This morning was cool, overcast, and very dry. There was no discernible dew on the grass.
In other words, not conditions in which the gastropods come out to play.
Having some experience of this kind of weather earlier in the snail eradication campaign, I went right for the well-insulated hiding places: the bases of plants that provide a lot of shade, the sides of the raised beds, the sides of the compost bin.
Nothing.
Finally, I ended up scraping the bottom of the barrel (actually, the bottom of a watering can) and found a few wee slugs. I managed to find some more slugs and a couple of snails by a stretch of bender-board that separates a planting area from a path.
In the event that it rains this morning, it is possible the gastropods will come out of hiding, making it easier to collect them and separate them from my garden forever.
I haven't yet decided if I'm up for snailing in the rain. It may depend on whether it's a cool rain or a cold one.
Today's take: seven slugs and two snails (in 20 minutes of vigorous searching).
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They've changed the conditions to see if you'll still run the maze in the manner to which you're now conditioned.
Your mention of preferred hiding places reminds me of how a local organic farmer would make little houses for slugs, snails and toads to hide. He used recycled bricks to hold foot square unglazed tiles, left over from a flooring job, to form a roof. The unglazed clay soaked up water and remained cool and moist. Finding slugs was as easy as lifting the tile and, after a time, he hosted a small colony of toads that went a long way toward controlling insects.