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Do CO's have to give additional hints?


TreasureFerret

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I'm still relatively new and I'm not planning on hiding any caches for a long time. I have seen that many people will ask the cache owner for additional information to find the cache but personally I don't like that idea, and I was wondering if I ever did hide a cache if it would be frowned upon for me to not give additional hints when asked? Of course this would be for a normal traditional cache, not a puzzle cache or anything that difficult.

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You don't have to give any hints. Make them work for it. Also, if you don't want to leave hints in the Additional Hints box of the cache listing just leave the field blank instead of entering "do u really need a hint", "no hint", "you're on your own", or anything else you can think of that would fully tick off a cacher who's already frustrated enough to decrypt the hint.

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As a cache owner, if asked, I'm happy to give an extra hint -IF you've posted a DNF on the cache!

(I always keep an eye on the logs, no one has asked so far. It's not that difficult to find!)

 

As a cache seeker, I've emailed the cache owner to confirm I've got the numbers right for a multi.

I'd started to search the area and kept finding bags of 'dog mess' so called off the search until I knew the co-ords were correct.

 

The CO responded that I had the correct co-ords, and told me exactly where the cache was... :blink: Sort of took the edge off that cache! :laughing:

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I'll give a hint if someone asks for a hint, but a lot of people don't want hints. They want you to tell them where the cache is. I won't do that.

 

It's totally up to the cache owner how much he wants to give away, if anything at all.

 

I always get a kick out of it when someone asks for a hint and then gets pissy because you give 'em a hint and not just tell 'em exactly how to find it.

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I'll give a hint if someone asks for a hint, but a lot of people don't want hints. They want you to tell them where the cache is. I won't do that.

...

I've seen that in action waaaaay too many times.

 

So true,

 

I will not walk them to the cache and put their hands on it ... unless differently abled.

 

I have placed caches which might be considered ADA compliant to allow folks to work a certain Delorme Challenge, however, I am not Santa Claus and do not liberally give hand outs. A hand yes, a hand out NO.

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I'll give a hint if someone asks for a hint, but a lot of people don't want hints. They want you to tell them where the cache is. I won't do that.

 

It's totally up to the cache owner how much he wants to give away, if anything at all.

 

I have had the opposite problem on a couple caches I've found. I posted a DNF, and planned on going back to look again. However, the CO sent me a hint I didn't ask for, and it really just gave away the cache. <_<

 

I don't mind having to ask for a hint, but when the cache is getting a lot of logs that say how great the hide was, it spoils it to get too much hint. Sure I found it, but it will always feel like a give away, rather than a success.

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Thank you all for your responses :) To me the game is about using your gps and observational skills to locate the cache and feeling the pride of finding the cache based on your own hard work. Getting help from the CO would diminish my joy in being able to find the cache myself. That's just how I like to play the game and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be terribly frowned upon if I expected geocachers to work the same way when looking for a cache I had hidden.

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I'll give a hint if someone asks for a hint, but a lot of people don't want hints. They want you to tell them where the cache is. I won't do that.

 

It's totally up to the cache owner how much he wants to give away, if anything at all.

 

I have had the opposite problem on a couple caches I've found. I posted a DNF, and planned on going back to look again. However, the CO sent me a hint I didn't ask for, and it really just gave away the cache. <_<

 

I don't mind having to ask for a hint, but when the cache is getting a lot of logs that say how great the hide was, it spoils it to get too much hint. Sure I found it, but it will always feel like a give away, rather than a success.

 

Yeah, some COs take the posting of a DNF to mean "Tell me where it is." After two experiences with this, I may not post the DNF if I plan to go back and try again.

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I usually don't give hints, but do try to have a sort of hint in the cache name. If I'm asked and the person has posted a DNF, I'll give a hint or two or three. I usually give several but space them out in the reply so they can chose how many to use. I have no idea if that works or not. Whatever you do in the future, don't post a hint that says "none needed" or something similar. That is just foolish.

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I have seen that many people will ask the cache owner for additional information to find the cache but personally I don't like that idea, and I was wondering if I ever did hide a cache if it would be frowned upon for me to not give additional hints when asked? Of course this would be for a normal traditional cache, not a puzzle cache or anything that difficult.

I thought the object of caching was to FIND caches. If you don't want your cache found then why hide it? :unsure:

 

Giving a hint is NOT telling me that it is under the 4th brick in the second row from the 15th streetlight, and the brick is the only blue one and all the rest are red. It's giving a nudge that something in that wall is very different from the rest of the wall.

