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CO Topic: Time between finds


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This is a question for cache owners:

 

How long do you let a cache go without any "new" finds before you do a "checkup" on it? (Assuming no DNFs have been logged)

I'll find myself driving by my cache locations when I run errands, and I'll find myself wanting to go to the cache just to "see how it's doing."

My newer caches are still in the "honeymoon" phase of being discovered. 

Every time someone finds the cache, I feel less of a need to "see how it's doing."

 

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1 minute ago, ryan_schunk said:

This is a question for cache owners:

 

How long do you let a cache go without any "new" finds before you do a "checkup" on it? (Assuming no DNFs have been logged)

I'll find myself driving by my cache locations when I run errands, and I'll find myself wanting to go to the cache just to "see how it's doing."

My newer caches are still in the "honeymoon" phase of being discovered. 

Every time someone finds the cache, I feel less of a need to "see how it's doing."

 

Two years. 

And then as soon as I check on it someone goes to find it!

Edited by Max and 99
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It depends on the cache. Two of my caches haven't been found since August 2018, but one of those I dropped in on during the lockdown as it's close to home and a pleasant little walk (the cache was fine). The other one I last visited about 8 months ago and it too was fine. The longest I've let a cache go between visits was about two years, but it was being found occasionally during that time.

 

Most of my caches are in fairly remote bushland with hiding places protected from the weather and are unlikely to be muggled, so I'm really more inclined to do a check after a find to make sure it's been put back properly, than I am if it's just sitting there minding its own business.

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I've never had that situation, because all my caches are found at least once every few months. With some of my caches, at times it might be five or six months between finds.

I try to check my caches, as part of routine cache maintenance, every one or two years, so maybe as part of that.

 

Ryan, why don't you want people to click on your name? It's as though you aren't a real person.

Edited by Goldenwattle
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For my newest caches, I'm required to check on them yearly and apply for renewal of my permit (government run land) but the rest aren't and unless someone asks me, I don't feel any need to go check on them if they've not been found in quite some time.  My caches have a tendency to go unfound for periods of time due to the nature of them.

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Depends on how often my cache gets a find. If it generally gets 2 finds a month then it doesn’t get any logs for 2 months, that’s often a sign that it may be missing. Many people don’t like to log a DNF or won’t log a DNF. So if it goes silent, I go check. In my experience 80% of the time the cache has gone missing. 

 

I have one cache, over 10 years old, that still gets found on average once a month. I check it twice a year. In the Spring after the snow melt, and in the Fall. 

 

I check to see that it’s still there, and in the right spot. I take out junk swag, then wipe down the inside of the container of leaves, stones and dirt that may have accumulated. I might add a fresh logbook if the old one is starting too look beat up. And a pencil if the one in the cache has gone missing. 

 

The closer the cache the more I check, sometimes daily. If you can, why not?  It can be a fun part of the day. When you’re new at hiding it helps to ensure that the container holds up, keeps the contents dry, and you picked a good hiding spot. And it’s fun to see who’s signed the log. 

 

Edited by L0ne.R
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7 hours ago, ryan_schunk said:

This is a question for cache owners:

How long do you let a cache go without any "new" finds before you do a "checkup" on it? (Assuming no DNFs have been logged)

I'll find myself driving by my cache locations when I run errands, and I'll find myself wanting to go to the cache just to "see how it's doing."

My newer caches are still in the "honeymoon" phase of being discovered. 

Every time someone finds the cache, I feel less of a need to "see how it's doing."

 

Looked to see if there's an issue you need help with, but  for some odd reason I  get a 404 error when clicking on your name...

 

This is an often-discussed topic, some thinking all COs should be checking their caches twice a year or better, even without a negative log.

I have one that's a couple lock n locks inside of a rural mailbox.   Why would someone need to check that twice a year ? 

Location and container have a lot to do with it.  Use a carpy container in a lousy, open spot and you may need to check regularly.

Quality container in a protected spot, unless logs say otherwise, you should be good for a while.

 

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Plan is a maintenance visit on multi-caches every year or two.  People won't hunt them if there are no recent finds or OM logs.

 

On others, not paying much attention to date of last find. A year or more is not uncommon.  Just getting to one, the longest seems to be around 10 years. Another around every 7 years; hidden March 2005, visited by me April 2011 and then again April 2018. 2 finds in the last 6 years. Likely the next time I get there, I'll pull it. 

