Help! Can't find any caches

[2/3 of an Oyster]

Hello, I'm extremely new to geocaching but I'm really excited to get into it! The only problem is that I suck.

 

I found a few caches with experienced friends, all of which they were the discoverers. Today I thought I'd give it a try on my own, but I failed miserably. I get to the location just fine, but then I can't find the cache. Of the five locations I visited, I didn't find four, and the one I did find was only because it was in a store and an employee gave me a clue.

 

My spirits are really low... I love the idea of geocaching but there aren't a ton near me so it's a major bummer to journey to a point and not find anything, especially when the difficulty is fairly low. I've read all the rules and other information on the main site but some of these clues are pretty vague and I'm a bit lost.

 

I just wanted to know if anybody has any tips for me, especially in finding micros or figuring out vague descriptions. I can link to a cache that stumped me if that would help. Encouragement appreciated! Thanks to anyone who helps

Edited June 21, 2014 by 2/3 of an Oyster

[+T.D.M.22]

Remember caches can be as small as an eraser on a pencil. They can also be camo'd. They can be on rubber insects, fake rocks and pinecones, even look like a berry on a tree. Geocachers don't think if they can make something a cache, they think how, so most anything can be a cache.That means they can be very hard to find, even for some experienced cachers. Start with larger size containers. And when you are caching, when you get within 10/20 feet or so of the cache, put down your GPS and start looking for the cache, rather than trying to get right on top of it. And think "Where would I hide a cache?" You can also look at the hint and look in previous logs for any clues...

[+themulls]

Stick with it! I had trouble finding several when I first started, looking back on those caches now I can only laugh at myself. Without knowing the cache it's kind of hard to help you along. Are the ones you looked for in parking lots, in the woods?

[2/3 of an Oyster]

;Thanks guys! I'll definitely reconsider the camo element. The logs are helpful but usually don't reveal to much

 

I live in a big city so most of the caches in my vicinity are on streets. One was in a parking lot, there was even a clue on what parking space it was near, but I looked all around and found nothing. Then there was a really vague one, the cache was somewhere near a statue elevated on a drug store, with no other real clues... and everyone was saying how easy it was! Oh well :V maybe I'll return another day and it will be totally obvious.

[+themulls]

A lot of "easy" parking lot caches are under the skirt on light poles. I never knew those things lifted up until I started caching. Maybe that will help you on a few of them! Good luck!

[+niraD]

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10ft). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 5-6m (16-20ft) from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

Where would you hide something? Do you notice anything unusual? Is anything too new, too old, too organized (e.g., UPS: an Unnatural Pile of Sticks/Stones), too symmetrical, not quite the right color or shape, etc.? Don’t look only on the ground; the cache may be knee-level, waist-level, eye-level, or overhead. How might the container be secured in place? With magnets? With a hook? With string? With fishing line? With something else? Does anything move when you touch it? (Be careful when touching things though.)

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums.

[+ngrrfan]

Hello, I'm extremely new to geocaching but I'm really excited to get into it! The only problem is that I suck.

 

I found a few caches with experienced friends, all of which they were the discoverers.

The next time you go with your friends, ask them to not say anything when they find the cache but instead give you time to look and when asked give you "hot and cold" hints to zero in on it. That is how I learned and it helped tremendously. Eventually I got to the point where, in our group, I was quickly finding the cache and giving hints to the others.

[+kunarion]

Hello, I'm extremely new to geocaching but I'm really excited to get into it! The only problem is that I suck.

 

I found a few caches with experienced friends, all of which they were the discoverers.

The next time you go with your friends, ask them to not say anything when they find the cache but instead give you time to look and when asked give you "hot and cold" hints to zero in on it. That is how I learned and it helped tremendously. Eventually I got to the point where, in our group, I was quickly finding the cache and giving hints to the others.

I was considering suggesting that same thing. As a Geocacher who also is not good at Geocaching, I need all the help I can get. However, the OP should go with some very empathetic friends. When my friends do that "hot and cold" thing, pretty soon their smiles fade, and they begin to look very concerned for me. "Seriously? You still can't find it after all these hints? Have you thought about a different hobby?" .

 

So... anyway. Use the info in this thread, and I'm sure bringing an experienced cacher along will help.

Edited June 21, 2014 by kunarion

[+Chief301]

First, forget about "looking" for the cache, as that implies that you will be able to see or recognize it by sight. Think of it as "searching" instead of just looking. Oftentimes you will need to feel around for it, especially for micros. Feel on top of, behind, under, inside things that are there. Put your hands on things that look like they shouldn't move and see if they move. Remember that micros are often magnetic, so closely examine metal things in the vicinity.