 

I will give anyone a hint where to look for my caches as I really want them found. I won't tell you which rock to look under or the solution to a puzzle but I will give you a nudge in the right direction. :)

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You don't have to give any hints. Make them work for it. Also, if you don't want to leave hints in the Additional Hints box of the cache listing just leave the field blank instead of entering "do u really need a hint", "no hint", "you're on your own", or anything else you can think of that would fully tick off a cacher who's already frustrated enough to decrypt the hint.

Thank you Ambient_Skater! Nothing worse than decrypting something for nothing.

We've DNF'd caches and had the COs contact us offering/giving hints without being asked. Probably as we've posted DNF logs.

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I only have a few caches placed. I don't mind giving a hint, if the person emails for one. One of our caches is a working bird feeder. I glued birdseed to the inside of an old cyclindrical feeder. There is room for birdseed in the bottom and a small bag with the log and a few SWAG items on top. One cacher emailed after a couple DNF's and asked if the feeder was "it" and I said "yes". Didn't mind confirming the container. If I ask for a hint, I don't really want to know exactly where it is, just if I am close. One time I asked the CO if we were correct about the container (an extra bolt very tight on a guardrail) and the CO told me we were wrong. Found out later, it was the bolt! That made us mad! If you don't want to tell someone what the container is- fine, but don't lie about it!!

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I'm still relatively new and I'm not planning on hiding any caches for a long time. I have seen that many people will ask the cache owner for additional information to find the cache but personally I don't like that idea, and I was wondering if I ever did hide a cache if it would be frowned upon for me to not give additional hints when asked? Of course this would be for a normal traditional cache, not a puzzle cache or anything that difficult.

Depends on why you hide the cache.I currently have 13 traditional caches hidden. They are hidden as best as I can from accidental muggle finds. Each one has a detailed description of its location including most times a photo or two of the camouflaged cache. I didn't hide these caches from cachers. Its about location.

 

If I hid a cache for the purpose of stumping a geocacher then the hint would be different and not as forthcoming.

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No caches hidden yet and not too many found. I have posted DNF's and really don't want any help finding them. Why bother if you need hints? The day I hide any, I will not provide any hints. I'd suggest if you can't find these things and require assistance, you should look into another sport. Maybe on-line poker? :rolleyes:

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No caches hidden yet and not too many found. I have posted DNF's and really don't want any help finding them. Why bother if you need hints? The day I hide any, I will not provide any hints. I'd suggest if you can't find these things and require assistance, you should look into another sport. Maybe on-line poker? :rolleyes:

 

Hmmm. There are many caches where hints are important: caches hidden in high traffic areas where a hint can narrow the search area and help protect the cache; caches hidden in narrow tree lined canyons where gpsr reception is spotty at best and the coordinates might be jumping within a 200 foot radius; caches that are placed where a wider search could damage the environment; caches that would otherwise be a needle in the haystack and the cache owner is willing to shorten the size of a haystack.

 

I can always make a cache so that it is very difficult to find. That takes very little creativity and is easy to do. But as a cache owner, I want people to find my caches and try to limit the number of dnfs. So if people need extra help, why not? It is a game. It is supposed to be fun. Email me. Ask for my phone number and I will give it to you.

 

As a cache finder, the search is sometimes the least interesting thing. After almost 9000 finds with varying degrees of difficulty, there are still situations where help is appreciated -- sometimes it is just to confirm that I was looking in the right place. I asked a cache owner for help because if the container was on the side the street where the map and gpsr pointed, it could be in an area that is used a street toilet; if it was on the other side of the road, it seemed that it might be missing. I did not get any response and there have been a few other dnfs. I will not return to look for that one anytime in the near future.

 

When I was new to this game, owners willing to provide extra help kept me interested, and some became good friends. But at this point, even if I run into situations where assistance might be nice, I doubt that I will be looking into another game any time in the future (other than the ones that I already play).

 

I am glad when a CO is willing to offer help. Still, the thing I do not want to see in a printed hint is an offer to email the owner: if I am 100 miles from home, up a steep mountain, hanging on to the side of a cliff, it is not a viable option. I also do not like to see the obvious: "touching rock" in a field of rocks will probably annoy me enough to never look for the cache again. And I do not want to see that the hint is that there are no hints or that I do not need no stickin' hints. That is simply rude -- although if you do not want to be contacted, that is probably one way to make it clear that it is not worth my time to either find your cache or contact you for any reason

Edited by mulvaney
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I have seen that many people will ask the cache owner for additional information to find the cache but personally I don't like that idea, and I was wondering if I ever did hide a cache if it would be frowned upon for me to not give additional hints when asked? Of course this would be for a normal traditional cache, not a puzzle cache or anything that difficult.

