Unfortunate first geocaching experience

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quiet1_au
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by quiet1_au » 20 November 12 8:38 pm

caughtatwork wrote:Absolute honesty. Even caught on camera. Doh!
http://www.caughtatwork.com.au/caughtatwork.avi (1.6MB avi file)
Oh that's a classic! =D>
...and something I hope not to happen to me :oops:

I had a "close call" doing Prahran Parks (GC3BZK4) when a car drove into the park and shone it's headlights my way, and I later discovered there were CCTV cameras too. :shock: Luckily it proved to be just the BBQ cleaner :mrgreen:


:-$

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pjmpjm
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Confrontations while Geocaching

Post by pjmpjm » 20 November 12 9:28 pm

Sorry to hear about this disturbing event, storchburp.

If you find a great many geocaches, over a period of years, you'll eventually -- inevitably, I think -- run afoul of someone, and this may include the police or security guards as well as unhappy locals.

I've had my share of all these kinds of confrontations . . .

Honestly explaining to the people you encounter what you're doing is, in my humble opinion, always the best option. This especially applies to the police and security guards. And of course, it's usually best to leave the area if asked, even if you believe you're in a park or on public property of some kind. Geocaching isn't worth an unhappy or, in the worst case, a violent confrontation.

All these suggestions apply triple if you're out geocaching late at night.

Hope you'll keep your up interest and not be discouraged.

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Chrisval7
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by Chrisval7 » 20 November 12 9:51 pm

Here in SA we currently have extensive bush fires, including some deliberately lit by arsonists. The geocaching community has raised the issue of being especially careful about being in fire prone areas and acting in what could be seen as a suspicious manner while searching for a cache in the area. Local residents are highly alert to strange people and vehicles being in rural areas right now.

I fully expect one day we will be bailed up by police, or visited later at home to explain what we were doing.

As stated previously, all we can do is explain what we are doing and be courteous at such times.

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Bundyrumandcoke
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by Bundyrumandcoke » 20 November 12 10:10 pm

I think you were just unlucky, especially for your first find. In the 6 or so years I have been caching, I have only been questioned by the police once, down in Sydney. The cache in question, and the unfortunate archiving after the event.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_de ... c8cb3541f5

storchburp
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by storchburp » 21 November 12 1:05 am

I just had to step out last night and attempt two caches just to end the day on a happier note....and got both without being noticed. I won't let the first experience turn me off just yet and I'm actually pretty stoked at finding my third cache, since its not one that is recommended for newbies and I went at 2am in the morning! Though I think I might nip back to the first one sometime and top it up - my log for it noted that a toy spider was outside the cache and it did seem pretty sparse for a container of that size (now that I've had two more caches for a frame of reference :-k )...yet the container was closed and upright when I found it, so its not like it had fallen open causing the spider to fall out. Possibly muggled?

Thanks for the encouraging words. Though if I see that lady on the same stretch of road, I'm moving a whole block away and not returning for an hour.

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tronador
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by tronador » 21 November 12 10:26 pm

C@W....oh please do tell the story that goes with that video..... probably a cracker!!!!! Web cam?????

budgietas
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by budgietas » 22 November 12 1:34 pm

caughtatwork wrote:Absolute honesty. Even caught on camera. Doh!
http://www.caughtatwork.com.au/caughtatwork.avi (1.6MB avi file)
Love this and it's in Benny Hill fast forward vision as well

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Yurt
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by Yurt » 23 November 12 10:21 am

storchburp wrote:I just had to step out last night and attempt two caches just to end the day on a happier note....and got both without being noticed. I won't let the first experience turn me off just yet and I'm actually pretty stoked at finding my third cache, since its not one that is recommended for newbies and I went at 2am in the morning! Though I think I might nip back to the first one sometime and top it up - my log for it noted that a toy spider was outside the cache and it did seem pretty sparse for a container of that size (now that I've had two more caches for a frame of reference :-k )...yet the container was closed and upright when I found it, so its not like it had fallen open causing the spider to fall out. Possibly muggled?

Thanks for the encouraging words. Though if I see that lady on the same stretch of road, I'm moving a whole block away and not returning for an hour.
Try some bushland caches - no chance of the same sort of encounter there!


I got stopped by police once. They were driving past and saw me looking into a stump in a park during the week with no one around and pulled up. Walked over and asked what I was doing. I said I was looking for a geocache and showed them the muggled remains of that one. One of them said straight away "Oh yeah I've heard of that" and they left me in peace. Saved further explanations at least!

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FelixII
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by FelixII » 25 November 12 12:51 am

I have to say that encounters with police in WA at least are becoming quite frequent.

Not sure if it's the popularity of the game or people being more vigilant.

But the calls of suspicious behaviour of people with GPS or phones and cameras is prevalent.

You certainly never know who is watching and taking down your registration.

Think we can all expect a knock on the door after the fact if not spoken to at the time :-k

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Yurt
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by Yurt » 25 November 12 10:32 am

All the more reason not to hide in nature strips outside houses in suburban areas! Unless it's the CO's house I guess.

That said, it doesn't stop me searching for them inside my radius. If they are just caches in passing then I probably wouldn't bother. Each to their own of course.

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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by storchburp » 25 November 12 4:35 pm

I've taken up geoacaching as an alternative hobby for when the hunting is sparse...one piece of advice I'd give is to keep doing something you are allowed to do legally rather than shy away for fear of offending someone. To preemptively avoid doing something would be to encourage the notion that what you are doing is unsavory and creates legal 'creep'...kind of like the below hypothetical example.

1. Someone was approached by cops when looking for a cache under a bridge. The cops let him go after a friendly explanation.
2. He tells everyone what happened and people avoid geocaching near bridges.
3. Well meaning geocachers and the public suggest that geocaches near bridges shouldn't be done in case it causes public alarm
4. Lawmakers note that geocachers are avoiding bridges and enact a law banning geocaching near bridges since it would not affect as many people. Its promoted to the public as an anti-terror measure and examples of terrorists blowing up bridges in some distant war torn country are given.
5. The public is expected to dob in suspicious behaviour near bridges. Geocachers simply walking across bridges and tourists taking photographs are questioned routinely.
6. The whole geocaching community loses access to bridge caches...

So yeah, just as I refuse to hide my firearm if spotted by visitors in a state forest, I'll keep going after any geoacache I like as long as I'm not harming anyone, GPS in hand.

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tronador
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by tronador » 25 November 12 4:55 pm

storchburp wrote:
So yeah, just as I refuse to hide my firearm if spotted by visitors in a state forest,
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: I think I'd most likely run and hide. Someone walking around with a gun would scare the bejesus out of me.

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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by storchburp » 25 November 12 5:13 pm

I'm sorry you feel that way tronador. I'll be sure to have a little rabbit cassrole tucked away if you do stay around and chat though :?

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Chrisval7
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by Chrisval7 » 25 November 12 5:18 pm

tronador wrote:
storchburp wrote:
So yeah, just as I refuse to hide my firearm if spotted by visitors in a state forest,
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: I think I'd most likely run and hide. Someone walking around with a gun would scare the bejesus out of me.
I am with Tronador on this one. Someone
wandering around with a rifle would make me feel a tad insecure. And yes, I have owned and shot a rifle in the past.

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PesceVerde
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Re: Unfortunate first geocaching experience

Post by PesceVerde » 25 November 12 6:08 pm

:idea: Chill dude. Put your gun away for a while.

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