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Newbie Can't Find Cache - What To Do


ricbob

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I have looked for a cache three times in the last two days, and have had no luck so far. I have found a few others, so I have some idea what I am looking for.

 

Now, I realize it might just be hidden well and that's why I can't find it (although the difficulty is rated 1.5)

 

But, what are the chances that it has been removed? And if that's the case, what's the next step? Is there a way to report a cache missing? I don't know if I want to do that because it could very well still be there and I can't find it.

 

Also, is it acceptable to ask the person who placed the cache for a tip?

 

Thanks,

 

Ricbob

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Sure ask away - nobody says they have to give you a hint but no problem in asking.

 

If you can't find the cache - log a DNF. You cannot know 100% for certain it is missing because you have not seen the container or the hide before. A string of DNF logs alerts the owner to go check on the cache.

 

I've been doing this for 6+ years and I still log 1 DNF for every 8 finds or so. Just part of the experience.

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Sure ask away - nobody says they have to give you a hint but no problem in asking.

 

If you can't find the cache - log a DNF. You cannot know 100% for certain it is missing because you have not seen the container or the hide before. A string of DNF logs alerts the owner to go check on the cache.

 

I've been doing this for 6+ years and I still log 1 DNF for every 8 finds or so. Just part of the experience.

 

I agree. Post a DNF. If alot of people post DNFs for the same cache, then I know that if I, as a cacher, can't find it, its probably not me. Well, ok. It probably IS me, but it is less likely. Furthermore, as Starbrand noted, this lets the cache owner that something may be wrong so (s)he can check up on it.

 

If a cache hasn't been logged in awhile, there is no way to know the reason - is it missing, uninteresting or it just hasn't been solved (in the case of a puzzle).

 

I assume you know this, but you might also try to widen your search perimeter. I have found caches up to 80 feet from where my GPS was telling me to go. Don't worry - this is not a common occurrence. 20 feet, however, is not unusual, depending on the circumstances.

 

I have had people email me for hints on mine. I try to help without helping (if ya know what I mean). I think cache owners do want people to find it (otherwise why hide one?).

 

Good luck.

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Also, is it acceptable to ask the person who placed the cache for a tip?

 

Thanks,

 

Ricbob

 

It is very acceptable! And I have to echo the statements about logging your DNFs.

One cache, a 1.5 we tried to find three times, and others were finding it after we couldn't. The owners checked and verified that it was there. I got a pretty good hint from the owner ... one that we couldn't miss with .. well we couldn't find it! Turns out it really was missing this time! :rolleyes:

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Sure ask away - nobody says they have to give you a hint but no problem in asking.

 

If you can't find the cache - log a DNF. You cannot know 100% for certain it is missing because you have not seen the container or the hide before. A string of DNF logs alerts the owner to go check on the cache.

 

I've been doing this for 6+ years and I still log 1 DNF for every 8 finds or so. Just part of the experience.

 

I agree. Post a DNF. If alot of people post DNFs for the same cache, then I know that if I, as a cacher, can't find it, its probably not me. Well, ok. It probably IS me, but it is less likely. Furthermore, as Starbrand noted, this lets the cache owner that something may be wrong so (s)he can check up on it.

 

If a cache hasn't been logged in awhile, there is no way to know the reason - is it missing, uninteresting or it just hasn't been solved (in the case of a puzzle).

 

I assume you know this, but you might also try to widen your search perimeter. I have found caches up to 80 feet from where my GPS was telling me to go. Don't worry - this is not a common occurrence. 20 feet, however, is not unusual, depending on the circumstances.

 

I have had people email me for hints on mine. I try to help without helping (if ya know what I mean). I think cache owners do want people to find it (otherwise why hide one?).

 

Good luck.

 

I also try to give - shall we say - obscure hints when people ask. Plus, I have a very firm policy that I will not give a hint to anyone who has not logged a DNF for the cache. I am not seeking DNFs but I am not going to just hand out info to someone who hasn't bothered to make a reasonable search. My response is usually something to the effect of "tell me about your search and the area. What did you try? What ideas do you have?"

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3rd time Out I would say DNF it as well. I myself always log a DNF if the 2nd time out I don't find it. 1st time out I search if no luck return next day. Perhaps better GPS coords, fresh mind, and a little less frustrated. usually works also. If I don't find it the 2nd time I log it and check to see prior logs and for any clues I may have missed myself.

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Please keep in mind the relative experience of the cachers who have replied to your question. In the most basic sense of the answer to your question, you should log a DNF when you hunt for the cache and you can't find it, first time, every time. You should ask for help when you feel you need it. Other cachers will undoubtedly come to your aid and assistance. Just don't expect that someone will offer up the vitals for a cache if you haven't bothered to log a DNF for your hunt.

Edited by WRASTRO
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3rd time Out I would say DNF it as well. I myself always log a DNF if the 2nd time out I don't find it. 1st time out I search if no luck return next day. Perhaps better GPS coords, fresh mind, and a little less frustrated. usually works also. If I don't find it the 2nd time I log it and check to see prior logs and for any clues I may have missed myself.

 

Oh, and you might want to pay a bit more attention to the responses from veteran cachers as opposed to someone who has been caching for one day. The one day cacher may be right on but the chances are low, especially if the advice is off kilter. Just a thought.

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I usually log a DNF on the first search, if I go back and have no luck I will log another DNF then send the cache owner an email with short, concise details of my hunt to see if I am way off base. Usually I get a nice little nudge in the right direction, sometimes I get a "you looked right where it should be, I'll check it out and let you know".

