This Is For The Newcomers, A Full Day Of Hunting

[MarkCZ]

So, yesterday I go metal detecting, I start about 10:00am and I hunted until about 7:00pm. I did have some travel time between the three locations, I was going to hit four but the third wasn't available this weekend.

First, I started off at a small ball field that I have hunted a good bit before, I don't hunt the play area, only the spectators area. Here I have figured I've cleaned out most of all the coins so I wanted to see if I could use my Tejon and pick up a piece of jewelry, I hunted about two hours or so to only find trash a very few coins. (the big Iron in the pictures came from here and out of the same hole, there is a railroad track just feet away from where I hunt).

Next, I decided to try a soccer field that's nearby where when in season they divide it up into two Full Size fields and then another section they divide up into four smaller kids field. Here I started off bad, I was using the Omega and it started acting funny but was working (I've not got to use the Omega very much) after a bit while I was pinpointing a target I notice the volume dropping off? Yep! battery was going bad. It has a battery meter but I am more use to some of my other detectors that don't have a meter so I was focused on detecting and not the meter. Okay, got a fresh battery and here comes a guy carrying a Garrett 2500 telling me how the Garrett can hit a Quarter @ 19" and properly ID It. Anyway he wasn't any help for my sprits at the time, he was friendly and meant well but I wasn't up to the task of a conversation at the time, I know, that's my problem. Anyway, I wondered around there for and hour or so and only found a nickel and a penny so I gave up there and decided to wait until soccer starts up later this year.

Then I headed off to a fairground that was fresh mowed the day before, nothing old but a good place for clad. I got there to find out they were having an antique tractor show, with very little going on, but I didn't feel I should hunt during this pitiful event.

Then I headed off to our local city park, its now over 110 acres and has been a park sense the early 20's and I must say has been hunted by every detector owner in the area sense the 70's. I started off in an area where I had found an 1896 US Quarter and a few wheat cents using my Omega. I started off with the Omega's disc set to reject foil, I then notched out Tabs, screwcaps. and zinc's so I was set to hunt coins only. I set it for three tone, sensitivity set to the lower 70's and I was using the 11" DD coil.
Well after an hour or so there and not doing very well especially after going after the PERFECT silver quarter signal where I had to un-earth a at lest 15 pound rock and the target turned out to be a aluminum disk about the size Large Cent but much thinner, I decided to do a little wondering around making kind of WIDE long strips seeing if I could hit something good, which didn't happen. So, after all that I was hot, tired, hungry and dishearten about the hole metal detecting thing so I left.

A Full Day Of Hunting and below is what I got for my effort. This was about the same outcome for the last hunt I went on.

One Clad Quarter,
Six Clad Dimes,
Two Nickels,
Five Pennies,
And a bunch of trash.

I know why would somebody go to the trouble of putting up a post like this? its pretty much worthless. Well, most of all the post that get posted are by an excited person finding some GREAT find, old silver coin, HUGE gold ring, or some other great find. As these post pile up from people allover the world it would seem to some that all they need to do is buy a metal detector and go out and shovel up the money or bags of gold rings. They're was a post awhile back that came up about this very thing, in that, the gold and the good stuff just doesn't come very easy, or very often. Now if your a lucky one that lives in an area where few people ever metal detected then the good stuff may turn up a little bit more.
I've never found a gold ring, I've been hunting sense 1981. (but in the beginning I only coin hunted)
I've only found three silver coins in the last three to four years, (but I don't get to hunt very often)

Mark

 

[MarkCZ]

I got an email from my brother saying him and our other brother went detecting at an old church and made it back and split up the loot for a total of a penny a piece. (I don't know how long they were out either)

Mark

 

[mudpuppy]

Ouch! Yeah, that's a good thing to post even though those days are best forgotten. Somedays I don't feel like I'm firing on all eight, and the results are similar to the ones you found today...then, some of those days happen where a fellow just really gets into the finds. Well, the new guys to the sport should know how tough this can be...I will say this, a fellow who's hobby is fishing will come home empty a lot more than we do...so If a guy can deal with it and keep going out, sooner or later that coil will go beep over a once in a lifetime find. A fellow cant find anything sitting around in the house that's for sure. Good Luck on your next time out!
Mud

 

[BarberBill]

Good post about the all too often reality of detecting. But, there's always next time - that's what keeps us going.

BB

 

[CanisiusHistGrad]

Spent a few hours this morning making the rounds of a soccer field at a local park (only the sidelines/observer area). Came up with more pull tabs than anything else - 1939 Nickel, 1977 penny, and a 2008 penny. Also pulled someone's finger splint from the sidelines. I consider it a well-spent peaceful day enjoying the beautiful weather and better learning to discriminate as much as my detector.

 

[JimmyCT]

This is the truth of the matter and a reality obviously not shown in TV shows. Many of the people jumping into the hobby today are thinking, " this should be pretty easy" lol Your pictures are proof it isn't.

