Are we starting to see

[Larry (IL)]

a swing in hunting habits? I got a wake up call when I read on the V3i forum about a new V3i owner who found more gold rings in his first 12 hours (5) than I found all of last year. It seems that more hunters are reporting jewelry finds than in the past or is it just my imagination? A change in hunting habits is something I have wanted to do for several years but I just can't get the trigger pulled on digging a lot of trash to get the gold, old habits are hard to change I guess. For the most part, I'm still stuck in the old coin mode although I have made some very nice jewelry finds over the years and I consider myself as pretty diversified in what I hunt for.... relics, coins and jewelry.

I think as a whole, the metal detecting hobby will eventually turn to more jewelry hunting than old coin hunting, just from supply and demand. There are no more old coins being lost and the places to find them has been dwindling, especially public hunting grounds. Retiring baby boomers with lots of time on their hands are finding metal detecting a great pastime, something many of us have known for a lot of years and jewelry seems to be a renewable resource and getting quite profitable with gold over $1500 an ounce. Even the beach hunting group has started complaining about too much competition in the sand. Is our old hunting grounds our NEW hunting grounds if we started digging for gold instead of coins?

 

[MNCoinhunter]

I think you are on to something Larry. A lot of my friends who know about my detecting hobby ask me which detectors would be best to find gold and silver jewelry on beaches. Fortunately for me the competition up here is'nt as fierce. Although I am not big on beach hunting, there are still plenty of old homesteads and small parks here that have'nt been "hunted out".

The good thing, is that while the silver coin supply may eventually be exhausted, there will always be folks losing jewelry for years to come. You just gotta be the first guy out there to find it.

 

[mudpuppy]

Yes, I agree Larry...I know I've changed my habits even though I'm only one year into this addiction. I'll be hunting older jewelry drop sites, and places that may have not seen a coil in a while as well as sweeping places I've been to before in a concentrated effort to find old gold..
It will be very hard to find fresh drops on the beach that have any great value, with the popularity of smart phones, the owner of a valuable fresh drop can contact the local contract detectorist, and get the lost article back quickly. I am hunting more low/midtones now than before, but nothing found yet this year of any real value except silver rings and bracelets..going for the gold though.

 

[bulletman]

Agreed! I changed my habits some time ago, purely by accident. Once you find a 14k jewelry item, then you start to question why you were looking for mercs that may be worth 3 or 4 bucks. Silver coins are virtually non-existent in my part of the woods. I roll my clad from time to time and buy silver coins.


Bulletman

 

[JimGilmore]

I agree that finding older coins will become harder there are still old coins that get dropped from time to time. My oldest coin find was a few years ago when I found a 1896/7 seated liberty dime. Do not remember the exact year. But I think is was a fresh drop. Because it was within 5 feet of a payphone of a park I had hunted a lot.
Also Just being the first to hunt a local school that has only been built recently can yield surprising results. When I had been hunting a kindergarten that my daughters were going to school at I know the school was only 1-2 years old and found the grass yard for the k class had given me $17 in my first weekend there.
So finding the things that are left is going to mean getting down into the foil area and getting everything to get the coins we have left out there.

 

[Terry Soloman]

a swing in hunting habits? I got a wake up call when I read on the V3i forum about a new V3i owner who found more gold rings in his first 12 hours (5) than I found all of last year. It seems that more hunters are reporting jewelry finds than in the past or is it just my imagination? A change in hunting habits is something I have wanted to do for several years but I just can't get the trigger pulled on digging a lot of trash to get the gold, old habits are hard to change I guess. For the most part, I'm still stuck in the old coin mode although I have made some very nice jewelry finds over the years and I consider myself as pretty diversified in what I hunt for.... relics, coins and jewelry.

I think as a whole, the metal detecting hobby will eventually turn to more jewelry hunting than old coin hunting, just from supply and demand. There are no more old coins being lost and the places to find them has been dwindling, especially public hunting grounds. Retiring baby boomers with lots of time on their hands are finding metal detecting a great pastime, something many of us have known for a lot of years and jewelry seems to be a renewable resource and getting quite profitable with gold over $1500 an ounce. Even the beach hunting group has started complaining about too much competition in the sand. Is our old hunting grounds our NEW hunting grounds if we started digging for gold instead of coins?

I thought about your post Larry, and it made me think back to say 1990. How many people did you see in the parks, or on the beaches with metal detectors in 1990? And if they had one, it was surely a first or second generation VLF detector. Now think about today.. Even old gold prospectors like me have Pulse Induction Sand Sharks when they go to the beach to knock back a gin and tonic. Yes, times have changed. But, just like in the goldfields of Arizona, you can have the best equipment and all the money in the world, but if you don't know how to use the equipment and don't have the stamina to work it, well, that is just more gold for me baby! There will always be treasure to be found, hard lookers, soft lookers, thrill seekers, winners and losers. That is what excites me! - Terry

 

[Larry (IL)]

That is one aspect of the hobby that will not change, the seasoned hunter. As the giants of the industry fade from the limelight, those who have earned their stars will take their places with or without the latest in technology. There are many hunters still using 1980's detectors that will easily out hunt the majority of the newer hunters with the state-of-the-art machines because they have what it takes between the ears, not in their hand.

 

[okdirtfisher]

I purchased my first detector with thoughts of getting some exercise. I've been overweight and the health issues brought on by that fact was having a big affect on me.I put a post on a forum for a hunting buddy and the one I got was a guy who has spent 30yrs. in the hobby and for him repeatable signal meant dig it,I've enjoyed hunting with him over a 2yr. period now but he hunts mainly lots that have recently had the structures torn down, the constant up and down on my knees in lots like this wasn't real enjoyable to me and I wasn't doing anything else to help with my weight issue so I started doing alot of cherry picking.I've recovered alot of clad and a few good relics,but have been upset with myself and the hunting style I've developed because I know I miss good targets.I recently purchased a V3i and hope this machine will help me in changing my bad habits.I know the machine will do its job if I get the coil over the target and I know I'm going to dig recyclable alloy targets to get the good stuff no matter the machine or the hunting style.It's just hard for me to apply my hunting Buddy's motto of just dig it

 

[Craig]

I started to notice that my clad count was going down ! "Back in the day" I use to cherry pick almost every place I went. Not many other people had detectors then in my area. I have reevaluated the way I detect. Before I had detectors with VDI meters, I noticed myself getting lazy by passing the pull tabs, zinc pennies and trash. I also had a low nickle recovery. So I started to dig everything that had a decent tone. I have to say my gold count has gone up, but I have a lot of pull tabs, which I save and donate to Mickey D's house. When I have people come up and ask me what I have found ? I pull a hand full of trash