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Tips On Finding Caches


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I'm having a devil of a time finding the actual caches that I go to lately. I can get to the location just fine, I can figure out where the likely spots for the hide are, even use a magnetic compass on my 60CS to get me closer to the cache. However, I just *can't find* the cache's I seek!

 

I've even found the right cords in puzzle caches placed by the evil Hazzmatt (for those in SoCal), but, alas, no cache.

 

I need some hints and some tricks on locating caches. Between the error on my GPSr and the error on the placer's GPSr, cache locations could be out by 40-50 ft. I really want to find more caches, but, I can't seem to get past this block.

 

LegolasTheElf

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I've had the same problem.

 

After I review the description of the cache, I make sure that I am as close to Ground Zero as possible, then I just stand and look around for a while and think, "If I were a dirty, rotten, perverted cacher type person, where would *I* put the dadgum thing?" And then I realize that I am indeed such a person and I'll usually find it within 5 minutes. B)

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I'm having a devil of a time finding the actual caches that I go to lately. I can get to the location just fine, I can figure out where the likely spots for the hide are, even use a magnetic compass on my 60CS to get me closer to the cache. However, I just *can't find* the cache's I seek!

 

I've even found the right cords in puzzle caches placed by the evil Hazzmatt (for those in SoCal), but, alas, no cache.

 

I need some hints and some tricks on locating caches. Between the error on my GPSr and the error on the placer's GPSr, cache locations could be out by 40-50 ft. I really want to find more caches, but, I can't seem to get past this block.

 

LegolasTheElf

Start by looking for something other than a HaZzMaTt cache B)

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...I just stand and look around for a while and think, "If I were a dirty, rotten, perverted cacher type person, where would *I* put the dadgum thing?"

Me too. Try to think like you're hiding a cache instead of searching for one. Most caches can be spotted because something is slightly out of place, not quite right. :mad:B)

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I've learned that there are kinds of hides I'm simply not very good at. Stone walls and big piles of stone chief among them. It's a bunch of rocks. How out of place can anything look? Still, other people don't seem to have any problems with a couple I've got perma-DNF's on.

 

I can spot an unnatural pile of sticks from the next county, though.

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Start by looking for something other than a HaZzMaTt cache B)

Yup, when I saw Corona as a home town, I realized he needed a warning.

 

Stay away from anything other than 1 or 2 star rating till you get your caching legs. Soon enough you'll be pulling apart park fixtures and decoding the yellow pages.

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Some tiems you got to think out side of the box. Where to look some caches are clever others are just well a pain. A micro in a stick in a pile of stick is just a pain. But a clever camo is a good thing when you can stare at it and still not see it that is a good job, and evil.

cheers

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Start by looking for something other than a HaZzMaTt cache  B)

Yup, when I saw Corona as a home town, I realized he needed a warning.

But, the puzzles are fun! I just can't find the cache at the end of it. :mad: But, you're probably right. I should avoid HaZzMaTt stuff for a while until I get better at it...

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Being the king of DNFs, I might be the wrong person to give advice, but I think you have the first one down, not relying too much on your GPS once you're at ground zero.

 

First I check the obvious places. Stumps, crevices in rocks, hollow trees and along side down trees, particularly inside any spot where branches split off.

 

Then I look for anything that seems to be out of place. Unnatural piles of rocks, sticks or bark - or perhaps leaves that have been disturbed.

 

I'll find most of them with those two steps. If I still come up empty, I'll check my GPS again to make sure its pointing to the same spot. If it isn't I'll move my search zone. If I'm still skunked I'll expand the search area in case the coords are bad.

 

If all fails, then I'll assume that either the cache has some devious camoflage, or is hidden in an unusual manner. I'll look for rocks don't quite fit in with the other rocks, or maybe a stump that seems to be out of place. Then I'll look up for caches hanging in the trees.

 

After 45 mins or so I'll give up, figuring it was beyond my ability to find - unless my wife is with me. She gets more and more focused and won't give up until I drag her out of there.

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After thoroughly scouring the area...

 

Walk away. Have lunch or a drink. Come back five or thirty minutes later, or a day.

 

Sit down and methodically scan the area from a different perspective. Think about every place where YOU would hide a cache in this area to make it hard for others.

 

If that doesn't work...break out the chain saws!

 

B)

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Sometimes you have to put the GPS down and look.

 

Sometimes you have to trust the GPS to lead you to ground zero.

 

Sometimes you have to sleep on it.

 

Sometimes you have to trust the force to guide you.

