Below are the clues and stories from the Golden Bull Hunt 2018
FINDING BULL #5
This year the Hunt for Golden Bull #5, will consist of a month-long scavenger hunt taking you around Durham. Lists will be provided throughout the month with items to collect, pictures to take, things to do and ideas to inspire creativity.
The first list will be released on Thursday, March 1st with items that can be collected all month long. All subsequent lists will be released on Monday and due by 10pm Sunday of that week. Each item on the list will have an assigned point value. Some items can only be collected once, others allow multiples.
The first list will be released on Thursday, March 1st with items that can be collected all month long. All subsequent lists will be released on Monday and due by 10pm Sunday of that week. Each item on the list will have an assigned point value. Some items can only be collected once, others allow multiples.
Golden Bull #1
Clue #1
Study this photo while drinking a beer. It might help you, might not. Now solve the riddle. Hold that thought. So few riddles. So much time. Strike that. Reverse it.
Study this photo while drinking a beer. It might help you, might not. Now solve the riddle. Hold that thought. So few riddles. So much time. Strike that. Reverse it.
Clue 1
Clue #2
I am an odd number. Take away one and I’m even. What number am I?
Some say the Golden Bull hunt is odd. We say it’s fun. Time is a precious thing. Never waste it. I am an odd number. Take away one and I’m even. What number am I?
Clue #3
Choose any number, double it, add 6, half it, subtract your original number. What did you get? I think that furnace is only lit every other day, so you have a good sporting chance of getting this.
Clue #4
Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker. Solve this riddle and you’ll be closer. 1 = 3, 2 = 3, 3 = 5, 4 = 4, 5 = 4, 6 = 3, 7 = 5, what is 10 = ?
Clue #5
Now here’s a good one. The suspense is terrible...I hope It'll last. What is the question mark in this problem? 9999 = 4, 8888 = 8, 5678 = 3, 8668 = ?
Clue #6 and the Final Clue for Bull #1
Wrong, wrong! Under section 37B of the contract signed by you. It states quite clearly that all offers shall become null and void if, and you can read it for yourself in this photostatic copy. I the undersigned shall forfeit all rights privileges and licenses herein and herein contained et cetera et cetera... huhh fax mentis incendium gloria culpum et cetera et cetera... huhh memo bis punitor delicatum! It's all there black and white clear as crystal! - Unless you know which number is twice the product of its digits?
I am an odd number. Take away one and I’m even. What number am I?
Some say the Golden Bull hunt is odd. We say it’s fun. Time is a precious thing. Never waste it. I am an odd number. Take away one and I’m even. What number am I?
Clue #3
Choose any number, double it, add 6, half it, subtract your original number. What did you get? I think that furnace is only lit every other day, so you have a good sporting chance of getting this.
Clue #4
Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker. Solve this riddle and you’ll be closer. 1 = 3, 2 = 3, 3 = 5, 4 = 4, 5 = 4, 6 = 3, 7 = 5, what is 10 = ?
Clue #5
Now here’s a good one. The suspense is terrible...I hope It'll last. What is the question mark in this problem? 9999 = 4, 8888 = 8, 5678 = 3, 8668 = ?
Clue #6 and the Final Clue for Bull #1
Wrong, wrong! Under section 37B of the contract signed by you. It states quite clearly that all offers shall become null and void if, and you can read it for yourself in this photostatic copy. I the undersigned shall forfeit all rights privileges and licenses herein and herein contained et cetera et cetera... huhh fax mentis incendium gloria culpum et cetera et cetera... huhh memo bis punitor delicatum! It's all there black and white clear as crystal! - Unless you know which number is twice the product of its digits?
