French treasure hunt based on book of riddles appears to have come to an end after 31 years

The hunt, On The Trail Of The Golden Owl, was based on a book of riddles published in 1993. Participants had to solve 11 puzzles in the book

A decades-long treasure hunt in France appears to be nearing its conclusion after official social media accounts linked to the search said the token needed to claim the grand prize — a 3kg gold owl — has been found.

The hunt, known as On The Trail Of The Golden Owl, is based on a book of riddles that was published in 1993.

Participants had to solve 11 puzzles in the book — and a 12th one that was hidden — to find the exact location of the token.

But a message on a channel on the chat app Discord with tens of thousands of followers on Monday warned: “Don’t go digging!”

“We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night,” the message said, prompting a wave of sad and crying emojis. “It is therefore useless to go digging.”

The solutions provided by those who claimed to have unearthed the token are being vetted, the message said.

The book, by author Regis Hauser and artist Michel Becker, built a cult-like following with a community of more than 200,000 players, known as 'owlers', from France and abroad, according to the hunt’s official website.

In a documentary posted on YouTube, Mr Becker said he oversaw and financed the creation of the prize. It is an owl made of 3kg of gold and 7kg of silver with diamond chips on its face.

Events where 'owlers' could meet and share tips were organised across France.

Mr Hauser, the intellectual architect of the riddles, had initially used the pen name Max Valentin to prevent the most assiduous treasure hunters from seeking him out. He died in 2009, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

He and Mr Becker decided to bury a replica of the owl, keeping the precious original in a safe place. Its value is estimated at 150,000 euros ($164,663), fans of the treasure hunt have said online.

In order to claim the treasure, the winning player would need to submit the replica along with the answers to all of the book’s riddles.

On Discord, members of the hunt channel were quick to react to the news that the replica owl may have been found, with thousands of messages pouring in.

“Time to get the tissues out,” one wrote, as another said: “It’s the end of an era.”

The concept was inspired by The Masquerade, a 1979 book of riddles by Kit Williams, where hunters also had to solve several puzzles to find a golden rabbit, according to a 2021 documentary.