first to find rule

[+ube66]

How does it work out if your in a group and its the first to find who gets credit the group or the person who actually found it?

[+DiamondDaveG]

In my usual group (2 sons & myself), the boys take turns. If we know its a FTF, who ever is 'next up' takes the lead on the search and actually finds the cache. Since I have more FTFs than either of them, I have to wait out about 10 more til they catch up.

 

Our extended group (2 sons, my dad & myself) would probably work the same way.

 

They are good about it though. Recently there was a new cache near the house & they decided that one would take the FTF and the other would get the TB inside. As long as they are working together it's fine with me.

[+hydnsek]

Whenever I'm with a group on a FTF, we usually call it a co-FTF. We are all searching at the same time, it's often luck who turns it up first.

[+Zop]

How does it work out if your in a group and its the first to find who gets credit the group or the person who actually found it?

 

That depends entirely on your "group".

 

When I cache with a buddy or group, an FTF is shared among us as CO-FTF's.

 

I have cached with others though who feel that if they found it even with you on their shoulder, the FTF is theirs.

 

Best to come up with a plan on the way to the hide and stick with it.

[Mr.Yuck]

In my usual group (2 sons & myself), the boys take turns. If we know its a FTF, who ever is 'next up' takes the lead on the search and actually finds the cache. Since I have more FTFs than either of them, I have to wait out about 10 more til they catch up.

 

Our extended group (2 sons, my dad & myself) would probably work the same way.

 

They are good about it though. Recently there was a new cache near the house & they decided that one would take the FTF and the other would get the TB inside. As long as they are working together it's fine with me.

 

I'd think he means FTF hounds converging on the cache in a sort of mini-event. Well, I guess that depends on how competitive some of the people converging on the cache are. Me, I couldn't care less. But I suppose ultimately, the person who actually spots it first, and could have grabbed it and signed it if they were alone, can claim FTF. If that's what floats their boat.

[+ube66]

Opps i also meant to say/ add i was at an event today with a buddy and 2 others we have never cached with before

[+sportside]

Still depends on who you are with... I don't think there is an actual FTF rule. It's more of a personal stat...

[+DiamondDaveG]

Opps i also meant to say/ add i was at an event today with a buddy and 2 others we have never cached with before

 

Sorry, I thought you meant in your 'usual' caching group.

 

At an event, I would say 'Every man/woman for themselves' unless we decided ahead of time to handle it differently.

[+Rockin Roddy]

When searching an FTF (or any cache) as a group, please remember to allow ALL the group to find the cache on their own! It's a bummer when the first finder points out or recovers the cache before everyone has a chance to make the find.

 

I led a group out last night for our night cache...a FTF of sorts (it was BETA'd, but we didn't tell everyone that). The group of about 20 people all went out together, but there was soon a few "leaders" running (and I mean running) ahead of the pack. When the pack reached the final (a 6 stage multi), the container was already out and the log was already being signed! Some people never even had the chance to know where the final (or some of the stages) were hidden...this "dulled" their experience!

 

As for the FTF, if in a group before heading out, agree upon the FTF details. If not, when people start to arrive while I'm searching, I'd welcome anyone to join and would allow whomever makes the find to claim FTF unless we agree differently before the find!

[Mag Magician]

It depends on your personal credo. I was offered co-FTF on a prearranged meeting, but my friend showed up at GZ before I did, and signed the paper log first. Big deal! He got to the cache first, signed the log first, so he was FTF! Any other way of looking at it is up to you, as a person establishing your own goals in life.

[+Harry Dolphin]

FTF is First to Find. This seems rather obvious. There can only be one First. Anyone else is not First. Hunting an FTF with friends or relatives, whoever finds it first is FTF, and logs it first. I may log second and say "Co-FTF with Circles", but she was FTF.

[+J-Way]

How does it work out if your in a group and its the first to find who gets credit the group or the person who actually found it?

That depends entirely on your "group".

Pretty much every scenario has been covered, but this statement covers all of them.

