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"finding" Your Own Caches


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I know there are no formal rules in geocaching and we all play our own game, but is there etiquette around claiming your own caches as finds? I placed one cache that I have never marked found, and have another I adopted, but found it when another cacher owned it.

 

What do you think? Do you claim finds on your own caches?

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I have a count find of a cache that I later adopted.

 

It took an amendment of the Puritan Constitution, but it stands as valid.

 

Logging your own cache, even if you actually had to search for it after placing it, is still a crime.

 

 

 

edit: something's even spellcheck can't catch.

Edited by BlueDeuce
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Numbers, numbers, It's not about the numbers!!! Enjoy the game for what it is. If numbers are your thing then go for it. BUT finding your own cache ---- Bad Number!! Unless you don't mind false numbers then go for it. Remember it's not about numbers!! This is supposed to be fun.

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Except for adoption, most owner finds of their own caches are either from ignorance or mistake, so I don't get bent out of shape. There have been rare cases of people doing this for find counts, but use your judgement and mistrust them accordingly. :laughing:

 

Even if you had to find your own cache that was moved, you'd still have the advantage of knowing the area better than other cachers, and you'd know what the container is supposed to look like.

 

The answer? It's bad form.

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I have finds on caches I previosuly found and then later dadopted.

 

I see no call to "find" a cache I hid even if it got muggled and moved. THen it is a recovery. Just a part of maintenance.

 

I do have 1 where I was in on developing the hide, but I really don't know exactly where it is. I know how to solve the puzzle and the final coords, but I've never been to the actual cache site - my partner did that part. A bit of a gray area there, but my find ethics have prevented me from going and claiming it.

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I logged both a dnf and a find on one of my caches.

 

It was a micro on a sherman tank. I had gotten an email that it was missing, so I went to check. Searched for 30 mins and couldn't find it and logged a dnf. I emailed the last finder he told me he'd moved it to a better spot so I checked there and after another 30 mins I found it. Logged a smiley and moved it back where it was supposed to be.

 

It wasn't about the numbers, it was about the irony of not being able to find my own cache.

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The only one of my caches I could even fathom POSSIBLY logging a finid on was one that I placed that wasn't approved. I had to email a local that lived closer to it to move it for my and send me new coords.

 

When I went out on a group hike with some friends, mine was one of the caches we hunted. It was placed about 300 feet from where I originally put it so in THEORY I could claim a find.

 

I just couldn't see doing it, though. SOunds like you've made your decision already so I'm just yappin' at this point. :P

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I have to wonder... does this question even have to be asked? Can any geocacher's sense of sportsmanship be so far out of whack that they would even consider logging their own caches and not consider it cheating?

 

I understand there are some people out there who would go about bringing up their numbers by logging lost caches, or by claiming a problem with the log... but they know they're cheating in the numbers game.

Edited by ph4tcharlie
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This kinda seems like french kissing your Mom to me. I guess that technically you can "find" your own cache, but why would you even think about doing it? :unsure::D:o

 

The previous find on the cache a person adopts is fine. Finding your own, even if it's been moved,,, NOPE!

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I think I should be able to claim a find on some of my caches out there.

When people don't put them back where they belong I have to search just as hard as anyone else to put them back where they belong.

Did anyone ever claim a DNF on one of their own caches?

Owners claiming DNFs on their own caches are rare, but I've seen them. Most often, they post "Disabled" or "Archived" instead when that happens.

 

I almost DNF'd my own cache when a considerate muggle moved it during construction and hid it more evil. I found it, but did not give myself a smiley.

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I know of one cache that I hid which I was tempted to log. Even though I knew where I hid it, it was so well hidden that it took me 1/2 hour to find it. It was an ammo can. You would think it wouldn't be that hard, but I was pretty creative. Of course our local cache maggot didn't have the same problem I did. He has removed it from 3 different hiding places until I finally gave in and archived it.

 

:mad:

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I think I should be able to claim a find on some of my caches out there.

When people don't put them back where they belong I have to search just as hard as anyone else to put them back where they belong.

Did anyone ever claim a DNF on one of their own caches?

 

I have logged a DNF on my own cache. I searched for it twice and couldn't find it. I posted a DNF after the first time in part to be funny, but also to show that there might have been an issue, but I wasn't convinced it was gone. After the second try I archived it. The last finder described where it was to me and my wife and I still came up empty after an hour of searching. I still wasn't convinced it was gone though. Its not an area where it would be accidently discovered and its too rugged and nasty for a casual thief.

