A search for an ornate golden owl buried in France has ended after 31 years

An infamous French treasure hunt that lasted more than thirty years has finally come to an end.

The search started with a picture book:On the trail of the Golden Owl—by author Regis Hauser and artist Michel Becker. Since its publication in 1993, treasure hunters have been trying to solve the eleven clues, which would lead to a golden owl buried somewhere in France.

The riddles were ‘a combination of devilish language games, cartographic figures, historical allusions and mathematical brainteasers’, as the Guardianwrote Phil Hoad in 2022. Thousands of players known as ‘owlers’ have been trying to crack them for years.

When the adventure began, Hauser used a pseudonym:Max Valentin-so participants wouldn’t try to contact him. Treasure hunters were also advised never to dig on public or private land without permission.

The ornate owl statue is made of more than 6 pounds of gold and more than 15 pounds of silver, with diamond pieces adorning the face, according to the Associated pressDiane Jeanette. Fans estimate it to be worth €150,000 (approximately $165,000).

Hauser buried a replica of the owl underground. The first person to solve all the clues and unearth the copy would win the real deal.

On October 3, a post on the hunt’s official Discord forum suggested that someone may have solved the puzzle. “A potentially winning solution is being verified,” the message said Guardian‘s Jon Henley. “No more solutions may be submitted. Further information will be communicated as soon as possible.”

A few hours later a second message came: “Don’t keep digging! We confirm that the little owl replica was excavated overnight and a resolution was submitted at the same time.”

The rules of the hunt stipulate that the finder must correctly solve all the riddles of the quest. As such, there was a chance that someone with a metal detector could have stumbled upon the prize without deciphering the final clue.

A few days later, Becker confirmed that the hunt was over. Those in the owl community have reacted with mixed emotions.

“I didn’t think I would live to see the day,” reads one Discord post, as reported by BBC news‘Hug Schofield. “It’s like Covid. So nice when it’s over.”

A treasure hunter named Jean claims that he has spent all his weekends for the past two years looking for the prize, sometimes in the middle of the night. “I’m disappointed because I thought I was close, but at the same time relieved that it’s ending,” he says France Interradioaccording to a translation from the AP.

Hauser has never seen anyone solve his puzzle again. He died in 2009 and Becker has since taken over as hunt supervisor. Participants hope that organizers will reveal all the answers to the clues, especially the mysterious location of the owl replica.

“Strangely, I’m relieved,” a Discord commenter told BBC News. “I am now desperately looking for the solutions to see if I was on the right track.”