When Did Your Detector Pay Off

Its always best to hunt all metal until you know your detector intimately

In a large area like a beach its really easy to not hunt it properly , set yourself a mind grid on the ground work the grid slowly and methodically before moving I set myself up with about 8 foot x 8 foot areas its like a three overlapped pass area , and then depending on the tide lines and use areas I either move forward or sideways to the next 8X8 area and repeat the process.

slow is the key to getting a good search of the area if you are not overlapping both directions with your swings the potential for missed targets increases .

I used to hunt the oregon beaches and did quite well but it required some study of the activity on the beach and the tides before that happened.

there are areas where people seem to gather at both tide levels thats where you want to be .

I just kinda visualise the area and lay it out in my mind in a grid .

it helps to keep me focused , on a beach I have seen so many people take off down the beach in a straightline that gives them about a 3 foot swath for two miles long LOL .

I have seen the same thing on old football fields and parks , its the most non productive way to hunt an area I can think of .

it does not matter where you are or what the area looks like , but if you grid it in your mind and sometimes even set back and take a look at it for where to start , and try and visualise 40 years ago and the activity which would have been going on , you can pick out things , like trees surrounded by brush today were open then and picnic spots or rest stops for walkers , maybe even a place where kids used to play along a tree line which is now open and not covered with bushes ,you see what I mean ?

I have found old pictures of this area , you would be surprised how things have changed and where there was activity that is now barren or at least not used to the extent it once was .

I have pictures of Calvary encampments along the river which is now a big field and no where close to the river .

most of this hobby is in the preparation and then the execution of a plan .

by the way , take a look at how they lay out archaeological digs they lay it out in a grid with string ,I just do the same thing in my mind .

hemi thats the tough part for most new hunters , If you get the need to find stuff , hit the schools and play grounds , seldom will you walk away empty handed , but take the time to plan the more serious hunts , the time spent is well worth it .

i went to anothe beavh yesterday, got about 8 bottle caps, some pulltabs, and some foil, hoping to find the gold and ruby ring my stepfather lost.

Under the bleachers is where the money and rings fall.

I have a White's DFX that I bought last summer and was able to use it for about three months before the snow fell. I found about $500 in clad and collectible coins. In addition to that, I found three gold rings and some miscellaneous vintage jewelry. 99 per cent of that came from only two local parks. Both of these parks are over a hundred years old and had seen a lot of activity over those years. Also, they were heavily hunted for the past twenty years but with new technology, the machines of today can still make these areas produce good targets. The advice to "dig everything" is very important and will result in far more good targets that may be otherwise masked by junk. Do your research. Find out what areas were popular forty, fifty or more years ago and think outside the box. A lot of parks have had their layouts altered thoughout the years due to development. Try to find those out of the way places. They can be pretty rewarding.

I bought a bounty hunter Quick Silver for 150$ from Dicks sporting goods. So far everytime I go out I find coins. I havent found anything over face value but usually about a dollars worth when I search a park. I dont search the whole park though. Usually around the picnic tables and playgrounds. I would say that If I go detecting twice a week for the next year at this rate it may pay for its self in that time.

Hi,

I've owned 5 detectors over the years. Have been only a little active for the last 5 (because of my location where a 1912 home is "histroic"), but hunted a lot for the 20 before that and intend to get back into it this summer.

If you want cost efficiency, by a mid level detector and get an over-sized (12-15 inch) head. I had a worthless Whites 4000 15 years ago that I changed the 8 inch head for a 12 inch. Al of a sudden it was on steroids. My $450 machine (with the $150 head) found $150 FACE silver in one summer along with ($1,000 clad+ no kidding) 15 gold rings, large cents, many Indians etc. I sold the silver for about $2K.

I have had very elegant machines since (Whites Eagle, Spectrum etc) and have found many good things. But for cost effectiveness get the cheapest target ID machine and get an over sized head.