 

Other than that, follow niraD's oft-pasted "Caching For Newbies" post above 😄

 

Stick with it, it's a skill that must be learned, just like any other new hobby.

[2/3 of an Oyster]

I found one!

 

Thanks to everyone so much for the advice. I sought out a regular sized cache with lower difficulty and found it all on my own :> I nearly overlooked the oddly-colored brick but then I remembered what you guys said. Just about cried when I saw that cookie tin lol, then I spent about 10 minutes admiring the contents (got a trackable!). Will continue to develop my geosenses and see if my cohorts will play hot 'n' cold. Again, thank you guys for helping a newbie out

[+ADKer]

I found one!

 

Thanks to everyone so much for the advice. I sought out a regular sized cache with lower difficulty and found it all on my own :> I nearly overlooked the oddly-colored brick but then I remembered what you guys said. Just about cried when I saw that cookie tin lol, then I spent about 10 minutes admiring the contents (got a trackable!). Will continue to develop my geosenses and see if my cohorts will play hot 'n' cold. Again, thank you guys for helping a newbie out

 

You just put a smile on my face. Thank you!

[+popokiiti]

Congratulations! Remember to keep a note of the number of that trackable so you can enter which cache you place it in (on the Travel Bug page)...ideally within a couple of weeks, as the goal is to keep them moving. You also need to make a note that you retrieved it from the cache on the bug's page.

Welcome to caching and the forums!

[2/3 of an Oyster]

Congratulations! Remember to keep a note of the number of that trackable so you can enter which cache you place it in (on the Travel Bug page)...ideally within a couple of weeks, as the goal is to keep them moving. You also need to make a note that you retrieved it from the cache on the bug's page.

Welcome to caching and the forums!

 

Oh ok thanks, logged in the TB and will deliver it to the next cache I find.

[Silverdragons]

Congratulations on your find! We just went over the 100 mark and I still get the "wow!" feeling when I find one.

[HeathcliffsHarveys]

I feel the same way. I went out caching by myself and out of the 5-6 places I visited, I only found one. I even went back to a place I was before (had to leave then because of muggles) and I didn't find the cache I looked for about a half an hour too. I even got brave and stuck my finger in this fence hole that I thought would contain the cache. I'm deathly allergic to spiders so I have to be somewhat careful....

 

I even went to a place that was on private property, and had a large cache that was said to be within view. Nope, no dice!

 

My iphone app can be really useful, but then it can be totally worthless it seems. It'll get me close to a cache (I usually start looking when it dings, or gets within 10-20 feet) and sometimes it'll jump from 10 feet to 40 feet within a step. I read the hints and look at the clues and 90% of the time in the comments, it'll just say "easy find" and have no pics whatsoever. Totally discouraging

 

I'm hoping when I get the paid $10 app it'll be a bit easier.

[+T.D.M.22]

 

I'm hoping when I get the paid $10 app it'll be a bit easier.

 

It probably won't be any more or less accurate-after all it's the same phone, same GPS chips. Then again you might have access to more logs and pictures, but it's still getting the co-ords from the exact same chip. When you start finding more caches, knowing what to look for, know the styles of local cache hiders, knowing just how well camo'd they can be.

[+Bear and Ragged]

My iphone app can be really useful, but then it can be totally worthless it seems. It'll get me close to a cache (I usually start looking when it dings, or gets within 10-20 feet) and sometimes it'll jump from 10 feet to 40 feet within a step. I read the hints and look at the clues and 90% of the time in the comments, it'll just say "easy find" and have no pics whatsoever. Totally discouraging

 

I'm hoping when I get the paid $10 app it'll be a bit easier.

 

Start looking earlier.

See where the arrow points when you are 40/50 feet away, does it change as you get closer?

Often, the fact you are moving helps the unit keep track of things. As you slow down -as you get closer- it takes a little while for it to work out you've slowed/stopped.

 

I often veer off to one side of where I think the cache is, to see if the arrow carries on pointing the where I think the cache might be.

[HeathcliffsHarveys]

Thanks for the advice!