 

Sometimes you have to stop and think.

 

Sometimes you have to use the process of elimination.

 

Sometimes you have to look just a big harder in a spot you already looked in.

 

Sometimes you have to bring help.

 

Sometimes you will just have to accept that a cache just isn't for you to find.

 

Sometimes you have to look for the one thing that isn't quite right.

 

If I had one magic forumula I'd give it to you, but I don't and my DNF ratio is worse now than when I started. All of the above have worked for me.

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I seem to have a knack for finding caches by giving up on finding them (but not leaving the area quite yet). A couple of weeks ago, I gave up, sat down, thought sarcastically that maybe the cache would just come to me... glanced over my shoulder 30 seconds later and saw it. Black paint really vanishes in the shadows sometimes.

 

Last weekend, we'd pretty much given up on a "base of bush, covered by leaves" cache in an area that was nothing but bushes. Decided to give it one last halfhearted token try before moving on... and walked right up to it. Having a stick helped a lot there -- it was indeed completely covered by leaves. Definitely bring a stick if you're searching in the woods -- sometimes you'll find the cache by sound rather than by sight.

 

Other than that: take a break, re-read every old log you have access to, and just relax and consider the general area. Use the force. If the cache has a high difficulty level or people keep saying how clever it is, consider any unusual choices of words in the description or log that might indicate that the cache is a weird container, camouflaged in an unusual way, suspended ten feet overhead, or whatever. (We once did an "unknown" cache where the owner bent over backwards to avoid mentioning a container. Turns out it was a cleverly concealed log sheet.)

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I agree with those who said to use the Force. It may sound stupid, but my version of Force usage goes something like this:

 

1. Step back from where you've been searching

2. Drink some water.

3. Turn off the Gps and put it in a pocket.

4. Look for animals or interesting features of the landscape. Admire them.

5. Breathe and relax.

6. Walk away, or meander around a bit.

7. Come at it with a fresh mind and WHAMMO. You just might find it.

 

Of course, looking for horizontal stick piles and unnatural rock piles is the best tactic.

 

In an urban setting, the first things I check for are fake electrical boxes, fake bolts, fake reflectors...basically I start yanking on everything to see what's nailed down. :blink:

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Well I've had (and still having ) trouble with one and would have never looked in a certain place (if it wasn't for my girlfriend who was a noncacher at the time) for another . Best advice I can give is 1) find out what type of container 2) read past logs for hints 3) use the hints 4) try going with another seasoned cacher for some experience . Oh yeah some luck and perserverance . Good luck and good hunting .

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Even though I usually only hit 6 or 7 caches on a day hunt, I will print off for 8 or even 10 caches because I always know that even if I plan to look for 7 caches in a day, I might only get 4 or 5 finds. Even the most experienced cachers can get stumped on a 1/1 traditional cache. Everyone has those times when they can get 3 DNF's in a day and get totally discouraged. If you are new, try easy ones first and don't get yourself burned on 4/4's and take your time. If you get discouraged, try finding some caches with another cacher or friend. Even if you don't find the cache, at least geocaching has brought you to a new place you have never been to before or haven't been to in a long time.

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...I just stand and look around for a while and think, "If I were a dirty, rotten, perverted cacher type person, where would *I* put the dadgum thing?"

Me too. Try to think like you're hiding a cache instead of searching for one. Most caches can be spotted because something is slightly out of place, not quite right. :):laughing:

I once phrased it thusly: "Don't look for the cache; look for the hiding place."

 

Pretty zen, huh? Unfortuantely, it doesn't work well if there are a lot of hiding places.

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Sometimes looking isn't enough.  Sometimes you have to handle the scenery to find what you're looking for. 

 

(I'll get out of the way now so the double-entendres can start)

 

The Walruz is correct -

 

Often looking is not enough -

 

As a friend said once - I fondled the heck out of that tree and never did find it!

 

Walruz just had a hard time finding one of mine -

 

Now mind you some of these are kinda develish -

 

check this post - and they were hidden in plain sight! ~~~ <grin!>

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...dpost&p=1590470

 

cc\

Edited by CompuCash
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A good rule of thumb is to follow the GPSr until you're within about 20-30 feet - and then rely on common sense... Remember "God don't grow sticks like that" - meaning, is it a 'geo pile' - sticks or other items stacked a bit unnaturally? Is that one 'rock' slightly different coloured than the rest in the pile? Etc.. If you're looking for a five gallon bucket, don't pick up every little rock in the place when you really need to be looking under trees and in caves, etc...

