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Open/Concealed Carry while geocaching?

RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
Does anyone here do any geocaching? I took it up about a month or so ago and very much enjoy it. Mostly do urban geocaching which CAN result in muggles calling the cops because they find geocachers behavior suspicious. I carry concealed usually, but once in a blue moon open carry. I have never been approached or questioned by an officer but a few of my friends have. One coworker was geocaching with a friend one evening around 8 pm and were hunting around near a stop sign and someone called the police on them. The officer pulled up, got out, and asked them what they were doing. They explained that they were geocaching and he actually helped them FIND the cache, and seemed very interested in geocaching. More and more cops are learning what geocaching is, some are indifferent, some view geocachers as a pain in the ass. A few have actually taken it up as a hobby as well. Then there are the stories of cops actually blowing up caches thinking they are potentially bombs. :p One cache that was blown up was put back in place with a note of apology from the police tellling the cache owner they thought it was a bomb. And they left a toy badge inside as swag! :-D

I am wondering if carrying open or concealed would be better when geocaching, if my geocaching could be considered "suspicious" is that RAS to ask for ID? And if I am concealed carrying should I volunteer that I am carrying?
 

RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
Suspicious of committing what crime?

Well, like one geocacher pulled up the edge of a lightpost and signed a geocache log hidden under it. (It had been found and signed by over 40 people) One of the store employees saw it and called the cops. The cops thought it was a drug drop. Geocachers placing caches have been stopped because someone thought they were planting a bomb:shocker: or that there is a drug deal going down. Some appear to be wandering aimlessly or for instance, meticulously looking over a fence, lol. Sometimes geocachers CAN look out of place. But geocachers often also have their kids with them, most bigger geocaches will have little trinkets and other "swag" inside, including little toys for kids.:banana: (I always put some toys in my caches) and it is a very fun family activity.

So I can kind of see why a cop might ask for ID. But I worry if I am open carrying that I might actually be drawn on. :eek:
 

RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
Sounds suspicious to me and dangerous.

Well, it is becoming more common and more widely known, most police now know what a geocacher is. There are over 2 million geocqaches hidden worldwide, including 15 in Antarctica. And one on the International Space Station. Some can only be gotten to by scuba diving or cliff climbing. And for many, it is a family affair, with "CITO" (Cache In-Trash Out ) events where you pick up trash while hunting caches.

But a great many of the public dont know what it is and can't understand why Joe Schmoe is wandering in circles around the end of the fence or feeling around under a picnic table or poking around in the bushes. And I guess seeing a gun on Joe's hip might make things worse. But I don't know if any of that qualifies as RAS.
 

neuroblades

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
Messages
1,240
Location
, Kentucky, USA
Does anyone here do any geocaching? I took it up about a month or so ago and very much enjoy it. Mostly do urban geocaching which CAN result in muggles calling the cops because they find geocachers behavior suspicious. I carry concealed usually, but once in a blue moon open carry. I have never been approached or questioned by an officer but a few of my friends have. One coworker was geocaching with a friend one evening around 8 pm and were hunting around near a stop sign and someone called the police on them. The officer pulled up, got out, and asked them what they were doing. They explained that they were geocaching and he actually helped them FIND the cache, and seemed very interested in geocaching. More and more cops are learning what geocaching is, some are indifferent, some view geocachers as a pain in the ass. A few have actually taken it up as a hobby as well. Then there are the stories of cops actually blowing up caches thinking they are potentially bombs. :p One cache that was blown up was put back in place with a note of apology from the police tellling the cache owner they thought it was a bomb. And they left a toy badge inside as swag! :-D

I am wondering if carrying open or concealed would be better when geocaching, if my geocaching could be considered "suspicious" is that RAS to ask for ID? And if I am concealed carrying should I volunteer that I am carrying?

Yes, I used to geocache long beforeit gained popularity among the intellectual masses. *LOL* I also carry open & concealed, all depending upon where I'm going. Most of the caches I work are in remote country area though and so carrying is more out of defense than in an urban setting. Due to them being in more remote settings, I have rarely encountered any LE though I have talked with some rangers in the process.
 

KYKevin

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
323
Location
Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
LOL It was last spring or summer someone found a device and Owensboro pd destroyed it thinking it was an explosive device. Turned out to be one of those geocache devices.
 

willy1094

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
201
Location
Nothern KY
Are these items only left on public property or is private property open also? I ask because you mention fences and a light post where employees became concerned. That would make me think that these things are left on private property. I wouldn't think that would be a good idea without letting the property owner know it is there and that people will be looking for it. I could see were you may not have a "great" run in with PD if you are called in as doing drug activity or planting a bomb with a pistol on your hip. At least it may not start out so well.:shocker:
 

DryBones

Regular Member
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
29
Location
Northern Virginia
Go to www.geocaching.com for all the info you need on this activity. My wife and I have been involved in it since 2007. It really is great fun but like anything else you need to use some common sense when either looking for or hiding a cache.
 

Orion_13

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Messages
71
Location
Paducah, Kentucky, United States
You can have a business owners permission to place a cache without every single employee knowing it is there. It happens ALL the time. Specifically if it is at or near a gas station. The turn over is high at some of those places and not all employees know about the cache. You can also have written permission from a companies HQ to place one at lets say a Walmart light pole and NO ONE at the store will know about it. So yes these are places on public and private property. The private property requires permission but at times the permission will be from a corporate HQ and not the local business location. All caches are approved through a process before they are listed online and must meet requirements and having permission on private property is one of them. Often you have to submit the written permission before the cache is approved to be placed online.

