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Prank cache


Fan4

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Geocaching is in need of variety in cache hides, there are very few caches that are memorable. There is too much vanilla. Lets have some Rocky Road or Marble Fudge.

You are not going to see some one say “that was a cool lamp post cache at wally world” or “that was a great hide in the bushes full or trash and drug paraphernalia and shot gun shells”

 

I can't help but agree with that, but in my view there's a difference between variety derived from a quality location (i.e. a nice view) or a deceptive hide as opposed to variety derived from disrupting one's joy in having found a cache. Once I do start placing my own caches (yes, I'm still a newbie), I want them to appeal to my target audience as much as possible, which to me means not startling the finder when they open the cache.

 

That said, please note that I used the term "target audience." I phrased it that way because once I do start placing, I plan to do a few in locations that only rock climbers will be able to get to. The locations will be appropriately marked as Ter5 difficulty, and my cache descriptions will make it clear that special skills are required to get to the caches. Yes, I'll be limiting the number of people who can get to them, but people will know ahead of time what they're getting into. This, to me, is variety in cache hides.

 

Comments removed, cause my momma always told me, "if ya can't say anything nice....."

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I guess some people are think finding a film can under a lamp post skirt, an altoids tin by a dumpster,

or a key holder on a power transformer to be a fun cache to find.

Gee they must lead boring lives B)

 

Maybe some do. Why wouldn't you want your cache to appeal to them too, rather than assuming that everyone likes the same sort of caches that you like?

If you try to make ANYTHING appeal to EVERYBODY you are doomed to miserable failure.

 

Pick a "target audience," plan to make the cache fun for that group and go for it. If done well, the target audience will rave about it and those that think everything should be made to please them personally will whine and cry with their traditional rant. The world turns...

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Don't assume that you will be placing the perfect cache when you do indeed start placing caches. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, your indended "Target Audience" may very well have issues with your cache placement.

That's a good point. I absolutely do not assume that my caches will be perfect. In fact, I assume that they won't be.

 

I sure hope you're not offended when your "Target Audience" dislikes your new cache.

Nah, not at all.

 

Bottom line is you can't please everyone with any cache, so don't even try. Plant the caches YOU like to plant.

I understand your point, but the caches really aren't there for me; they're there for others, so I'll do my best to make them as enjoyable as I can for as many people as I can.

 

Cheers.

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Had a couple cachers that were really battling for FTF's on my caches a while back. Really REALLY wanted to prank a cache knowing that one of them would be the one nailed by it. Never got around to it and did worry about freaking out an innocent cacher.

 

The ones we get set back with are a couple that are like a big bug over top of a branch or in a structure that you have to stuff you head in to see and then you're face to face with it. And a few that are fake squirrels on the sides of trees in brush so you peek around the trunk, look around and then look up and he's staring you in the face. Those make ya jump and we love 'em!

 

The ones we don't love are the surprises like all scrunched down under vines behind a fallen tree in the middle of nowhere and you pop open the cache lid to find it filled to the brim and spilling bull ants and eggs all in your lap with no easy escape... great velocity makes thorns hurt worse! But it's all part of the game.

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If I ever have the misfortune to run across such a cache, I would beat it with a stick, then with a rock, and then toss it down the nearest slope. Just to make sure that it is dead.

SO you have no problem with vandelizing a cache just becuase you do not like it.

Why, no, sir. It would be purely a reflexive response. Over and over again! I have found plenty of caches that I do not care for. did drop one in a river once, but that was a complete accident.

 

I have two caches that are alltoids container with window screamers in them that sound off when they are opened. There have been no logs negitives in them. :unsure:

When I have met the cachers that have found them at local events they tell me how much fun they were to find. :unsure:

Sadism does not work well without a few masochists. Perhaps you should consider a cache that, when opened, drops rocks on the cacher? Sounds like about as much fun! Or maybe one that explodes? Or just sprays ink?

 

Anyone that might be week enough to have a heart attack from finding a cache like that is not going to be healthy enought to walk accross the street without droping dead from the strain of the walk. <_<

 

Bull dinkies! Or are you just trying to cull the flock? I think I came very close to a heart attack once. About two miles in on the trail, about a thousand feet of climb. Icy conditions. Went around a bend in the trail and missed stepping on a bear by about four feet. I saw stars, and was unable to move for at least five minutes. And the bear was not very happy either! He shot off through the dead mountain laurel. If you've ever tried bushwhacking through mountain laurel, you know the pain that that bear was feeling.

 

I still fail to understand why anyone would want to be so sadistic to deliberately inflict such pain on an innocent geocacher!

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I like Mike McConnell's (talk show host out of Cincinnati) take on these type of myths- ferinstance the "cat in a tree" thing... he says "Cats get down. Otherwise, where are all the cat skeletons in the trees?"

 

And who debunks the debunkers? Sure, the cat will eventually starve, and fall down! We had a cat once, was on a branch twenty feet, or so, up a tulip tree. It was there for hours, mewling, before we concocted a rescue apparatus of a peach basket on a pole, and a very long stick to push him into the basket. That cat was NOT coming down on its own. (Of course, it did fall most of the way, but it did survive. It certainly was not coming down on its own!)

