Decoy or False Caches

[+NYPaddleCacher]

 

I'm with you on that one. For the most part I avoid puzzles. I've place a couple of them. During a rash of puzzle caches being hidden locally, each attempting to be more difficult than the last, I placed a couple meant to be easy. One of those ended up giving some cachers fits. As for solving and finding them, I cache to get out of the house, not spend hours researching obscure cyphers.

 

I cache when I *can* get out of the house, so don't mind spending time solving puzzle caches at home when I can't be out geocaching.

 

I have found a couple of caches with decoys and have considered decoys for other. Whether they're enjoyable is mainly related to spirit in which they area intended. They can add comic relief or they can be a cause of frustration.

[knowschad]

The first time I saw a decoy (well, in that case, over a dozen decoys!) I thought it was hilarious. The second time I saw a cache with a decoy, I smiled a little. Now... the joke has been told too many times.

[JohnMac56]

One of the best decoy-type caches I have ever seen was in the California desert. The only thing the cache description said was you were looking for a 35mm film canister. When you arrived at GZ, there is a tree there with over 30 of the 35mm film canisters attached to it. Only one of them was the actual cache with the log inside. Most of the rest were either empty or had a little rock or some sand in it to give it some heft (to make you think you found the right one). We had a good laugh when we pulled up and saw this tree with all those attached to it like some crazy new fruit, then had a fun time searching out the right one...

[Arf2-D2]

Also, I've heard of "decoys" where it's only part of a container and is set up to make it look like the cache has gone missing (like putting the lid of a tupperware container and a few random McToys out in the open several feet away from the actual cache).

 

This sounds like littering to me...

[Arf2-D2]

 

Like a maze where you go down the wrong path, Or a choose your own adventure book. I've thought of a hide like that, but setting it up will be a lot of work. I've also thought of one where each of those sets would lead you down a path ending in a different ending cache. One beginning, and 7 or 8 possible endings. You could log a find for each logbook you end up signing. A true choose your own adventure. A woven web of GeoCaches. It might even end with the final Caches being hidden by other people. I don't think it would be listed here though.

 

These are a kind of Cache where you spend months or years getting to the end, rether than trying to just get through it.

 

That sounds like fun!

[+Bad_CRC]

I'd think it'd be a good idea to have a little bright orange or colored container near caches in parks and such.

 

that way of muggles observe someone finding a cache, and go to check out what the heck they were doing, they'd find the decoy and be satisfied without seeing the real camoed ammo can a few feet away.

 

I've seen a cache sort of like this, and as far as I know it's still active in a park where it should have lasted only a few days.

[+Wild Thing 73]

Decoys make absolutely no sense to me...I really don't like even the idea of a decoy cache. It is a total waste of time and I would never place a "decoy" cache just to fool a fellow cacher...When a cacher travels a hundred plus miles to cache and finds a "decoy" cache or a troublesome cache that has a hint "email me for a hint", it is frustrating and no fun.

[+Botanist333]

I found my first decoy just a few minutes ago on my way to work. I didn’t have time to look for the real cache. I’m not really sure how I feel about them at this point... ?

[+cerberus1]

Those are still being placed?  Wow.

Most here found their first and thought it funny, but after that, not so much.

Last I remember was an ammo can filled with film cans, with paper inside each, maybe six years ago.  The CO archived it when people just signed the first piece of paper they came across.   

[+Korichnovui]

There's one of these in my area hidden not too long ago, but it's not too bad

It's a large PVC tube which is well hidden

Inside are about 6 or 8 film canisters stacked up, one of which contains the log

It was enough containers that the idea was "cute" instead of "really irritating"

[+pingurus]

Not sure wether that counts as decoy, but I once found a D5 Cache, which was hidden in a wine barrel. At the same wine barrel there were hidden four or five other containers , each containing a paper "this would have been a D2" or similar, which I found was great.

[+niraD]

1 hour ago, pingurus said:

Not sure wether that counts as decoy, but I once found a D5 Cache, which was hidden in a wine barrel. At the same wine barrel there were hidden four or five other containers , each containing a paper "this would have been a D2" or similar, which I found was great.

I've found a few puzzle caches that had decoys at the coordinates for red-herring solutions. After seeing the decoys acquire "replacement" logs, I've become a fan of using non-containers for decoys. A piece of dowel the size of a film canister would be less likely to acquire a "replacement" log than an actual film canister, for example.

