Jump to content

Geocaches on private property


larkspeed

Recommended Posts

What is the etiquette here.

 

Now obviously if someone has put a geocache in their own driveway or somewhere else on their own property they have accepted the fact that people will be walking onto their property to find it.

 

There are a couple close to me that are clearly on private property and being new to all this I don't want to make anyone angry so I have passed over them.

 

I'm not talking big property where they have a field or something behind their house I mean regular residential houses on a regular street.

 

But what is the etiquette here? Do you just go onto the property and get the cache or do you knock on the door and announce yourself first?

 

Just walking onto someone else's property unannounced and poking around just does not sit right with me.

Edited by larkspeed
Link to comment

This has nothing to do with concerns this is people putting caches on their own property.

 

I simply want to know what is considered the "right" way to do it, to announce yourself or not

 

Get the cache and leave. If they spot you they likely will come out and say hello. If it is a popular cache, neighbours may know what you are doing and speak to you.

 

We have one on a post at the end of our laneway. The description mentions the post and says there is permission.

 

http://coord.info/GC1N26E

 

We are close to tourist areas so if we spot someone, we go out to meet them and find out where they are from. Even though the cache is relatively far from the houses, some have avoided getting it. Maybe their gps was not too accurate and they did not want to venture on to private property.

 

When we go for caches on private property, we change our mind if it requires us to go on their porch or if the gps is not positive which building is correct or if it is hidden by a newbie whose coords may not be accurate.

Edited by Ma & Pa
Link to comment

ok thanks for that,

 

Both of these are in the cache owners small front yard, front of the house is maybe 10 meters from the road.

 

Since the closeness to a strangers house makes me feel a bit uncomfortable searching around I think i'll just skip those two.

 

It's not like I don't have plenty more since there are 250 standard and multi's just within a 10km radius from my house.

Link to comment

Recently I visited a highly favored cache that was in someone's backyard. First thing I looked for was some sign that I had the right house. There was a Geocaching logo in the window. So I proceeded. At the end of the driveway was a large garage and a horse trailer. I jiggled the garage door but it didn't budge, the horse trailer looked too new and expensive to be the geocache. I waved at the house but no one came out. I really didn't want to disturb the residents if they were in. Figured if they wanted to meet me they'd come out. Before trying the door on the horse trailer, I checked the app for photos. There were photos of a small tan shed. Poked my head around the corner and looked into the backyard - no shed. I almost aborted but got this far so walked into the backyard along the big garage and ta da - the tan half-shed was behind the garage. I actually liked the geocache. Very generous of the owners to supply a whole shed for geocaching swag. Quite amazing. But several times I thought about quitting the search. I wonder how many people tried to get into their garage and their horse trailer? They did the right thing though by putting a GC logo in their window and using the 'Front yard/Private Residence' attribute.

Link to comment

I have a cache on my property and every finder has just pulled up and searched. Nobody has knocked, at least while I was at home. I've met a few simply because I happened to be in the yard at the time.

 

Even though I own one, I rarely hunt these caches because they make me uncomfortable. Maybe if the house is a significant distance from ground zero I'll go for it, but otherwise I pass on them.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

... I rarely hunt these caches because they make me uncomfortable. Maybe if the house is a significant distance from ground zero I'll go for it, but otherwise I pass on them.

^ ^ ^

This.

 

This also applies to caches hidden too close to businesses, where the cache owner states in the description something like "When you reach Ground Zero, wave hello to the workers inside, they enjoy watching you wandering around."

 

I didn't get into caching to wind up being watched like an animal in a zoo. I'll pass.

 

--Larry

Link to comment

The only thing that really bothers me about these is not being sure that I'm on the right property. If the lots are not very big it's hard to be sure the coordinates (both from the hider's GPS and my own) are accurate enough. I've been in the next door neighbor's yard before I figured out it was the wrong yard, and once even looked in the neighbor's mailbox.

Link to comment

The only thing that really bothers me about these is not being sure that I'm on the right property. If the lots are not very big it's hard to be sure the coordinates (both from the hider's GPS and my own) are accurate enough. I've been in the next door neighbor's yard before I figured out it was the wrong yard, and once even looked in the neighbor's mailbox.

 

There was this cache near me. After it was archived following this cacher's log the cache owner posted updated cords which were off by over 1/4 mile.

 

06/20/2009

Super bad coords!!!

Farmer chased us off with a shot gun,

looked like he was going nuts about people

walking around his yard.

Link to comment

The only thing that really bothers me about these is not being sure that I'm on the right property. If the lots are not very big it's hard to be sure the coordinates (both from the hider's GPS and my own) are accurate enough. I've been in the next door neighbor's yard before I figured out it was the wrong yard, and once even looked in the neighbor's mailbox.

