A Serial Bugnapper

[boppo]

The other Day I went to check up on my travel bug that had not been picked up yet in one of my caches. Much to my surprise I found two very strange things. One: my travel bug buddy, a fishing spoon, was still in the cache but missing it's tag and Two: I found a keyring with eight original travel bug tags on it. I looked up the bugs, informed the owners and will soon be releasing the bugnapped tags back into the wild. But who or why did this????? Most of the tags disappeared in and around southwest Idaho, but I found them in Logan, Utah. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? I want my travel bug tag back, it was my first. Well, any thoughts????? Boppo

[+fly46]

Regardless of the sport/hobby/business/etc somewhere, some time, there will be a person with waaay too much time on their hands.

As long as there is someone like you around to take those objectless tags and offer to mail them back to the people, it evens out the score.

 

At least your bugs aren't stuck logged into event caches even though I know for certain they're not there.

[+MrCOgeo]

Wow! Sounds like somebody had waayyy too much time on their hands. (I seem to know that feeling about now)

 

All those personal "traveler" items missing is the biggest bummer. Most people invest more value to the little mementos than to the tags. I mean what good is that "way-over-valued" tag to anybody else except the original releaser.

 

At least they are back in the wild, minus their tags and you earned a few geocaching "brownie" points with your good deed.

[+fly46]

All those personal "traveler" items missing is the biggest bummer. Most people invest more value to the little mementos than to the tags. I mean what good is that "way-over-valued" tag to anybody else except the original releaser.

At least with the tags back, all the money they spent isn't down the drain. I spent $1 on the item I attatched to my first bug (a hot wheels car) and 50c on the second (a keychain), and yeah, I chose each item for a number of reasons, but on the same token, I spent $5 per tag, and I'd rather lose the $1.50 than the $10. HW VW Bugs can be found anywhere, as can keychains.

[+Eartha]

Unfortunately we've had to deal with people like this for some time and in many areas. We've had pirates, deviants, bugnappers, cache trashers, you name it. And that is because in our society, we have all kinds. While I'm sure it is irritating to lose a bug tag you've paid for there isn't a whole lot anyone can do. Sure we'd like to stop it, but we can't. We probably will never know who they are. You could search the past logs, but someone like this won't usually post a log. And you can't blame the previous, innocent finder. Sending a travel bug out is a risk you take when you let go of it. You just have to be willing to take that gamble. And then sometimes, months even years later, it could reappear. Key word here is risk.

Edited August 15, 2004 by Eartha

[+bigredmed]

We need local involvement in setting a cultural tone for the sport. If the local group who are composed of people you know or have to live next to set a tone, you tend to fall in line. This same thing can work in geocaching. Local groups need to help teach new players (both the rules and the skills that help you be a better player.)

 

This won't make this problem go away, but it will help.

[boppo]

Well, there is a happy ending. Yesterday I went out and bought 8 flashlights and affixed them to afformentioned tags and sent them back on their way. Soon their owners can have them back. One of the owners has already changed the mission and hopefully will use the picture I sent. It was fun to save them!!