 

It's irritating in my area because it seems like EVERY cache is a micro. Also they ALL seem to be in urban areas that have people crawling around. I have no problem with going at night, I just simply CAN'T because I have a toddler. I can't go geocaching after 6-7 pm...LOL

 

Anyway I guess practice can make you better

[+a2n]

Some really good advice here! Keep at it, and remember that with every cache you find, you will have added to your hunting skills, and it gets easier to know what to look for.

And have fun !

[+_Sway_]

I feel for you guys who have started out on your own. I did the same thing , and still do. Unless I'm visiting family, I'm always caching alone. The first time I realized a lamp skirt could be lifted I nearly cried, LOL, as a realized right away why I had missed so many in parking lots.

Like others others have stated here, my greatest help came from carefully reading previous logs and looking at the photos.

My personal experiences thus far have shown:

 

If you see a bench at GZ, look underneath for a micro or key holder

If you are in a parking lot, lift the nearest lamp skirt

If you are near a guard rail, that's where it will be.

 

If people used a bit more ingenuity, the above rules would not apply, but sadly, they do.

If it seems like every urban cache is a micro, it's because it probably is. But some of them are fun too, because they lead to interesting sites.

 

Also, check out you tube and watch other people cache hunting. You will see interesting caches and get a feel for certain types of hides.

There are also videos of what people carry when they are caching. Take a look at those.

Someone said they were allergic to spider bites; You should be carrying gloves when you cache.

Just type geocaching in the search box at you tube.

 

Good Luck

Edited June 29, 2014 by Sway_xx

[+niraD]

My personal experiences thus far have shown:

 

If you see a bench at GZ, look underneath for a micro or key holder

If you are in a parking lot, lift the nearest lamp skirt

If you are near a guard rail, that's where it will be.

 

If people used a bit more ingenuity, the above rules would not apply, but sadly, they do.

On the flip side, some of the caches that have taken me the most time to find have been near such obvious locations, without actually using those obvious locations. Even something simple like a hide-a-key fake rock can take a long time to find if your attention is focused elsewhere, on the guardrail, or the bench, or the lamp post, or whatever else.

[+JulesDunelm]

Wow, I could have wriiten the initial post here.

 

I am back from a morning's cycle ride past two caches, neither of which I found. My tally so far in life is two. Two! I feel quite self-conscious sticking my hand into tree ivy or even, as today, feeling around a street sign (and I know it must be there). I probably suffer from looking for caches which are too tiny or too public but wanted to start with the ones easiest to reach from my house.

 

Anyway, this thread has given me food for thought when I next go out. I will focus on larger caches. Not keen to do rural/remote ones alone though so don't know how am ever going to combat the muggles.

[+chevron_heart]

Wow, I could have wriiten the initial post here.

 

I am back from a morning's cycle ride past two caches, neither of which I found. My tally so far in life is two. Two! I feel quite self-conscious sticking my hand into tree ivy or even, as today, feeling around a street sign (and I know it must be there). I probably suffer from looking for caches which are too tiny or too public but wanted to start with the ones easiest to reach from my house.

 

Anyway, this thread has given me food for thought when I next go out. I will focus on larger caches. Not keen to do rural/remote ones alone though so don't know how am ever going to combat the muggles.

 

Something I found helpful when I first started caching (and even now, to an extent), was choosing a few caches and going through all the information on the page so I could get the most information out of it as possible, especially from the logs and even the photos (although they're often misleading). I then would go out for a few hours and go to the few caches I looked at and it really helped me. If I cant get one of them, it's okay because I have a few others planned and the odds are that I'll be able to get one of them. It sounds silly because geocaching is a hobby, not a serious thing, but if I took the pressure off myself and told myself not to worry about it, I generally did better at finding caches.

 

I agree that small-regular caches can be easier to find, though I have to admit that most of the few larger ones I've found have been more recently for me. IF you try to do a few of the beginner recommended caches, you might have a bit more luck. I looked at caches near your other finds and there are a few beginner ones fairly close to you. Make sure that the box to display beginner caches in green is ticked. If you do get an opportunity, I've found many of the urban bushland-type caches and ones in parks that I've done to be a little easier than the other urban ones as it's often fairly easy to spot the pile of rocks, sticks or the other thing that looks especially unnatural.

 

In terms of muggles, I really don't think I've tried too hard to hide what I'm doing. I've found that when I act like I'm supposed to be doing what I'm doing, people don't give a second glance. That said, fake mobile phone conversations is especially handy. I've also found that I can get away with a lot, especially in parks and the bush, just by virtue of my appearance as a student. I was wearing my university hoodie once and someone came and asked me what degree I'm doing and what my experiment was; they figured I was studying environmental science and that I was measuring levels for something. I just said yes because it seemed easier than explaining geocaching but then we ended up having a pretty decent conversation about it. Tying shoelaces is often useful as well, but that only works if your shoes have laces (a mistake I've made before!)