 

My suspicion that it was still there was proven true last week, when someone found it. Even though I archived it last fall he still had the waypoint on his GPS. I unarchived it and will get out there someday to see if I can actually find it. I still wouldn't consider logging a find on it though.

Edited by briansnat
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If you have the skills, I urge you to write a script that will log *every* cache as a find. If you don't, I would be willing to do it for a little cash. It might take some time for it to get every last one, in fact, for all I know it may never actually catch up.

 

What would be the point you ask?

 

Exactly.

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If you have the skills, I urge you to write a script that will log *every* cache as a find. If you don't, I would be willing to do it for a little cash. It might take some time for it to get every last one, in fact, for all I know it may never actually catch up.

 

What would be the point you ask?

 

Exactly.

 

Running such a script would be in violation of the Terms of Use. Groundspeak may not care if you log your own caches but

You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Site for any purpose
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Bangeo had three geocaches in Geneseo, NY prior to his move to PA. I had hunted two of them, only to be the one to discover that the final was missing. Both of the multi's were nicely set up, using historic markers, and in spite of the DNF, I enjoyed them. Rather than see Bangeo archive them upon his move, I offered to adopt them.

 

It is my personal opinion that to log a find on these caches AT THIS POINT would be low, violating the spirit of geocaching. If I had found them PRIOR to owning them, that would be okay, but now that I own them, I will never log them as a find.

 

As for hunting for your own cache to check on it, that's known as maintenance. It's like having a kid; you have to feed it, help it blow it's nose, and all the other stuff. :unsure:

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As for hunting for your own cache to check on it, that's known as maintenance.

 

Yep.

 

It's like having a kid; you have to feed it, help it blow it's nose, and all the other stuff. :unsure:

 

You are correct amigo, that is the best part of life.

 

 

edited

Edited by BlueDeuce
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Running such a script would be in violation of the Terms of Use. Groundspeak may not care if you log your own caches but

You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Site for any purpose

 

I know I shouldn't ever try to be funny, or be ridulously extreme just to make a point, as there is always someone who actually takes me seriously. The least I should do is remember to add the smilies :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

In fact, I just mentioned this in another thread http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...opic=136626&hl=

 

All my fault tozain, and thanks for pointing out the terms. Many people don't ever click and read things like that, in the name of instant gratification, and they should. Let the record should that I would never, ever use any automated means to mine the data here, especially for cash.

:|

 

tozain, is that the correct "serious" face to use? I know there are some standards somewhere, and I should go find them and read them.

Edited by Pluckers
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I know there are no formal rules in geocaching and we all play our own game, but is there etiquette around claiming your own caches as finds? I placed one cache that I have never marked found, and have another I adopted, but found it when another cacher owned it.

 

What do you think? Do you claim finds on your own caches?

[/q

 

There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

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There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

GC# on that one?

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I know there are no formal rules in geocaching and we all play our own game, but is there etiquette around claiming your own caches as finds? I placed one cache that I have never marked found, and have another I adopted, but found it when another cacher owned it.

 

What do you think? Do you claim finds on your own caches?

There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

Hmmm. Sounds interesting . . . and it is also against the guidelines . . . unless it is a Grandfathered Moving cache.

 

What is to prevent that cache container from being placed either too close to another cache (Proximity Problem) or in an area where caches are prohibited.

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I wouldn't on one of my caches, but I did on an event I co-hosted. (Actually, it wasn't a find it was an "Attended")

 

I figured what the heck, I did attend, so I logged it as such. (Only once though!)

I think it's OK to say that you "attended" your own event. However, I would never go find my own cache that is retarded. Like others have mentioned I also have some caches that I found and then later adopted. That is OK too!

Edited by TrailGators
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I know there are no formal rules in geocaching and we all play our own game, but is there etiquette around claiming your own caches as finds? I placed one cache that I have never marked found, and have another I adopted, but found it when another cacher owned it.

 

What do you think? Do you claim finds on your own caches?

There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

Hmmm. Sounds interesting . . . and it is also against the guidelines . . . unless it is a Grandfathered Moving cache.

 

What is to prevent that cache container from being placed either too close to another cache (Proximity Problem) or in an area where caches are prohibited.

Even if it was a rare grandfathered Traveling Cache why would you want to log it again and again? I really wish they would plug that hole in the system once and for all!

Edited by TrailGators
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There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

GC# on that one?