 

Sometimes FTF is "shared" by the group as a whole. Sometimes the rule is that whoever spots the cache first is the only FTF. Sometimes whoever grabs the cache first or physically signs the log first is FTF (this can potentially lead to fistfights and/or wrestling matches at ground zero). If you're part of a group going for a FTF, and more than one of you is a hard-core FTF hound, then you'd better establish the ground rules ahead of time to avoid black eyes and broken bones.

[+Taoiseach]

How does it work out if your in a group and its the first to find who gets credit the group or the person who actually found it?

 

That depends entirely on your "group".

 

When I cache with a buddy or group, an FTF is shared among us as CO-FTF's.

 

That's the way we usually do it up here

 

I have cached with others though who feel that if they found it even with you on their shoulder, the FTF is theirs.

 

That's when you try to force the fumble...

[Skippermark]

Around here, there's a caching couple who often finds the cache before anyone else (after being published and all that, not beforehand), but in their log they say they "Signed the log first, but we're leaving the FTF for the person who finds it after us..."

 

They're not talking about any FTF prizes or anything but the right to claim FTF.

[+Star*Hopper]

There's already too many words in the English language that no longer means what is defined in dictionaries. "First" has apparently become another of them.

 

As someone else has already noted, there can only BE one 'first'. If I had my way, "First" would mean the first person & ONLY the first person who finds & lays hands on the cache....regardless of whether there's 2 or 72 in the group.

 

But I don't.

 

~*

[+tozainamboku]

Around here, there's a caching couple who often finds the cache before anyone else (after being published and all that, not beforehand), but in their log they say they "Signed the log first, but we're leaving the FTF for the person who finds it after us..."

 

They're not talking about any FTF prizes or anything but the right to claim FTF.

Just because they say that 2nd to find can claim FTF, does that make it right?

[+DanOCan]

Totally depends on you.

 

For me, if I am searching with a group and someone else is the first to spot the cache then in my books they are the FTF and I do not count it as a FTF for myself.

 

If I am in that same group and I spot it first then I will count is as a personal FTF. If someone else in the group also wants to call it a FTF it is up to them because it no way changes anything for me.

 

If you are in a group and someone else finds it, there is nothing they can do to stop you from claiming it as a FTF if you choose to do so.

[Skippermark]

Around here, there's a caching couple who often finds the cache before anyone else (after being published and all that, not beforehand), but in their log they say they "Signed the log first, but we're leaving the FTF for the person who finds it after us..."

 

They're not talking about any FTF prizes or anything but the right to claim FTF.

Just because they say that 2nd to find can claim FTF, does that make it right?

No, and it confuses people more than anything.

 

In our local forums, people can earn medals for doing certain things, like finding 25 water caches or finding all of the caches placed last year by a certain cacher.

 

Well, there's also a medal for finding 25/50/75/100/150 FTFs. So the question always comes up if you find one of the caches that has already been found by the these cachers, does it count as an FTF since they "left" the FTF for someone else.

 

The general concensus is NO, it's not an FTF because someone already found it.

[+Wild Thing 73]

Wow, FTF cachers really have fun, but they can't count to two....Good luck

[+Star*Hopper]

...

 

If you are in a group and someone else finds it, there is nothing they can do to stop you from claiming it as a FTF if you choose to do so.

 

Nope - can't stopyou.

But they'll know, and can let others know, you're a liar.

 

And what does that do for the other things you might say, or claim?

Veracity - can you haz some?

~*

[+Okiebryan]

If I'm in a group and we find a FTF, then we share the FTF.

 

If I'm looking and another cacher shows up, I ask if they want to look together, but if they show up and I already have the cache in my hand, too bad, so sad, you lose I win... lol

 

Most all of us in my area are friends anyway, and its about the fun, not the numbers. It's cool to run into another cacher late at night on an FTF run.

[Ranger Fox]

When I'm with others and I find a cache first, the entire group gets the FTF. I like that because it fosters teamwork when looking for difficult caches. If you don't do that, I feel people will horde information and not work as a team.

 

There are times I'm caching with others, I find the FTF cache first, sign it, replace it, and log it via my cell phone before they realize what happened. Everyone still gets the FTF. However, if anyone else does that to me, I tend to defer the FTF unless the person tells me s/he will share.