 

I had one that I DNF'd 4 times, the CO was kind enough to spell out exactly where it was after 3 DNF's, still logged a 4th, Found it on the 5th try in a matter of seconds in a place I had looked each time before.

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Maybe one of the most difficult things for a cache hider is to determine a realistic difficulty level for a cache that will fit everyone. It can’t be done. I have a cache that shows about a 50/50 chance according to the rate of finds verse the rate of DNFs on the cache page but it is a 6”wide ammo can and few want to admit they can’t find it. Even though a posting may admit searching for up to 10-12 times their emails to me could admit 20-40. Every now and then I post to the cache page that this one is hard to find and the success rate is more like 1 in 8 at best. I still have not figured out a rating that will fit every level of experience for difficulty nor even for the terrain.

Extra hints: I'm not very good at giving those wonderful hints (or they wouldn't need extra. Right?) so if asked for extra hints I explain this and warn them that if they ask again I will just tell them where it is. Some ask again and some go back and find it all on their own.

PS. I have one cache, another 6" wide ammo can that is left out in plain sight uncovered, you can actually see it from the road but it still gets DNFs.

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I have looked for a cache three times in the last two days, and have had no luck so far. I have found a few others, so I have some idea what I am looking for.

 

Now, I realize it might just be hidden well and that's why I can't find it (although the difficulty is rated 1.5)

 

But, what are the chances that it has been removed? And if that's the case, what's the next step? Is there a way to report a cache missing? I don't know if I want to do that because it could very well still be there and I can't find it.

 

Also, is it acceptable to ask the person who placed the cache for a tip?

 

Thanks,

 

Ricbob

 

Ricbob,

 

Welcome to Geocaching! I think you'll enjoy your time in this sport/hobby.

 

Several things come to mind, only a few of which others have touched on with their replies.

 

Eventually, after finding 100+ caches or so, you'll have a list of things that you want to know or look for while searching for the cache. Here are a few:

 

- coordinates (How good are they?)

- container (What are you looking for?)

- cache owner (Who put this out and what are their hides like?)

- recent activity (Have others been finding this? Has the weather been bad? Could the public been through and messed with the cache?)

 

Also consider the following:

 

- Your experience

- How many different types of caches you've seen or found

- The type of GPS unit you use for your hunt

- Your condition during the hunt (tired, frustrated, full bladder, talking on your cell phone, etc.)

- Area conditions during the hunt (night, dusk, raining, around high buildings or under dense tree cover)

 

All these things have their effect on your ability to find the cache.

 

Remember, just because you aren't finding it in a certain location doesn't mean that its at that location.

 

- It could be missing.

- You could be looking in the wrong place.

- It may be just above your head or right below your line-of-sight.

 

You could also have painted an incorrect picture of the situation. We all visualize the cache from what we know or think we know. I have a cache called Rockaby. It's hidden very close to a rock wall with PVC drain pipes that poke through the rocks. The cache is actually hidden somewhere very close, but not having anything to do with the rock wall. I used to hunt for a certain cacher's hides who would place them near an obvious "thing," but not associated with that thing. His caching buddy would do the opposite and hide his caches on, under, or near the "obvious" object near ground zero.

 

When you read the cache page, look at the difficulty, the terrain, the cache name, cache hider, and any mention of a container/size. Read the last 5 logs and notice the number of finds and DNFs. If this is an older cache with lots of finds, the ratio of DNFs to Finds will tell you something about how difficult this will be to find. If several of these DNFs are grouped together, then followed by an owner's log stating that the cache was missing and was replaced, it may not be as hard as it first appears.

_____________________

 

Posting Did Not Finds

 

This is something you'll want to think about and do according to your plan. Being new, you may want to hold off posting a DNF until you've looked once or twice. Or you may want to log one each time you search and come up empty. Personally, if you feel you've given it a good try, log the DNF.

 

Come cachers log each time. Some post on their second, failed attempt. Some never claim a DNF << this is Bad Caching, in my opinion. As a cache owner, I want to know that someone's been to my cache and looked. If they found it, great. If they didn't, that's fine too.

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I log every dnf, its a record for me of which caches I have tried.

 

Also (depending on where you live) there will be plenty of other caches out there you can find. You might want to find a few more and come back and try that one again. Also has that person placed others that you could try so that you get an idea about their possible hiding style.

 

The very fist log I wrote was a dnf :), but once I found a few more (and got a gpsr) I went back and was able to log it as a find :mad:.

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Welcome to geocaching! The first few hunts can be very frustrating, until you get the hang of the game. Know any other geocachers? Go out with them--they'll show you the ropes. Or, go to the next geobash or meet-and-greet in your area (listed on the weekly newsletter from gc.com). you should be able to hook up with folks who can help you get going.

 

 

It took me three tries to find my second cache, and a half-dozen tries to find my third. Once you start finding them, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

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I have looked for a cache three times in the last two days, and have had no luck so far. I have found a few others, so I have some idea what I am looking for.

 

Now, I realize it might just be hidden well and that's why I can't find it (although the difficulty is rated 1.5)

 

But, what are the chances that it has been removed? And if that's the case, what's the next step? Is there a way to report a cache missing? I don't know if I want to do that because it could very well still be there and I can't find it.

 

Also, is it acceptable to ask the person who placed the cache for a tip?

 

Thanks,

 

Ricbob

 

I placed my first cache this past weekend, and I got an email today saying they couldn't find it. Sure enough, it has already been muggled (removed from location) by someone.

 

I don't think twice about logging a DNF after 15 minutes of looking.

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