 

Yeah. That's when I stopped doing those. With 20' coord reliability, we searched the neighbor's yard first.

Link to comment

The more of these I log, the less of a problem I have with them. I figure it's their property, they've given me license to be there. So of any of their neighbors have an issue, it's not with me, it's with the cache owner.

 

That said, I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. I hunted one this weekend that turned out to be under someone's porch. Which didn't seem like an issue until (a) I pulled in at 7:40 on a Sunday morning and (B) saw that their neighbors were only 20 feet away. I almost drove off, but I figured I'd look more suspicious if I didn't log it at that point. So I logged it quickly and quietly and moved on.

Link to comment

Like others, I find these caches on a case by case basis. I roll up in front of the house and take a lay of the land. Is this a place where I feel safe caching? Do I have a high certainty of the actual hide location? Can I make a quick find? If the answers to these questions are 'yes', I make the quick find and get on my way. If any of them are 'no', the cache goes on my ignore list and I'm on my way.

Link to comment

The events I have had at my house, in addition to the coordinates, I included a house number. I have also seen this done with front yard caches. Alternativly, I have seen house descriptions on the cache page. I don't Think I would search for a front yard cache if there was not a way to positivly identify the house. Coorrdinates alone are too sketchy.

Link to comment

I don't mind searching for residential caches if I can spot the cache from the sidewalk. For example, one put the cache under a stepping stone that had the geocaching logo on it.

 

And I don't mind searching for residential caches if the description makes it clear which house it is, and makes it clear where I can search. For example, one was an ammo can chained to the side porch, and the description encouraged people to sit on the side porch while examining the cache's contents.

Link to comment

I avoid the front yard caches generally...except for the series in my area that makes use of the Little Free Library boxes people put up in front of their houses. At least in those, it's expected that random strangers will occasionally be wandering up to their front yard...so me driving up and signing the log is not at all strange. Now, the one I found that was actually stuck on the underside of the CO's mailbox...that made me uncomfortable. It was in a cul-de-sac in a quiet suburban neighborhood. I honestly don't know why anyone would place a cache in their own front yard if there were no other reason for people to be there.

Link to comment

Unless in the cache description there are TWO things, I won't waste my time. The first thing I need to see is that the cache was placed with permission! The second thing I need to see is guidance to make sure I'll be poking around the right business/church/house. If both of these things are present, I usually don't mind going onto private property to find a cache but even then, I'll occasionally get within eyeshot of the cache and decide there's just a creepy or uncomfortable factor and pass on it. In my opinion, it's always better to know you're welcome than end up trying to explain yourself to a ticked off property owner.

Link to comment

This has nothing to do with concerns this is people putting caches on their own property.

 

I simply want to know what is considered the "right" way to do it, to announce yourself or not

I don't announce myself unless they explicitly invite everyone to do that on the cache page. My reasoning is that they probably don't want people coming by all hours of the day.

Link to comment
I avoid the front yard caches generally...except for the series in my area that makes use of the Little Free Library boxes people put up in front of their houses.
Oh, yes. I forgot about those. I like the Little Free Library caches. Those are fun.

 

They just make me uncomfortable and I did not start goecaching to be uncomfortable :)
That's actually good advice for any kind of cache, not just private-property caches. Climbing caches, boating caches, night caches, cemetery caches, etc., etc., etc.
Link to comment

I was hesitant about yard caches too. There are two notable front yard caches near me (there are others, but these are memorable). I finally stopped for the first (GC2DT2) after visiting a few of the CO's other caches and receiving an e-mail about a DNF I had posted for one of them. The contact, though not in person, made me feel more comfortable about hunting their front yard. Glad I did as the CO introduced himself and gifted each of my kids a pathtag.

 

The second, GC3PC8X, I had driven by several times before finally stopping. The cache page and description offer positive clues to identifying the correct house and the expectation of visitors. I saved this one for my 100th find just to make it more memorable. It was worth the wait.

 

There is a third (GC46QWB) that I will be visiting soon after meeting the CO at a recent event. She has assured us that it is worth the effort, very clever and fun, and that she enjoys meeting those that stop by. This one has 7 favorite points since it was placed in Feb 2013 and most of the more experienced and well known cachers in the area seem to have very positive reviews in their logs about it.

 

Knowing what to expect and who to expect helps. Develop a simple raporrt or make quick contact with the CO before you stop if you are unsure. In most cases you'll find that they are welcoming and enjoy the visits. I also think that many front yard caches are probably more frequently maintained and in better shape, thus more enjoyable than finding a broken container full of water and a destroyed log in the middle of the woods.

Edited by jwmoe1973
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...