Dry sand in the winter, West sand in the summer ?

[CC2_IN_CA]

I usually hunt in the wet sand at low tide.
Now that the season is over, no point in that.

I've been thinking about switching to dry sand hunting
in the winter. What is lost there won't sink to bedrock
or wash out to sea.

Seems the only logical alternative?

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

I say no. I hear you that the tourist/swimming season is over, but what we find in the wet sand at low tide is only partially "fresh drops". We find LOTS of old, deep, green clad, rings, and other stuff that has long been buried too deep to be found. Like when working cuts, where large amounts of sand have been moved around and taken away by the pounding surf and tidal action. Which is abundant in the winter. And there is also a good probability that as the tide comes and goes and the surf pounds and the cycle repeats again and again, that things will get tossed up from where they've been out of reach offshore.

Now up in the dry sand, things will be a lot more "static". Oh, the stuff moves up there too...just not as much. But it's certainly worth grid-walking the areas where people put out their blankets and also looking for spots where a lot of sand has blown around and made dips and cuts in the dry sand as well. And of course after storms, anything goes. But I think you would still have more luck in the wet sand and shallow water at low tide. just not as much as in the summer...the finds DEFINITELY take a heavy hit. At least around here they do...even now it sucks out there...how many finds you seen coming from Virginia beach in the last few weeks??? NADA...not really. It gets worse from here. I've spent 3 hours out there in the winter and come home with ONE PENNY. It's rare, but it happens. And then you find a cut that produces and can snag a few rings in an outing. That happened to me last winter too. But I came home skunked more times than not.

My two crusty zinc pennies...

 

[CC2_IN_CA]

Mike,

You guys back east have it good in the winter. Lots of storms
to move the sand around. Here in socal, we typically don't
get storms of any magnitude. Last winter I did very badly
in the wet sand. Of course, if you do get a deep signal,
you gotta dig it out! That is hard work. Guess I got
spoiled with all the recent shallow drops during the summer.

I've always ignored the dry sand hunters,
but starting to think they may have it right ... in the winter anyway.

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

Well, you may certainly be right for your beaches. It's different in different parts of the country/world, for sure. As for the wet sand, even in the summer you have to dig for it. I'm used to almost all of my finds being anywhere from 6" to 12+" deep. I don't get many shallow targets where I hunt. Of course there are some, but mostly I'm looking for the cocentrations of deeply buried coins in the wet sand and then follow the "line", working around the targets I dig and gridding the areas of heavy targets, looking for those lower and weaker gold tones that almost always hide out amongst the coins. And if the wet sand isn't producing I go into the water and if the water isn't producing I hit the dry.

 

[newtohunting]

Thanks again Mike for the great advice and for getting me all worked up again for winter hunting. WHEN IN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE A BOOK ON THIS CRAP?

 

[newtohunting]

OH YAH! Nothing like being on the beach with blowing snow hitting you in the face while your freezing your acorns off. Winter here sucks; its the storms that actually get me to stay just for the hunting.

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

If you write a book on something that kind of indicates that you're a professional. And if you're a professional, it kind of becomes more like WORK. Here I can spout off my opinions and knowledge (or lack of it) and not have any responsibility whatsoever to actually know what I'm talking about. And I might not!

But I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Besides, do you really want me to CHARGE you for what you now get for free???

 

[BEACH HUNTER]

I EVEN GOT A LOT OF GREAT PHOTOS AND NOTES. BUT I THINK ILL JUST MAKE UP A NICE LITTLE BOOK OF NOTES MEMORIES AND BEFORE AND AFTER STORM PHOTOS AND ALL MY FINDS MAYBE SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS WHO HUNT UP NORTH. I GOT SOME GREAT PHOTOS OF SOME NICE CUTS WASHOUTS AND STORM DAMAGE IM GONNA BRING TO VA BEACH IN NOV IF I RUN IN TO YA MIKE ILL SHOW YA,NEAT STUFF. HH IF YA SEE SYFTA KICK SOME SAND ON HIM FOR ME!!LOL

 

[CC2_IN_CA]

Sounds like a well thought out strategy. I'll give that a try.

Generally, I'm lazy. After a crowded day at the beach, I'll
try to cover as much ground (wet sand) as possible with an S-12 coil
and just go for the shallow stuff (unless its a distinct low GOLD
growl down deep). My bad back limits how much I can dig deep as well.

 

[CC2_IN_CA]

I used to coin hunt in Denver parks. I knew the season was over when my hand pick could no longer penetrate the frozen ground.
I believe
the ground freezes a good six inches or more throughout the winter there.