Haven't really posted much on the site lately. I unfortunately get to a point sometimes where seeing other peoples finds makes me more frustrated than excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for everyone and what they find, but with all the rejection around my area about detecting, it seems like I'm just never going to find stuff like you guys are and it puts a damper on my day....I'm just not getting the spots. I will do all this research on areas and feel pretty confident and then I get BS excuses on why I can't do it or why its not allowed. I'm hoping once fall comes around a few spots will open up, but who knows. Rant over
Dang it Bobby I feel your pain. My problem is that I just never have time to get out and detect. It can be frustrating looking at others finds sometimes. I'm sure our day will come. Before you know it a great site will open up and you will be making us jealous. Hang in there and keep trying.
It can be frustrating at some times. but the bottom line is if you detect always expecting the best you will be disappointed a lot. detecting is not always about the finds, but seeking out new locations, and enjoying the hunt. sometimes between good spots, i will hunt for hours with nothing at all. and then hit a spot with a few goodies.
if you are researching older sites looking for relics, it may be tough as many of the more common areas are restricted and can be frustrating getting the constant NO.
maybe try sweeping around just outside the restricted area`s and see what pops up.
or shoot for more modern target areas such as school yards and playgrounds. even shopping mall or store common areas can yield some great finds.
try community pools or basketball courts. often a lot of lost goodies there .
Went out for 3 hours today working an area just 20 yards from where i have been digging some great stuff, and walked away today with nothing but one rusty iron loop, i know there are still plenty of things right next to this spot, but today was a bust. tomorrow is a new day of detecting, and hopefully better luck.
trust me though, your going to make some great finds eventually just like everyone else. just keep at it, you will find your sweet spot soon, then we will all be drooling over your finds as well ...
actually, if i remember correctly you made an AMAZING banner find just last month ....
There`s more out there for you ... can`t wait to see them ...
Happy Hunting Brother, ... BONES ...
Try this on for size...
On my last 4 or 5 hunts, I've gotten ONE silver. Is it always this bad? No, it's a constant game of peaks & valleys, though. Same as a baseball player in a terrible slump, you just have to keep on swinging and work through it. Here's another good one...
My buddy Gerry & I secured permission to hunt a property dating back to the early 1700's. Guess what? Not one coin. Literally. Not even a memorial penny. It was all filled, basically a dumping area. We were pulling up door handles from cars, hitting beer cans a foot down, etc. A disaster.
Point of all this is, that's the way it goes. You're not doing anything wrong. Remember, most of the obvious places have been worked over pretty good throughout the years. Doesn't mean there's nothing left, however, you really have to WORK for it. If you found a spot on the internet or a map, chances are pretty good that someone before you did, as well.
Ever watch hunting videos on YouTube? If you do, notice that a large majority of them are on private property. That's where everything is nowadays. It's the new frontier. Can you still find stuff at parks & such? Yes, but, be prepared to go through a ton of trash, and don't expect anything to be within the first 4 or 5", as a general rule of thumb.
Here's a suggestion...
Find the oldest place you can within driving distance. Parks, woods, schools, swimming holes...doesn't matter, as long as it's OLD. At least turn of the century. Then, go as much as you can & dig EVERY signal. Sooner or later, just going by numbers, you'll pull some awesome stuff. Or, even better..
Don't be afraid to knock on doors. If you're a bit shy, don't do it in your town, drive maybe 15 or 20 minutes away. If you ring 10 doorbells and get just one yes to an older property, you can easily walk away with a handful of silvers.
Keep your chin up
Joe
Hey DangitBobby, you just keep swinging and follow all the above advice. It's not always easy. I sometimes have to repeat to myself, "You never know.", whilst swinging with the least of abandon and great intent on sites I "think" may have potential. Somedays it's a total bust, but somedays it's very rewarding. The whole concept is to not stop trying. It's out there. Some of it has been missed by others, some of it is fill mixed with old ground, some of it is virgin forest floor where passerby's took a night or camped for a week. The point is you never really know. But you can find out by simply swinging and testing the area. I sometimes hit four to five spots in a three to four hour period. I look for activity. Is it all iron, pull tabs, cans? I do a quick survey of likely places where people would congregate. If the area looks after digging a few targets to be older than I expected, I slow it down and listen to the machine. I find so many wheats and silver dimes that way, just in the last few months, that I've made it a religion. You'll see eventually, you'll start to see what was fill along roadways, where likely homesites were in the woods, you'll begin to understand how people lived, and played, and worked. When you start to see that, you'll start hitting it. Sometimes it's a bug bitten, sweat dripping in your eyes SOB bummer. Sometimes it's just one wheat cent. But all in all, I consider it an adventure, and that's what drives me. There is "Always." a place "You've." never been to.