[+Zane and Bianca]

The best decoy we found was an ammo can painted matt black inside with a laminated card inside stating " this is not the cache your looking for" plced it back and continued to look for another 20min when for some reason Zane opens the can again and says " found it". It was a black magnetic nano  stuck in one corner of the ammo can ?

[+NYPaddleCacher]

12 hours ago, Zane and Bianca said:

The best decoy we found was an ammo can painted matt black inside with a laminated card inside stating " this is not the cache your looking for" plced it back and continued to look for another 20min when for some reason Zane opens the can again and says " found it". It was a black magnetic nano  stuck in one corner of the ammo can ?

 

Something I've wanted to do.  Get an ammo can and fill it with cement or something that will consume all of the inside space and put a "this is not the cache" note inside the lid.  Get a big heavy chain and a lock and chain it to a tree.  Modify the lock so that it would come apart and have room for a nano inside it.

[+Max and 99]

Both of those would make me laugh!

[+J Grouchy]

9 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

Something I've wanted to do.  Get an ammo can and fill it with cement or something that will consume all of the inside space and put a "this is not the cache" note inside the lid.  Get a big heavy chain and a lock and chain it to a tree.  Modify the lock so that it would come apart and have room for a nano inside it.

 

If you used a 50 cal ammo can, it would weigh over 50 pounds with ready mix concrete...so that would be a fun hike!

Edited June 4, 2018 by J Grouchy

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 6/4/2018 at 4:19 PM, J Grouchy said:

 

If you used a 50 cal ammo can, it would weigh over 50 pounds with ready mix concrete...so that would be a fun hike!

The "something" I was thinking of was some expandable spray foam. I piece of styrofoam, cut to size, and glued to the bottom would work as well.

[+humboldt flier]

On 4/17/2008 at 7:45 PM, joranda said:

I'm not fond of them, but what do you do?

 

I abhor them and classify them a tiny notch above doggie-doo-doo.

[+humboldt flier]

On 6/4/2018 at 6:19 AM, J Grouchy said:

 

If you used a 50 cal ammo can, it would weigh over 50 pounds with ready mix concrete...so that would be a fun hike!

 

On 6/3/2018 at 9:08 PM, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

Something I've wanted to do.  Get an ammo can and fill it with cement or something that will consume all of the inside space and put a "this is not the cache" note inside the lid.  Get a big heavy chain and a lock and chain it to a tree.  Modify the lock so that it would come apart and have room for a nano inside it.

 

Ohhhhhh my THAT is twisted

[+Jayeffel]

I have been thinking of employing such a feature on a cache I adopted. The cache itself is a fake bolt in a sign on a fence, but nearby is a corner fencepost with a drilled here that looks obvious. I have been thinking of inserting a hollow tube off some type into that hole with a note stating that they care one. The post hole is the obvious spot a person sees.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Jayeffel
clarity

[+T0SHEA]

We placed a cache, I suppose it could be considered a decoy, though never thought about it as such in 2012.

 

It was a snake, with a bison tube in its mouth with a note "You did not think it was going to be that easy, did ya?" The log was folded and colored black placed deeper in its mouth.

It was not well received, and  about 6 months later we checked and it was torn apart, we archived it. 

 

We thought it was a fun cache, something different. We never placed another one similar to this or a "decoy." 

[+Wacka]

Cache was at the end pf a dead end  half mile long road. Searched with another cacher. We found 10 film cans attached to a guardrail with magnets.  The other cacher started  searching the film cans. I started checking other things. The cache was a fake bolt .

Edited June 10, 2018 by Wacka

[+niraD]

38 minutes ago, Wacka said:

Cache was at the end pf a dead end  half more ;ing road. Searched with another cacher. We found 10 film cans attached to a guardrail with magnets.  The other cacher started  searching the film cans. I started checking other things. The cache was a fake bolt .

I've found caches that used that principle, with obvious places to search, and even obvious decoy containers to search, but the cache/log was hidden nearby (sometimes very nearby) in a less obvious place.

 

My first cache used a decoy for symmetry, and I've seen others since then that did the same. The container/camouflage create asymmetry at the hide location, so another container/camouflage is placed as well to restore the symmetry. In my first cache's case, the decoy was empty camouflage with no container and no place for a container. And it had a note along the lines of "The other one is the geocache" written on the back side, where it would only be visible if you had checked it.