 

My caches generally not at risk for casual finders.  I lose them to fire and flood mostly, and hide ammo cans. They do rust out.  The 10 year one rusted out. Logs mentioned it and I replaced. 

 

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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On the side topic of getting to the original poster's profile, I too assume a name change. These forums now link to Geocaching.com by building a URL from the username, rather than the more stable userid (number) or guid.  When you click the link from inside the quote pane, the userid appears briefly - 3469577.

I wonder if the username here will change if ryan logs out and in again? I assume yes, but not sure really.

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9 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

Depends on how often my cache gets a find. If it generally gets 2 finds a month then it doesn’t get any logs for 2 months, that’s often a sign that it may be missing. Many people don’t like to log a DNF or won’t log a DNF. So if it goes silent, I go check. In my experience 80% of the time the cache has gone missing. 

 

I have one cache, over 10 years old, that still gets found on average once a month. I check it twice a year. In the Spring after the snow melt, and in the Fall. 

 

With my caches, they'll generally get a bunch of finds within the first few months of publication and then go quiet. After that, it's really only out-of-town visitors, typically a group from Sydney or Newcastle who come to the Central Coast for a day of caching, and the rare newbie who ventures beyond P&Gs. GC831AR is a good example, a 2/3 traditional that was published near the beginning of last year. The interested locals found it during February to April, a group from Newcastle did it in August and then it got one more find from a local in November. The rest of its logs were Disable/Enable ones of mine during the summer fires. I would be extremely surprised if that one ever went missing as it's tucked up inside the roof of a small cave out amongst the scrub about a hundred metres past the end of a fire trail.

 

Cave.jpg.40ae108bb74636e908ce8fcdff310c4b.jpg

 

Half my caches have had no finds this year but I've visited most of them since the last find and they're fine. Most of the caches and physical waypoints I've had go missing were lost due to storms rather than muggles, so the ones close to watercourses get a check after bad weather. There's a few closer to suburbia that I generally check on after each school holidays and any that have become muggle-magnets I've either moved to somewhere more secluded or archived.

 

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3 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:

On the side topic of getting to the original poster's profile, I too assume a name change. These forums now link to Geocaching.com by building a URL from the username, rather than the more stable userid (number) or guid.  When you click the link from inside the quote pane, the userid appears briefly - 3469577.

I wonder if the username here will change if ryan logs out and in again? I assume yes, but not sure really.

Yep, that was it. I signed out and now it's fixed!

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8 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:

Plan is a maintenance visit on multi-caches every year or two.  People won't hunt them if there are no recent finds or OM logs.

 

On others, not paying much attention to date of last find. A year or more is not uncommon.  Just getting to one, the longest seems to be around 10 years. Another around every 7 years; hidden March 2005, visited by me April 2011 and then again April 2018. 2 finds in the last 6 years. Likely the next time I get there, I'll pull it. 

 

My caches generally not at risk for casual finders.  I lose them to fire and flood mostly, and hide ammo cans. They do rust out.  The 10 year one rusted out. Logs mentioned it and I replaced. 

 

I think this is the norm, based on reading some of the logs of the older caches I've found (hidden before 2008). 

I've lost one to flood and rust, too. Luckily, I've only had one muggled cache (only had 1 find).

There were several years where I didn't log any new finds on the website, but I'd check on local caches around me during walks and add swag. I'd write down in the logbook that I visited, though. 

I'm thrilled that I have more time to actually FIND caches, along with hiding new ones. 

This hobby was one that I realized was an ACTUAL hobby that I had, not something I just "did."

 

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13 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

Depends on how often my cache gets a find. If it generally gets 2 finds a month then it doesn’t get any logs for 2 months, that’s often a sign that it may be missing. Many people don’t like to log a DNF or won’t log a DNF. So if it goes silent, I go check. In my experience 80% of the time the cache has gone missing. 

 

I have one cache, over 10 years old, that still gets found on average once a month. I check it twice a year. In the Spring after the snow melt, and in the Fall. 

 

I check to see that it’s still there, and in the right spot. I take out junk swag, then wipe down the inside of the container of leaves, stones and dirt that may have accumulated. I might add a fresh logbook if the old one is starting too look beat up. And a pencil if the one in the cache has gone missing. 