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...I just stand and look around for a while and think, "If I were a dirty, rotten, perverted cacher type person, where would *I* put the dadgum thing?"

Me too. Try to think like you're hiding a cache instead of searching for one. Most caches can be spotted because something is slightly out of place, not quite right. :lol::)

 

I have to agree. I was just at one this past week that fit this description. To the casual eye it didn't look like anything was there. Even my not-so-casual eye skimmed right past it 3 times. Then I realized... Why would there be some fallen sticks under this rock ledge? They certainly couldn't get there by themselves. Mind you it wasn't the typical geo-pile of sticks. Just a couple, and lots of leaves, pine needles, and other stuff around the site that seemed otherwise perfectly normal. Just 3 sticks in the cover that didn't belong where they were.

 

For lack of a better way to put it, you just have to learn to think like a cahe owner. Start looking where YOU might hide something. Besides, it's that last 30 feet of the hunt that gets you every time. The GPSr becomes nearly useless unless you have a great signal, which is unlikely in the woods. So you just have to start searching. That's supposed to be part of the fun. :laughing:

Edited by wandererrob
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Last weekend, we'd pretty much given up on a "base of bush, covered by leaves" cache in an area that was nothing but bushes.

I hate these sorts of caches. I call them "Needle in a Haystack" caches. In my area, there are a few people who lay these sorts of caches out consistently. For some reason, they believe them to actually be a challenge for the prospective cache finder. In reality, finding them usually boils down to luck. Challenging, they are not.

 

These "Needle in a Haystack" caches also wreak havoc on the environment in which they're placed. Since the clue is so useless, often referring to the dominant natural landmark (trees, bushes, mossy logs, etc.) searches must be conducted on a door-to-door basis, which means visiting every item to which the clue refers. This in turn forces the cache seeker to move about the landscape in an ever widening area, and in doing so, trampling, stomping, and destroying the landscape.

 

These "Needle in a Haystack" caches are even worse in forests with thick canopies (which is predominant in my neck of the woods), thus the larger signal error and signal bouncing forces searches in even larger areas, which causes even further destruction of the environment (not to mention frustration for the cache finder.)

 

There's a real difference between a cleverly hidden cache, and one just dumped under one of a hundred possible logs/bushes/trees.

 

It's these sorts of caches that park agencies are concerned about, because of the damage they end up causing. And it's because of caches like these that caching has been banned in some parks around the world.

 

I guess to steer this rant back on topic ... there's really no advice to finding "Needle in a Haystack" caches. You either luck upon them, or you don't. There's never a cacher's trail that'll lead you to them, because that "trail" more resembles the trampling of a herd of cattle moving through the area.

Edited by dogbreathcanada
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I've noticed I have a tendency to skip certain spots when looking for a cache and only go for the more likely ones. Lazy by nature, I know.

 

If I don't find the cache, I use the methods described by Brian and RK and others above.

 

If I still don't find the cache I either give up or do it the hard way. I do the whole search over again in a painstaking manner, this time including all spots, however unlikely they may seem, moving in a spiral out from the zero point. If I don't find it now, this is the kind of search that calls for DNF log.

 

By the way, don't forget to check your coordinates at the end. More than once I have managed to change the coords of a cache inadvertently on my 60C.

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Well if you get really frustrated and your hunting for a cache is either metal or that might have something metal in it you can always break out the ole metal detector if you happen to have one :rolleyes:

 

that's where the old walking stick comes in handy poking around -

 

found many a cache by sound rather than sight -

 

cc\

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Some Tips Here:

 

1. Once you get with 50-90 feet, get the bearing by using a compass, get a good idea of the distance your GPS is telling you how far it is away. And walk in without using the GPs, because once you're within 10-20 feet it'll have you hopping all around.

 

2. Once you get there, draw yourself a 20 foot circle, and this is also where the hint comes in handy if you're having trouble.

 

3. Act like you're hiding the cahe, where are some "sneaky" places to put it.

 

4. Use a steel tipped walking stick to poke around in holes and such.

 

5. Know the size of the cache ahead of time, don't go out thinking you finding a regular and turns out you're looking for a micro.

 

6. Sometimes you need to go home for the night, sleep on it, and return later, and you've "dont your scouting" and you can find it rather quickly.

 

7. Try to read all the logs for any twists if you've had alot of problems with the cache.

 

8. Email the hider for additional hints, or that his cache may have been "muggled" if you're determined that IT ISN'T THERE.

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