What's your favorite way for finding new hunt sites?

[Anonymous]

Here's a question for you experts out there...
What's your favorite tip or trick for finding new sites? I've hunted all the easy public spots to death... parks and playgrounds, parking strips, etc. I really don't feel comfortable asking homeowners if I can dig in their yard... I just can't bring myself to do it, even if there are lots of great old coins there. Another problem I have is that there are LOTS of detector owners where I live, and they've hit the easy spots pretty hard through the years.
So... apart from knocking on doors... how do you find new sites to hunt? Drive around and look for construction sites? Topo maps? Classified ads looking for demolition contracts? Old maps? Old newspapers? What about heading out of town... when (or if) you travel looking for a site, how do you research and get ready for your trip?
I'm not looking for anyone's trade secrets, I'm just looking to improve my finds without pestering folks or breaking the law. And I'm anxious to find some spots while waiting for my new (to me, anyway) Coinstrike to arrive!!!
Thanks for your help, as always.
BG

 

[Anonymous]

I like doing research on a county level and after feeling comfortable with its history that is appealing to me, I look at some satellite photos or topo maps and find the large open areas that are now farms or ranches or tracts of land up for sale. I then get permission to walk the open areas on high ground near water and other likely spots looking for early porcelain pottery shards with the blue feather edge used by settlers during the early eighteen hundreds including civil war troops 40 years later in my state. They wash out easily and always stay on top of the dirt. These sites can not be found using research to pinpoint them as they were not documented. Only field scouting with eyeballs in historic countryside will put you in this type of relic paradise.

 

[Anonymous]

We have finally decided to try working some of the old sites in a different way. For example, there is an old school we have pretty much pounded to death, so we recently decided to take on the large areas of the old football field and baseball fields. It is pretty intimidating, but it has produced a few wheaties, an Indian head and a Mercury dime recently.
Another method we have tried is to pick an area of a place we have worked extensively before and do a slow and thorough search, roughly gridding it off and taking a closer look than we have in the past. This is painstaking and quite frankly takes more patience than we have at times, but we are trying to do some things differently just to see what happens.
HH!!

 

[Anonymous]

Great ideas, thanks! I never thought of looking for porcelain shards... I've picked them up myself before, just to keep as "pocket ponderables," but never thought to use them as old -site indicators. Here's another tip, in the interest of sharing.
One of the ideas I've heard about is to scan the classifieds looking for:
Lost ring ads.... maybe if I can find your ring, you'll let me search the rest of your yard!
Demolition contracts... if there's an old house about to come down, then it's often abandoned... nobody cares much if you search there. But try to bring a hunting partner, as these properties are often in less desireable neighborhoods.
Thanks, and HH
BG

 

[Anonymous]

Go to your local Fire Dept. Ask if they are going to do any controlled burns of old houses and where they have done them in the past. I have done well with that one. Also, talk to some grading companies. It just hit me the other day that a buddy of mine has a grading business. I had never asked him about any old places. He told me that they push them over all the time! We now have "an understanding" <img src="/metal/html/wink.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">

 

[Anonymous]

I use the local town's history book, it's like a treasure book. Talking to people about the history of the town has helped me as well to get new sites to hunt or historical info. I used to shy away from people but have to admit, the majority of the people I meet while detecting have given me some tips or something almost always very positive. Most people are just curious. I also joined the Historical Society, doors are opening through them. Some advice when asking land owners, take a few finds with you to show the landowners what you are looking for, probably not your best, just the average type finds, they are an ice breaker and a conversation piece. I only have two stern turn downs of hunting farm fields and have asked 40-50 people for permission. HH, Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah easy for me to say , I teach history right.
Start at the local library or archives, find local history books and read 'em, make copies of maps (old) and find sites of old schools, churches, etc. If you're fortunate enough to live in an area that dates to colonial times, mills, battle sites etc. I try to find where people gather, I have to admit, I often get addicted to the research as well and have numerous sites on the burner, so to speak, where possible I try to find an oldtimer that I can probe (oops wrong choice of words , but I'll leave it for a laugh) for info. sometimes one will come with me and show me where the school was, etc. I do make a habit of looking for schools and churches that are no longer there, the landmark ones will still produce the odd coin but the long gone ones not being so obvious hold a lot more goodies. HH
PS. Old newspapers are great too.

 

[Anonymous]

Shards of any type are great to earmark an area but the detector is needed to pinpoint any hotspots which could be over a hundred yards away, sometimes more. Shards have been found that marked undocumented Confederate camp sites and river crossings used by homesteaders taking a break on the westward trails. While scouting for a new site, I run my detector with no iron discrimination and actively look for old square nails while looking for any porcelain shards. Some great sites burned down and have hundreds of nails to mark it, but no shards. I only dig iron when I realize I am in an area of great concentration and then just to find out what the majority of it is: modern trash or an old site long gone ready to be plucked.
Farmers, and Ranchers to a lesser degree, are the best people to get access from on a regular basis especially after a harvest in late summer and all through the best hunting weather in the fall. They are a good'ole boy bunch and enjoy talking about the history of their community and will tell you the past location of original structures on their property if knowned. Plowed fields are my favorite for scouting, detecting and ease of digging. Using a small shovel to save your back and knees is no problem with them as most use backhoes and tractors every day on their property. Just fill in the hole to protect any livestock that may be in the area from getting a broken leg. I always bring a typical collection to show them and give them any unwanted items at the end of the hunt or put it in an inexpensive cardboard presentation case and present it to them on the next visit.
Hunting in towns and suburbs is a big turnoff to me. Stay in the countryside and enjoy the hunt!!
Good luck.