So She Said She Gets Better Depth And IDs At Night? Anybody Got Any Opinion On That?

[Critterhunter]

One time years ago I ran into a lady detecting in a rural area when I was traveling. I stopped and talked to her and she was all excited about a seated dime she just found at the old school she was hunting. I think she was using a Tesoro but it's been a while ago. Anyway, she started talking about the heat and then told me she prefers night hunting when it's hot during the day. I asked how she liked doing that and she said "Oh, it's great! I wear a head lamp. It's so peaceful, and I SWEAR you get better depth and signals at night due to the dew on the ground and dampness in the air!"

For some odd reason that lady's words has always stuck with me. I don't doubt you might get a bit better depth at night due to the dampness and dew on the ground, not to mention probably lower EMI conditions due to everything around you shutting down. Still, I go back and fourth on how I feel about that. Anybody have any opinion? I just thought it would be a fun topic, to see who thinks it's myth and who thinks there might be some merit to it. Most of us agree we get better depth in wet ground and of course when EMI is low, but do you think somewhat damp ground on the surface and somewhat lower EMI perhaps could make all the difference on target quality or depth just by night hunting?

 

[jabbo]

I hunted a 1700's yard at night for about a week in the 1970's. Found some really old stuff including my first NJ copper and a British Cartwheel. At night all my focus was on the coil and the beeps, there was no distractions like there is during the day time. I believe that is the reason. By the way, today in the woods, I found my second British Cartwheel and my first ever Half Dime, 1853. Plus two IH pennies. I was alone in the woods, again no distractions, all was quiet there and no people. I posted pics of todays finds on the Fisher Classic forum, have a look. More dampness at night doesn't seem like enough to make a difference. Jabbo

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[bootyhoundpa]

yes,i believe there is something to it.... there is a farm field i do usually at about 3am .... i know if i work it in darkness the competition wont get any ideas--out of sight out of mind...anyway i believe your sense of awareness is definatly hightened and because your sense of vision is deminished in the darkness your hearing seems to get better...also just the constant adrenaline rush keeps you a little more fired up....however the pinpointing isnt any easier... ive had a simular experience at the beach about a month ago....low tide was at 10pm ,was probably a dozen people working the surf from 7pm to dark about 930pm ..during that time nobody i saw or talked to seemed to be finding much....about 945pm i noticed only myself and 2 other hunters still on the beach....well it was like somebody had just stocked the beach with targets....i was hitting target after target even though myself and others had swung over this area many times in the previous few hours...i found 3 rings in a half hour..unfortunatly none of them were gold,but one was silver and another was a class ring and the other was titanium....as far fetched as it may sound i sometimes wonder if the moon doesent somehow influence metal detector performance....

 

[MarkCZ]

The detectors I've owned has always worked better at night! (Just A Fact)
Less EMI,
Very late night or just before daylight and something not many people think about is gone, "Solar Energy"

Just not to long ago I was out early morning hunting and everything was fine until around 10:30am, same large area, probably not much EMI but the closer it got to mid-day the noisier the detector got, forcing me to keep lowering the sensitivity.

I've found my best finds at NIGHT! but night hunting is different, and in some areas it can be more dangerous.

Mark

 

[nge]

Back in the '70's while hunting with the then "NEW" 1260-X's, we noticed that we were getting deeper signals the day before, the day of, and the day after a FULL moon. I still hunt this way with all my machines. Of course the 1260's did go deeper if the ground was damp (down in the dirt). Geologists have said that the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth will actually make large rocks, very deep in the ground , move up to 3 feet, then go back when the full moon is over with. What do you think makes the tide go in and out? The different phases of the moon. I have never hunted at a beach during full moon, but, I'll bet that, that is when the tide goes out the furthest. Just my observations from metal detecting for over 50 years.......nge

 

[fowlercharles]

Hi Critterhunter, reading these replys sure says night hunting works for some folks. We all know about moonbeams setting the tides etc. so many unseen things are certainly possible. I can appreciate some of the more peaceful /quiet, better concentration aspects of night hunting but like MarkCZ mentioned there are some areas more dangerous than others.That's for sure! Night hunting at the beach in hot summertime sounds cool and makes more sense than somewhere infested with mosquitoes and worse yet "Fire Ants", or snakes. I made one night hunt in all my years and got "my fill" of night hunting after kneeling down digging with one knee in the edge of a fire ant bed. Big time "Ouches" that was and my hunt ended almost before it began. In some areas a headlight at night would bring the Game Wardens or the cops down on a feller.Neverheard of fire ants on the beach yet( they are everywhere else)) and I live close enough , so I may give the beach a go sometime, but likely not. HH, Charlie