Golden Bull #1 Winner: Ken K. from Durham
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
"I’ve been a part-time Golden Bull hunter since moving to Durham three years ago. While I’ve never tried to get through one of the day-long hunts, I’ve always tried to figure out the clues posted online. I’ve been foiled by mistakes in logic puzzles and double meanings, and once even figured out the clue too fast and ended up hunting in the correct spot before the Golden Bull had been placed. [The BCBB Golden Bull Committee has no comment] But 2018 was finally my year. I saw that the Hunt for the Golden Bull was starting up again at the end of last week, but then completely forgot about it over the weekend. While on Twitter on Monday morning, I saw that the Golden Bull was still out there, so I quickly tried to figure out the clues. The first clue tripped me up a little—I noticed that the beer in the final equation was half full, but not that the package of fries had three fries instead of four. Luckily, even though 773-3636 was the wrong number (973-3636 was correct), Googling it along with “Durham NC” still turned up Grub’s website. Having hunted for a few years, I knew this was exactly the type of place that would be a hiding spot—an awesome new restaurant in downtown Durham. I quickly biked over and started looking. I always feel ridiculous poking around places by myself, but I was soon joined but a handful of other hunters, some of whom had actually looked at Grub the previous day as well. After about a half-hour of looking I was about to give up, assuming we’d all somehow got it wrong or somebody had already snatched it that morning. But then I decided to look through the woodwork of the staircases one last time, knowing that the Golden Bull had been hidden beneath woodwork several times before. After climbing up to check the tops of a few of the crossbeams, my last ditch effort was to recheck underneath all the steps. To my surprise, when I got down on my hands and knees and really looked underneath the bottom step of the west-side staircase, there was a Golden Bull looking back up at me. I’m sure I’d looked right at him before, and I bet at least a dozen others had as well, but he was tucked in there pretty good and difficult to see amongst the leaves and shadows. I probably would have missed him again if I hadn’t taken my sunglasses off a few minutes beforehand. Thanks to Seth and the rest of the folks at Bull City Burger and Brewing for continuing such an awesome tradition and using it to highlight all of the awesome establishments in downtown Durham!"
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
"I’ve been a part-time Golden Bull hunter since moving to Durham three years ago. While I’ve never tried to get through one of the day-long hunts, I’ve always tried to figure out the clues posted online. I’ve been foiled by mistakes in logic puzzles and double meanings, and once even figured out the clue too fast and ended up hunting in the correct spot before the Golden Bull had been placed. [The BCBB Golden Bull Committee has no comment] But 2018 was finally my year. I saw that the Hunt for the Golden Bull was starting up again at the end of last week, but then completely forgot about it over the weekend. While on Twitter on Monday morning, I saw that the Golden Bull was still out there, so I quickly tried to figure out the clues. The first clue tripped me up a little—I noticed that the beer in the final equation was half full, but not that the package of fries had three fries instead of four. Luckily, even though 773-3636 was the wrong number (973-3636 was correct), Googling it along with “Durham NC” still turned up Grub’s website. Having hunted for a few years, I knew this was exactly the type of place that would be a hiding spot—an awesome new restaurant in downtown Durham. I quickly biked over and started looking. I always feel ridiculous poking around places by myself, but I was soon joined but a handful of other hunters, some of whom had actually looked at Grub the previous day as well. After about a half-hour of looking I was about to give up, assuming we’d all somehow got it wrong or somebody had already snatched it that morning. But then I decided to look through the woodwork of the staircases one last time, knowing that the Golden Bull had been hidden beneath woodwork several times before. After climbing up to check the tops of a few of the crossbeams, my last ditch effort was to recheck underneath all the steps. To my surprise, when I got down on my hands and knees and really looked underneath the bottom step of the west-side staircase, there was a Golden Bull looking back up at me. I’m sure I’d looked right at him before, and I bet at least a dozen others had as well, but he was tucked in there pretty good and difficult to see amongst the leaves and shadows. I probably would have missed him again if I hadn’t taken my sunglasses off a few minutes beforehand. Thanks to Seth and the rest of the folks at Bull City Burger and Brewing for continuing such an awesome tradition and using it to highlight all of the awesome establishments in downtown Durham!"
Golden Bull #2
Your only clue:
Our ghost lives here.
Our ghost lives here.
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Golden Bull #2 Winner: Lauren L. from Durham
Here's how he found the bull in her own words.