 

[jabbo]

Mark, I thought I was the only one to come home empty handed lots of times. I don't search parks any more, not for the past 3-4 years now. Been searching obscure places like woods and farm fields. I enjoy places like that but 40% of the times I find no goodies at all. This week I found a no date King George penny and a 1925 Merc in the river, a clad quarter, plus some sinkers. I'm going back to the river real soon because Washingtons troops were in the area, its gonna be another interesting day in a place where nobody searched before. I rigged my CoinStrike temporary for shallow water searching, I hang the control box from my neck, it rests between my shoulder blades way above the water. The river there is less than 3 feet deep but very fast moving, no mud, solid red shale bottom. Last week I was in a very large unplanted field two times and the only goody I found was a silver thimble, not a single coin, won't go back there again. I'm retired and this hobby has its ups and downs but I can't think of a better way to spend my time.

 

[MarkCZ]

This is the truth of the matter and a reality obviously not shown in TV shows. Many of the people jumping into the hobby today are thinking, " this should be pretty easy" lol Your pictures are proof it isn't.

Yea, and my sore knees and neck are proof too LoL!

I thought one REAL uneventful hunt post would be a good idea, because this is what happens a lot of times. Like my other two brothers trip this past Wednesday to that Church for a total of two cents (he didn't say anything about how much trash they dug).
I know few if anybody is going to post their bad or average day and I'm good with that! I like the post where somebody finds a Gold coin, or some silver coins but I know that many times that is NOT a normal day, but those post help me to keep me interested in 'My Day' is coming.

Also, just to note!
A car full of detectors will not always help you find MORE good stuff either.
I had a,
Tejon,
A Omega, and a
ID-Edge with me, and a bunch of extra coils for all of them. I wasn't planning on using the Edge, but I had it with me for a back up.

Here is some more items I had with me to help me find the good stuff!
Three extra diggers,
Garrett Pro-Pointer,
Two extra screwdriver probes,
Two sets of GOOD Headphones, and one set of earbuds (for shallow clad coin hunting in hot weather)
Extra set of eight AA batteries, (the Tejon uses eight AA's)
Several extra 9 volt batteries, (the Edge, Omega, and the pro-pointer uses them)
Gloves,
Ground cloth to put dug dirt on,
Extra finds pouch,
Two nail aprons,
Off bug spray,
10X magnifying class to check those worn dates on the 100 year old coins,
LED Headlight for late night hunting,
A good size gym bag to put off the stuff in,
etc.................

Mark

 

[MarkCZ]

Mark, I thought I was the only one to come home empty handed lots of times. I don't search parks any more, not for the past 3-4 years now. Been searching obscure places like woods and farm fields. I enjoy places like that but 40% of the times I find no goodies at all. This week I found a no date King George penny and a 1925 Merc in the river, a clad quarter, plus some sinkers. I'm going back to the river real soon because Washingtons troops were in the area, its gonna be another interesting day in a place where nobody searched before. I rigged my CoinStrike temporary for shallow water searching, I hang the control box from my neck, it rests between my shoulder blades way above the water. The river there is less than 3 feet deep but very fast moving, no mud, solid red shale bottom. Last week I was in a very large unplanted field two times and the only goody I found was a silver thimble, not a single coin, won't go back there again. I'm retired and this hobby has its ups and downs but I can't think of a better way to spend my time.

LoL! No "jabbo" you're for sure not the only one that comes home pretty much empty handed.

My Brother and me both are going to have to start looking for some more places to hunt, that's for sure.

Mark

 

[jabbo]

We all have bad days out there, sometimes good days. About three years ago I tried a very small wooded area at the edge of a huge park. Lots of thorny bushes in the woods where nobody goes. But after 4 trips there I found about 13 Indian Head pennies, a Standing Liberty quarter, a Seated dime, a silver three cent piece and a shield nickle. Till today I'm still puzzled why those coins were in that small wooded area. Another time I tried another woods and immediatley found a seated dime and no other goodies that day. Tried that place again and found a Barber dime, another time a King George penny and a solid silver tea spoon. Very few good targets each time but they were good targets that made the hunt worth while. Tomorrow I might search the river again and I hope to have some luck, not much luck, just just a little is all I really need for a goody or two.

 

[Steve O]

One good old coin early in the hunt sure brightens up the day, the mood and seems to give me more energy for the hours to come, (even if the hunting partner digs it).

 

[WV62]

I got an email from my brother saying him and our other brother went detecting at an old church and made it back and split up the loot for a total of a penny a piece. (I don't know how long they were out either)

Mark

We were there about 3 hours and this was a silver honey hole back in the 80's. As for the trash it wasn't all that bad, I had a couple of pull tabs and I found a pocket knife, my brother Greg found a strap for a gutter down spout.

Brother Ron in WV

 

[WIHawker]

Great thread Mark. Thanks!

