+gpsgeology Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 I have begun to quickly scan for fishing line on trees or brush upon reaching the GZ. In our flooding area, people tend to hang caches on trees or plants. While the cache may be on the other side of the tree, the fact that the line is showing from all angles has been a great clue. Granted, the foliage is not really out yet, so this clue will become less useful later. Anyone else notice "clues" before they actually see the container? Steve. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 A well-worn path! Quote Link to comment
+ngrrfan Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 A pile of rocks that doesn't match the color of surrounding rocks. A pile of aspen limbs when all the surrounding trees are pines. Quote Link to comment
+KeeperOfTheMist Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Pile of rocks against a tree. Pile of bark against a tree pile of sticks against a tree pile of sticks with few trees around. (before its said) a lamp post skirt in a parking lot a rope tied to a tree by a river/creek Quote Link to comment
+Brooklyn51 Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 A logical or natural place to hide something, like a knothole in a tree or a sign with an overhanging ledge an illogical or unnatural addition to something else, like an electrical box on a non-electrical post Quote Link to comment
hoosier guy Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Till recently I looked for tracks in the snow. Quote Link to comment
+Fianccetto Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Till recently I looked for tracks in the snow. Did they go around in circles for a while then all head off to one place and then straight back away again? Some kind of a shelf - bridge, natural rock, stile, fallen tree. Sticks piled up neatly, all lined up. A heap of leaves with a bit of camo bag sticking out. A hole in a tree away from the main path. Some string attached to a branch disappearing into a hole in a tree! The little nano shape on the silhouette of the railings at dusk. Quote Link to comment
hoosier guy Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Did they go around in circles for a while then all head off to one place and then straight back away again? Precisely, a drunken bee dance frozen in time. Quote Link to comment
+TomToad Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Eight other geocachers around the area 20 minutes after the cache was published. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Till recently I looked for tracks in the snow. FTF on ony of my mystery caches used the FITS method. Still took hi a half hour because I wandered about looking for the right rock to camouflage the cache hide. I look for rocks with scratches. Quote Link to comment
+fishgeek Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Ball-point pens or pen caps laying around in the woods. I found one today, which reminded me of this thread. Quote Link to comment
+smstext Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 tupperware caches often come out well with a strong led torch at night Quote Link to comment
+ipodguy Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I look for paths made by other cachers, piles of sticks or rocks, that sort of thing. If I'm really not seeing anything right away, I try to imagine myself hiding the cache and decide where I'd put it. Usually does the trick. Sometimes my dog sniffs them out which is helpful. Quote Link to comment
+Dibley68 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I have begun to quickly scan for fishing line on trees or brush upon reaching the GZ. In our flooding area, people tend to hang caches on trees or plants. While the cache may be on the other side of the tree, the fact that the line is showing from all angles has been a great clue. Granted, the foliage is not really out yet, so this clue will become less useful later. Anyone else notice "clues" before they actually see the container? Steve. Great question Steve. I have been honing my hunting skills recently (2 years off) and found myself overwhelmed in a National Forest the other day. Then it dawned on me....."If I were to hide a cache is this location what would I pick". Mind you, there were a gazillion trees in the area but what caught my eye was this particular tree that split and looked unique. No hints or descriptions alluded me to this. Sure enough, the owner was gracious enough to narrow down this one tree in spite of the gazillion surrounding it. Also, last week I looked all over for this one crafty cache and then looked for signs of activity. I would not have found it inside of a tree had I not seen the scrape marks at the trunk from others trying to scale it. My friend started "the hunt" 2 weeks ago and she becomes highly frustrated making snarky remarks like "But it says it should be RIGHT HERE" without using any creative ways of sniffing out the spot. I think one's intuition should fill in the gaps when our GPS leaves degrees of accuracy withing 24 or so feet. It's a HUNT! Perhaps that's why fishermen say they are going FISHING and not CATCHING. Cheers! Quote Link to comment
aniyn Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I look for something newer than its surroundings. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 tupperware caches often come out well with a strong led torch at night That is a good one. A lot of camo doesn't work with a flashlight at night. I very often find the cache under the sticks piled up against the fallen tree. That seems to be the most common (in tree-ed areas) around here. Other places I have been, it is under the pile of rocks Often the piles are natural, but still, a pile. Quote Link to comment
+BCSasquatch Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 All of the above. Quote Link to comment
+ras_oscar Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 the pile o sticks that just *happened* TO ALL* fall parallel to each other. Quote Link to comment
corey541 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 my flashlight gives away a lot of them. even if the camo's just a lil bit off it sticks out like a sore thumb with an led flashlight Quote Link to comment
+Viridios Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 I look for the hollow log, the crotch of a tree, or the pile o' sticks/rocks/other natural object in unnatural positions Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Piles of rocks, sticks, leaves etc that don't seem to have happened by natural. Logs or stumps that are large enough to be rotted out and hollow inside. Any sort of naturally hidden spot like a rock ledge, two tree trunks that are close together, dense bushes/shrubs, etc. Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 If it is a newer cache, and the cachers' trail hasn't quite formed yet, I look for broken or bent blades of grass. We did find branches with oregon berries on....under a pine tree. That was a giveaway. We try to re-hide in as natural manner as possible. If it is damp, before I start stomping around, I look for footprints - partial or otherwise! Otherwise....all of the above. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.