After several years of chasing a golden bull to call my own, I bribed Dan with a chicken biscuit and made plans to meet up with Kaleb downtown to be ready when the first clue dropped. Right away we recognized the back of BCBB and I know about their Ghost of Rogers Alley hot sauce, so after a quick google confirmation we zipped over to find clue #2. Several other hunters were there, including a family that we have seen on previous hunts but we don’t know their names so we just affectionately refer to them as “The Family”—good luck guys, you’ve got the next bull! Some google/google image searching of Durham murals led us to another alley off of main street. Clue #3 had a piece of a building name that had us looking for an alley that matched the perspective to Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Clue #4, with the washed-out building in the background, meant some google image searching and splitting up to see if we could find the building that matched. We found the South Bank building and then circled it to find the alleyway next to Vert & Vogue and clue #5. We split up to check nearby record stores and then I went down some crazy tangent trying to chase the mural thinking that the record was either part of the next clue or some sort of red herring. Back on track at Hunky Dory, clue #6 immediately made us think of the “can opener.” When we realized that bridge is 11’8” we thought of the tunnel between Duke’s east and west campuses, which is known for its graffiti. We spent probably an hour searching with other hunters. By then Dan was trying to do some weird graffiti interpretation, Kaleb left for another obligation, and I was starting to get hangry. On our last walk through Dan noticed some small BCBB letters below a baseball that had a bull on it but said “Go Devils.” There was also other graffiti nearby (Duke baseball stadium? That E is a different color, does that mean anything? Was there a famous Keyes in Durham? Could it be at the Bulls’ stadium? Which one—old or new? Does any of this look fresh?) so we didn’t feel confident in another location. We snapped a picture of the art and then went to Alpaca Chicken for lunch, which was where we were when the twitter hint came out. That made us look at the graffiti anew and we noticed the #TeamOne which is the hashtag of Duke’s first ever softball team, which has a brand new east campus stadium. We got there in a hurry and finally, as two other hunters joined, the golden bull was pulled from the staircase! Thanks BCBB for keeping the hunt going—it’s one of our favorite Durham traditions!
Thanks again for the great event every year (and the great food, too!). - Thank you Lauren, BCBB
Here's how he found the bull in her own words.
After several years of chasing a golden bull to call my own, I bribed Dan with a chicken biscuit and made plans to meet up with Kaleb downtown to be ready when the first clue dropped. Right away we recognized the back of BCBB and I know about their Ghost of Rogers Alley hot sauce, so after a quick google confirmation we zipped over to find clue #2. Several other hunters were there, including a family that we have seen on previous hunts but we don’t know their names so we just affectionately refer to them as “The Family”—good luck guys, you’ve got the next bull! Some google/google image searching of Durham murals led us to another alley off of main street. Clue #3 had a piece of a building name that had us looking for an alley that matched the perspective to Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Clue #4, with the washed-out building in the background, meant some google image searching and splitting up to see if we could find the building that matched. We found the South Bank building and then circled it to find the alleyway next to Vert & Vogue and clue #5. We split up to check nearby record stores and then I went down some crazy tangent trying to chase the mural thinking that the record was either part of the next clue or some sort of red herring. Back on track at Hunky Dory, clue #6 immediately made us think of the “can opener.” When we realized that bridge is 11’8” we thought of the tunnel between Duke’s east and west campuses, which is known for its graffiti. We spent probably an hour searching with other hunters. By then Dan was trying to do some weird graffiti interpretation, Kaleb left for another obligation, and I was starting to get hangry. On our last walk through Dan noticed some small BCBB letters below a baseball that had a bull on it but said “Go Devils.” There was also other graffiti nearby (Duke baseball stadium? That E is a different color, does that mean anything? Was there a famous Keyes in Durham? Could it be at the Bulls’ stadium? Which one—old or new? Does any of this look fresh?) so we didn’t feel confident in another location. We snapped a picture of the art and then went to Alpaca Chicken for lunch, which was where we were when the twitter hint came out. That made us look at the graffiti anew and we noticed the #TeamOne which is the hashtag of Duke’s first ever softball team, which has a brand new east campus stadium. We got there in a hurry and finally, as two other hunters joined, the golden bull was pulled from the staircase! Thanks BCBB for keeping the hunt going—it’s one of our favorite Durham traditions!
Thanks again for the great event every year (and the great food, too!). - Thank you Lauren, BCBB
Golden Bull #3
This is the only clue we'll give you here. Follow the breadcrumbs and bring us the bull. Don't forget your flashlight!
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The missing clue to the Golden Bull #3. Please get back to your mindset from Friday night and where you were hunting:
What do these three have in common?
Baby Snakes
Chicken Run
Shaun the Sheep
What do these three have in common?
Baby Snakes
Chicken Run
Shaun the Sheep
Golden Bull #3 Winner: Daniel from Durham
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
My girlfriend Erin and I moved to Durham from Raleigh last May, and this was our first year hunting for the golden bulls. We sought the first two bulls unsuccessfully. We knew that the hunt for Golden Bull #3 was supposed to be a one-night-only hunt, so when Thursday night rolled around and still no clue had been posted, we mentally prepped for a Friday night race. We were initially stumped by Clue #1. I eventually googled something like “busker art durham nc” and found out about Third Friday, where art galleries stay open late and street musicians play downtown. I downloaded a locations map and we made the short drive downtown. We decided to start at BCBB since the hunt for Golden Bull #2 started there. Sure enough, a guitar player was performing out front. We saw Clue #2 on the Third Friday sandwich board, and another Google search led us to Vega Metals. Clue #3 led us to the Durham History Hub. We were initially confused, but then we walked out toward the big road and finally found Clue #4. “F Stop Art” -- what the heck does that mean? We learned that the term relates to photography, and there was a participating business called Through This Lens, but the Durham Arts Council building was also on the list and very close by. We checked it out and found Clue #5 taped to the sandwich board.
