newbs..

[thecownthemoon]

just started today.. tried four spots and nooo luck. we dont really know what were looking for or where to look for it. we went up trees looked under bridges and in holes.. couldnt find anything even for things with one star difficulty. any tips????

[+Terrier Team]

All I can say is keep trying. Try not to geet too excited about finding them.... hard yes.... but for me, if I'm too excited I can't think where the cach might be. lol. sometimes it helps to look at other posters comments, how many DNF's there are, clues... stuff like that. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Welcome to the addictive game..

[+USMCGecko]

You may try messaging some of the people that left logs of the finds. They may be able to throw you a bone. Once you find them and see what they ARE, you will have a better idea of what you are looking for in the future.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Boy, that is a toughie...

 

Well, first of all do look for the ones that show on the page as small and larger. Do not, for the time being look for micros. Micros can be as small as your little fingernail... get my point?

 

As the larger ones are a little more difficult to secrete, many try to hide them beneath a pile of sticks, etc. Such is called UPS (Unnatural Pile of Sticks). Look for hiding places, rather than the cache itself.

Also, as far as a GPSr is concerned (guessing that you are using one), it will only take you to the vicinity of the cache. Typically, it will not put you atop the cache. Usually you will have a search area of 20 ft., but it can be larger than that.

 

While searching, look from all angles... light is your friend, it will reveal things from different angles. You mentioned trees, well yes, but you really don't need to climb them unless you see the cache up there. That is almost wasted looking if you are climbing w/o a reason to climb (it could be a climber, but those are not all that common).

 

A pretty good method of searching, is to think like the one that placed the cache... "Now where here, would I hide it"? Look under, over and around everything. If you are real perceptive, you can even find a trail that previous geocachers made to the cache -- not always, but sometimes.

 

When looking, don't go into it with preconceived ideas on what it is going to be. Many different types of containers are used. If something doesn't look quite right, check it closely.

 

Later, with experience, go after those micros. There will be no trading items, but they themselves can be a treat just in the find!

 

Good Luck and Enjoy!

 

EDIT: after a couple of DNFs on one, email the cache owner, they may well give you a good hint. But log the DNF first, most won't supply a hint without it.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+briansnat]

The number one problem novices run into is paying too much attention to the GPS. Consumer grade units have about a 10-30 ft accuracy. When you combine the inaccuracy of your unit and the hider's, the cache could be 30, 40, 50 or more feet from where your GPS says it is.

 

When you get near ground zero if you don't find the cache, expand your search area. Think more about where you would hide something in that area than what your GPS tells you.

 

Also, avoid micros for the time being. They can frustrate even the most experienced cacher. Stick with small or regular sized caches until you get an idea how caches are hidden.

[+billinan]

I must not be doing too half-bad than. I'm a Novice and two of my first three were Micro Caches.

[jerryrig]

Don't feel bad....I have two micro caches I have not found yet.......another one I could not find and part of the problm was I was in a real bad are were I could not get any cell phone reception and my batteries to my gps were running out.....I think total I have 3 no finds.....

[+StarBrand]

Here are some general hints:

 

Look for caches with a difficulty of 2 or less for your fist few caches. Stick with regular sized caches for your first few. Micros can be quite hard to find sometimes. Stick to areas you are familiar with. Look for anything out of place or unusual. Look for unusual piles of sticks, grass, leaves, rocks, sand, etc. Feel where you cannot look. Think vertical, not all caches are on the ground. Look up or at eye level. Look for traces of previous searches to zero in on the spot. Think like the hider - where would you put a container in this location? Look for things too new, too old, too perfect, not like the others, too many, too few. Change your perspective - a shift in lighting can sometimes reveal a cache. Keep in mind that many micros are magnetic or attached to something (via string, wire etc). Slowly expand your search area to about 40 feet from where your GPS says ground zero is. Bring garden gloves and a flashlight - they help! Be prepared to not find the cache more often then you think.

 

Most of all - have fun!!

[+ADTCacheur]

Remember, caches can be anything. In some online geocaching store, I even saw fake hollow dog poo to use as a cache!

 

note: this does not mean all dog poo is a cache, it just means that it MIGHT be. If you look closely you will be able to tell what is a cache and what isn't

[fishnjeeps]

I took 2 tries at finding one cache, the page says its a "Preform". What is a "preform"? I've found 6 caches so far since i"ve started, but have never seen one with that name.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

A preform is a plastic soda bottle before it is expanded to what you recognize as a bottle.

 

A preformer is a person with super good lungs. They blow up preforms to make soda bottles.

[fishnjeeps]

Haha! Thanks, I'll have too try again Monday.

[Hazelette]

A preform is a plastic soda bottle before it is expanded to what you recognize as a bottle

 

First Google FU result. (Am not endorsing or advertising... there's a pic)

[+AuntieWeasel]

Choose caches with hints, and read the hints.

 

There are people who never use hints and don't approve of them. I am not one of those people.

[+ADTCacheur]

Choose caches with hints, and read the hints.

 

There are people who never use hints and don't approve of them. I am not one of those people.

I only part of hints I don't approve of are those people who aren't even 100' from GZ and already want to know what the hint is, what the D/T is, what size the cache is, what the description says about the container, and what previous finders posted in their logs. I annoy them by NOT looking until I've spent 15 minutes or so looking and can't find it, as then I usually start using the hint anyway.

[+Panther&Pine]

Choose caches with hints, and read the hints.

 

There are people who never use hints and don't approve of them. I am not one of those people.

I only part of hints I don't approve of are those people who aren't even 100' from GZ and already want to know what the hint is, what the D/T is, what size the cache is, what the description says about the container, and what previous finders posted in their logs. I annoy them by NOT looking until I've spent 15 minutes or so looking and can't find it, as then I usually start using the hint anyway.

 

Humm, I don't see how knowing the D/T or Size is a hint/spoiler.

[+ADTCacheur]

Choose caches with hints, and read the hints.

 

There are people who never use hints and don't approve of them. I am not one of those people.

I only part of hints I don't approve of are those people who aren't even 100' from GZ and already want to know what the hint is, what the D/T is, what size the cache is, what the description says about the container, and what previous finders posted in their logs. I annoy them by NOT looking until I've spent 15 minutes or so looking and can't find it, as then I usually start using the hint anyway.

 

Humm, I don't see how knowing the D/T or Size is a hint/spoiler.

It helps know what you`re looking for (eg. are you looking for a film canister up a tree, or a lock'n'lock in a bush) and it's mainly just annoying to not even look before you've resorted to trying to figure out absolutely everything about the cache... Sometimes I find the cache in less time than it takes to read through for anything that could remotely be considered a hint...

[+tsipma]

just started today.. tried four spots and nooo luck. we dont really know what were looking for or where to look for it. we went up trees looked under bridges and in holes.. couldnt find anything even for things with one star difficulty. any tips????

 

One thing that has helped me is to look at geocache stores and see what is available for containers to purchase. (keep in mind that this is only a guide, I have found some caches that are obviously home-made, but at least you get an idea) If you know what common containers are out there, it gives you an idea what to look for. I am new too (11 finds as of today) and I avoid reading all of the logs until I have searched for about 15 minutes only off of the GZ and title/description. When I get stumped, there are usually some really good clues in the logs.

 

I have been much more successful when I am caching with someone. Four eyes are better than two!

Edited May 29, 2010 by tsipma

[+RobDJr]

You can also check online logs of caches you're thinking of looking for, to get a handle on the recent activity for that cache. I'd suggest you avoid trying for caches that have a string of recent DNF's, for example (or caches with many DNF's). A regular sized low difficulty cache that has been found recently would be a good target.