Geocaching ... Fulfilling Those Primal Urges ...

[+Ichabod]

I love caching. No other hobby comes close to this one. I began to wonder what exactly it was about caching that keeps me so obsessed with it. Then it donned on me that caching is rather like hunting, and I wonder if caching is so popular (and increasingly so) because it satisfies the human instinct for hunting and gathering.

 

There was a similar topic recently about fishing and caching, but the paralells with hunting seem even greater: creeping through the woods, stalking your prey, being aware of your surroundings, noticing signs of caching on the trail, tracking the prey right into its lair, etc.

 

Do you think of caching in this way? How many of you are also hunters, or used to be? How many of you always wanted to hunt, but never did? How many of you never ever thought about hunting, but feel like a hunter while caching?

Edited July 25, 2006 by Ichabod

[+Miragee]

I have often wondered about this myself. It really does seem to be an "instinct" that keys into the deeper, "reptilian" part of our brains -- that "hunting and gathering" instinct most humans have.

 

For men it might be like hunting; for women it is like shopping.

[+The red-haired witch]

For men it might be like hunting; for women it is like shopping.

 

You're funny . I am a woman (though maybe not a "normal" one, if there is such a thing), I hate shopping and I like hunting. And I like caching of course. So caching is much closer to hunting than to shopping for me

 

I have more success caching then hunting though, maybe it's my lack of stealth. I had a DNF on my last hunting trip (well, I saw some "caches", but they were too far for my archery skills), hope I can do better this fall...

[+crystalndave]

for women it is like shopping

 

I resemble that remark... funny thing is I HATE THE WOODS... I HATE BUGS... I HATE WALKING...

but all I think about is GEOCACHING. I explained it to my dad as "its hunting without killing anything."

He loves to hunt but now I think he sees why I geocache.. I love it because I know I should get out more and hey.. it keeps me out of trouble..

[+Miragee]

For men it might be like hunting; for women it is like shopping.

 

You're funny . I am a woman (though maybe not a "normal" one, if there is such a thing), I hate shopping and I like hunting. And I like caching of course. So caching is much closer to hunting than to shopping for me

 

I have more success caching then hunting though, maybe it's my lack of stealth. I had a DNF on my last hunting trip (well, I saw some "caches", but they were too far for my archery skills), hope I can do better this fall...

I am a woman also and hate shopping except for shopping at Garage Sales and Thrift Stores scouting for "treasures." Now I only go to Garage Sales or Thrift Stores when I am looking for some interesting swag to put in the Geocaches.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I am a life-long hunter, spending time in the woods year-round for over 50 years. I grew up with my Dad's hunter friends around me, who instilled a "you shoot it, you eat it!" ethic that kept me from killing anything I didn't intend to eat. (A hard-learned lesson when at age 8 I shot a possum with my brand-new .410 shotgun. Yup, Dad cooked it and I had to eat it! It left a definite impression and was a permanant lesson!)

 

This basic concept allowed me to enjoy hunting, to sit on a hilltop on a fine frosty morning and watch the birds, squirrels and deer feed without feeling the need to kill them - a few squirrels and one deer a year was all I needed for the freezer, and that could usually wait till the end of the season.

 

Hunting became less about the hunt than enjoying and marveling at God's creations... I feel closer to God in the woods than I ever did in church, and have worked through more issues sitting at the base of a tree than anywhere else.

 

So, comes a series of events wherein I lose a leg and a few years later I break my fool neck, and hunting's done for me; can't carry a rifle safely on crutches, can't drag anything out of the woods if I did shoot it. So I started taking a camera! I found that I enjoyed hunting without a gun just as much as with - maybe more, because I didn't have to worry about seasons, I can go sit in the woods anytime!

 

Now comes geocaching. Everything I like about hunting, plus a huge new circle of friends!

 

Some of my old hunting buddies don't get it - why hunt something you can't eat? (Which is why I quit golf, had to hunt every one a them little balls I ever hit, but that's another story!).

 

Yes, every element of geocaching fits perfectly well with hunting. The woods experience, the hunt, the capture, camping events that are much like hunting camp comraderie...geocaching is a natural extension of hunting!

 

Now, I fish too. It's been said fishing is a jerk at one end of a pole waiting on a jerk at the other, but I can't see much relation to geocaching!

 

Ed

Edited July 25, 2006 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+Ichabod]

... I feel closer to God in the woods than I ever did in church, and have worked through more issues sitting at the base of a tree than anywhere else.

 

Man, can I relate to that. Well said!

[+Kacky]

Interesting topic. I've never wanted to hunt and I really hate shopping, so I'm not sure where I fit in with all that.......maybe I really DO want to hunt but my reptilian brain knows on some level that I don't need to be stumbling around in the woods with live ammo or sharp arrows.

[+NorthWes]

I can only speak for myself... but all those fine hunting skills I've acquired over the years (tracking, mapreading, compass work, patience, all-weather travel ability, attention to details...) come in pretty handy when geocaching. It's the 'thrill of the hunt' that motivates many - why else would we head into the Briar Patch over and over again?

 

However, where hunting skills really come into their own is benchmark hunting... where the GPS is usually used after the find! That's where my hunting passions come into real play.

[+BlueDeuce]

The searching, the discovering, the clandestine, the availability.

[bogleman]

I have always enjoyed nosing around in the woods and I have been a hunter for many years. I dont care if I get anything or not - it's just the ability to go out in the woods and nose around. I used the GPS to mark trails, bedding areas, food plots and then plan my attack around those areas. Did it improve my success rate - nope but I was having tons of fun.

 

I stumpled across geocaching by accident and used my woods knowledge for my geocaching adventures. Sometimes I will hold off on the caches in the hunting areas until the season rolls around or use them for pre-season scouting.

 

I must admit that I have placed several caches in my favorite hunting areas and I have found some very good spots for future adventures.

 

Nothing better than a nice long stomp in the woods - just start walking and see where your feet take you.