This topic contains 14 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by 
Trekkin and Birdin 6 years, 8 months ago.
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We’ve been playing this game over 12 years now; we placed our first cache in 2007. We show 193 caches, but 18 of those are events we hosted, so 176 hides. We have lost a little of our zest for the game as it’s evolved over the years, but keep with the kinds we like and seek just those…then go do something else!
Of late, we’ve been really tired of the theft of ammo cans…nearly all we’ve placed have been stolen or trashed; miserable logs 99% of the time and the whole “cache health score” thing coming from groundspeak. We pay them to list the caches we hide and maintain so that people will also pay them to come and find (and likely steal on occasion) the things we hide at our expense. And they encourage with the new system “needs maintenance” and “needs archived” which triggers those emails from HQ. Every…single…time….we check within a few days and these have been there. When that’s happened, we are tending more and more to just say….”reducing our load, archiving.” We haven’t hidden a new cache in over a year and though we’ve had some fun ideas or neat places we’ve discovered….we also say…”Why?”
Are any of you noticing this in your area or even your own hiding practices? I think perhaps some of the other location based games are taking hold. For us, when the luster wears off….we’ll just go hiking. Or biking. Or paddling. Or…you get the idea!
I can’t say I’ve seen alot of that in my area. I must say that I use the “needs maintenance and needs archived” buttons, but only when there is a history of it missing. I figure if the CO hasn’t come to check on it, this is a good way to get it some attention.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
I feel the same way sometimes and, although some of my caches have gone missing at times, I don’t have your issue with ammo boxes. Yikes! I do feel that there are more than a few individuals, mostly kids with cell phones I think, that are uneducated about geocaching…think that if they find a cache, they get to keep it.
Oconto...the birthplace of western civilization:)
I feel the same way sometimes and, although some of my caches have gone missing at times, I don’t have your issue with ammo boxes. Yikes! I do feel that there are more than a few individuals, mostly kids with cell phones I think, that are uneducated about geocaching…think that if they find a cache, they get to keep it.
I’ve noticed that as I’ve tried to tell others what geocaching is. The first time I geocached when visiting my grandma, aunt, and uncle in MN, they would always ask “What did you get?,” thinking it was like an Easter egg hunt, even though I tried to explain otherwise.
Last year, my grandma came back to WI for her sister’s funeral. The funeral was in the Lomira area, but the burial was in Black River Falls. My grandma’s age at the time was 91, and she knew she couldn’t make the long car ride for the burial, so she and I had a fun day together. We checked out a couple of antique stores – standard for when we get together – and did a little geocaching, with her staying in the car. As luck would have it, the one closest to where she was staying was a bison magnetically attached to a sign that we were able to park close enough that she could see me retrieve it, bring it to the car to sign, and then put it back. She then understood that geocaching is not an Easter egg hunt, but rather a scavenger hunt.
HQ doesn’t really do much when new geocachers first sign up, and I think they should. Perhaps before letting them get to a map, make them take a tutorial about caches, travel bugs (as I’m sure most of them go missing because they’re mistaken for swag), and the like, and pass a quiz at 100%.
I also think they should set a firm minimum number of caches found before being allowed to place a hide. Right now, they recommend finding at least 25, but it’s not a hard & fast rule. Personally, I think a cacher should hit the 100 mark before being allowed to hide one, because I think they’d be more likely to maintain it.
If it’s one thing the “smart phone era” has created, it’s cachers who treat the app like any other app, where they download it to try it, go out a time or two, and then quickly move on to other apps. Not every cacher of the smart phone era is like that. of course – otherwise, I wouldn’t be here to make this post. But I’d be willing to bet that at least 70% of those who have signed up within the last 5 years have since deleted the app from their phone because they never geocache anymore.
We’ve noticed various trends over the years, but not the ones mentioned. We didn’t even know what a “cache health score” was, so I had to look it up:
“Geocaching HQ developed an algorithm which measures the “health” of a geocache to produce a score. The details of the algorithm can’t be shared, but you can imagine that several unaddressed “Needs Maintenance” logs would negatively affect the score, as would a string of DNF’s on a Difficulty 1.5 cache.
Once the score drops below a defined level, an automatic system email is sent to the cache owner, suggesting that the cache may need attention. There are also tools to bring caches with low health scores to the attention of the local Community Volunteer Reviewer. That makes our job easier! Both the cache owner reminders and the reviewer tools have aided in “cleaning up the gameboard.”
Geocaching HQ has refined the algorithm over the past years since it was introduced, based on feedback for false positives and false negatives. Use of the algorithm as one of the factors for awarding Virtual Caches is the first time that the Cache Health Score has been used in a positive way!”
