Newbie cannot seem to find many caches! Tips?!?

[+Rocks in my Socks]

Hi there! I'm really embarrassed to admit this, but I have a very difficult time FINDING the caches. I can get myself to the general area with my GPS, can navigate N/S/E/W and am able to get to the point where my GPS tells me in within a few feet of the cache, but then I'm stuck. When it comes to looking and locating one, unless it's not hiding under something, I have a heck of a time. I was hoping that some of you could share some tips on what to look for, maybe obvious things to look for that shows a cache could be hidden there. I know they come in many different sizes, and that's another thing. How in the WORLD do I find something so tiny?! Do you just keep touching and pulling on things until you get it or are your eyes just trained to see it and know?! LOL I really have a great time looking, but out of about six or seven attempts, we've only found two caches and it's getting discouraging. Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

[rumchaser1]

Hi rock my socks

Make sure you check the rating and search for beginner caches also check through logs sometimes others may have not found them either which means they could be missing

The more you do the better your geo mind will work then everything you look at you will think that's where I'd hide a cache .

Good luck

[+niraD]

How in the WORLD do I find something so tiny?! Do you just keep touching and pulling on things until you get it or are your eyes just trained to see it and know?!

Yes.

 

Sometimes, I spot the cache visually (yes, even the extremely small ones). Sometimes, I touch things until one of them moves in a way that indicates that it is the geocache.

 

Anyway, here are some beginners tips that I've posted before.

 

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.

[+Lieblweb]

Start off with 1.5/1.5 caches to get you going and gain experience. Avoid nano's and stick with small or large containers. Stay with traditional caches too.

 

If you're able to get close to the coordinates, great...but you've gotta put the GPS away and start looking in the general area. Let your eyes scan and look for unusual things. GEOPILES.... piles of rocks, sticks, debris that's covering a container. Small containers are hidden in crevices, under things, and in places that normal people won't see when walking by them. Look at previous logs, look at the hints....

If you can't find it, then expand your search area (again, keep the gps in your pocket).

 

Depending on the person/gps that hid the cache, will depend on how good the actual coordinates are. There are so many variables that will affect coordinate accuracy when someone is hiding a cache AND affects your GPS when you're finding a cache. So, you can be 20 feet off from what your GPS is telling you based on conditions of the area when you get there. You've gotta broaden your search areas sometimes. It's rare, but not unusual to find something 50 feet off.

 

Don't get discouraged and keep trying!! If you're on facebook, look for a geocaching group in your area. It's not only about finding treasures, but meeting with fellow cachers too!