly good, because it looks like it's still there even though you know it's not. You wouldn't like to spend time looking for a cache that the owner knows is not there, but didn't do anything about it, and neither do other cachers.

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First of all congrats on beating cancer! That is the most important thing! I also had a long battle with cancer and chemo so I am glad to hear yours went well. As far as the container I doubt any premium member would be so low as to take a ammo can that is so cool painted and about beating cancer. There would also be a lot of work to get that paint off to make it for one of there hides. So I am guessing someone else found it and didn't know what it was.

If it was our hide we would replace it with a less expensive container and see how it goes. Around here many don't put in there listing about it being a ammo can or post pics of it to try and help it from being muggled. Sucks this happened.

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The cache listed was premium only so I'm guessing someone just happened to stumble upon it.

Do you believe premium membership makes someone more trustworthy, with higher principles or morals?

 

Most of the major cache thieves we read about here, and experienced in our home area, were premium members.

The worst known trackable thief (hundreds, if not thousands) was a premium member.

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Premium membership isn't much of a screener. It's only $30, so pretty affordable for nice people and jerks alike.

 

The cache listed was premium only so I'm guessing someone just happened to stumble upon it.

Do you believe premium membership makes someone more trustworthy, with higher principles or morals?

 

Most of the major cache thieves we read about here, and experienced in our home area, were premium members.

The worst known trackable thief (hundreds, if not thousands) was a premium member.

 

Premium membership certainly doesn't carry any guarantee about the ethics of a cacher, but it does imply that they are more serious about the game, and would be MUCH less likely to steal somebody's cache. Setting the cache as PM Only is a way to expose the cache to fewer amateurs that are simply experimenting with the game to see if they like it or not. You are definitely stacking the odds in your favor by making it PM Only, although there certainly are no promises.

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The cache listed was premium only so I'm guessing someone just happened to stumble upon it.

Do you believe premium membership makes someone more trustworthy, with higher principles or morals?

 

Most of the major cache thieves we read about here, and experienced in our home area, were premium members.

The worst known trackable thief (hundreds, if not thousands) was a premium member.

Absolutely not

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Ugh, why would you edit the original post? That's awful.

+1

 

A moderator can restore it if they see fit.

 

Reminds me of that person that kept requesting their threads get locked as soon as they got an answer. I don't know what was in the original post...is it because their question was answered? If so, that's unfortunate since others might have something worthwhile to say that could be helpful to the OP.

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