I need advice on how to hunt a civil war skirmish site.

[Mi$$ouri Jim]

I have a LARGE site where I have found a some civil war relics (mostly bullets, a calvary button, and harness leather with copper rivets). The thing is... I do not know how to go about hunting this site. What kind of signals to look for etc. etc.. I know they say... "dig everything" ,but this site is a modern site as well with pulltabs, misc iron trash and digging everything is going to be a monumental task. This is a VERY large site where the civil war finds (I've found) have been spread out over a large area. They also seem to be very deep & hard to find.

I use a whites XLT & need to know what kinds of signals common civil war relics come up as. Like for example.... a belt plate. I know the bullets come up as a penny/screwcap signal (that's easy). What do buttons come up as?

I need some advice from experienced civil war relic hunters.

ps. how do you guys hunt the woods? The underbrush is so thick where I live that swinging a metal detecter is just about impossible! Part of the property is wooded & I KNOW there must be some out there, but being able to swing in the woods/underbrush seems just about impossible.

 

[ConfCav]

Yep dig everything and hunt SLOOOOOOW. Also develop a grid pattern so you don't continually cover the same approximate area. For me with a Garrett, buttons usually show up in the coin range.

Got some thick woods? Ask the owner if they would mind if you cleared out test areas. Its hard work, but if there's stuff in there it'll well be worth your time. If you find relics in a test area, continue to clear areas adjacent to it and broaden out from there. This will make your patterning easier to follow and know where to start next - just keep spreading out your clearing and searching from the original good spot. Whenever allowed to clear out underbrush and small scrubs by the owner, I usually start with 10'x10' areas. Yeah its a small patch, but you won't use up all your energy in clearing (as well as the possibility of others seeing you and "snipe" your sight after all your work). I know a guy who spent all day clearing out a large area while unknown to him others were watching. At the end of the day he was too tired to hunt and planned to come back the next day, but not his audience who moved right in after he left and got first opportunity on an unhunted virgin site - he learned his lesson the hard way. Also, small areas that aren't productive won't waste your time after all that work, so you can move onto another random test area and repeat the process. If its not flat, try the high ground first, especially if a water supply is near. For clearing areas, I've packed in a brush axe and industrial weedeater with my gear; also a rake or pitchfork helps to pile up the brush. Again, all with the landowners permission. Usually they don't mind since they probably would like to have it cleared anyway but don't want to do it themselves, and may also thank you for helping to improve their land so to speak.

Brushy areas hard to hunt with a good potential usually produce nice finds since others haven't bothered to invest the time and effort to clear them out, as well as not having as much ground action affecting the relic quality like pastures and fields continually used by livestock and/or being plowed. Nothing like a nice brown patina on a button or buckle. Don't know where you're at, but this time of year in the woods with spring coming keep an eye out for snakes and poison ivy and oak, as well as checking for ticks and chiggers. HH and best of luck.

 

[brnn53]

I used an XLT and found lots of CW relics. Modern trash does make it worrisome and alot of work but if you know your machine you should be able to discriminate some of them. I used mixed mode as I think it gets more depth though the noise can be tough if you are in alot of iron. But, alot of iron can mean relics are nearby so you should dig them to identify if they are period. Turn up your pre-amp gain as high as you can without the machine falsing and if it does, then turn it down a few numbers. I remember that minies ring in about 59-60 and brass will be higher. Small camp lead will come in around 22 or so. Dig some of those lower numbers 14-25 to id what they are. If it is can slaw or foil then pass those signals up. Most of your good CW finds will ring in higher anyway. I have found coins, buttons, bullets, rivets, and pieces of brass that all ring in the upper scale. So... I would definitely dig anything that rang in at 50 or higher and dig anything that gives a good repeatable signal. Good luck with your site. It sounds like it has great potential. Be sure and post your finds! HH!
Mike

 

[VaRelics]

[size=medium]I would be more than happy to go with you to your skirmish site and show you some pointers![/size]

[size=medium]Just kidding. Dig everything except small Iron. (Nails and such)[/size]

 

[RelicDigger1]

That's pretty low down, ConfedCav, the guys watching this relic hunter clear a spot. If you've done the research and found your camp, it's yours. I'd help you clear it just to see what you got long before I'd even consider allowing someone to take your place. We'd have some interesting headlines within a few days. "Man has e-tool removed, doc says six months before he sits down."

Just my two pence.

Find out where the opposing forces were. First, hunt the line of the force farthest from the road, or source of your trash. Make the finds, build enthusiasm for the site and work your way toward the trashier areas knowing you've already made finds in the cleaner areas.

Or, you could dive right into the trash-laden areas knowing few others will get in their. Laziness on the part of another produces some really nice relics.

However, you hunt it, best of luck.

Richard

 

[ConfCav]

That's pretty low down, ConfedCav, the guys watching this relic hunter clear a spot. If you've done the research and found your camp, it's yours. I'd help you clear it just to see what you got long before I'd even consider allowing someone to take your place. We'd have some interesting headlines within a few days. "Man has e-tool removed, doc says six months before he sits down."