 

The closer the cache the more I check, sometimes daily. If you can, why not?  It can be a fun part of the day. When you’re new at hiding it helps to ensure that the container holds up, keeps the contents dry, and you picked a good hiding spot. And it’s fun to see who’s signed the log. 

 

That's a good idea. I do have a lot of fun reading the logbooks.

My hypocritical gripe is that no one writes comments in the logbooks (I blame the "microspew", and I write comments maybe 50% of the time ;))

I'll at least write what I've done or added/subtracted to the cache.

 

Funny story about junk swag. 

I found this clear lock-n-lock container in the woods, and someone (must have been a teenager/early 20s') put a VAPE in the cache!

Along with a ketchup packet and a peppermint candy.

Not to mention, I was caching with underage family members (*facepalm*)

I promptly threw those items in the trash, and definitely "traded up" that swag.

 

It was a good laugh, though. 

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18 hours ago, dprovan said:

I never visit my caches because there hasn't been a find in too long. I do try to see my caches every couple of years, but it doesn't matter whether or not there have been any finds.

 

Same here.   If a cache is hidden in a good spot using a good container it will likely never need checking.

 

It's worth pointing out that the forum denizen who recommends checking every day has ZERO cache hides.  You may consider giving their opinion a different weight in light of that fact.

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When seeking caches, I don't pay that much attention to the date last found, or date of last owner maintenance.  It matters more what the last 3 or 4 logs were.  I still use GPSr as my primary means of finding caches, and I use GSAK to feed caches to the GPSr.  That has a useful stoplight interface: green for OM or found it, yellow for NM or NA, red for DNF or disabled.  If the last 4 show up as green, or even if there is one yellow or red one in there, that's all I normally care about.  If they're all yellow or red, I'm probably skipping that one.

 

When hiding caches, I don't normally get a chance to keep them out more than a couple years before we move, so my owner maintenance is usually reactive - even our micro hides should be able to hold up for close to 200 finds before they need a new log (all hail the PET preform).

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3 hours ago, fizzymagic said:

 

It's worth pointing out that the forum denizen who recommends checking every day has ZERO cache hides.

 

But you have to admit, it'd be helpful to finders. Not only would you know that the cache is in good shape - there'd also be a well beaten path right to the container!  

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If one of my caches (usually an obscure puzzle) was coming up to a year unfound I used to flag it up on the local Facebook group as people in the UK like to "resuscitate" caches (find them more than a year since previous find) - I've left all the FB groups since they became dominated by talk of "if you go caching, everyone will die" type talk in April, though. (Culprits now often back FTFing like there's no tomorrow...)

 

On a general maintenance theme, I've replaced about 7 of my caches this year - in most cases winter flooding and winds to blame for missing containers. Not put out a new cache for a long long time. 

 

Just looking through my hides - one series put out in April 2018, never revisited (about 35 finds on each so paper not full); another series Jan 2019, only visited the trailhead one for TB dropping. Similar number of finds. I think one bison might have lost its rubber ring but the weather has been so dry since March I'm not worried. Trad placed Sep 2017 never been back. Another Aug 2016. Puzzle placed April 2013, looked at but never touched since placement. It's a black-painted snail on the back of a black-painted urban bus stop and has never been muggled. Aren't I naughty? I think 25 of my 85 active caches have had the container replaced though.

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On 6/4/2020 at 2:32 AM, Max and 99 said:

And then as soon as I check on it someone goes to find it!

 

If you posted a Note/OM to say you checked it (and you should) there's a good chance someone was waiting for confirmation the cache was still there before seeking it.

 

I would usually check my cache if it goes a year without finds. Maybe two years for a remote location. I'm not sure if that's ever happened to my hides though.

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We have a rarely visited, lengthy paddle-to with a 50cal at the end.  I can see it from the road (though inaccessible that way).

 It's often a year in-between finds.     Well, It sat almost a year before a group did it.  IIRC, after an event. 

One month later, another finds it and says "Had this on the list for along time but didn't go because wasn't sure if it was there."

 -  Had it "on the list" for what they deemed "a long time",  but they never emailed or asked on the cache page...  

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20 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

One month later, another finds it and says "Had this on the list for along time but didn't go because wasn't sure if it was there."

 -  Had it "on the list" for what they deemed "a long time",  but they never emailed or asked on the cache page...  

 

If it wasn't a high priority (like an upcoming milestone or part of a trip) then I probably wouldn't contact the CO or post on the cache page either.

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