when to say when

[bswift35]

ok ive just been metal detecting since march 11 i have had beginers luck ive found over 80 clad coins in the parks, but here is the question i was givin permission to hunt this old home sight that is said to be part of the underground railroad i have found 1901 barber quarter, 1899 ih four wheat pennies 1910 - 1920 and one silver coin i cant tell what it is ok now ive been to this place eight times im in love with it but the last two times i got skunked do i move on or continue to hunt ther its on a hill side about 100 yards long i feel ive hit it pretty hard so when do you give up on your favorite sight thanks bryan

 

[Larry (IL)]

Tough call Bryan. No place is ever worked out, but everyplace does have a point of diminishing returns. I have been known to hunt a place to death where I will find nothing or very little. I will often take a break somewhere else for a while and then come back to my favorite place again. It seems to get restocked somehow. You will be surprised at what you will find by just hunting from a different direction and then from another direction again. Also try it again with a smaller coil and then with a larger one. I have even changed detectors to find yet more targets. Hunt it when the ground is dry and then again when soaking wet. Before you totally give up, dig everything 5 inches deep or more and you will be surprised yet again at what you left in the ground as trash. A hillside 100 yards long should keep you busy for a very long time. My favorite place to hunt close to home has kept me busy for almost 20 years.

 

[sbmsp]

I'd say take some "time off" from it for a few weeks, hunt elsewhere and then go back for second chance. First the ground conditions will have changed and maybe something will register that didn't. Second, you will probably hunt it differently than you did your other 8 times (if not then consciously try to, hit it at 90 degree angle to last time, less discrimination, higher gain, etc.). I know that each time I hunt I learn something different about my machine, pinpointing, search patterns, etc. If possible do a bit more research to see what the hot areas might have been, probably are in the woods or brushy areas now. It's tough but try not to have expectations, I've been skunked plenty of times and it's only made better when accompanied by donating my blood graciously to the local mosquito flock. I bet you'll keep making great finds in that area. Nice to have a secret sweet spot to turn to!

 

[Hillbilly Bob]

[size=x-large][/size]Hey Bryan, I had a lot that I thought I had hunted out with my 6 X 10 DD put a 10 X 14 on and found all kinds of goodies.................once you get all the shallow targets and trash out of the way you can get to deeper items........

 

[Nancy-IL]

By all means don't give up. Take a break if needed. It will be there later. Make a 'grid' like in your mind of the land. Go North to South, then East to West and then diagonal. SLOWLY! Turn your "dual control" lower and dig everything. Dig those faint little repeatable sounds!!!! You'll be surprised! Good luck and HH, Nancy

 

[Digger]

Like some of the other's who have responded, I have some old favorite sites that I've been hitting for years. Seems every time the soil changes (farming, erosion, freezing/thawing) I find more coins. We are all creatures of habit. But you may need to change your detecting habits. As many have said, go a different direction, change coils, change speeds, use a grid, etc. One of the fields I have had good luck in for years, was the site of an old horse track. Inevitably, I found myself going to the same spots where I've had success throughout the years. That may seem like the natural thing to do. But, when you think about it, after years of digging coins in those same spots, that isn't necessarily the best plan. Now, I make it a "habit" to go toward the areas where I haven't been so "lucky". What I've discovered is that there are coins scattered all over this 40 acre plot. Sure, there may be a higher target concentration where the grandstands were. Or near the entrance gate. But people milled around all over this place, picnicking, resting and playing. Searching "new spots" at the old site has opened my eyes up to just how much activity this place had!

One other note..... the dates on the old coins you found were nice. But those may not be the oldest coins there. The underground RR operated from the earliest 1800's to the 1860's. So if this site was part of the underground RR, the best may be yet to come. Next time. Next time! HH Randy

 

[floridason]

larry, you are exactly right. I've been over the same places 3 or 4 times using different coils and modes on my MXT and found a lot of silver that I'd missed before. Don't quit, just a different method
every time. HH floridason





MXT, DX-1 + 5 coils