Do any of you randomly search wooded areas?

[hatpin]

Just go into the woods? No house foundations or anything? If you have , were you successful? Ive been trying it and found a few newer coins one was a Kennedy half.

 

[Rattlehead]

Yep. I used to just randomly hunt wooded areas that are near a source of water and have had some pretty good luck. One site produced multiple civil war relics including 10 williams cleaners, dozens of 3 ringers, a nice civil war era lock, two buttons and one seated liberty dime.

 

[Mtnmn]

I tried it few times, but hardly found a thing and when I did it was usually just chunks of broken iron leftover from the over a century ago logging days. Have found some interesting artifacts on the sites of old logging railroads, logging camps and wagon trails including some modern day coins and shells lost by hunters.

 

[BarberBill]

Haven't tried purely random sites. Usually am detecting areas where I know there was/is some activity such as around old logging camps, camping areas etc. Have found a few coins, cartridge cases (some pretty old), quite a few axe heads, a fishing pole with reel and line (eyeballed) and the usual miscellaneous junk. I leave the detector on when returning to my vehicle and have found rifle and pistol bullets here and there. As I'm in North Idaho, the chances for civil war bullets or relics are pretty remote, unfortunately, so the bullets have come from more recent hunters or shooters. They do have to come to earth somewhere.
BB

 

[Bowie]

Been hunting an old plantaion site, right across the bayou from me for several years now, been in the peoples family since before the Civil War. Very large site, 2,000 acres, farm land and woods.
One day I was hunting one of the old house sites, and I got tired of listening to all the constant signals (lot of iron and nails) and decided to hit the woods along the bayou. After about an hour in the woods (and no finds) , I got a good repeatable signal, dug a piece of ornate looking pot metal. Then another and another, had no idea what it was. Then I began really taking in my surroundings. Noticed numerous sunk in places, about the size of grave plots. This area is really grown over also, hard to swing a coil. I moved on, just looking and found two old head stones, the latest was 18 something to 19 something.
Later, I asked the overseer about this graveyard. He told me, it was an old slave cemetary. I did tell him about the ornate metal I dug,, it was only about 7 inches deep. Told me not to worry about it, but later I carried it back out there and laid it by one of the graves. Im superstitious about some things, creepy to say the least,lol.
John

 

[targets]

in the UK woods have thrown up some very good finds including hoards and hammered coins

 

[michaelosully]

Have randomly hunted the Spruce and Aspen forests in the Rockies just below timberline...8 to maybe 11,000'. I found things like splitting wedges, chainsaw files, logging chains, broken pocket knives, and other items left or lost by logging crews and miners in the early 1900's. In the forest the finds are few but I dig every target. Along the game trails in the timber, I have found shell casings, lead bullets, and even a few coins. I have learned that more finds turn up around remote camp sites (look for the rock fire rings) in the woods or near steams where hunters, miners, fishermen, and campers would have set up their tents. I'm sure when I find these sites that they have never been searched. Looking forward to spring in the Rocky Mountains.

 

[scubadetector]

n/t

 

[KY PI]

My family has owned a farm in rural northeastern Kentucky since the early 1950's and a hiking trail was built in the 1970's to commemerate the path that Jenny Wiley used to escape the Shawnee Indians in Colonial times. I grew up hunting squirrel and grouse on this land. I went over to visit my parents last fall and when I showed up unexpectedly I found that they were out of town visiting some of their church friends so since I had my detector with me I figured I'd walk the trail to see if a hiker had dropped something good. On a distant part of the farm I started hitting some unusual signals that led to a trash pit with some very old bottles, etc. I took a look at this area with a different perspective and learned that at some point their had been a homestead on this point overlooking a beautiful valley. There are trees there that approach 100 years old and the foundation stones were buried under many inches of composted leaves that had gathered in this area like snow drifting. I had hunted here many times but never realized the old house site existed. The real lesson for me was having the detector in my hands instead of a firearm caused me to look at my surroundings a little differently. Now I find I must learn to effectively research to learn the true history of this land I thought I knew so well! I also need to get a camera so I can share my finds!!!!!! Can't wait for the ground to thaw!!!!