 

GC1DOF

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There is a multi cache in my area that when you find the final cache you move it to a new spot and log the new numbers at the 1st cache for the next cacher to find. after the final has been logged (moved) 10 times you can log the cache again. The owner of the cache can log it also because the final cache is being moved to new locations and he doesn't know where it is until he finds it.

GC# on that one?

 

GC1DOF

It's a rare grandfathered traveling cache! But it is anchored by another cache. So I guess we won't be seeing that one out here... :laughing:

Edited by TrailGators
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The game is for fun. That is the bottom line really. We have our guidelines but as we are not actually competing for something we do have the latitude to make our own rules of conduct so long as they fit within the overall guidelines and the law. So long as your not cheating yourself then do what you feel is right. Others may not agree, but they can play their own game.

 

I logged a cache of my own as a find. Not because of "numbers" or anything else. The story that went with how I found it and where was just too cool not too in my opinion. I had too much fun with it to not log it and I enjoyed doing it.

 

Our area experienced some flooding. One of my caches which I had intended to move before the river rose got washed out early. I had actually disabled it and was going to check on it as soon as the water receded. Before that occurred I got a found it log from a local cacher. He found it still intact, but wet and about 40 feet from where I had hidden it. I kept it disabled and was going to go out and fix it. I was not able to get it before we got several days of more rain and more floods. This time the river rose over the banks, closed roads, flooded houses, and caused all sorts of ruckus. The cache I was sure was gone for good. I archived it.

 

a couple months later I was out on the river about a quarter mile down river from the archived cache location. As I was tooling along the river side, I saw a green lid sticking up out of the sand. On closer inspection I found my cache (a rubbermaid container with a snap lid) still intact but very water logged. Nearby was a log full of fishing lours and other cool stuff. I had a blast retrieving them. The log was actually still readable. I logged it as a find and Ill stand by it.

Edited by Roamingbull
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Even if it was a rare grandfathered Traveling Cache why would you want to log it again and again? I really wish they would plug that hole in the system once and for all!

Because an ammo box moved to a new location is a new cache experience. Once it has been moved it makes no difference who has found (or placed) it previously. It is a new cache experience.

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The Mr. half of the team hid one with another local cacher some months ago. The Mrs. half went on a hike, and hunted for it until she found it all by herself, but I didn't/wouldn't log it as a find.

My wife loves to cache as much as i do but she has never wanted to set up her own account. She just likes the hunt and has gone out and found alot of caches that i have already found. Has she logged any of them as finds on my account? Nope,,, If she ever wants to log em then she needs to set up her own account.

 

QUOTE(TrailGators @ Jul 1 2006, 01:16 PM)

Even if it was a rare grandfathered Traveling Cache why would you want to log it again and again? I really wish they would plug that hole in the system once and for all!

I don't quite understand that one either but i suppose it's an ok thing to do with this type of cache.

 

a couple months later I was out on the river about a quarter mile down river from the archived cache location. As I was tooling along the river side, I saw a green lid sticking up out of the sand. On closer inspection I found my cache (a rubbermaid container with a snap lid) still intact but very water logged. Nearby was a log full of fishing lours and other cool stuff. I had a blast retrieving them. The log was actually still readable. I logged it as a find and Ill stand by it.

Why not a log note? The note would record the history and keep your numbers straight too! :rolleyes:

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<snip>

As for hunting for your own cache to check on it, that's known as maintenance. It's like having a kid; you have to feed it, help it blow it's nose, and all the other stuff. :anicute: </snip>

 

Hey, I know parents who consider that babysitting... :grin:

 

But one of our caches placed some years ago, I cannot find. It needs maintenance, and one cacher moved it, but 'doesn't remember where to'. The funny thing is, other people keep finding it! I've posted in the log that the next person to find it please move it to such-and-such cache (one I for sure know how to find), but nobody reads the logs anymore until they go to post. So, here is my 'lost' cache being found... by everyone but me.

 

Back on topic, though... What about a husband and wife who ALWAYS cache together, he hides a cache, she logs it FTF as soon as it goes live, and then she hides a cache and he does the same. Go to the cache and nobody has yet signed the logbook. A father/son team in the same area do that all the time, too. And these people introduced each other to caching... I see an ugly trend occuring. I have invited them to our annual Event in hopes that they will recognize this for the cheating it is and cease.

 

But really, what should I care? I mean, besides the fact that I'm an FTFW? Especially since we're switching coasts, it really isn't my problem, right? RIGHT?!? :)

 

RedwoodRed

(aw, who am I kidding... I'll just go play NWN online and kill something)

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