We’ve placed 80-something caches so far and have had a cache disappear here and there, but not often, and mainly in locations that don’t involve much of a hike. I attribute it to teenage cachers with smartphones or muggles serendipitously finding a cache. Any caches that we place in a scenic area that involve a hike are generally safe. We’ve not ever gotten an automatic email from HQ to maintain our caches, so we must be maintaining them at a pace above HQ’s minimum expectations.
As for placing caches, a trend that has been happening here is that some of the more active COs are not placing single caches here and there. Rather they are placing caches only when in a series, 5 to 10 caches or more at a time. We have been among those that have been trending in that direction. Another trend of course is a higher percentage of smartphone cachers.
John, Our ammo cans….I think it’s at least six at last count…have mostly gone missing from the forest where we have our Classics (stolen ammo can) cache and the Well Rounded…still an ammo can, thankfully. Long hikes in relatively remote areas. There is some hunting in there, but until about the past year or two, they’ve left them all alone. If they are properly replaced, and we’ve found they usually are, hunters probably won’t find them. Trekkin’ has helped place anything in areas like that, as he is a hunter and would know what they might do that could reveal them.
So the theft of all of ours has been…curious, at best. There is more to the “missing or damaged ammo can” story, but I won’t share that here. We have a pile of them yet to hide, but after what we’ve experienced, we probably won’t bother to hide any of them. It’s not fun anymore, and just like when we’re searching, once it’s not fun….stop.
I think bennycams makes some great points about providing more “required” education to anyone who signs up. My mom, who has been caching with me before, came with me just last week to do the virtual cache in the historic Stillwater Courthouse. She is….94. She figured she’s lived most of that history, so why not? LOL
We have noticed the trends mentioned, but continue at our own pace with finding and placing. We have not been busy lately as we have been campground hosting at the Buffalo National River in Arkansas for the past 7 months. And, being a National Park, there is no regular geocaching there. We did get the opportunity to place one of the Virtual Cache Rewards, and did so in the BNR, but it was a struggle with National Park management to get permission.
We had a string of thefts years ago, but they were attributable to a local group of high school kids that thought it was great fun. We ended up cabling one of our caches at Devils Lake to a rock to keep it in place. I think a lot has to do with the cost of ammo cans going way up. We have a wandering ammo can placed in 2004 that has disappeared twice this year only to be found 50-75 feet away, where I suppose others “thought” it should be. We try to keep an eye on our old Wisconsin caches, and see a few of them disappearing.
I do agree better education would help, and like the testing idea. There are way too many park and grab micros and nanos out there that are left un-maintained. We do try to help when we can with repairs. This helps with cachers that have left the system, but left their caches out in the woods.
Happy Trails! Bonnie and Jeff
Bob here, ½ of team “seekers8711”. Yep, we’re old guys, I am 78 but with a MUCH younger wife…… 😉
We don’t visit this page much anymore probably due to the changing of the “guard”. We joined WGA and geo.com way back in 2003 and put out a few of our caches in 2004 which have been, (and still are), active with hardly any down time.
Pretty One and I totally agree with the authors of this thread, T & B last July. In the past year or so we have had many of the same things happen to some of our HUGE number of 7 caches. Two were just recently damaged to a great extent, but we got them up and running within a day or two. Also recently received a “Needs Maintenance / archive” nasty gram from HQ. (It was in perfect condition).
Yes, we are one of the few cache groups with mostly D4 or D5 hides and very few finders. We check our caches often, mostly the day after a find to make sure they are ready again for the next finder. We feel that cachers who don’t enjoy tough caches should go a few miles away and grab a half dozen D1 guard rail caches.
While on the soap box, how about those logs? Many of the “older cachers” write great, creative logs for all to enjoy. Many of the newer group think “found it” is cool. Hmmmmm
Lastly, the “PHONE A FRIEND” concept, IMHO sucks. We have always given hints to anyone who has one or two DNF’s listed.
Pretty One and I are likely to travel the same trail as T & B, the authors of this thread.