Yup, my sentiments exactly. Don't know what its like elsewhere, but here in Northern VA you gotta be quick when you find a site or else get sniped. The honor system is pretty much a thing of the past where others respect someone's time and effort into research and recovery. I've had guys pull over along the road, climb the owners fence just to see what I found (couldn't just yell at me and ask), and then proceed to hunt the area I'm in without talking to the landowner first. If I try to pursuade them otherwise or at least ask them to talk to the landowner first, I either get rudely snubbed, asked if I would allow them to hunt since I had permission like it was within my power, or worse told, "we''ll just come back after dark". Which they usually do judging by the new holes I find on my next trip and confirming with the landower he/they have not allowed others to hunt. I've actually lost permission due to "claim jumpers" coming in after me unknown to the owner and not filling holes or trashing the place. I liken these folks to those guys who claim they want to team up with you and "share sites", but after taking them to a few of your spots where they find stuff, they snub you and not return the favor when you ask to go to their sites in return. Pretty much why I have hunted alone for the past few years; I don't mind hunting with others just haven't found anyone I can trust to be reciprical in sharing sites or going to the effort of working together to find a site - they just want to mooch off of your efforts. Sorry for the rant and off topic, but "claim jumpers" just get my blood up.

 

[RelicDigger1]

Hey, no need to apologize here. Preaching to the choir. Perhaps even one or more of these douche bags is reading this. I don't really get it. Is their manliness increased because the lazy vagabonds jumped someone else's hard work and effort? Are they really women trying to become men and believe men would do that?

I take pride in walking right in on a site, on the pitcher's mound. Most times, it's a mile away but I found it.

I don't know. I guess if you have the IQ of celery and can't find your own spot then that's the only means to find a relic -- steal it.

Good Hunting, Cav. Hope your spot turns out to be a good one.

Richard

 

[Canewrap]

Here in N. Bama, you only get claim jumpers if you're hunting in more visible (populated areas), but I know only too well what you mean about the guys that go out to hunt with you and don't share any of their own sites. However, my problem is that I seem to be the only one doing research to find new sites, out of the handful of hunters I've met. The guy I was hunting with that had done more research and knew more about this area than I do, recently moved to GA. Man do I miss him. We were just getting to where we could trust each other and were starting to share freely. Oh well...

 

[ConfCav]

Here in N. Bama, you only get claim jumpers if you're hunting in more visible (populated areas), but I know only too well what you mean about the guys that go out to hunt with you and don't share any of their own sites. However, my problem is that I seem to be the only one doing research to find new sites, out of the handful of hunters I've met. The guy I was hunting with that had done more research and knew more about this area than I do, recently moved to GA. Man do I miss him. We were just getting to where we could trust each other and were starting to share freely. Oh well...

Sorry to hear that man, those guys are one in a million anymore. Last guy I hunted with I could trust worked with me to research and get permission to hunt new areas. Then he got married, she wasn't into his hobby, and well....he just fell of the map and haven't had any contact with him since. Made attempts to contact him with no luck. Last I heard he sold all his MD gear and relics. Sadly he had a real nice Maryland cuff button he found on one of our trips I would've bought from him had I known. He was new to the hobby at the time and I helped him ID it; he first thought it was the bottom of a .410 shotgun shell and was going to throw it into his junk bag.

 

[Canewrap]

Man, I feel your pain. I'd offer to hunt with ya, but VA is just too far. Here's to hoping we can find a huntin' partner we can trust as it is just so much sweeter to have somebody that understands to share it with and besides good friends are worth more than all the gold there is.

 

[ConfCav]

Man, I feel your pain. I'd offer to hunt with ya, but VA is just too far. Here's to hoping we can find a huntin' partner we can trust as it is just so much sweeter to have somebody that understands to share it with and besides good friends are worth more than all the gold there is.

Same here man; too bad distance is a factor. I here GA still produces a lot of good relics, so good luck in your hunts.

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hi, ya'll. you have gotten some good advice there, missouri jim. i'd be glad to help anybody near me - i'm just south of richmond, va. in chesterfield county. i can always be pm'd. yeah, we got claimjumpers down here too. it gets purty competitive around here. i'm very fortunate in that i have two good hunting partners. theyr'e hard to find nowadays. we've turned many away, knowing how they are. 70+ years' experience between the three of us should take care of just about anything that should arise.
the first time we hit a new spot, we'll do a random search of the likeliest areas - beside the road, hilltops, near creeks, and around old paths and possible homesites. i have a three hour rule - if nothing of consequence is found in the first three hours, then more than likely there's not a whole lot there. i can cover a lot of ground in three hours. if we do happen to find something good, like in your case, then we fan out from there, and keep on gettin' it. just try to remember where you've been and dig all good beeps. if it is in fact a skirmish site, then there's probably a camp or two nearby. the high ground and creeks around a skirmish or battle site naturally get our attention first.
thick woods are hard to hunt. now's the time to hit them, since the vegetation is still thin from winter. clearing is a lot of work, especially when the vultures come after you leave. i liken detecting to mopping a kitchen floor - start at one corner and work your way to the opposite corner, and not box yourself in. good luck, jim, and go slow and keep it low. i hope this helps. hh!

 

[ConfCav]

Good advice GG on how to properly work an area for its potential. I might add don't forget fence lines. Not just old stone walls, which are alway a good potential areas, but also more modern wire fences. Many MDers I know won't go near them because of the interference, as well as the multiple bits of wire present. However if you take your time and work as close to the fence without getting the interference the attached wire causes, you can pull out some relics others have passed up. You'll dig a lot of trash usually, but also can be in an area previously unhunted because of the fence. Found my nicest confed button that way. Was with a couple of guys who automatically went as far away from the fence line as possible, so I just did the opposite and ended up with the best find of the day. Of couse at that point they decided to come over and mooch my spot.

BTW I'm in N VA GG; Frederick county outside of Winchester. Your area is a lot more productive, but if ever up this way give me a shout.