I thought the object of caching was to FIND caches. If you don't want your cache found then why hide it? :unsure:

 

Giving a hint is NOT telling me that it is under the 4th brick in the second row from the 15th streetlight, and the brick is the only blue one and all the rest are red. It's giving a nudge that something in that wall is very different from the rest of the wall.

 

I will give anyone a hint where to look for my caches as I really want them found. I won't tell you which rock to look under or the solution to a puzzle but I will give you a nudge in the right direction. :)

 

Yes, the object of geocaching is to find caches, but that doesn't mean that it has to be easy, and when they're not the site provides a difficulty rating mechanism it might be. Using the geocaching rating form, a four star difficulty definition reads: "Difficult. A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete."

 

If a cache is rated 4 stars it's *supposed* to be difficult to find.

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I have seen that many people will ask the cache owner for additional information to find the cache but personally I don't like that idea, and I was wondering if I ever did hide a cache if it would be frowned upon for me to not give additional hints when asked? Of course this would be for a normal traditional cache, not a puzzle cache or anything that difficult.

I thought the object of caching was to FIND caches. If you don't want your cache found then why hide it? :unsure:

 

Giving a hint is NOT telling me that it is under the 4th brick in the second row from the 15th streetlight, and the brick is the only blue one and all the rest are red. It's giving a nudge that something in that wall is very different from the rest of the wall.

 

I will give anyone a hint where to look for my caches as I really want them found. I won't tell you which rock to look under or the solution to a puzzle but I will give you a nudge in the right direction. :)

 

Yes, the object of geocaching is to find caches, but that doesn't mean that it has to be easy, and when they're not the site provides a difficulty rating mechanism it might be. Using the geocaching rating form, a four star difficulty definition reads: "Difficult. A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete."

 

If a cache is rated 4 stars it's *supposed* to be difficult to find.

But we're not discussing how difficult a find may be..... we're talking about giving hints. :)

 

I've hunted D5 caches and only once did I need a hint, and the hint I got, while extremely obvious once I made the find, was veiled at the time and I failed to interpret it correctly.

 

And you have to admit, once you've found some D5 caches and here you are working a D1.5 and it is kicking your butt, a hint/nudge in the right direction gets you back in the right frame of mind. :)

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I requested a hint three times via e-mail to the cache owner through geocaching.com and never received a reply. I finally contacted a fellow geocacher who had found the cache and, after explaining my futile e-mailing, was kind enough to provide me with a helpful hint. Under the circumstances, I don't think I nor the hint provider violated the "terms of conduct" regarding hint requests from cache owners only. Too many CO's are unresponsive to DNF logs and maintenance logs or just don't care. I don't bother trying to find their caches anymore. Nine out of ten times it'll be a soggy, disappointing mess anyway.

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I will always help out someone who asks for help on my caches.

 

For example, when they ask for help with one of my puzzles I first ask them how much help they want -- from a vague hint to a step-by-step walkthrough of the solution -- and then work to the level they ask.

 

My caches are placed to be hidden from muggles, not other cachers.

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I will always help out someone who asks for help on my caches.

 

For example, when they ask for help with one of my puzzles I first ask them how much help they want -- from a vague hint to a step-by-step walkthrough of the solution -- and then work to the level they ask.

 

My caches are placed to be hidden from muggles, not other cachers.

Right on! You do what I think all responsible cache owners should do. I'm overjoyed when someone asks for help on one of my caches. It shows they went out there and spent the time to look around. I want people to find my caches, especially the kids...they're all kid friendly caches.

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I will always help out someone who asks for help on my caches.

 

For example, when they ask for help with one of my puzzles I first ask them how much help they want -- from a vague hint to a step-by-step walkthrough of the solution -- and then work to the level they ask.

 

My caches are placed to be hidden from muggles, not other cachers.

Right on! You do what I think all responsible cache owners should do. I'm overjoyed when someone asks for help on one of my caches. It shows they went out there and spent the time to look around. I want people to find my caches, especially the kids...they're all kid friendly caches.

Two great posts!

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