(Step down)
Bob, seekers8711
Bob here, ½ of team “seekers8711”. Yep, we’re old guys, I am 78 but with a MUCH younger wife……
We don’t visit this page much anymore probably due to the changing of the “guard”. We joined WGA and geo.com way back in 2003 and put out a few of our caches in 2004 which have been, (and still are), active with hardly any down time. Pretty One and I totally agree with the authors of this thread, T & B last July. In the past year or so we have had many of the same things happen to some of our HUGE number of 7 caches. Two were just recently damaged to a great extent, but we got them up and running within a day or two. Also recently received a “Needs Maintenance / archive” nasty gram from HQ. (It was in perfect condition). Yes, we are one of the few cache groups with mostly D4 or D5 hides and very few finders. We check our caches often, mostly the day after a find to make sure they are ready again for the next finder. We feel that cachers who don’t enjoy tough caches should go a few miles away and grab a half dozen D1 guard rail caches. While on the soap box, how about those logs? Many of the “older cachers” write great, creative logs for all to enjoy. Many of the newer group think “found it” is cool. Hmmmmm Lastly, the “PHONE A FRIEND” concept, IMHO sucks. We have always given hints to anyone who has one or two DNF’s listed. Pretty One and I are likely to travel the same trail as T & B, the authors of this thread. (Step down) Bob, seekers8711I personally like the harder caches. What are some of the GC codes of the caches you own? I’ve been looking for some new areas to explore.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
I think with more education in schools and scouts ect it opens more of the caches to disappear. Not that educating kids is bad but only a couple are going to move on and enjoy the hunt some are just going to shrug it off and couple will help themselves to the cache. It sucks but do we want to try to get new cachers or try to keep current caches active?
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
I think with more education in schools and scouts ect it opens more of the caches to disappear. Not that educating kids is bad but only a couple are going to move on and enjoy the hunt some are just going to shrug it off and couple will help themselves to the cache. It sucks but do we want to try to get new cachers or try to keep current caches active?
Not sure that I truly understand what you are trying to convey in this paragraph, but my response to your last sentence would be this: If this organization and the individuals that make it up aren’t willing to embrace what new cachers have to bring to the table, it surely will wilt away.
I’m not against new cachers. Sorry I did not explain my self as it sounded good in my head. With the rash of new cachers coming from groups that we teach 101’s too you have to take in account that caches will disappear sadly. It really sucks when a cacher loses a ammo can or another cool container. My last statement pretty much says that I’m willing to teach new cachers even if we have chance of the cache being muggled. Million things running through head lol. When teaching new cachers I try to repeat numerous times that the container stays it is not the reward.
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
Ok, I understand better now what you are saying. Here is my thought on caches that go missing. I personally believe that it is not those that are new to this game that are the ones to blame for missing caches. Most of the time it is a muggle that happens upon it and decides that they will take or destroy it. Another place to put much of the blame would be the creatures that share the environment with the cache container. I think that if the COs put the proper Cache Note in the container, which explains the container and a brief synapses of the game itself, then anyone that is truly there for geocaching will leave the container there and replace it as found.
If a cache goes missing that is truly unfortunate. But it could provide new opportunities to those new to the game which might want to become more involved. It is the COs responsibility to maintain their cache and if that doesn’t happen then it could open up areas for new placements. Fresh containers and ideas that could be fostered by those new faces in the game, which also could mean more smileys on your account in areas where you discovered caches in the past.
This isn’t a comment on trends but rather a comment addressing disappearing caches. Living in Milwaukee County, there are over 1 million
peoplemuggles that live here, and the likelihood of a cache being found by muggles increases. If it’s true that a number of them disappear because muggles find them and don’t know or understand what they are, one really should have a label on the outside of the cache clearly identifying it as a geocache, and a note of explanation inside the cache explaining what geocaching is all about. We’ve had many instances in which muggles found our caches and signed the log book because they read our explanation card and put the cache back. In one case, the DNR called us to pick up our cache because someone found it and turned it in – the ranger read the explanation inside, called us because we had our contact info inside (plus they had a permission application from us on file), so we could return it back to the field.Taking a knitting break and somehow, I missed all these more recent comments on the topic. I have to report that now, the ammo can for the Well Rounded is….gone. We have done maintenance on everything out there again in the past few weeks, and replaced that one with a smaller, less exciting container. I’m especially saddened that the logbook and stamp I made also took a ride. Again, this is a remote area requiring a hike and in the case of that cache, a haul up a pretty steep hillside, no matter which way you come at it. Again, since Trekkin’ himself is a hunter, these have all been placed to elude detection by hunters, and because of the nature of these placements, not likely to be some teenager with a smartphone…though that could happen.
On the upside, Trekkin’ has placed about 4 or 5 new caches recently, deciding he’s not letting these issues steal his joy. Typically, the FTF and the second to finds rush out, make the find and now they sit. Oh well. I do think in our area, anyway, there isn’t as much caching activity as was once the case.
We’ve found about half Bob/seekers’ caches. Look them up, bartrod, they’re fun, even when you’re pulling your hair out in the process. Ourselves, we’ve pretty much entered our “vacation caching maybe” phase of the hobby. We don’t need to be looking for boxes in the woods in order to explore…the woods. We had an awesome time a couple weeks ago with Pooh’s Pal hiking to one of the ice caves along the Kickapoo, and no caches were assaulted in the process, LOL We discovered the joys of the outdoors and nature eons before we discovered geocaching, so we have just kind of slid back into our pre-caching pursuits mostly.
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