Clue #5 led to the Full Frame Documentary Theatre in the American Tobacco campus, where the man-made Bull River flows. We ran to Full Frame and Erin knew immediately that Clue #6 led to the 21c Hotel. We found the infamous last clue taped to the glass doors of 21c’s Counting House on the corner of Main St. The time stamp on our photo was 7:06pm. The BCBB owner confirmed to us that the clue was no longer in place by 8:00pm. (We didn’t take it!) I knew these were all claymation movies and that Claymakers was on the Third Friday list so we ran on. We were at Claymakers well before dark and searched thoroughly for about an hour before giving up. There were a few other folks at Claymakers searching too. We stayed until after dark, using our flashlights to search high and low—no luck. At this point it was 8:30ish and all other hunters had gone. We decided to check other spots on the Third Friday map to make sure we didn’t miss a lesser-known pottery gallery, but none of them had any clues or good places to hide a bull. Defeated, we finally called it quits and got some pizza.
Erin remembered a Durham violinist who died last year named David McKnight. He often played along Ninth St near where she worked and at the Farmer’s Market in Central Park. So on Saturday morning, we headed down to the Farmer’s Market, knowing that buskers frequently perform there and that David McKnight had a memorial bench dedicated to him near the market. We strolled through the vendors looking for clues, stopping to examine every pottery stand. We found the bench and, there was a pottery vendor set up right next to the bench. But still, no clue and no bull. We were about to abandon the hunt when at 11:52, I saw that BCBB had finally posted something new about Bull #3.
Realizing we had 8 minutes until the clue dropped, we hurried toward downtown, hoping that whatever clue that was lifted from Claymakers (we assumed) would lead us somewhere nearby. When the webpage updated and we realized it was the same clue from Friday night, we turned on a point and sprinted back to Geer St in one last-ditch effort to search in the daylight. When we arrived, no one was there looking yet. We wondered if we were still missing something. Erin took the alley next to Manbites Dog and I started down the parking lot side re-checking all the places I looked on Friday. Within a couple of minutes, I found the bull hidden underneath a beige storage container next to the back door of Claymakers. The storage bin sat on a wooden pallet, and the bull was nestled in the corner within the pallet. I could have sworn that I checked this spot Friday night. I suspected that the bull was not in place when we arrived Friday night, but the BCBB owner confirmed that the bull was in place before the first clue was released. As we were crossing Geer St to head back to the car, we saw a few guys running toward Claymakers and realized we had made it just in time. On the way home, some scary man named Slugworth stopped us and asked for BCBB’s secret burger recipe. Don’t know what that was all about... Thanks BCBB for a fun hunt. We enjoyed getting to know Durham a little better!
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
My girlfriend Erin and I moved to Durham from Raleigh last May, and this was our first year hunting for the golden bulls. We sought the first two bulls unsuccessfully. We knew that the hunt for Golden Bull #3 was supposed to be a one-night-only hunt, so when Thursday night rolled around and still no clue had been posted, we mentally prepped for a Friday night race. We were initially stumped by Clue #1. I eventually googled something like “busker art durham nc” and found out about Third Friday, where art galleries stay open late and street musicians play downtown. I downloaded a locations map and we made the short drive downtown. We decided to start at BCBB since the hunt for Golden Bull #2 started there. Sure enough, a guitar player was performing out front. We saw Clue #2 on the Third Friday sandwich board, and another Google search led us to Vega Metals. Clue #3 led us to the Durham History Hub. We were initially confused, but then we walked out toward the big road and finally found Clue #4. “F Stop Art” -- what the heck does that mean? We learned that the term relates to photography, and there was a participating business called Through This Lens, but the Durham Arts Council building was also on the list and very close by. We checked it out and found Clue #5 taped to the sandwich board.
