This puzzle cache is number 1 of the 2016 Advent Puzzle Series from mrGreen317 and SageHippo. mrGreen317 and SageHippo have exchanged small gifts on alternating days during the four weeks of Advent (leading up to Christmas Day) for many years. It was in 2016 that SageHippo surprised mrGreen317 with a geocaching twist on her gifts to him. Instead of just putting them in boxes or bags and giving them directly, she decided to hide them around town in an ammo can, hidden in different pre-selected locations that mrGreen317 would have to search in the afternoons to get his gifts. But the real fun was that 7 different puzzles were created for mrGreen317 to first solve, and these puzzles were printed in a booklet given to him the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was a fun December of puzzle solving, and SageHippo came up with some good ones.
In this series, mrGreen317 and SageHippo would like to share these puzzles with the geocaching community, hiding legitimate, published caches throughout the winter using the same puzzle ideas that SageHippo first concocted for mrGreen317. This first puzzle was originally entitled Picture Perfect. It originally had different artwork, but a consistent graphic set was chosen for a later variation on the puzzle that was used at event GC6T9C1 to hide caches for fellow geocachers, and now for this official cache, the updated graphic set was purchased from shutterstock.com to be used here.
Once you solve the puzzle, the coordinates will take you to an appropriate themed cache container hanging on a Christmas tree within a two mile radius of the posted coordinates. (In this case, the hide is not an ammo can.)
Have fun, and Merry Christmas!
~ mrGreen317 and SageHippo
A big thanks goes to Profbrad for hosting and organizing GC6T9C1, the inspiration for SageHippo's geocaching 'twist' on 2016's Advent gifting. At that event, mrGreen317 received part of the cache container used for this hide from MattressGnome, so also thanks to him for the gift.
Use the geo-checker to be sure that your answer will lead you to the correct location.
Congratulations to MrBee&WillowTree for FTF. Coming in a close STF was r.e.s.t.seekers and ted28285.
It might be obvious without solving the puzzle, but the final coordinates will take you to state game lands, so PLEASE observe all state game land rules and wear orange during hunting seasons. During the primary hunting season, finding this cache is recommended on Sunday only.
This is a Green-Hippo cache