[+terratin]

I apparently once found one. It originally had a note stating that this was not the cache but that it was nearby. Someone had removed that note and added a logbook. So apparently I had not logged the actual cache. Not amused.

[+STNolan]

On 6/9/2018 at 10:29 AM, terratin said:

I apparently once found one. It originally had a note stating that this was not the cache but that it was nearby. Someone had removed that note and added a logbook. So apparently I had not logged the actual cache. Not amused.

This is the inevitable problem with decoy caches; even if they are well labeled people tend to "donate" a "replacement log."

[+on4bam]

On 4/23/2008 at 9:07 PM, knowschad said:

The first time I saw a decoy (well, in that case, over a dozen decoys!) I thought it was hilarious. The second time I saw a cache with a decoy, I smiled a little. Now... the joke has been told too many times.

 

I'd prefer a decoy over ant traditional behind an utility pole any day. Talk about a joke that's been told to many times

 

 

On 6/9/2018 at 2:21 PM, niraD said:

I've found caches that used that principle, with obvious places to search, and even obvious decoy containers to search, but the cache/log was hidden nearby (sometimes very nearby) in a less obvious place.

 

My first cache used a decoy for symmetry, and I've seen others since then that did the same. The container/camouflage create asymmetry at the hide location, so another container/camouflage is placed as well to restore the symmetry. In my first cache's case, the decoy was empty camouflage with no container and no place for a container. And it had a note along the lines of "The other one is the geocache" written on the back side, where it would only be visible if you had checked it.

 

We found many decoys, caches as well as WPs for a multi. One of the latest we found was a birdhouse with a pipe system where you had to push a small ball deeper so at the other end another ball would come out. This had to be repeated many times until the right ball popped out containing half a coordinate. After continuing we finally got to the second half of the coordinate.

Another one was also a birdhouse but there was nothing to be found in or near it. We finally lifted the door off to find the log in one of the hinges.

The latest we found was an old coffeemaker (all manual) that could be taken apart, we found a "replacement log" (by a PM with 1000's of finds) even though it clearly says on the cachelisting that you have to look carefully for the log and not think it's missing. We found the "real thing" easily.

 

At least decoys offer "something extra" in order not to brainless pick up micros on a guardrail/behind an utility pole every 161m.

 

 

[+kunarion]

19 minutes ago, on4bam said:

At least decoys offer "something extra" in order not to brainless pick up micros on a guardrail/behind an utility pole every 161m.

 

I've had a decoy in one place for 9 years, with over the years, various caches nearby. The decoy is under a chain-link fence post cap, just as the park manager mentioned. He even had a post cap on his desk in his office, and said it would be fun to make a cache like that (he's a Geocacher). But my decoy is not a container, just a plastic keychain tag with a “red herring” image, and the text “This is not the Geocache, keep looking”. It hangs by a long string into the fence post. When I placed a new cache, it is now inside that same fence post in which the decoy hangs, the container dropped inside to the bottom, with a magnet for retrieval. Finders seem to have no trouble with it, and I guess the “decoy” didn't even fool them.

[+justintim1999]

I've only found one cache that contained decoys and I didn't mind them at all.   In fact, for me, it added to the overall enjoyment of the cache.   

[+CAVinoGal]

I can recall at least three decoy caches I've found in my relatively short career.  All were enjoyable, not at all annoying, and surprising because I didn't expect it!  One a double decker birdhouse, pull the bottom perch out, a bison tube drops out of the bottom attached to a chain and it says THIS IS NOT THE CACHE!  The roof is hinged, and lifts up to reveal the REAL cache.  The hint says "Second story" - but I didn't read the hint till later!

 

Another was in a little sidewalk garden (owner permission is spelled out in the description) with flower pots, watering cans, figurines, lots of hiding spots with at least two decoy containers.  Two of us searching, both say "Got it!", and neither one of us has it!  Keep looking, and it's a magnetic nano in the same spot as one of the decoys, you just have to look harder to find it!

 

One in Florida was a "gadget cache" with film canisters on a big board, and one contained the logsheet, the others contained swag or nothing.  It was called "Eeny Meeny Miney Mo" and was intended to be obvious decoys.  The others you didn't realize there were decoys till you found the decoy thinking it was the cache.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Decoy caches can be fun.