Clue #5 led to the Full Frame Documentary Theatre in the American Tobacco campus, where the man-made Bull River flows. We ran to Full Frame and Erin knew immediately that Clue #6 led to the 21c Hotel. We found the infamous last clue taped to the glass doors of 21c’s Counting House on the corner of Main St. The time stamp on our photo was 7:06pm. The BCBB owner confirmed to us that the clue was no longer in place by 8:00pm. (We didn’t take it!) I knew these were all claymation movies and that Claymakers was on the Third Friday list so we ran on. We were at Claymakers well before dark and searched thoroughly for about an hour before giving up. There were a few other folks at Claymakers searching too. We stayed until after dark, using our flashlights to search high and low—no luck. At this point it was 8:30ish and all other hunters had gone. We decided to check other spots on the Third Friday map to make sure we didn’t miss a lesser-known pottery gallery, but none of them had any clues or good places to hide a bull. Defeated, we finally called it quits and got some pizza.
Erin remembered a Durham violinist who died last year named David McKnight. He often played along Ninth St near where she worked and at the Farmer’s Market in Central Park. So on Saturday morning, we headed down to the Farmer’s Market, knowing that buskers frequently perform there and that David McKnight had a memorial bench dedicated to him near the market. We strolled through the vendors looking for clues, stopping to examine every pottery stand. We found the bench and, there was a pottery vendor set up right next to the bench. But still, no clue and no bull. We were about to abandon the hunt when at 11:52, I saw that BCBB had finally posted something new about Bull #3.
Realizing we had 8 minutes until the clue dropped, we hurried toward downtown, hoping that whatever clue that was lifted from Claymakers (we assumed) would lead us somewhere nearby. When the webpage updated and we realized it was the same clue from Friday night, we turned on a point and sprinted back to Geer St in one last-ditch effort to search in the daylight. When we arrived, no one was there looking yet. We wondered if we were still missing something. Erin took the alley next to Manbites Dog and I started down the parking lot side re-checking all the places I looked on Friday. Within a couple of minutes, I found the bull hidden underneath a beige storage container next to the back door of Claymakers. The storage bin sat on a wooden pallet, and the bull was nestled in the corner within the pallet. I could have sworn that I checked this spot Friday night. I suspected that the bull was not in place when we arrived Friday night, but the BCBB owner confirmed that the bull was in place before the first clue was released. As we were crossing Geer St to head back to the car, we saw a few guys running toward Claymakers and realized we had made it just in time. On the way home, some scary man named Slugworth stopped us and asked for BCBB’s secret burger recipe. Don’t know what that was all about... Thanks BCBB for a fun hunt. We enjoyed getting to know Durham a little better!
GOLDEN BULL #4
Time is a precious thing. Never waste it. Let this puzzle keep your mind sharp until The Hunt on Saturday.
Clue #1
Clue #2
Clue #3
Clue #4
Golden Bull #4 Winner: Amy B. from Durham
Here's how she found the bull in her own words.
My husband Dan has been so excited about the bull hunt since it started this month. He solved all the puzzles for the first hunt, and he was the first person at Grub hunting for it! We were there a couple days later when someone else found it. We were bummed but excited anyways! We were out of town for a couple weeks and missed the other hunts, and were so anxious to get started with this one! I was busy and Dan showed me the puzzles he was working on... I noticed the random colored blocks on each one and immediately suggested he layer them - I thought it would be a map. He solved all the puzzles anyways (which turned out to be unnecessary). We waited for the final puzzle-clue to come out Saturday morning and as soon as it did he began to layer them all together using his computer. I think he still wasn’t convinced that’s what we needed to do, but he humored me. While he was working, I saw a thumbnail view of the layered puzzles and said “That’s a QR code!” He scanned it, and the website led us to the Carolina Theater. We searched all over (again, seeming to be the first ones there!), with no luck. I asked Dan what the movie was about (the QR code website was a movie poster for a movie that had played at the Carolina Theater), and he told me and mentioned chess...and I shouted, “There’s a giant chess board over there!” So again we searched with no luck. By this time, our kids needed lunch. Dan pointed out that lots of people who’ve found the bull before did so after considering things over lunch. So we left and came back (after researching the movie poster and any other possible Durham connections), and now there were two or three groups of people looking, so I figured I had to really go for it. I hopped up (carefully!) into a plant bed near the chess board and started feeling up the ornamental grass or whatever it was. I found the bull in the third plant I searched! I yelled and screamed and then felt a little bad that Dan didn’t find it himself. But he agreed I deserved it - and this all happened to be on our 11th wedding anniversary! So here’s a shout out to my partner and the love of my life.