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A couple goods ones in Omaha. One that is a squirrel that I found at night with a VERY small flashlight. Right in my face. Ahhhhhhh! Another Omaha cache had a squirrel's tail tied to a mouse trap. So, when you opened it a fuzzy thing jumped out at you. Both caches were the class of the night!

 

In Des Moines, we have a snake one, but the name gives it away. So, not quite as exciting, but still fun.

Edited by The NVG
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I forgot I had one that was at the end of a night cache. When the ammo box was opened it fire a battery powered strobe lite that was in the ammo box. :unsure:

 

I am thinking of doing a large version of the micro, this one will have an air horn in it powered with a car battery. :

I shoud hide some prank caches for geowoodstock hmmm, they would be in my regular cache radius hmmm <_<

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Bottom line is you can't please everyone with any cache, so don't even try. Plant the caches YOU like to plant.

Exactly! Geocaching is an outdoor activity. And with all outdoor activities there are dangers. Yeah, we could try to make it "safe" for everyone by only placing 1/1 caches in places where you didn't even have to get out of your car (wouldn't want to risk twisting an ankle getting out, would we?) but what would be the fun in that? <_<

 

Honestly, if you aren't willing to take a few risks and have an ADVENTURE... Geocaching is NOT for you!

 

One of the best cache hides I've found involved a large fake spider. I hate spiders. I arrived in a Wal-Mart parking lot and parked next to the elevated light pole the GPS was pointing at. Spotted the lid of the film canister before I even got out of the car. I opened the door and snatched the top of the film can and pulled. Saw two big spider legs come out from under the light's apron and jumped back into the car. Once I got rid of the shivers, and noticed the legs hadn't moved I realized what they had done. Fishing line attached the spider to the film can! :unsure: I'll never forget that cache. .... Isn't that what we all want as hiders?

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I can't help but agree with that, but in my view there's a difference between variety derived from a quality location (i.e. a nice view) or a deceptive hide as opposed to variety derived from disrupting one's joy in having found a cache.
I've enjoyed finding plenty of film cans under lamp post skirts and some key holders attached to items such as power transformers. While I've never found an altoids container near a dumpster, I'd probably like finding that also, as long as my attitude was crewed on just right. I also like ammo boxes hidden in the woods, decons hidden in the rocks at the beach, micros on guardrails and most any other geocache (that I can find).

 

I've found caches with screamers and other noise makers in them. I've found some with rubber snakes nearby, and I've found some with scary spiders inside. Just a few days ago, I found one with a fake arm that gave me a bit of a fright even though I suspected that something like that was going to be in there.

 

My point is, prank caches can be fun.

Once I do start placing my own caches (yes, I'm still a newbie), I want them to appeal to my target audience as much as possible, which to me means not startling the finder when they open the cache.
Bottom line is you can't please everyone with any cache, so don't even try. Plant the caches YOU like to plant.
I understand your point, but the caches really aren't there for me; they're there for others, so I'll do my best to make them as enjoyable as I can for as many people as I can.
Here's the thing: The only demographic that you can truly understand is the one that you belong to. Place caches that you would like to find and you'll reward those people who like the same kinds of caches as you. These people might just follow suit by hiding other caches that you would like to find.

 

Last week, I went to an event and found out some surprising information. I was complaining about my inability to find puzzles when someone noted that I had placed the first puzzle cache in our area. I explained that I had placed it for others with the hope that it wouldn't result in more of them. A prolific (and dastardly) puzzle hider from my area mentioned that he did the same thing. The discussion then turned to reveal that the puzzle hiders often feel that they have to continue to one up each other with better and better puzzles.

 

My point is that caches spawn similar caches, so hide what you would like to find.

A couple goods ones in Omaha. One that is a squirrel that I found at night with a VERY small flashlight. Right in my face. Ahhhhhhh! ...
How'd they train a squirrel to use a flashlight??? :unsure:
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“that was a great hide in the bushes full or trash and drug paraphernalia and shot gun shells”
Gosh. Where do you live that this is an issue???

This cache was located in the north part of Sacramento, ca.

It was in some bushes next to a dumster behind a McDonalds. We just called the police, there must have be 15 or 20 live shotgun shells, a dozen or so needles, and what looked like a crack pipe.

The cache was soon archived because it was muggled, but it was replaces by another cache by the same hidder. We did not find the first cache and we will not go back for the new one.

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That attack spider would be funny if I was watching someone else look for the cache.

 

Just don't make the prank cache sound like a rattle snake in an area where you might see a real one. Rubber snakes are OK.

 

I have found a few caches with attacking parts, and even with advance warning and guessing what to expect I was happy I already had an empty bladder and that no one was watching.

