I cache stuff in the bushes off trail a lot and I never had any trouble. And I've left stuff in my tent at a base camp or campground a lot of times and never had any trouble. Actually, I've never had any trouble at all once I'm in the forest

Here, in the Ozarks, and many other places too I'd think, we have a firearm hunting season open on some kind of critter almost all year long. I think that deters a lot of people that otherwise might be tempted to walk off with gear they find unattended. You just can't know if the owner isn't sitting within sight, all camoed out, with you in their rifle scope cross hairs.

There are hillbilly crankheads and whippersnappers here that case the remote parking lots where there are canoe launches and they'll steal stuff from cars shuttled there by outfitters. I had stuff taken from my car once when I had it shuttled, but even that is rare.

I read in the Journals of Lewis and Clark that they couldn't find several of their caches on the way back from the coast. The fact that they found most of them amazes me. But it sure would be cool to stumble upon one of theirs!