 

[ken ward]

Your day was like mine today. I drove 1 hour 15 minutes to a lake. I found 26 cents and a pile of nails. Maybe better luck for all of us next time... KEN

 

[WV62]

Good post little brother.

Big Brother Ron

 

[GeorgeinSC]

We all have those days. I was up in Wv a week ago and hit the yard where my Mother and Father-in-law lived. I had been over the yard at least three time in the past finding one silver coin each time so I was hopeful that I had missed something. After a couple of hours of swinging the coil two different days I found a total of one clad quarter, one clad dime and five copper pennies. But it was still fun to be there hunting. Had permission to hunt around a home that was about 200 years old. Got to the property and was surprised to find that the weeds were 4 to 5 feet tall and real thick. Just part of metal detecting. Will never get rich metal detecting but I plan on keeping on as long as my old body will allow.

 

[JimmyCT]

Mark,


That is an extensive "bring list" However, you forgot the kitchen sink lol. I am glad you made a REAL uneventful post as it gives newbies a reality check about the hobby. They are watching too much television and thinking they are going to go out and find rare relics and coins. It is possible they may make a super find but it is going to take a lot of 'bad" days (like yours and mine) to get there. Many have realized over the years, this isn't (at least this is how I look at it) a race.To me it is a journey and a HOBBY. I wish you great luck and hope "your day" is soon. Then you can post the pile of junk with that gold coin.

This is the truth of the matter and a reality obviously not shown in TV shows. Many of the people jumping into the hobby today are thinking, " this should be pretty easy" lol Your pictures are proof it isn't.

Yea, and my sore knees and neck are proof too LoL!

I thought one REAL uneventful hunt post would be a good idea, because this is what happens a lot of times. Like my other two brothers trip this past Wednesday to that Church for a total of two cents (he didn't say anything about how much trash they dug).
I know few if anybody is going to post their bad or average day and I'm good with that! I like the post where somebody finds a Gold coin, or some silver coins but I know that many times that is NOT a normal day, but those post help me to keep me interested in 'My Day' is coming.

Also, just to note!
A car full of detectors will not always help you find MORE good stuff either.
I had a,
Tejon,
A Omega, and a
ID-Edge with me, and a bunch of extra coils for all of them. I wasn't planning on using the Edge, but I had it with me for a back up.

Here is some more items I had with me to help me find the good stuff!
Three extra diggers,
Garrett Pro-Pointer,
Two extra screwdriver probes,
Two sets of GOOD Headphones, and one set of earbuds (for shallow clad coin hunting in hot weather)
Extra set of eight AA batteries, (the Tejon uses eight AA's)
Several extra 9 volt batteries, (the Edge, Omega, and the pro-pointer uses them)
Gloves,
Ground cloth to put dug dirt on,
Extra finds pouch,
Two nail aprons,
Off bug spray,
10X magnifying class to check those worn dates on the 100 year old coins,
LED Headlight for late night hunting,
A good size gym bag to put off the stuff in,
etc.................

Mark

 

[fowlercharles]

Hi Mark, Great post and for a great reason! Us old/and new, hands that detect for the simple enjoyment as a hobby are the only ones that can now stand up and defend the hobby for what it truly is all about. The TV shows (along with some detector mfgs.) and their BS are creating a new breed of digger which is in turn creating an even worse/more incorrect, attitude of the general public toward all of us in general. Much of this has already been witnessed, so is fact..All this and we have not even mentioned the amount of ammo/ (BS), being furnished to the "Archie" community to be used against the hobby.. Much can be said by everyone involved, with everyone always having different outlooks which results in only more confusion. Best hope for the hobby is for us old/new hands is to do as you and some others are doing, and tell the truth as "we" all know it is. Maybe that will salvage some of the bad attitudes toward us diggers in general,, not only for now, but especially for those attitudes in the future. This will certainly include , when we can, all we can, in helping those new guys learn the "true worth" of detecting, and how to go about it with common sense and respect for everyone we encounter along the way..You set us a good example with your post Mark, thanks and as "Si" would say Happy Happy Hunting, Charlie

 

[Kshusker]

My name is Dave and I'm new to the forum. I been in and out of the hobby a couple of times and have owned several different detectors in the last 20 years. I was discouraged when I first started thinking I would find good stuff immediately. That was in the early to mid nineties. I don't have a detector now but am borrowing my father in law's Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. Took it out earlier today and found some screws, wire, a chain and some rifle and pistol shells. Thanks for the reminder we don't always find the good stuff. I have found coins and neat stuff in the past but tonight I had fun just finding the stuff I did in my yard. I tried to upload a pic but it was too big. Anyway I always loved this hobby and I'm back in it for good and looking forward to finding some good places to hunt as I love the history of it.

 

[richbat]

Great post and one many folks should read to see the reality of this hobby."Not all that shines is Silver and Gold".