Hiding on your own land

[+Recon.777]

I was thinking about how the area I live in is full of all these tiny caches full of 10 cent plastic toys and they're all in public areas and typically very easy to find. So I was wondering if its tacky to hide caches on your own property. We have quite a bit of land, with hills and woods and we regularly go hiking without leaving the property. So I was thinking it might be cool to make a well hidden but large cache (or two) on the land here and fill it with fun stuff.

Would people feel strange about looking on someone's private property for a cache that the owner themselves placed?

There may be some restrictions, like I wouldn't recommend looking for it during hunting season as we have hunters on the land doing their thing. I think it would be really fun to have the biggest cache for miles around filled with lots of cool stuff to trade.

[+Taoiseach]

I'd just be sure to add a note that the cache is there with permission, and if you see the very caching and Recon.777 friendly landowners, be sure to stop and say 'Hi!'

[+Sabri.Suh]

Sounds really nice, if you want to share a little of your land with everybody, I would be sure to let them know where to park and what times to go. Probably you will not someone walking at midnight in your property.

 

Sounds really nice, and I hope it goes ok, besides that must be really easy to mantain! and no muggles!!

 

Good luck out there!

[+otis89]

I don't see any problem with it. Lots of people have hidden caches on their own land or a relative's land. In fact, some of the best ones tend to be on private property. Like Taoiseach said, I'd just mention in the description that the cache is there with permission, you own the land, or something to that effect.

[+brodiebunch]

Sounds like a great idea to me. A cache hidden there would always be very well maintained too.

 

Would you disable the cache during hunting season or just include a warning about hunting season?

[+J-Way]

Sounds really nice, if you want to share a little of your land with everybody, I would be sure to let them know where to park and what times to go. Probably you will not someone walking at midnight in your property.

It doesn't matter what restrictions you put on hours; a significant number of cachers simply download coordinates directly to their receivers and never bother to read the description. If you place a cache on your land you should be aware that eventually there WILL be some strange person wandering around on your propery at 2:00 AM.

 

Otherwise, assuming you place it well away from your house, make sure there are no obvious physical dangers (rolls of buried barbed wire, pits full of sharpened stakes, dangerous terrain, land mines, or biting dogs), and make sure your neighbors and maybe even your local LEO knows about the cache, there shouldn't be a problem.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I have three on property I own one of which is where I live.

No problems at all.....go for it.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Go for it!

 

I've had a cache on both my front porch in town and on my lake property for years, no worries.

[Skippermark]

No problem at all. We've done quite a few on homeowners property.

 

We were caching in another state and did one where the cacher/homeowners invited us in for cookies and coffee after we made the find. They have become a good friends who we keep in contact with and see at some of the larger regional events.

[+briansnat]

Go for it. Just be sure to give yourself permission for the hide . If you have no trespassing signs on your property you may want to mention on the cache page that it's your property and geocachers are free to ignore the signs.

Edited November 3, 2008 by briansnat

[+Star*Hopper]

Asked, & answered several times over....but heck yeah go for it.

 

I will differ however, in that I don't think it's the wisest of choices telling the "world at large" exactly where you live. That should be 'by invite only', if ya get my drift. There's too dang many crazies runnin' around loose -- they've got computers, & some of 'em geocache!

 

Pemission is a non-issue -- it's implied, when you check them last two li'l blocks & submit the cache for review. That's all that's needed.

 

Just sayin'....

 

~*

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

Asked, & answered several times over....but heck yeah go for it.

 

I will differ however, in that I don't think it's the wisest of choices telling the "world at large" exactly where you live. That should be 'by invite only', if ya get my drift. There's too dang many crazies runnin' around loose -- they've got computers, & some of 'em geocache!

 

Pemission is a non-issue -- it's implied, when you check them last two li'l blocks & submit the cache for review. That's all that's needed.

 

Just sayin'....

 

~*

 

Permission should be a non-issue but it's still an issue because a lot of people don't like taking an implication as a fact. My local reviewers still confirm the responsible party for the property where I'm hiding a cache... and I did have to say, "This is my house." for the house cache. This tells me that somebody at some time tried to hide a cache in someone else's backyard. I also chose the No Night Caching variable. So far so good. We've met a few cachers this way. That's always fun.

 

It's a perfectly safe environment. The "challenge" seems to be in just going into a residential section. The feeling that it should be wrong... that they are doing something naughty. It's a good place to put a Regular cache and know that it won't be muggled.

 

- Elle

[+Kohavis]

Remember that some reviewers require a "wow factor" before they'll publish a cache. If it's merely by a tree or something in your front yard, they may feel that there's not enough in the way of "scenic, cultural or historic significance" to approve it. I believe it falls under their "cache saturation" guidelines.

 

Other reviewers won't care. It's a gamble, but you have nothing to lose. Personally I don't mind if a cache doesn't have a stunning view or isn't located behind the third-oldest cottonwood tree in the county, for example. I think a yard cache is a fine idea

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

Remember that some reviewers require a "wow factor" before they'll publish a cache. If it's merely by a tree or something in your front yard, they may feel that there's not enough in the way of "scenic, cultural or historic significance" to approve it. I believe it falls under their "cache saturation" guidelines.

