Geocaching Australia

I'm not sure what use ammo cans are other than for long lasting geocaches but I'm sure there are uses out there.

A couple of months ago one of my ammo cans in the bush not that far from suburbia went missing. Interestingly the culprit left the log book and items in a ziplock bag in the hiding place. If it had been a bush care group or just a muggle I would think they'd have just taken the lot. Or spread the mess around.

Today I was walking along the same track a bit further into the bush and saw that a couple of newly cut logs were placed up against the hiding spot of my next cache along the track. I checked in the hiding spot and pulled out a plastic shopping bag which I thought would be full of rubbish but again found my cache contents. It's a long shot that someone found both caches by chance and thought they'd nab the ammo can but helpfully leave the contents. I can't think that it's anyone other than a geocacher. It's really poor form as anyone here will acknowledge. Why steal? They are only about $14 each.

If some new ammo cans appear in the local area I'll be wondering. But then at least they are not mint tins or bisons I guess.

I too have had three containers (not ammo cans) go missing and the log sheet/contents left in situ.
Quite puzzling.

Same thing has happened out near Cobar. Contents left in a bag and ammo can gone. I don't think it was a geocacher though as the place and cache had been frequented before I upgraded it to an ammo can knowing the risk of losing it ... but you never know.

Which reminds me, richary, if you read this, do you mind if I move Hip Hop Be Bop a little to keep people visiting but in a place only those with coordinates should find?

This has occurred in SA to. One of the theories we had was that the thief was at least aware of geocaching and how it works. If they leave the contents behind, the theft goes undetected for some time as the CO will continue to get "Found It" logs. And when they do work out that the ammo can is missing there's no way of knowing when it happened.

Although why someone would what to steal an ammo can (but not destroy the cache) is still a mystery...

I steal ammo cans all the time so I can make my own "best ever" geocaches. Oh, no I don't, I pay for them like non-scumbags should

No_Tomorrow wrote:Which reminds me, richary, if you read this, do you mind if I move Hip Hop Be Bop a little to keep people visiting but in a place only those with coordinates should find?

I didn't realise it was getting found by muggles , feel free to relocate it somewhat if it is a better spot for it! Thanks.

Maybe a solution is to write inside it with UV sensitive ink or something so it can be identified if it reappears in the wild - put the CO name and cache code maybe in a way that won't be easily spotted by a thief. Or engrave the outside (and repaint) so it will be obvious even if painted over again.

This has been occuring here in WA for the past year or so, with several ammo tins going AWOL.

Found one just yesterday that has been taken with only the contents left .. looked very fresh too. Must have only been taken in the past couple of days!

https://coord.info/GCNDTZ

My thought is that while the game wasn't so well known, the majority sort of people that played would respect each others geocaches. Now there are a lot more people playing, increasing the number of "entitlement mentality" players who just don't care about others. Have you noticed how many under 30s think they can do whatever they want compared to once-upon-a-time? They aren't all like that though, just 98%

No_Tomorrow wrote:My thought is that while the game wasn't so well known, the majority sort of people that played would respect each others geocaches. Now there are a lot more people playing, increasing the number of "entitlement mentality" players who just don't care about others. Have you noticed how many under 30s think they can do whatever they want compared to once-upon-a-time? They aren't all like that though, just 98%

I know you're just jokingly griping, but that last remark still cuts.

Yes, ammo cans are "only $14", but that's the equivalent of meals for two days. Three if you're very good at stretching the money.

I'm not saying that's a good excuse for stealing ammo cans. But the fact that the contents have been left in a waterproof bag suggests that it may not be entirely malicious.

I'd say it's pretty malicious. Theft anyway.

I won't slag off the younger generations though. There's enough idiots in my generation to make up for any in the younger ones.

I've lost ammo cans from locations that only geocachers should be able to find. I lost one very close to a GC cache (my GCA cache was there for years) and I suspect someone found it instead of the GC cache and when they realised it wasn't the GC cache they took off with it

For a while I lost so many in a short period of time I stopped placing them. My feeling was that they were being targeted as GCA caches and stolen either for the ammo can or for "fun". I have a hoard of about 2 dozen ammo cans (at the old $7.95 price, that's how long ago I stopped) that are prepped and ready to go but I fear putting them out and loosing the can and the contents again. $40-$50 per geocache is too much to lose to thieves.

I can see the prevalence and preference of micro and small caches at a buck or two each. I could lose a power trail of 25 to 50 and still be ahead of an ammo can loss. I would hope that my cache losses were co-incidental, but, well, sometimes that 1 in 10 co-incidence is not a co-incidence.

We had one go missing also. The can was replaced with a broken plastic container. It was only noticed when a comment was made and a photo was added to a found log.
It was in a place that only geocachers would go.
We have also stopped placing ammo cans because of this theft.

Just yesterday we decided to archive an older cache that had an ammo can so we could use it for a new cache in a nice new location. Nup...gone

This cache was in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the bush and under a rock shelf so NOBODY would know it was there unless they were a cacher. Contents were left in a crappy plastic container even though our original cache had a nice sistema inside the ammo can for double waterproofness and cleanliness.

I don't understand how someone could collect so many ammo cans. What? Are they going to publish a power trail of ammo cans? It must take a heck of a lot of work to go around collecting them all.

Was that the one out the back of the rifle range? No one would ever find that without the coords! Same general area as mine. Hmmm. Makes me want to go and check on my other ammo cans but I'm afraid of what I will (won't) find.

blossom* wrote:I don't understand how someone could collect so many ammo cans. What? Are they going to publish a power trail of ammo cans? It must take a heck of a lot of work to go around collecting them all.

Someone could be using them for storage. Tools etc. Sad they steal them.