sgoss66
Well-known member
I am always amazed by the posts I've seen -- especially by Bryce -- that shows silver being pulled from a hole with old rusty iron in close proximity.
Well, it happened to me today. I was moving REAL slow with my machine and 6x8 SEF coil, in an absolutely POUNDED, "hunted-out" park, but one that has been known to have produced alot of silver in the past. It is tough hunting -- not only because it's been nearly picked clean, but also because it is just LOADED with shallow, non-ferrous trash. Each sweep gives multiple mid and high tones -- ranging from pull tabs up to aluminum screw caps. So, I knew the best chance I'd have was hunting with the small coil and going slow, trying to pick a goodie from amongst the garbage.
While creeping along, I hit a kind of strange spot where I could get a decent (not great) sounding tone with decent ID -- but it just didn't sound clearly "silver" to me. It wasn't real deep, and after really working it, it seemed to me that there were at least two targets, and I could kind of isolate one of them such that it give me enough of a "dig" signal to go after it. I called over my hunting partner with his E-Trac, and he agreed that it was probably a diggable signal, but confusing. So, with the thought that I had two different targets down there, I cut a plug -- trying to include the good target in the plug but to cut it just inside where I thought the second target might be. Once I had the plug out, I swept over it and it SCREAMED silver (I just love that "sweet warble" sound!) My partner, who was interested enough in this dig to stick around, swung his coil over the plug -- and then a bit surprised at what he heard, he went back to the hole to see what was up. He stuck his Pro-Pointer into the hole, and right there at the side edge of the hole he got a strong signal, and pulled out a big, 4" long nail! Meanwhile, I cracked open the plug and there at about the 3-4" level was a 44-D Merc (in GREAT shape, too -- I'll try to add a pic later).
I am CERTAIN this target was passed over by many detectorists over the years -- as it was shallow enough that any machine would have heard it. Had I not been CREEPING along, with a small coil, I know I would not have gotten this one. With a larger coil, that would have seen both targets at once, I would not be surprised if I'd have either gotten nothing but a null, or maybe just a chirp through the null that may have sounded enough like a false to me that I would not have dug it.
Other keepers in this hunt were a '50s wheat (still needs cleaned), and a 7" deep 1-mil tax token, that gave a soft, but very reapeatable wheat-cent-type tone and ID, which I felt was a pretty good signal, at that depth, for the small coil. Overall, I was happy with this hunt -- not by the quantity of the finds, but because at least a couple of the keepers were ones that I may not have found a few months ago due to less experience. Learning these machines well does take time, but it sure is nice to pull out difficult targets that you know have been missed by other hunters in the past!
Steve
Well, it happened to me today. I was moving REAL slow with my machine and 6x8 SEF coil, in an absolutely POUNDED, "hunted-out" park, but one that has been known to have produced alot of silver in the past. It is tough hunting -- not only because it's been nearly picked clean, but also because it is just LOADED with shallow, non-ferrous trash. Each sweep gives multiple mid and high tones -- ranging from pull tabs up to aluminum screw caps. So, I knew the best chance I'd have was hunting with the small coil and going slow, trying to pick a goodie from amongst the garbage.
While creeping along, I hit a kind of strange spot where I could get a decent (not great) sounding tone with decent ID -- but it just didn't sound clearly "silver" to me. It wasn't real deep, and after really working it, it seemed to me that there were at least two targets, and I could kind of isolate one of them such that it give me enough of a "dig" signal to go after it. I called over my hunting partner with his E-Trac, and he agreed that it was probably a diggable signal, but confusing. So, with the thought that I had two different targets down there, I cut a plug -- trying to include the good target in the plug but to cut it just inside where I thought the second target might be. Once I had the plug out, I swept over it and it SCREAMED silver (I just love that "sweet warble" sound!) My partner, who was interested enough in this dig to stick around, swung his coil over the plug -- and then a bit surprised at what he heard, he went back to the hole to see what was up. He stuck his Pro-Pointer into the hole, and right there at the side edge of the hole he got a strong signal, and pulled out a big, 4" long nail! Meanwhile, I cracked open the plug and there at about the 3-4" level was a 44-D Merc (in GREAT shape, too -- I'll try to add a pic later).
I am CERTAIN this target was passed over by many detectorists over the years -- as it was shallow enough that any machine would have heard it. Had I not been CREEPING along, with a small coil, I know I would not have gotten this one. With a larger coil, that would have seen both targets at once, I would not be surprised if I'd have either gotten nothing but a null, or maybe just a chirp through the null that may have sounded enough like a false to me that I would not have dug it.
Other keepers in this hunt were a '50s wheat (still needs cleaned), and a 7" deep 1-mil tax token, that gave a soft, but very reapeatable wheat-cent-type tone and ID, which I felt was a pretty good signal, at that depth, for the small coil. Overall, I was happy with this hunt -- not by the quantity of the finds, but because at least a couple of the keepers were ones that I may not have found a few months ago due to less experience. Learning these machines well does take time, but it sure is nice to pull out difficult targets that you know have been missed by other hunters in the past!
Steve
