Detecting Essentials

[Road Gang]

What do you folks carry with you when you go out with your detectors? What are the bare essentials for you? Bug spray? Pinpointer? Drop cloth etc.?

 

[tabdog]

All depends on where I"m conna hunt. I always got a pocket
knife with a serrated edge.

If it's tot lot i just have a plastic scoop and headphones.
People are less at ease if you have a belt full of useless
and sharp pointy weapons. ( that may be how they see it )

In wood chips I just got my Arkie Barky and headphones.

In yards I got a cloth or plastic cover, good digger and a screw driver & headphones.

In the woods I got a pouch, shovel, digger, headphones.

HH,

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hello roadgang, i will agree 100% with tabdog except for a small area or two. i prefer to use an old butcherknife - not a real big one - for yards. the reason being, you can easily step the point of blade away from the center of the x, insert knife, and with a smooth turning action neatly cut out a plug of grass thats easily replaced. screwdrivers have always made me shudder [dont know why] so i dont use them. ive never understood why hunters would want to probe or make contact with the target with their digger. quite often damage results. most of your targets will be just below the rootlines. thats where the dropcloth comes in. i tend to move quickly on the digging part, because its the part i least like. the faster and neater your recovery times, the better for the overall experience. if youre ever out and away from civilization, or in a place with hoodlums around, dont forget to take a cellphone and something to drink. i hope this helps you, and maybe others too. hh,

 

[tabdog]

I agree with you, Gray Ghost, 100%.

But for me a screw driver is not a probe.

I gave up on probes early on. Don't make

sense to me.

When I get a shallow target in the grass roots,

I use my smooth, rounded screw driver and go beside

the target and then pry under and around the target to

loosten the roots from the soil a little. It doesn't cut or

tear the roots very much and I can usually recover a

shallow target without even making a hole. I can probe

a few inches into the roots and soil with my fingers.(I need

to start using my electronic probe for that) Any-

way. It is also an easy way to get rocks out of a small

hole without making it into a large hole. If it get's too messy,

I will stop before making a noticeable mess. But I can usually

get it.

I realise that more experienced hunters do it better than me.

This is just what I've come up with to make my hunts go

smoother. Sometimes I will experiment and try something

new. Haven't been doing it long enough to know it all.

OOpS, Did I Say Know-It-All. Not me!! I resemble that remark!!

HH,

 

[coinnut]

Hi, I bring everything from a first aid kit, chemical hand warmers, extra trowel, batteries, GPS,all the way down to the little plastic nut and bolt to hold my coil on. I've used them all at one time or another. The only way I can bring all of that, along with food and drink, is to pack it in a mid sized back pack. It doesn't weigh me down, because the weight is dispersed on my back. I have everything I need, and if I really don't want to carry it, I can leave it in the car or along side where I'm detecting. I have a double pouch around my waist for my finds, that I can use for some things like batteries, bug spray, compass, etc.. if I choose to leave my back pack in the car. Hope this helps. I've been doing this for 33 years now, and that's the best thing I've come up with. Good luck. HH

 

[rmptr]

I take nothing more than minimum.
Some digging tools are in the truck, though.

As the Tabdog said, I don't/CAN'T make the ladies nervous at the parks...
I even pass on targets in certain places that may require more than just a little digging.

I frequently use a sharpened screwdriver.
Will post some pics of exactly why they can be a poor choice!

I COULD NOT carry a lesche around here... they'd cell phone the cops in a heartbeat!

 

[jmaryt]

a positive attitude supercedes EVERYTHING else!..usually just detector, headphones,lesche,coin apron,and dry rag...if it rains,all bets are off!

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[tab-nabit]

My list is long - and for once I'm thinking of lightening up the load. which varies:
It also depends - if I'm hiking a ways from the vehicle, then I'm loaded with a spare machine and all kinds of stuff.
Normally I use a fishing vest and a fanny pack or two, then the belt pouch and accessories attached.
The weather, type of hunting, distance from vehicle, things like that determine what I have with me.
A few things I sometimes carry that I don't see posted on a routine basis is stuff like, GPS, Strike Alert lightning detector, AM/FM/SW portable radio, snacks & cold drinks or hot coffee, first aid kit, bug spray, Extractor snake & insect bite kit, packable rain gear, extra variety of digging tools, probes, sunscreen, 2-way radios with weather channels, flash-light, matches, map, note pad and pencil for notes, etc etc etc.
On the longer hunts, like to take a break and have a snack or chow, a drink, listen to the radio maybe, maybe an update on weather, and have bug spray to keep the gnawing critters at bay while trying to do all this. After I'm successful eating all the foods and snacks, I can radio my partner to inform that lunch break is over
In dangerous woods, a .44 mag. revolver.
If close to a vehicle, the leather pouch with a few tools is all I need - maybe a shot of bug spray before departing the vehicle - minimal.

 

[GRAY GHOST]

well fellas, after much thought and consideration after reading these most enlightening posts, ive reached the conclusion weve all forgotten one of the essentials: having good people to talk with on these forums. a long time ago when most of us started out in this hobby, there were no forums so we had to learn just about everything we needed to know through trial and error, and often with faulty machines and equipment. theres not a day that goes by i dont learn something new from these posts and the many interesting personalities that go with it. and for that, i am thankful.

 

[mattockman]

Also I bring a water proof detector with me just in case of rain and I don't want to leave cause I am finding good stuff, Rain coat helps too. A hat to shade you and keep ticks off the head. Wet wipes and maybe a gallon jug of water and towel to wash the hands if you want to stop at the store on the way home. Nitro if you need it. Smokes and gum. If you have a nice vehicle and get real dirty digging, a towel to put over the seat for the ride home. After bite for the ones that are amune to bug spray. Main ingredient of afterbite is ammonia in case you have no afterbite....it works the same. Knee pads to keep knees clean.....just a few more to add to the list.....

 

[coinnut]

n/t

 

[tab-nabit]

n/t

 

[mattockman]

n/t

 

[GRAY GHOST]

n/t

 

[Road Gang]

That's a lot of great info! It's good to be prepared and this should help many of us newbies out. Thanks for sharing

 

[tab-nabit]

Because my 2/17/2008 reply did mention sunscreen

 

[tabdog]

n/t

 

[mattockman]

n/t

 

[JoanInCreek]

Tab-Nabit, Extractor snake, Is this for snake bites? Or is this some kind of tool? I have been looking for a remedy to keep on me if by chance I get bit by a snake but I don't know where to look or what to look for. I sometimes prowl through weeds and things and tho I use my detector as a first foot foward, ya just never know.

Joan

 

[rifleman]

If you getting a little older have a back that is less than youthful, some over the counter pain meds (or in my case prescription meds) can make a big difference in how long you can hunt. I also like to take one of the hand held digging tools with a spiked end on one side and a wide flat end on the other for those places where being really neat does not matter (I still always fill holes no matter what)
I used to be bullet proof, I pay for that now. You young one's, take good care of your back.

Good hunting, John K