We found one a couple of years ago that told you in the cache page that the difficulty was finding the proper log sheet to sign. The cache itself was an ammo box with the normal film canister inside for the log ... but it wasn't!

In there was a paper saying "close, but not the log! Do NOT sign this"

Turns out the log was actually the pen in the ammo box. It was a larger pen that you had to open to find the log sheet inside.

We got a bit of a chuckle out of this.

Of course, you would have discovered it right away if you tried to use the pen.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I like the MKH where you have to pull the magnet off to get to the log behind it.

[+Goldenwattle]

I have found a few decoy caches, of the kind where they are filled with small containers, but after going through them all, the log is not in any of them. One had a bison tube on the other side of the tree with the log, and in another case the log was was hanging in another container above . The trickiest had the log in the protective camouflage wrap of the ammo tin. Before I start going though all those containers, I now check around GZ first, in case it's one of those types of hides, and the ammo tin filled with tiny containers is a decoy. Only the first one of those I found tricked me; after that I found the separate container, before I bothered searching all the little containers. Only when I don't locate a separate container, do I start the tedious search of the little containers.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I once found a cache called Foolin that was an ammo can with nested containers inside. The actual log was concealed on the outside of the container.

 

I recall once DNFing a cache where the mundane decoy was inside a thorny bush. After getting suckered into getting my hand scratched up I wasn't interested in continuing.

 

I've found a few caches where there's one container but lots of decoy log holders.

 

Once in a blue moon, done really well, and preferably with some kind of good reason they're okay. Otherwise, no thanks. 

[+niraD]

One of my Favorites included a decoy with a note that it wasn't the cache, but that I was really close. It turned out that the actual cache was hidden very nearby, and that the decoy was also the tool I needed to retrieve the actual cache.

[+famerlor_dragon]

Ok, here's another one. My Wherigo has a fake zone with fake coords including a fake picture with the coords. None of this is reachable if you play on site or with a GPS faker on your phone. It is a honeypot for those cracking open and decompiling the Wherigo instead of playing it (you need to know what you are doing here, text editor doesn't cut it).

 

Initially, I did this to have a real FTF, not a cheated one. But for convenience and since it doesn't really hurt anyone it shouldn't, I left it in. The fake zone has since been searched (as marks clearly show) and this week I got my first "thanks for the nice Wherigo but I can't find the cache" mail.

 

Am I a bad person or should the people taking shortcuts just be more thorough?

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, famerlor_dragon said:

Ok, here's another one. My Wherigo has a fake zone with fake coords including a fake picture with the coords. None of this is reachable if you play on site or with a GPS faker on your phone. It is a honeypot for those cracking open and decompiling the Wherigo instead of playing it (you need to know what you are doing here, text editor doesn't cut it).

 

Initially, I did this to have a real FTF, not a cheated one. But for convenience and since it doesn't really hurt anyone it shouldn't, I left it in. The fake zone has since been searched (as marks clearly show) and this week I got my first "thanks for the nice Wherigo but I can't find the cache" mail.

 

Am I a bad person or should the people taking shortcuts just be more thorough?

 

That's a great idea! Both the thing you did and the suggestion that people not playing the Wherigo should put in the Wherigo amount of effort. 

[+bflentje]

On 9/5/2018 at 5:15 AM, famerlor_dragon said:

Ok, here's another one. My Wherigo has a fake zone with fake coords including a fake picture with the coords. None of this is reachable if you play on site or with a GPS faker on your phone. It is a honeypot for those cracking open and decompiling the Wherigo instead of playing it (you need to know what you are doing here, text editor doesn't cut it).

 

Initially, I did this to have a real FTF, not a cheated one. But for convenience and since it doesn't really hurt anyone it shouldn't, I left it in. The fake zone has since been searched (as marks clearly show) and this week I got my first "thanks for the nice Wherigo but I can't find the cache" mail.

 

Am I a bad person or should the people taking shortcuts just be more thorough?

 

It happens but I'll add.. very few people know how to crack a Wherigo (yet) so I'd bet the majority of those seeking the cache and creating visible signs of searching probably cheated by coordinate sharing.. from the first one to hack the cartridge.