Always fun to head to St. Louis to hunt...as long as you are in and out before dark.
This was a rare overnight trip for me which allowed me to hunt for 2 hours on Friday night...then get up and hunt for 5 more hours Saturday.
My girlfriend and her daughter were at an overnight church function so Dave-IL came along with me.
With gas prices the way they are..and hotel costs not much better...it was nice to have Dave share the expense with me. I don't think i could have afforded the trip otherwise.
Anyway we arrived about 4:00 and only had 2 hours of daylight left. On top of this we were fighting cold temps and a light rain...but we figured we might as well squeeze in a short hunt.
I started at my favorite spot at this huge old park...a big hillside that wound down towards an old stone restroom.
Dave was working around the restroom area with the help of Hercules...while I worked the area about 50 feet away.
[attachment 189887 forestpark2.jpg]
I got my first of only 2 keeper digs in the 2 hour hunt...a wheatie/Barber pocket spill...SWEET.
[attachment 189886 forestpark.jpg]
A few minutes later...Dave dug a merc...so we were both happy.
I then dug this old sterling silver hoop earring which was engulfed in a crumbled pile of iron when I dug it.
[attachment 189888 forestpark3.jpg]
By now it was getting dark...so we headed to the hotel to recharge for the longer Saturday hunt.
Best part of the whole road trip was the MONSTER breakfast buffet at the hotel.
We got up early and absolutely hammered the food line. In fact I made 3 trips so we could skip lunch and hunt a full 5 hours before heading home.
Dave snuck a plate of blueberry muffins up to the room so he would have something to snack on throughout the day til supper time....but Hercules had a plan of his own.
He barely had time to set them down and walk away before Herky decided he would stretch up and snag one of the muffins for himself.
[attachment 189890 forestpark5.jpg]
After a big breakfast we checked out and headed to the park to hunt.
It was a very tough day and a lot of hard work trying to coax up any keepers from this place...but I knew it would be.
It's always that way here...but it usually coughs up something. You just have to be patient...listen carefully...and hope for the best. Last time I pulled a seated dime from here...but that was not going to be the case today.
After nearly 2 hours I had ZERO in the pouch. In fact I had only bent over to dig one time.
I decided to wander towards the car to get a drink...and it was then that I stumbled upon a wheatie from 8"...then a barber dime from 10". Both of these digs came from within 20 feet of my car.
I got my drink then fired up the SEPro again.
I had hardly walked 10 feet when I got a nice singing warble from about 8".
I dug down and was absolutely shocked to see the old cub scout neck tie. It was my first one of these in many years.
[attachment 189891 forestpark6.jpg]
A few minutes later I glanced over and saw Dave set his machine down then head up the loooong hill. He wasn't really running...more like waddling from side to side.
He was in panic mode...with a look of teror on his face.
I knew right then there must be some kind of trouble...so I set my SE down to head his way to help.
Was he about to get mugged??.....NOPE....restroom was locked...and it was a LONG haul up the hill to the next one...and he wasn't sure he was gonna' make it.
A few minutes later he came wandering back down the hill...muttering something about why the first one was locked...but all ended well.
He began hunting again and pulled another couple of wheaties.
I pulled an old crusty Injun'...then got a very deep hit about 15 feet away.
It was such a sweet and faint warble that I called Dave over to give it a listen.
The depth meter was buried..and it just chirped lightly...but it hit from nearly all angles.
We dug a deep plug...then popped out a clod...and when I ran the probe over the clod...it sang nice and high.
I popped it open and was rewarded with a Merc from at least 10" down.
[attachment 189892 forestpark7.jpg]
It was just really cool to have Dave witness this from absolute start...to finish. Many times I just dig...as does he...but on this occasion I had a gut feeling...so I called him over. It's always nice to share a deep dig with a buddy...and have that dig turn out being a silver coin.
All in all a super fun trip with some nice finds.
I realize that these finds don't look like much for 2 hours on Friday...and another 5 hours on Saturday....but I worked hard as did Dave...and I'm THRILLED to dig this many keepers from this site.
I ended up with 2 wheaties (lost a third somewhere)...1 crusty old injun'...the sweet cubscouts item...the silver hoop earring...a Merc...and 2 Barber dimes.
[attachment 189893 forestpark8.jpg]
Dave ended up with 3 wheaties...a whatzit...and the Merc.
[attachment 189885 davepic.jpg]
Thanks for viewing..and good luck on your next hunt.