Thanks so much for the fun contest and awesome prize! I can’t wait to come in next week! - Thank you, Amy! BCBB
Here's how she found the bull in her own words.
My husband Dan has been so excited about the bull hunt since it started this month. He solved all the puzzles for the first hunt, and he was the first person at Grub hunting for it! We were there a couple days later when someone else found it. We were bummed but excited anyways! We were out of town for a couple weeks and missed the other hunts, and were so anxious to get started with this one! I was busy and Dan showed me the puzzles he was working on... I noticed the random colored blocks on each one and immediately suggested he layer them - I thought it would be a map. He solved all the puzzles anyways (which turned out to be unnecessary). We waited for the final puzzle-clue to come out Saturday morning and as soon as it did he began to layer them all together using his computer. I think he still wasn’t convinced that’s what we needed to do, but he humored me. While he was working, I saw a thumbnail view of the layered puzzles and said “That’s a QR code!” He scanned it, and the website led us to the Carolina Theater. We searched all over (again, seeming to be the first ones there!), with no luck. I asked Dan what the movie was about (the QR code website was a movie poster for a movie that had played at the Carolina Theater), and he told me and mentioned chess...and I shouted, “There’s a giant chess board over there!” So again we searched with no luck. By this time, our kids needed lunch. Dan pointed out that lots of people who’ve found the bull before did so after considering things over lunch. So we left and came back (after researching the movie poster and any other possible Durham connections), and now there were two or three groups of people looking, so I figured I had to really go for it. I hopped up (carefully!) into a plant bed near the chess board and started feeling up the ornamental grass or whatever it was. I found the bull in the third plant I searched! I yelled and screamed and then felt a little bad that Dan didn’t find it himself. But he agreed I deserved it - and this all happened to be on our 11th wedding anniversary! So here’s a shout out to my partner and the love of my life.
Thanks so much for the fun contest and awesome prize! I can’t wait to come in next week! - Thank you, Amy! BCBB
Golden Bull #5
Month-Long Scavenger Hunt List - Due 3/29
Scavenger Hunt Weekly List #1 - Due 3/11 by 10 PM
Scavenger Hunt Weekly List #2 - Due 3/ 18 by 10 PM
Scavenger Hunt Weekly List #3 - Due 3/25 by 10 PM
Scavenger Hunt Weekly List #4 - Due 3/29 by 10 PM
Golden Bull #5 Winner: Keith from Durham
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
My wife and I moved to Durham earlier this year and through the recent friends we made we learned that the Golden Bull Hunt is THE big thing that you have to take part in, and thus, the Raiders of the Lost Bull were formed.
Our team was active in all four previous hunts and even got close to the bull a few times, searching around Grub with other hunters for the 1st, and arriving at Claymakers just minutes after the 3rd bull was found.
We had difficulty finding time for the scavenger hunt, but managed to put in a good effort for one of the weeks. As such, we were in last place for the teams that participated and didn’t receive the clue until 1:00pm. Nonetheless the Raiders of the Lost Bull gathered at 12:57 and eagerly waited for the moment we could begin the hunt.
Our clue was delivered sealed in an unlabeled crowler can. It had a peculiar rattle as if it contained a mix of items of varying harness. Cracking the tab yielded nothing useful, so a pocketknife was necessary to dissect the can to reveal a copy of Auric Bull the 5th’s final words, a length of string, a paperclip and some gift cards to BCBB and Pompieri.
Being the last team to receive the clue we attempted to address the clues in a non-linear fashion to get ahead of the others, though the result was 45 minutes of aimless wondering and half understanding what we were doing. I’ll spare you that recount and start from an hour in, where we decided to retrace our steps and start from the beginning.
The street with no rhyme was Orange, just across Mangum from BCBB. Immediately upon crossing we reached the large wheat cent with stalks containing 17 kernels each. A few steps further was the mosaic pond with 5 lily pads. Down Alley 26 (2x the unlucky number 13) and we passed the blue bull mural with 2 roses. At the end of the alley you find the post office (with 8 white columns) who’s emblem on the west side of the building bears a regal eagle.
Heading west on Chapel Hill St there was a Port-o-John ahead with 9 small bushes planted along the left side of the sidewalk, and just beyond was the exit to the Unscripted parking garage with a large red “DO NOT ENTER” sign above. Inside the “lair of metallic beasts” there are 13 painted columns, one of which bears a small gold outline of an elephant.
