Any tips for hunting a Calvary camp?

[Anonymous]

I found a virgin Calvary camp last winter, and found some good relics. Due to the extreme drought, I couldn't get back up there to dig(all summer). Most of my finds were made in an area about the size of a football field. Very few bullets, but lots of brass and Spencer casings(don't know which way the bullets went). There is a deep gulley, just inside the woods, with a spring. Haven't hunted in there yet. Lots of field that I haven't gotten to yet, but I have searched away from the concentrated area, and find less relics, and more modern type trash. I think I've hunted the heart of this camp pretty good, but would like an idea of how big an un-documented camp could have been. I'm wondering if it could be more concentrations close by. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[d-2]

Could very well be more camps around and with the spring being close it was used more than once. Look for the flat places where they would have camped(no one wants to sleep on the side of a hill) and post some of your finds...d2

 

[Canewrap]

We've been hunting what I suspect were a series of camps along a road and one of the camps was probably a calvary camp. It wasn't even as big as what you describe. I'll tell you what a veteran relic hunter once told me. Grid off your area and then search it as though you were painting a wall, make sure you have plenty of overlap and set it up so can listen for those faint signals that tell you something deep is there. Also, my own experience is that you need to make a hand-drawn map of the area your camp is in and take GPS readings (if you have one) because as you search those other areas you may come across another hot spot and eventually want to come back to your original hot spot when the conditions are a little different (wetter, colder, etc.) and you don't want to waste time re-establishing where the boundaries of the camp were. I would strongly suggest getting to the area around the spring when the conditions are ideal (vegetation has started to shrink back, but it hasn't gotten so cold you can't hunt). Congratulations by-the-way, on finding a virgin camp, they're really hard to find nowadays.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tips. Ironically, the concentrations last year were on an incline(hillside). Not real steep, but a fairly close "plateau" which was flat, had fewer relics. I found that to be a little strange, at the time. I have only hunted about 2 acres, with about 10 left to go. I did, however, circle the property in the beginning, looking for the best location. That was easy to find, in this situation. But I probably walked by some good items when I first went "fishing". There is a very old homesite close to the camp, but it was so trashy, I used my time on the hotspot. No telling what could be around that old foundation.

 

[moliver3]

Most relics that I find are also located on inclines facing the morning sun. Pitching tents on sloped ground prevented flooding. If you have a wooded area above water on an incline will probably be a good place to hunt. Good Luck.

 

[jbow]

All the buttons I found at one camp were on the south facing slope, all the harness buckles and rings too. Minnies were in plots around the hill, along the slope, spaced maybe 50-60 ft apart but along the same part of the slope. Like they had lookouts posted around the camp, and they probably did.

J

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, the slope that has been so productive IS facing east. I have found tent and umbrella parts galore. And the "gulley" with the spring is in the woods EAST of the camp, also. I have not hunted in the woods yet, because there is still so much open field to hunt. Am I probably missing the boat? Thanks

 

[Canewrap]

No, you're not missing the boat, but rather being thorough. You'll be better off hunting the woods after you've had your first frost and the vegetation starts to die back.

 

[Relic]

Calvary is the English name for Golgatha, the site where Christ was crucified. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but there's a pretty big difference.

HH,
Relic

 

[jbow]

A few years ago we had a local exterminator who named his company Calvary Pest Control and had a picture of a Cavalry soldier on the door of the truck... He changed it after a few months. I bet he felt well...

I live in a neighborhood where all the streets are named for trees and shrubs. The main road is boxwood and I live on azalea. There is one street named popular.. laff. After a number of years the county changed it to poplar like is was suppossed to be. The people who live on the street raised such a fuss they had to change it back to popular... go figure

J

 

[tsgman]

Just stand in the middle of the camp, look in all directions, any spot that you cannot see weel or say for example a slight hill or a area that is elevated. These spots will probably be pickets to protect the main camp.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote Relic]Calvary is the English name for Golgatha, the site where Christ was crucified. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but there's a pretty big difference.

HH,
Relic[/quote] I'm not trying to be a jerk, either, but have you ever tried Preparation H? You have enlightened me on my spelling, so maybe it's my turn to help you..............