This was a rare overnight trip for me which allowed me to hunt for 2 hours on Friday night...then get up and hunt for 5 more hours Saturday.
My girlfriend and her daughter were at an overnight church function so Dave-IL came along with me.
With gas prices the way they are..and hotel costs not much better...it was nice to have Dave share the expense with me. I don't think i could have afforded the trip otherwise.
Anyway we arrived about 4:00 and only had 2 hours of daylight left. On top of this we were fighting cold temps and a light rain...but we figured we might as well squeeze in a short hunt.
I started at my favorite spot at this huge old park...a big hillside that wound down towards an old stone restroom.
Dave was working around the restroom area with the help of Hercules...while I worked the area about 50 feet away.
[attachment 189887 forestpark2.jpg]
I got my first of only 2 keeper digs in the 2 hour hunt...a wheatie/Barber pocket spill...SWEET.
[attachment 189886 forestpark.jpg]
A few minutes later...Dave dug a merc...so we were both happy.
I then dug this old sterling silver hoop earring which was engulfed in a crumbled pile of iron when I dug it.
[attachment 189888 forestpark3.jpg]
By now it was getting dark...so we headed to the hotel to recharge for the longer Saturday hunt.
Best part of the whole road trip was the MONSTER breakfast buffet at the hotel.
We got up early and absolutely hammered the food line. In fact I made 3 trips so we could skip lunch and hunt a full 5 hours before heading home.Dave snuck a plate of blueberry muffins up to the room
so he would have something to snack on throughout the day til supper time....but Hercules had a plan of his own.He barely had time to set them down and walk away before Herky decided he would stretch up and snag one of the muffins for himself.
[attachment 189890 forestpark5.jpg]
After a big breakfast we checked out and headed to the park to hunt.
It was a very tough day and a lot of hard work trying to coax up any keepers from this place...but I knew it would be.
It's always that way here...but it usually coughs up something. You just have to be patient...listen carefully...and hope for the best. Last time I pulled a seated dime from here...but that was not going to be the case today.
After nearly 2 hours I had ZERO in the pouch.
In fact I had only bent over to dig one time.I decided to wander towards the car to get a drink...and it was then that I stumbled upon a wheatie from 8"...then a barber dime from 10".
Both of these digs came from within 20 feet of my car.I got my drink then fired up the SEPro again.
I had hardly walked 10 feet when I got a nice singing warble from about 8".
I dug down and was absolutely shocked to see the old cub scout neck tie. It was my first one of these in many years.
[attachment 189891 forestpark6.jpg]
A few minutes later I glanced over and saw Dave set his machine down then head up the loooong hill. He wasn't really running...more like waddling from side to side.
He was in panic mode...with a look of teror on his face.
I knew right then there must be some kind of trouble...so I set my SE down to head his way to help.Was he about to get mugged??
.....NOPE....restroom was locked...and it was a LONG haul up the hill to the next one...and he wasn't sure he was gonna' make it. A few minutes later he came wandering back down the hill...muttering something about why the first one was locked...but all ended well.
He began hunting again and pulled another couple of wheaties.
I pulled an old crusty Injun'...then got a very deep hit about 15 feet away.
It was such a sweet and faint warble that I called Dave over to give it a listen.
The depth meter was buried..and it just chirped lightly...but it hit from nearly all angles.
We dug a deep plug...then popped out a clod...and when I ran the probe over the clod...it sang nice and high.
I popped it open and was rewarded with a Merc from at least 10" down.
[attachment 189892 forestpark7.jpg]
It was just really cool to have Dave witness this from absolute start...to finish. Many times I just dig...as does he...but on this occasion I had a gut feeling...so I called him over. It's always nice to share a deep dig with a buddy...and have that dig turn out being a silver coin.
All in all a super fun trip with some nice finds.
I realize that these finds don't look like much for 2 hours on Friday...and another 5 hours on Saturday....but I worked hard as did Dave...and I'm THRILLED to dig this many keepers from this site.
I ended up with 2 wheaties (lost a third somewhere)...1 crusty old injun'...the sweet cubscouts item...the silver hoop earring...a Merc...and 2 Barber dimes.
[attachment 189893 forestpark8.jpg]
Dave ended up with 3 wheaties...a whatzit...and the Merc.
[attachment 189885 davepic.jpg]
Thanks for viewing..and good luck on your next hunt.