Pushing forward up the ramp to the 2nd floor on the right we immediately headed down the exit stairwell out to Parrish street. Turning right we saw Major “the long lost brother” and had earlier realized we needed to measure the distance from his nose to the recycling bin behind him to calibrate our string for the distance in later clues.
Back into the Unscripted garage there was a pink painting of a hummingbird on the right side to prove we were still on the right track. Working our way back up the levels of the garage we found a communications room #336. The first two digits the same, the third the sum of the first two. As added confirmation, the 5 lily pads minus the 2 roses indicated that 3 was the right number. At this point we knew that the bull was hiding somewhere within 17 calibrated rope lengths from our current position, but we didn’t know which direction to go.
Heading back down to the staircase that exits to Parrish street, we took the tumbling boulder to mean we shouldn’t try to go back out again, and given this spot was 30 lengths from the hiding spot (17 + 13) we quickly moved on.
Back to the small golden elephant painted on the first level (added confirmation since the painting was referred to as “the one-that-never-forgets” with his trunk gesturing upwards and to the north. Furthermore, we knew the bull was hidden 11 lengths from our current location (9 plants + 2 bulls[Major & the blue mural]).
Knowing the bull is also 17 lengths from the communications door on the 3rd floor, we started measuring the 11 lengths from the gold elephant up the staircase in the NE corner of the garage. The 11th length got us exactly to the top of the staircase on the 3rd floor.
During our earlier mis-adventures in the hunt, we had been searching with other hunters on the top level of the garage and found the red X marking “The Spot” where you could clearly see a red triangle (with 3 sides) in the steeple above Pompieri. “The Spot” on the 4th floor was 11 lengths from the bull’s hiding place (3 sides of a triangle + 8 columns).
However, we were not at The Spot, we were at the location “where my un-forgetful friend directed me” on the top of the NE staircase on the 3rd floor, and when I leaned out over the railing and looked towards the Pompieri steeple, I exclaimed “You can’t see it from here!”
Luckily I had the rest of the Raiders with me, and when another looked for herself, she saw the 5th bull, sitting on the ledge just around the corner on the façade of the building.
Thanks to Seth and everyone at BCBB for organizing this amazing hunt. It’s been an exciting month and a great way to get to know this city. We’re all looking forward to what you and the team come up with next year! - Thank you Keith!
Here's how he found the bull in his own words.
My wife and I moved to Durham earlier this year and through the recent friends we made we learned that the Golden Bull Hunt is THE big thing that you have to take part in, and thus, the Raiders of the Lost Bull were formed.
Our team was active in all four previous hunts and even got close to the bull a few times, searching around Grub with other hunters for the 1st, and arriving at Claymakers just minutes after the 3rd bull was found.
We had difficulty finding time for the scavenger hunt, but managed to put in a good effort for one of the weeks. As such, we were in last place for the teams that participated and didn’t receive the clue until 1:00pm. Nonetheless the Raiders of the Lost Bull gathered at 12:57 and eagerly waited for the moment we could begin the hunt.
Our clue was delivered sealed in an unlabeled crowler can. It had a peculiar rattle as if it contained a mix of items of varying harness. Cracking the tab yielded nothing useful, so a pocketknife was necessary to dissect the can to reveal a copy of Auric Bull the 5th’s final words, a length of string, a paperclip and some gift cards to BCBB and Pompieri.
Being the last team to receive the clue we attempted to address the clues in a non-linear fashion to get ahead of the others, though the result was 45 minutes of aimless wondering and half understanding what we were doing. I’ll spare you that recount and start from an hour in, where we decided to retrace our steps and start from the beginning.
The street with no rhyme was Orange, just across Mangum from BCBB. Immediately upon crossing we reached the large wheat cent with stalks containing 17 kernels each. A few steps further was the mosaic pond with 5 lily pads. Down Alley 26 (2x the unlucky number 13) and we passed the blue bull mural with 2 roses. At the end of the alley you find the post office (with 8 white columns) who’s emblem on the west side of the building bears a regal eagle.
Heading west on Chapel Hill St there was a Port-o-John ahead with 9 small bushes planted along the left side of the sidewalk, and just beyond was the exit to the Unscripted parking garage with a large red “DO NOT ENTER” sign above. Inside the “lair of metallic beasts” there are 13 painted columns, one of which bears a small gold outline of an elephant.
Pushing forward up the ramp to the 2nd floor on the right we immediately headed down the exit stairwell out to Parrish street. Turning right we saw Major “the long lost brother” and had earlier realized we needed to measure the distance from his nose to the recycling bin behind him to calibrate our string for the distance in later clues.