 

I feel my most important FTF rule is to leave more FTFs than I find. It keeps everyone happy. Even so, I've exceeded 500 FTFs and am on my way to having a millennial in a few years.

[+infiniteMPG]

We have cached in groups often and whenever there is a FTF, it's always a CO-FTF no matter who found it first. The caching was done as a "group" and not as a bunch of individuals competing against one another.

 

For you folks who say there can only be one FTF, what if you're caching in a group on a multi and YOU were the FTF on all of the stages EXCEPT the final? Are you going to surrender your accomplishments on all the previous stages just because you didn't find the final first?

 

What if you and the group are near GZ and the hint says it's below a twisted oak. You saw the twisted oak and announced "There it is!" but someone was closer to it then you at that time. So they got to GZ first and found it first even though you found the spot first. Or do you sneak over there to beat out everyone else to the FTF?

 

And what if you're caching a five stage multi as a group of five and each person was the FTF on one of the stages????

 

I think that's putting a lot of complications and competition on to a relatively simple and fun recreational activity.

[+infiniteMPG]

Greensboro, NC

Ranger Fox, Greensboro, ehhh? I grew up in Burlington and used to live off Randleman Road just on the north side of 85/40 many years ago. If you run across a cacher up there named flawv1 it's my nephew I got addicted to the sport

[+hycam]

Around here, there's a caching couple who often finds the cache before anyone else (after being published and all that, not beforehand), but in their log they say they "Signed the log first, but we're leaving the FTF for the person who finds it after us..."

 

They're not talking about any FTF prizes or anything but the right to claim FTF.

Is this maybe the case where the couple are actually beta-testing the cache for the owner, so are just indicating that it still needs a FTF from the general public?

[+Renegade Knight]

How does it work out if your in a group and its the first to find who gets credit the group or the person who actually found it?

 

Yes.

 

It's really a function of how your group caches and their philosopy. In my group if one of us finds the cache we all found the cache. Thus we all share the FTF. However if there is some cool swag, First actually Find may not be First to Open and oftne First to Open is First to Sign Log unless they passed the cache to the next guy who's First to Sign while First to Open absconds wiht the cool swag.

 

It's simple when we are in the bush. Harder to write about.

[Ranger Fox]

If you run across a cacher up there named flawv1 it's my nephew I got addicted to the sport

Yes, I think I've talked with him once. I do know of him, did a number of his caches and FTFed a few. I think he cached with rldill and Granpa Alex at some point.

 

(And that's as far off topic as I can get.)

[knowschad]

The one that wins the fight, of course!

[+infiniteMPG]

I think with many things the FTF is something up to the owner's discretion to decide. There are people who don't think one person should sign everyone in the group's names to the log book, that each individual has to sign their own or it's not valid. I think the vast majority approach GC as a light hearted activity and shouldn't need a lawyer to figure out the rules.

If you run across a cacher up there named flawv1 it's my nephew I got addicted to the sport

Yes, I think I've talked with him once. I do know of him, did a number of his caches and FTFed a few. I think he cached with rldill and Granpa Alex at some point. (And that's as far off topic as I can get.)

That's definitely him and who he caches with. It all started when I tried to get him to maintain a couple of my NC caches around where my folks live. He got it bad but now has it a little more under control

[+J-Way]

When I'm with others and I find a cache first, the entire group gets the FTF. I like that because it fosters teamwork when looking for difficult caches. If you don't do that, I feel people will horde information and not work as a team.

A large group of us left an event to find a particularly evil nano cache. The cache owner came along to snicker at us and heckle our efforts.

 

After snickering and heckling for about 20 minutes, he finally came over and said he's feeling guilty enough to tell us that the cache had been found and removed about 5 minutes earlier by one of our group, who was over there at his vehicle signing the log. He was so determined to sign in the FTF location that he'd palmed the cache, walked away, and left the rest of us still looking for a now missing cache.

Edited November 5, 2008 by J-Way

[AZcachemeister]

It depends on the consensus of the group in question.

In many cases, my group could care less about the FTF, so it's an X-way co-FTF if we find it.

In other cases I have hunted with cachers who 'don't do co-FTFs' which is also fine with me.