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:) I'm sorry if my posts came off as Negative; here's how I look at it:

 

In reviewing the caching experiences I've had so far, if a surprise cache had been there to greet me, and I had been startled and jumped back, I could have twisted an ankle, broke a bone, got a poke in the eye from a branch, or fallen into a stream. And this is based on just 30 finds so far. :)

 

Safety & Common Sense is my motto; Just don't want to hear about anyone being hurt due to someone else's idea of a cute trick. If you think this is Negative, SORRY :)

 

You may want to think about switching to decaf. Just an idea... :)

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I've found a couple of "prank" caches. Personally, I enjoyed them. One, I recognized as a spring snake in a can - so I gave it to my son to open and enjoyed his reaction. On another, a set of chattering teeth were in a lock and lock. When you opened the lid, the teeth started chattering. I got a kick out of the cache and the logs are positive as well.

 

I have two ideas (plus some I've read here) that may be a bit creepy and considered a prank by some standards. If I can find the right spot and/or materials I'm sure that they will be enjoyed too.

 

In a world that sometimes seems saturated by simplistic hiding schemes, I applaud creative ideas that create memorable caches.

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In a world that sometimes seems saturated by simplistic hiding schemes, I applaud creative ideas that create memorable caches.

Exactly.... last I saw on the guidelines it states "Don’t put yourself or others in harm’s way.". That is kind of open to personal intpretation. What I would do for a find might be well beyond what the next person might do or visa-versa. Someone might consider a thorny vine as "harm" while I'll go sliding down Whiteside Mountain on the icy rocks in the snow. Pranks, cool camo, tricky techniques, evil imagination.... heck, without all that you might as well just be searching for yesterday's leftovers in your tupperware!

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(i.e. jelly-bean can jumping snake or something similar that gives a good surprise)

 

I found one such cache. It was a multi with the coordinates written on the bottom. The "clue" said to watch out for snakes. Little did I know that one would jump out at me when I opened it up. I had a good laugh and I don't think there is any harm in something along those lines.

 

xvart.

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Last week, I went to an event and found out some surprising information. I was complaining about my inability to find puzzles when someone noted that I had placed the first puzzle cache in our area. I explained that I had placed it for others with the hope that it wouldn't result in more of them. A prolific (and dastardly) puzzle hider from my area mentioned that he did the same thing. The discussion then turned to reveal that the puzzle hiders often feel that they have to continue to one up each other with better and better puzzles.

 

My point is that caches spawn similar caches, so hide what you would like to find.

A couple goods ones in Omaha. One that is a squirrel that I found at night with a VERY small flashlight. Right in my face. Ahhhhhhh! ...
How'd they train a squirrel to use a flashlight??? :)

 

The have very smart squirrels in Omaha. :ph34r:

Edited by The NVG
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I know of one snake in the can cache-it consistently gets great logs posted to it. I know of another cache that has fake spiders attached to the inside of the lid hanging on some fishing line. It also gets fun comments posted in the logs.

 

Heh... sounds like quite a few of mine!

 

I have caches with spiders, one with a rubber snake, another with a spring snake, and on and on....

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I've got one coming out soon where you will find a micro in the nook of a tree, upon extracting it a plastic lizard comes out that is attached with fishing line.

 

Stage 2 is a large iguana toy that used to be battery powered. I pulled all the guts out of it and placed a small cache in the old battery compartment. I plan on putting it in a rotten stump with leaves on top.

 

The cache is called Saurophobia. (Fear of lizards)

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I've found snake in the jar caches and caches with a fake snake tied to it with thin monofilament and I enjoyed them. If you hide those types of caches on a hike, then I doubt people with a heart condition would find them. I always enjoy stuff like that... :P

Ahem!

 

I have a "heart condition" and I've found these types of caches on a hike! :D:o:P I also enjoyed them - as well as the hike.

 

Personally, I'm not fond of something that makes a loud noise to suprise someone. That's just me; but, if one startled me, I'd probably still have a good laugh.

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One of my hides that comes to mind is one near a scenic overlook, around some boulders. You have to reach up over your head for the cache, and tucked behind the cache with juuuuust enough fishing line for you to get the cache halfway down is a nice hairy spider that comes down from the hole to, um, "greet" you. I've got so many emails offline about that one to keep me laughing!

 

From this morning, "At that moment, I just couldn't understand why that &$%# thing kept coming at me!"

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There's a cacher in my area who hid a series of caches titled "Not for the faint of heart". They all have a "haunted" theme, and several of them involve things that move, speak, or scurry when you approach the cache. They were a lot of fun to find and are at the top of my list of favorite caches. Everyone who's done them loved the surprises.

 

Some of the caches were in the woods but some were in cemeteries, and one was a lamp post hide. A group of us found that one and everyone's reactions when the skirt was lifted and the "cache" fell out - was pricless. I've never laughed so hard when finding a cache. And watching the cachers elected to put it back trying to stuff that large, moving creature back under the the lamp post was more fun than finding the cache itself.

 

Windrose

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Here is one that I have been thinking of.

 

Wrap a container with fake fur. Get a Bumble Ball, place it inside and rewire it to a pressure switch on the bottom of the container. The cacher first get spooked by the fur, and when they relize its the cache, They go and start to pull out the container, the Bumble Ball starts to jump around, and so does the cacher. LOL! I would have to put up a camara and up load the reactions to the site.

 

Any objections?

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