Ed
OHIO DIRT FISHER
Lately not finding much myself. The ground is like powder need rain!!!!Last time out only found some clad. Better days are coming, like Joe said keep at it and your day will come.
It's not so much that I expect to find something every time I go out to detect. I've been doing it long enough to know that. I enjoy the times I detect whether it be a bust or not....the frustrating part is that I'm finding these places that would be awesome to go and it's either undetectable or I get rejected. It's happened too much in a short span that it's discouraging, that's all. I'm still going to bust my ass and do what I can to try and pull out some finds. But there are phases where it almost gets to be too much....it's the encouragement in get from others to keep going that helps though so I appreciate that
(08-21-2014 03:00 AM)DangItBobby Wrote: [ -> ]It's not so much that I expect to find something every time I go out to detect. I've been doing it long enough to know that. I enjoy the times I detect whether it be a bust or not....the frustrating part is that I'm finding these places that would be awesome to go and it's either undetectable or I get rejected. It's happened too much in a short span that it's discouraging, that's all. I'm still going to bust my ass and do what I can to try and pull out some finds. But there are phases where it almost gets to be too much....it's the encouragement in get from others to keep going that helps though so I appreciate that
You have no idea how much i understand, here i sit in the center of St Augustine the nations oldest city, the colonial era finds are littered throughout this area just inches deep. i am surrounded by colonial era forts and sites. and i cannot detect ANY of the areas i would like to due to laws and restrictions. it kills me, but you do what you can do and enjoy what we get.. if i spent all my time upset about what i cannot detect, i would not enjoy what i can. it`s a tough and often frustrating hobby we choose to enjoy. i live less than a mile from one of the most historical colonial sites in all north America
i can see it from my yard across the water. i dream of detecting it each night .
but the truth is, i will never get to. it sucks, but tomorrow i`ll detect where i can, and make the best of it.
instead of focusing directly on a known historical location, try circling just out side the " forbidden noze " if the place has historical significance people lived around it and conducted their activities around the area as well. and you will often find the same kind of finds.
it`s the game i have to play, i basically get to walk the fence lines of some great spots. always looking in wishing.
but hitting just outside the restricted zones has been working very well for me.
it sounds like you have a lot of passion for the hobby and you research your hunts,
don`t get down about a little dry spell, i have no doubt you`ll be digging up some sweet finds real soon.
Thanks Bones. I will have to try the outskirts of some places and see what happens. I'm sure some places will open up once fall comes
You have to resort to the "crappy" way of thinking in public places to find some good stuff. What I mean is when you pull up to your favorite pounded hunting spot don't hunt around that huge Oak tree. Don't hunt around that old Gazebo. Don't hunt by that old building. Because 1000 people has already hunted those spots. You "may" find a super deep silver in those spots but your best bet is hunt the "crappy" areas. These are the areas when you look your site over you say - "that's a crappy area - I'm not hunting there." Go hunt there!
But - But - But - I will say this- I stopped in at an old park I never had hunted before in a small town about 45 minutes from me. There was a Father and Son (maybe 10 yrs old) hunting there when I pulled up. I started to hunt and they both came up to me asking if I knew how to use an Ace 250. I set it up and showed them how to pinpoint and hunt with it. The Father went on to tell me that there is a metal detecting club in town and they are always out in this park as a group hunting. He said he didn't think there was much left. I said OK and we went on our separate ways. I then started hunting around the old Gazebo that was "rebuilt" in 1922 so the sign said. So I figured all the silver was gone for sure. All I can tell you is within the first hour I had 4 Mercs and several Wheaties in my pouch. In fact the Father and Son witnessed me pulling a deep 8 inch Merc that their machine didn't hear.( I personally tried their Ace 250 before I dug.) I have since went back and my best coin to date there was a Barber Quarter that was only 3 inches deep! So let me say that once you've hit the good spots then go to the "crappy" spots. I guess this is kind of a conflicting post? LOL