A combination of snipe hunting and to be given the runaround. Part of the phrase, " Go find me a left handed smoke shifter" This is to be said to one of the more gullible members of the group. That member is then sent on a
fool's errand, running from campsite to campsite as the
people at each campsite tell him, " No we don't have one, but I heard so and so has one." In other
words; something that doesn't exist that is used to send someone on a fool's errand.