 

Other reviewers won't care. It's a gamble, but you have nothing to lose. Personally I don't mind if a cache doesn't have a stunning view or isn't located behind the third-oldest cottonwood tree in the county, for example. I think a yard cache is a fine idea

 

I think anywhere there's a geocacher is an automatic "wow" factor.

 

But I'm not a reviewer. hehehe

 

- Elle

[+FourRiverRatz]

Parking cords or a parking "hint" is a good idea. We did a few this weekend on private property..a few right in people's yards, and we always wondered if we were in the right driveway. I liked the one that said something like "only park in the driveway with a mailbox number of 567" (or whateve the number was)

 

One we did we were actually in the wrong driveway, hence in someone else's yard...w/o permission.

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

Parking cords or a parking "hint" is a good idea. We did a few this weekend on private property..a few right in people's yards, and we always wondered if we were in the right driveway. I liked the one that said something like "only park in the driveway with a mailbox number of 567" (or whateve the number was)

 

One we did we were actually in the wrong driveway, hence in someone else's yard...w/o permission.

 

I slapped a geocaching sticker on my mailbox.

 

- Elle

[+briansnat]

Remember that some reviewers require a "wow factor" before they'll publish a cache. If it's merely by a tree or something in your front yard, they may feel that there's not enough in the way of "scenic, cultural or historic significance" to approve it. I believe it falls under their "cache saturation" guidelines.

 

Other reviewers won't care. It's a gamble, but you have nothing to lose. Personally I don't mind if a cache doesn't have a stunning view or isn't located behind the third-oldest cottonwood tree in the county, for example. I think a yard cache is a fine idea

 

This is erroneous information. Reviewers only ensure that the cache meets the listing guidelines. They are not arbiters of cache quality and do do not enforce any "wow factor" standard. If the cache meets the guidelines it will be published. If not, it won't.

[+Stargazer22]

As others have said before me, this is fine. Please note parking coordinates on the cache page as well so folks will know where it's OK to park.

We actually chose a cache on private land to seek the night of Halloween. We wanted to go out and do a cache at night to celebrate the holiday. We considered several that are on public lands but thought we might run a lower risk of an LEO encounter on private land. Since it was Halloween night, we figured the LEOs might be watching some of the public places for no-gooders.

You may find that others come to seek your cache at night for similar reasons.

 

You could put up one of those game cameras on the trail next to the cache since it's on your own land and might get some amusing photos of cachers coming to find your cache.

[+ArcherDragoon]

Go for it!!!

 

Parking Coordinates Issue: I used this at the site...knowing that not all people will read the cache page...

 

and

 

 

I put the full name of the land owner on the sign at the location...only first name on the cache page...tried to make it as clear as possible that permission is given...

[+wimseyguy]

Remember that some reviewers require a "wow factor" before they'll publish a cache. If it's merely by a tree or something in your front yard, they may feel that there's not enough in the way of "scenic, cultural or historic significance" to approve it. I believe it falls under their "cache saturation" guidelines.

 

Other reviewers won't care. It's a gamble, but you have nothing to lose. Personally I don't mind if a cache doesn't have a stunning view or isn't located behind the third-oldest cottonwood tree in the county, for example. I think a yard cache is a fine idea

You must be using the wayback machine and talking about the last year or two that virtual caches were still published. There is no such criteria in the guidelines. But I would hope that the reviewers would caution someone placing a cache at their residence that there is a possibility of a 2 AM knock looking for a hint.

 

The OP sound like they are talking about some undeveloped acreage if there is hunting on site. It could be a lovely spot for an old school hike in the woods cache. Just be sure to let everyone know it is private property and placed with permission. You don't even have to acknowledge that it is your home or your own property.

 

If hunting is permitted 7 days a week, it might be wise to disable the cache during hunting season. We have lots of caches on NC Gamelands. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays, and that is the only time most of us will seek these caches in hunting season.

[+firennice]

Sounds really nice, if you want to share a little of your land with everybody, I would be sure to let them know where to park and what times to go. Probably you will not someone walking at midnight in your property.

It doesn't matter what restrictions you put on hours; a significant number of cachers simply download coordinates directly to their receivers and never bother to read the description. If you place a cache on your land you should be aware that eventually there WILL be some strange person wandering around on your propery at 2:00 AM.

 

Otherwise, assuming you place it well away from your house, make sure there are no obvious physical dangers (rolls of buried barbed wire, pits full of sharpened stakes, dangerous terrain, land mines, or biting dogs), and make sure your neighbors and maybe even your local LEO knows about the cache, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

Of course you could up your insurance policy, place all the above dangers, I would include snake pit, and any indiana jones trap you can think up and make it a 5/5.

[+edscott]

Go for it. Just be sure to give yourself permission for the hide . If you have no trespassing signs on your property you may want to mention on the cache page that it's your property and geocachers are free to ignore the signs.

 

Yes.. and perhaps add something to the signs that makes it very clear. I tried to do one on private property just off I81 down in Virginia a year or so ago and found there were two ways in. Both were posted but by different landowners. Since I could not determine which was the cache owner and which one had the shotgun I decided to keep on driving.