Orion
 

N605TW

Activist Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2010
Messages
118
Location
Columbus, Ohio
I carry evertime I go hunting for caches. I will conceal if I'm in a urban area but most of the time I open carry.
I do most of my geocaching at night because of work and I have weird friends. I have only been stopped once by the police for geocaching, the officer said he wanted to know why we were in the bushes with flashlights at 2am.
 

RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
You can have a business owners permission to place a cache without every single employee knowing it is there. It happens ALL the time. Specifically if it is at or near a gas station. The turn over is high at some of those places and not all employees know about the cache. You can also have written permission from a companies HQ to place one at lets say a Walmart light pole and NO ONE at the store will know about it. So yes these are places on public and private property. The private property requires permission but at times the permission will be from a corporate HQ and not the local business location. All caches are approved through a process before they are listed online and must meet requirements and having permission on private property is one of them. Often you have to submit the written permission before the cache is approved to be placed online.

Orion
Yes, for private property or businesses you have to get permission. I have one hidden on a doctor's office property. I explained to him what it was and he was delighted to allow it. It has been found numerous times in the last month. (Black duct taped wrapped tupperware container in a tree hollow) I have gotten permission to place one on our parish Church's property and the geogaching powers that be still have not approved it, contacted me wanting Father's full name and mine, along with the church phone number. I placed one on the side of the road in some bushes on the Audubon Parkway at an area where there was plenty of room to pull over and the geocaching powers that be flatly rejected it quoting state law on Parkway, restricted access roads regulations on no stopping except in emergencies, etc. They are really picky. I had one rejected because it had a nearby business name in the cache name. So I changed the name. Then they made me double check to make sure there were no real electrical boxes nearby (as my cache was a FAKE electrical box). Anything that can be construed as commercial, political or charity related is going to be rejected.
 

DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
I carry evertime I go hunting for caches. I will conceal if I'm in a urban area but most of the time I open carry.
I do most of my geocaching at night because of work and I have weird friends. I have only been stopped once by the police for geocaching, the officer said he wanted to know why we were in the bushes with flashlights at 2am.

In regards the the bolded portion, I do believe my answer to Officer Friendly's question would be a polite and simple; "Mind your own damn business." Or for the weak of heart, "Nothing that concerns you or any criminal activity, I am going to walk away and continue my legal activity, but do not consent to any searches, or stoppages made by you or another government agent."

I credit this thread with making me curious about adding Geocaching to my list of hobbies, and am actually going today to several electronic stores, to hunt for a decent, yet cheap, handheld GPS device, not only for Geocaching, but to also connect to a computer to help guide and track my movements while doing local, and regional severe storm chases. I was told to use my iPhone's GPS capabilities, but its cell service is mediocre at best already in my area, and the only places in the DBNF that I intend to Geocache in, the only signal there is Natural Bridge, and directly on Skybridge.
 

RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
In regards the the bolded portion, I do believe my answer to Officer Friendly's question would be a polite and simple; "Mind your own damn business." Or for the weak of heart, "Nothing that concerns you or any criminal activity, I am going to walk away and continue my legal activity, but do not consent to any searches, or stoppages made by you or another government agent."

I credit this thread with making me curious about adding Geocaching to my list of hobbies, and am actually going today to several electronic stores, to hunt for a decent, yet cheap, handheld GPS device, not only for Geocaching, but to also connect to a computer to help guide and track my movements while doing local, and regional severe storm chases. I was told to use my iPhone's GPS capabilities, but its cell service is mediocre at best already in my area, and the only places in the DBNF that I intend to Geocache in, the only signal there is Natural Bridge, and directly on Skybridge.

OK, just curious, have you done any geocaching yet? You live in the Louisville area, yes? You people have a virtual goldmine of caches up there. ::::::: jealous:::::::
 

DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
OK, just curious, have you done any geocaching yet? You live in the Louisville area, yes? You people have a virtual goldmine of caches up there. ::::::: jealous:::::::

I've not went caching in the DBNF yet, but I did find one cache located a few hundred feet down the road from where I lived, filled with wheat back pennies, added an old patriot quarter [1776-1976 Centennial] to it as my mark, find another cache by pure accident while picking black berries down on Beaver Creek in Menifee County.

And no, I don't live in the Louisville area, not even close, that's about 110 miles west of me. A caching site I found gave the co-ordinates of over 300 caches located within Jefferson County itself, so there's alot up there!
 

DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
like letterboxing, except you know exactly where it is? how do you spell it again? Oh right, L-A-M-E

Must you comment on forum posts in a negative fashion when you find no interest in it? If you didn't like Geo-caching then why did you even take fifteen seconds to read the thread title, and click it, and hit post, and type in your nonsense?
 

langzaiguy

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
916
Location
Central KY
+1, Drake. Don't knock it till you've tried it. It's actually pretty fun.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
Must you comment on forum posts in a negative fashion when you find no interest in it? If you didn't like Geo-caching then why did you even take fifteen seconds to read the thread title, and click it, and hit post, and type in your nonsense?

Further evidence of his compulsive need to inflate his post count by commenting on every subject, even where his opinion contributes nothing.
 
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