Critterhunter
New member
The newbie, my main hunting partner using an Etrac, and of course me using the GT and 12x10 headed to the private land to hunt the depot. Turns out the depot he found out the depot wasn't a train depot, but rather a wagon depot. Just the same, should have some real good potential.
We only had about an hour and half at the most to hunt, because our new hunting friend had other obligations. Just the same, a quick hunt should give us some idea on the potential.
Unforunately, much of the two acres was heavy undergrowth so at first it didn't seem like we'd be able to hunt this place until mid winter when the brush dies back down. With a little scouting though, we found several small four wheeler paths cutting right through some potential good areas, right near an old well and some sandstone blocks where the old hitching post was said to be. I'm sure they would hitch their horses there and then water them at the well. On closer inspection we found a lot of old pottery shards and some blue glass. A very good sign. And, they had dug a tiny little koi fish pound nearby and had unearthed some old bottles they had sitting right next to it that we were able to look and and get our hopes up even more.
So out comes the 3 detectors, the new guy using a Fisher F4. Good little fast machine for working heavy iron I told him without the need to swing as slow as we do with our Minelabs to be sure we unmask stuff. A quick little explaination again on how to set his machine up and we were all off to wander these short trails intersecting each other for any signals.
There was a lot of iron in places, and while there weren't a ton of trash signals, we all pretty much passed on those for another day and were looking to cherry pick any decent coin hits. Always a good idea to do that on private land if you don't know if or when you'll ever be able to come back. If you do get the chance to come back later, you can then dig all the signals above iron to see if any old coins turn up that read lower or were reading low due to masking or something.
I ran across three coin hits that I was pretty sure were going to be iron, but just the same I called the new guy over to sweep and dig them, so at least he'd know how fake coin hits can full you. Later I ran across a good nickle hit right at about 145 or 146 on the meter that sounded round and smooth, so I looked around but didn't see our new friend to dig it, so I went ahead and dug. This was some fill that had been moved from digging the koi pound and spread in one small area, but just the same with those old bottles turning up who knows what could be in this dirt. Sure enough it was an old flat button with the shank still attached, and was smaller than a dime a bit. A very good sign of the sites potential.
Later my Etrac friend dug two more flat buttons. More sign we are on to something. Then later I get a really good coin signal in another area were a bit of fill had been spread. It was very loud and broad, so I was suspecting it was going to turn out to be a large piece of copper or something that would give a good but loud coin hit. For that reason I didn't even bother to look around to see if the new guy was nearby to dig it, because I didn't want to waste his time with a big piece of junk, even though the signal was very clear and good and not how larger trash usually will sound that mimics a coin hit.
Welp, turns out right under the surface a large disc surfaces. I had my suspiciouns but just the same I didn't get my hopes up until I rubbed the dirt off of it. Sure enough! Large cent! One of my favorite coins and it's been a year or two since I dug my last one, so I was very happy with that find.
Decided to take a break and have a victory smoke, and wandered down a short twisting path to find the new guy to show him. Apologized that I hadn't called him over to dig it, because why the signal was good it was so loud that I thought for sure it would be a large piece of copper or something. He said no problem with that, and was just happy to see this site show us some potential on such a short little hunt.
Even though the paths aren't very long or wide, and pretty much just circle right back into each other, we still need to hunt those paths so more and dig every signal above iron. I also told him we need to hit this site mid winter when some of the brush and undergrowth has died back so we can get into closer spots around the hitching post and such. Who knows what potential this site holds, but from the looks of this very short hunt it's got a lot to offer maybe.
I'll have some pictures up in a day or so here of the flat buttons and large cent. I need to clean that coin and see if I can see a date on it. Always hoping a large cent could be my oldest coin yet, as my oldest silver is an 1835 bust dime. I might have a few large cents that have older dates than that but it's been a long time since I looked at them so I don't remember off hand if any of them broke the 1835 barrier. Even if they didn't, maybe this coin did. Which reminds me, I do need to look at those large cents again and see what the oldest is, because if one is the oldest coin I've ever dug I need to stick that in my signature file.
Tomorrow we are all planning to get together for a water hunt at sunrise. The new guy will be sand hunting, and I haven't decided yet if I'll join my other friends in the water or hunt the dry sand with this guy. We've seen very few sand hunters over the last two years at our beaches, and just about every one of them was using a cheap machine and swinging a mile off the ground real fast like they were putting out a fire at the end of their coil. Never saw one either using a long handled sand scoop, which really tells me they aren't real serious beach hunters. Beyond all that, the few guys we have seen that we've talked to are usually not even digging the trash signals and think that the only good stuff to dig reads in the coin range. Big mistake when beach hunting.
We are blessed to have numerous beaches within about a 30 mile radius to hunt on many lakes. Water hunters are a rare sight, and dry beach hunters almost as rare. And, most of these beaches they'll only let you hunt at sunrise for a few hours and then you are expected to get out when some patrons start showing up, so it's not like we are missing these guys.
PS- That depot spot also had an old road running right through the property that went right past the well and hitching post. I bet guys on horses or with wagons would stop right at the hitching post, secure their horses, and then draw water from the well to water them. We just need to hit this place more in mid winter so we can crawl into the brush and see what else awaits us, but the site is still worth working some more in summer here because as said we didn't cover every square inch and had past on more than a few "junk" signals.