Back into the Unscripted garage there was a pink painting of a hummingbird on the right side to prove we were still on the right track. Working our way back up the levels of the garage we found a communications room #336. The first two digits the same, the third the sum of the first two. As added confirmation, the 5 lily pads minus the 2 roses indicated that 3 was the right number. At this point we knew that the bull was hiding somewhere within 17 calibrated rope lengths from our current position, but we didn’t know which direction to go.
Heading back down to the staircase that exits to Parrish street, we took the tumbling boulder to mean we shouldn’t try to go back out again, and given this spot was 30 lengths from the hiding spot (17 + 13) we quickly moved on.
Back to the small golden elephant painted on the first level (added confirmation since the painting was referred to as “the one-that-never-forgets” with his trunk gesturing upwards and to the north. Furthermore, we knew the bull was hidden 11 lengths from our current location (9 plants + 2 bulls[Major & the blue mural]).
Knowing the bull is also 17 lengths from the communications door on the 3rd floor, we started measuring the 11 lengths from the gold elephant up the staircase in the NE corner of the garage. The 11th length got us exactly to the top of the staircase on the 3rd floor.
During our earlier mis-adventures in the hunt, we had been searching with other hunters on the top level of the garage and found the red X marking “The Spot” where you could clearly see a red triangle (with 3 sides) in the steeple above Pompieri. “The Spot” on the 4th floor was 11 lengths from the bull’s hiding place (3 sides of a triangle + 8 columns).
However, we were not at The Spot, we were at the location “where my un-forgetful friend directed me” on the top of the NE staircase on the 3rd floor, and when I leaned out over the railing and looked towards the Pompieri steeple, I exclaimed “You can’t see it from here!”
Luckily I had the rest of the Raiders with me, and when another looked for herself, she saw the 5th bull, sitting on the ledge just around the corner on the façade of the building.
Thanks to Seth and everyone at BCBB for organizing this amazing hunt. It’s been an exciting month and a great way to get to know this city. We’re all looking forward to what you and the team come up with next year! - Thank you Keith!
LEADERBOARD (updated 3/30/18)
- Problem Solved - "Luke" No Further
- Unbeatabulls
- Daddy, I want a Golden Bull NOW!
- The Family
- Raiders of the Lost Bull
- Team Wonder Bread
- Angry Queers
- Bull City Bugs
- The SteelCats
- Problem Solved - "Luke" No Further
- Unbeatabulls
- Daddy, I want a Golden Bull NOW!
- The Family
- Raiders of the Lost Bull
- Team Wonder Bread
- Angry Queers
- Bull City Bugs
- The SteelCats
Previous Winners
2011: Natalie, Matt, Kevin, Steven, Lee
2012: Aurelia D., Richard A., Hilary, Brian M., Steve O., (Kyle M.)
2013: Alexis S., Andrew S., Sarah W., Tom C., Kevin M.
2014: Scott K., Alix B., Dan B., Tim R., Carrie G.
2015: Phillip, Trip, Matthew, Geert, Andy
2016: Brad, Rachel,Andrew, Paul, Christopher
2017: Jacob, Ali, Jeremiah, Kaleb, Reece
2018: Ken, Lauren, Daniel, Amy, Keith
2011: Natalie, Matt, Kevin, Steven, Lee
2012: Aurelia D., Richard A., Hilary, Brian M., Steve O., (Kyle M.)
2013: Alexis S., Andrew S., Sarah W., Tom C., Kevin M.
2014: Scott K., Alix B., Dan B., Tim R., Carrie G.
2015: Phillip, Trip, Matthew, Geert, Andy
2016: Brad, Rachel,Andrew, Paul, Christopher
2017: Jacob, Ali, Jeremiah, Kaleb, Reece
2018: Ken, Lauren, Daniel, Amy, Keith
Eat Pasture-Raised Beef and Drink Freshly Brewed Beer!107 E. Parrish St. #105, Durham, NC 27701
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Hours of Operation:TO GO ORDER PICK-UP, INDOOR & OUTDOOR DINING
Monday - Closed Tuesday - Thursday 11:11 AM to 9:30 PM Friday and Saturday 11:11 AM to 10 PM Sunday 11:11 AM to 9 PM |
Part of the Pie Pan Family of Restaurants:
Bull City Solera and Taproom 4120 University Drive, Durham 27707
Bull City Solera and Taproom 4120 University Drive, Durham 27707