 

I really did struggle at first; the first cache I found was a piece of concrete in a fig tree and if that wasn't the world's most obvious "camouflage" i've seen, I don't know what is. After that, I really struggled because I didn't realise that caches weren't all going to be that obvious.

[+JulesDunelm]

Yeah, I considerd tying my shoelace near the roadsign today but realised in time that I was wearing sandals....

 

Thanks for your advice.

[+-CJ-]

I hope I won't duplicate any of advices given above. Here are my two copecks

 

- Think about attending some geocaching events in the area and getting acquainted with other geocachers. They could share some useful experience on how to find geocaches. Sometimes it's worth joining a colleague for a hunt.

 

- Go geocaching with your friends and/or family members. Your efforts will be multiplied and you'll probably try some great fresh ideas. And it's fun to search for a cache altogether

 

- Choose better time. You live in the city and you know it. Some places are overcrowded at noon and this fact can make you feel less comfortable while searching. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go there in the evening. Or maybe early in the morning. Or probably on Sunday when all offices around are closed...

 

- Include several caches in your plan. If you fail to find one or two you'll still have your chance with the rest of the series. Less disappointment, more excitement.

 

- Remember that geocaching is not only about hidden caches, it's also about interesting places that caches are located in or nearby. "We wasted three hours on five caches and found only one, what a disappointment!" - "We found one cache and spent very nice time in a really interesting museum, no regrets at all".

 

- Don't get stuck with a 1/1 cache that you cannot find in a reasonable time. The better solution could be to sit on a nearby bench (or log), calm down and try some different approach. For instance, you're sure that the cache is a simple magnetic micro attached to a high fence but you've examined the fence and found nothing. Could it be that someone dropped the cache on the ground? It might be more useful to search for it on the ground instead of desperately cleaning the fence with your hands. If the bench didn't help consider leaving the place to return there tomorrow (next week, next month, etc.). Change decorations. I've read numerous logs like "We spend much time and found nothing but when we were on our way home we discussed another probable variant and tried it two days later - bingo! how easy it was!"

 

- Read hints and see photos in the gallery of the chosen geocache before you go for a hunt. Don't leave this job for the very last moment, be prepared. Remember that caches used to be replaced by COs so not all text hints and photo spoilers may be valid, check their dates.

 

- Sometimes caches that seem to be muggled were just moved by inaccurate players. The hint says: "Behind the road sign attached to the wall, right side". No luck? Try the left side.

 

- This may sound obvious but - read all the text carefully. As a cache owner I've faced many disappointed cachers who simply missed this or that detail. "Dude, I've examined all metal constructions in the area trying to find your micro cache, nothing! It must be gone!" - "Dude, I didn't say my cache was magnetic".

 

- Sometimes it could be a good idea to ask for an additional hint. Contact the CO and ask him/her politely if it's possible. There's nothing bad in such a request. Many COs will be happy to help a newbie. And many COs know that sometimes it's better to give a hint then to wait until a newbie raises hell, attracts attention of all people in the area and the cache is finally muggled.

Edited July 6, 2014 by -CJ-

[+Bear and Ragged]

- Sometimes it could be a good idea to ask for an additional hint. Contact the CO and ask him/her politely if it's possible. There's nothing bad in such a request. Many COs will be happy to help a newbie. And many COs know that sometimes it's better to give a hint then to wait until a newbie raises hell, attracts attention of all people in the area and the cache is finally muggled.

 

IF you can't find the cache, post a DNF log (Did Not Find).

Cache owners are more willing to give you a hint (or three!) if they know you've been looking for their cache.

[+spirothebudgie]

Hi!

Maybe try starting with some regular size caches,micros and nanos can be really difficult especially if the co-ordinates are out. I tend to use the co-ords as a rough starting point, even with a decent gps they can be dodgy. If I can't find a cache straight away I usually try to think about where I would put it if I was hiding a cache there.

 

Also check the previous logs and check the last found date, if it hasn't been found in a long time or there are multiple did not finds, chances are it's not even there. Unfortunately it is quite common for caches to go missing, and it can sometimes take a while before the owner realizes and disables/archives it

 

Just keep trying, it took me a lot of attempts to find my first cache

Good luck!