We only had about an hour and half at the most to hunt, because our new hunting friend had other obligations. Just the same, a quick hunt should give us some idea on the potential.
Unforunately, much of the two acres was heavy undergrowth so at first it didn't seem like we'd be able to hunt this place until mid winter when the brush dies back down. With a little scouting though, we found several small four wheeler paths cutting right through some potential good areas, right near an old well and some sandstone blocks where the old hitching post was said to be. I'm sure they would hitch their horses there and then water them at the well. On closer inspection we found a lot of old pottery shards and some blue glass. A very good sign. And, they had dug a tiny little koi fish pound nearby and had unearthed some old bottles they had sitting right next to it that we were able to look and and get our hopes up even more.
So out comes the 3 detectors, the new guy using a Fisher F4. Good little fast machine for working heavy iron I told him without the need to swing as slow as we do with our Minelabs to be sure we unmask stuff. A quick little explaination again on how to set his machine up and we were all off to wander these short trails intersecting each other for any signals.
There was a lot of iron in places, and while there weren't a ton of trash signals, we all pretty much passed on those for another day and were looking to cherry pick any decent coin hits. Always a good idea to do that on private land if you don't know if or when you'll ever be able to come back. If you do get the chance to come back later, you can then dig all the signals above iron to see if any old coins turn up that read lower or were reading low due to masking or something.
I ran across three coin hits that I was pretty sure were going to be iron, but just the same I called the new guy over to sweep and dig them, so at least he'd know how fake coin hits can full you. Later I ran across a good nickle hit right at about 145 or 146 on the meter that sounded round and smooth, so I looked around but didn't see our new friend to dig it, so I went ahead and dug. This was some fill that had been moved from digging the koi pound and spread in one small area, but just the same with those old bottles turning up who knows what could be in this dirt. Sure enough it was an old flat button with the shank still attached, and was smaller than a dime a bit. A very good sign of the sites potential.
Later my Etrac friend dug two more flat buttons. More sign we are on to something. Then later I get a really good coin signal in another area were a bit of fill had been spread. It was very loud and broad, so I was suspecting it was going to turn out to be a large piece of copper or something that would give a good but loud coin hit. For that reason I didn't even bother to look around to see if the new guy was nearby to dig it, because I didn't want to waste his time with a big piece of junk, even though the signal was very clear and good and not how larger trash usually will sound that mimics a coin hit.
Welp, turns out right under the surface a large disc surfaces. I had my suspiciouns but just the same I didn't get my hopes up until I rubbed the dirt off of it. Sure enough! Large cent! One of my favorite coins and it's been a year or two since I dug my last one, so I was very happy with that find.
Decided to take a break and have a victory smoke, and wandered down a short twisting path to find the new guy to show him. Apologized that I hadn't called him over to dig it, because why the signal was good it was so loud that I thought for sure it would be a large piece of copper or something. He said no problem with that, and was just happy to see this site show us some potential on such a short little hunt.
Even though the paths aren't very long or wide, and pretty much just circle right back into each other, we still need to hunt those paths so more and dig every signal above iron. I also told him we need to hit this site mid winter when some of the brush and undergrowth has died back so we can get into closer spots around the hitching post and such. Who knows what potential this site holds, but from the looks of this very short hunt it's got a lot to offer maybe.
I'll have some pictures up in a day or so here of the flat buttons and large cent. I need to clean that coin and see if I can see a date on it. Always hoping a large cent could be my oldest coin yet, as my oldest silver is an 1835 bust dime. I might have a few large cents that have older dates than that but it's been a long time since I looked at them so I don't remember off hand if any of them broke the 1835 barrier. Even if they didn't, maybe this coin did. Which reminds me, I do need to look at those large cents again and see what the oldest is, because if one is the oldest coin I've ever dug I need to stick that in my signature file.
Tomorrow we are all planning to get together for a water hunt at sunrise. The new guy will be sand hunting, and I haven't decided yet if I'll join my other friends in the water or hunt the dry sand with this guy. We've seen very few sand hunters over the last two years at our beaches, and just about every one of them was using a cheap machine and swinging a mile off the ground real fast like they were putting out a fire at the end of their coil. Never saw one either using a long handled sand scoop, which really tells me they aren't real serious beach hunters. Beyond all that, the few guys we have seen that we've talked to are usually not even digging the trash signals and think that the only good stuff to dig reads in the coin range. Big mistake when beach hunting.
We are blessed to have numerous beaches within about a 30 mile radius to hunt on many lakes. Water hunters are a rare sight, and dry beach hunters almost as rare. And, most of these beaches they'll only let you hunt at sunrise for a few hours and then you are expected to get out when some patrons start showing up, so it's not like we are missing these guys.
PS- That depot spot also had an old road running right through the property that went right past the well and hitching post. I bet guys on horses or with wagons would stop right at the hitching post, secure their horses, and then draw water from the well to water them. We just need to hit this place more in mid winter so we can crawl into the brush and see what else awaits us, but the site is still worth working some more in summer here because as said we didn't cover every square inch and had past on more than a few "junk" signals.
