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[GFource2004]

We went on two hunts this last week and we were able to locate several benchmarks. However, we were not able to locate a single cache. I guess we don't really know what to do and what we are looking for. I have read al the info listed and we got our GPSr to register the exact coordinates listed but NADA. What are we doing wrong??? Where do we look??? Do they bury these caches or just hide them very well???

HELP !! We want to find our first cache!

[thcri]

If you want my opinion I think you did pretty good find benchmarks. I haven't benn able to find one of them yet but I have been pretty lucky on the caches. Take your GPS and when you get close to the cache, turn it off. The GPS is only as good as the cordinates given by the person who owns the cache and how accurate yours is. Once you get close then look for clues and is there spots you would have put it if in that area. If you have a GoTo feature use it from a couple of different spots and average where the cach shows up being.

 

You will get it just hang in there.

 

murph

[+SBPhishy]

Use the "Geo-Force". I know it's stupid, but seriously, think like the hider, and look for those possible signs of man. Stacked rocks, or sticks, etc. etc. Other than that, just don't give up. I have searched for a couple of days to find one cache that was hidden inside a stick, placed in a huge bush, with no hint at all.

[GFource2004]

Use the "Geo-Force". I know it's stupid, but seriously, think like the hider, and look for those possible signs of man. Stacked rocks, or sticks, etc. etc. Other than that, just don't give up. I have searched for a couple of days to find one cache that was hidden inside a stick, placed in a huge bush, with no hint at all.

So the caches are always hidden inside things, under rocks, in trees? UGH! We went on a cople 1/1 hunts thinking they would be really easy to find. We just didn't have a clue what to look for! Oh well, better luck next time.

[+Brenin Tegeingl]

Be patient when you get in the general location of the cache. I recently did one with my daughter, and it took us over a hour to find the cache. And that was using the clue, we actually looked at the spot seven or eight times before finding it . One persons 1/difficulty, can actually skunk some one else. I have a multi which has recently gone out, if I use the goto on my etrex to go to the first micro, it actually shows it to be 7m away. Yet the finders have had no problems with the co-ords, and the etrex was what was used to place the micro. As others have said, you will develop a eye for were the cache might be, it comes when you start to rack up the finds, which just take time and patience. Good luck with your hunting, and don't give up, the caches will start to jump out at you!

Dave

Edited February 29, 2004 by Mancunian Pyrocacher

[+Warriorrider]

So the caches are always hidden inside things, under rocks, in trees? UGH! We went on a cople 1/1 hunts thinking they would be really easy to find. We just didn't have a clue what to look for! Oh well, better luck next time.

Not always. I found one yesterday that was in plain sight. It took me awhile to find it too because it was the exact same color as the ground cover. Plus I was looking in and under things to begin with. I stopped, stepped back and rethought my strategy, and then there it was, out in the open and so obvious that I wasn't expecting it .

It's usually good practice to do as the others have suggested ... when your gps says you are there, put it away and go into the "where would I hide it" mode.

[+road_rascal]

Once my GPSr tells me I'm with 50 feet or so I'll start looking around. If I can't find it within 10 minutes or so I'll walk out of the area about 100 feet, get another GPS reading and try again. Sometimes the coorindates are spot on, sometimes they could be really off.

[+boulist44]

How many times have you opened a cupboard and said it's not here? and it was at the front!!!

Well caches are exactly the same, they don't jump out and bite you.

Hang on in there you'll find one, trust me!

[+woof n lulu]

There a several threads that are not too old over in general discussions about cache containers, and hiding them. One has pictures of the ingenious say some cachers have come up with to keep the caches from being found too easily. You might like to browse them, or do a keyword seach. I have learned more just reading threads on here, then just using the guidelines.

[+SBPhishy]

So the caches are always hidden inside things, under rocks, in trees? UGH! We went on a cople 1/1 hunts thinking they would be really easy to find. We just didn't have a clue what to look for! Oh well, better luck next time.

 

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding from my post! It's as what the other posters have said. They aren't always hidden in anything at all. Sometimes though, even if you know what you are looking for, they can be VERY tricky to spot.

 

It's a good idea, as it seems you have been doing, to look for 1/1 caches first. Don't worry, you will start finding them soon.

 

Also, one thing I can't stress enough, is don't be afraid to get dirty! When you look for the cache, REALLY LOOK. If you think it's in a bush, dont glance thru it and state "its not there". Get a stick, or your hands, and plunge right in! I'm not saying to trample anything, but definitely be thorough.

[+Imajika]

So the caches are always hidden inside things, under rocks, in trees?  UGH!  We went on a cople 1/1 hunts thinking they would be really easy to find.  We just didn't have a clue what to look for!  Oh well, better luck next time.

Some of the caches I have found:

 

Ammo boxes under dead leaves and grass

Tupperware hidden in a hollow tree stump

A large butter tub hidden in waist high reeds

A 35 mm film canister hidden in a hollow fence post

An altoids tin with a magnet on the back and hidden on the underside of a park bench

A fake rock with a 35 mm canister glued into the bottom

A tupperware container with a wire box over top of it. The hider had glued leaves, sticks and pinecones to the wire.

A lip balm container hidden in a rock wall and painted the same color of the rocks

 

So you see, not all of them are that easy to find if you are new to caching...or even if you are a seasoned cacher for that matter!

 

I would recommend starting with some 1/1's, Thoroughly read the hiders description of the cache and don't be afraid to use hints! I tend not to use hints now that I have an idea what I am looking for but when I first started, I was glad hints were available.

 

And most importantly, have fun and keep trying!

Edited February 29, 2004 by Imajika

[PM_Thumper]

There is a learning curve. I'm up to 18 or 19 or something like that now, but I have lots of no-finds, too. It may be just wishful thinking, but I seem to be getting better at it.

 

What works best for me is what someone mentioned above: Try to think like the person hiding it. Ask yourself: "Now, if I were hiding something around here, where would I hide it?"

 

In the case of caches hidden in natural settings (like the woods) look for things that don't look quite natural: A rock that's placed just a little too perfectly over a hole, a tree that has an odd limb propped up against it to conceal a hollow knot, a pile of pine bark that's obviously been laid out to look like a log at first glance. I've noticed that some cachers are unable to resist really distinctive-looking landmarks: Trees that appear to grow out of rocks, rocks that are much larger than those in the surrounding landscape, etc. Of course, more than once, this idea of a cacher unable to resist something distinctive has led me wrong.

 

I've also noticed that some of the really "cool kids" in local caching have developed distinctive styles. There are some people whose caches I can find pretty easily because I've got a feel for how they think. Then, there's a fellow in the region who has hidden about a zillion caches and I almost always have trouble trying to find one of his.

[Ferreter5]

As others have said, your GPS is only so accurate and the GPS of the hider is only so accurate. Therefore, it's entirely possible to have a fairly large cumulative error (30-60 feet). I scoured a hillside for almost an hour before finding the cache 70-feet away from where my GPS said was ground zero.

 

Once you're inside 50-feet get a bearing toward the cache and then start looking with your eyes, not your GPS. If you have to, walk away in a different direction and get another bearing. Sometimes underbrush makes it a tough thing to walk in a straight line -- that's part of the challenge.

 

Also, caching during the winter where there's snow can be a significant challenge. I found one under completely undisturbed snow only by probing in the snow for it with a stick. Someone around the cache area previous to me had walked within 8-inches of the cache container, but never spotted it.

 

Keep at it. The thrill of the hunt can be frustrating as heck, but also ... well ... thrilling!

Edited March 1, 2004 by Ferreter5