Do you dig Pull Tab signals?

Muddyhandz

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Jul 1, 2012
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Being a relic hunter primarily, I dig ALL non-ferrous period.
I've seen too many great items that fell in the foil/pull tab range.
Cheers.
 

Hosensack

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Apr 20, 2007
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Tom_in_CA said:
Hosensack, Are you talking turf hunting? Assuming you were, let's dissect what you're saying a little bit more: Let's say if your stat's are accurate, and a person can dig 1000 aluminum/low TID signals, in 34 hrs. Assuming the average md'r hunts for .... say .... 4 hrs. at a time (after work, or perhaps on a Sat, AM, etc...). Or even if he's hardcore, and goes for 8 hrs. non-stop, etc... You're STILL talking about 6 to 8 trips, before eventually finding a gold item.

And do you *really* think you can dig 1000 holes in turf ..... without catching the ire of landscapers?? If a person is cherry picking for deep silver/copper, he's only going to be digging a few dozen holes in a day, verses your example of a few hundreds!

I had the rare and unique opportunity, back in 2006, to hunt where an park from the 1870s was being scraped out and bulldozed to pieces, to prepare for artificial turf installation. For a few glorious days, after the tractors scraped off the turf down to 6 or 8", EVERY coin was old :tongue3: (because the clad and aluminum layer were literally scraped away down to the older stratas). So we were in "relic" mindset, and "dug all" except iron. However, by about the 3rd day, they folded back in some of the surface soil, (in their effort to get the exact gradient, measurements, and so forth). And now we had to deal with modern junk and targets, as all the targets became jumbled together. But STILL it was "no problem", since digging was easy (it was a demolition site, so we didn't need to worry about "holes" and so forth).

An interesting phenomenom occurred by the end of an entire week of digging like this: We could get hundreds of targets per night, since we could treat it in relic-mindset, and could dig at-will, as fast as we wanted. I saved every single target, in boxes, for an entire 7 or 8 nights of hunting. At the end of it all, I carefully studied the ratios of all the different types of targets. YES there was a few gold items (6 or 7, if I recall: a few rings, a pendant, and some nick-nacks). And there was THOUSANDS of aluminum junk items. I mean, keep in mind, this was a junky blighted urban inner-city park. So junky that NO one ever bothered thinking they were going to be a hero and get gold rings from there (or even old coins, for that matter, owing to how blighted this area was).

I can honestly say, there would have been NO WAY in heck it would have been worth anyone's time, going through those type ratios (which were probably 1000 to 1 aluminum vs gold items) to angle for gold in a park like this, UNLESS it was a demolition site, where digging is not an issue. If someone had been that h*ll-bent on finding gold rings, they'd have been much better served simply going to the beach, and plying the sand long enough.

Even if you're not near the ocean, there are fresh-water swim lakes, even in the middle-states, right? And even if there's no lakes near someone, then for sure there's sandboxes, PT courses, sand-volley-ball courts, and other such locations.

Bottom line is, no, there are some areas where it simply isn't worth it to "be a hero" and angle for gold rings in turf.

Some turf though might be better than others. Certainly some parks are more "upscale" and not as blighted/junky. And obviously sports usages (verses picnicking) also lends to less trash, and more jewelry (on account of the frolicking/thrashing movements of sports).

Tom I did not mean it as a job, it was to point out if you continue to dig them while out, over time the payoff could be worth the effort. I in no way meant to go on a pull tab expedition to make a profit, in fact that idea is so ludicrous I didn't realize it needed clarifying until now.
 

Last edited:

bill from lachine

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Folks,

For what it's worth I detect mostly urban green spaces that are full of trash and have been picked over pretty good...
that said I dig more than my share of junk and pretty much dig everything from foil on up.....I've managed a fair amount of gold for my trouble...just a matter of how much trash you're prepared to dig to find the keepers.

Regards + HH

Bill
 

Metalman1959

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Personally... I dig up EVERYTHING! :icon_thumleft: Of course I am still just an amateur, but the excitement of a good hit and the anticipation of what may be there is addictive! And... I dig up a lot of beaver tails and can tops. But then again you never really know until you dig it up!
 

Hosensack

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Hosensack said:
Tom I did not mean it as a job, it was to point out if you continue to dig them while out, over time the payoff could be worth the effort. I in no way meant to go on a pull tab expedition to make a profit, in fact that idea is so ludicrous I didn't realize it needed clarifying until now.

Hopefully my first reply didn't come off wrong, I was just surprised you understood it that way. I chose 1000 to show even after so many one ring could be worth the effort.
 

TerryC

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Damn right I dig pull tabs. For the same reasons as above but also for one more. If I hunt the area again, and many sites I do, that is one less tab to pick out next time. TTC
 

nsdq

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or less for Adrian to find so she has better targets
Damn right I dig pull tabs. For the same reasons as above but also for one more. If I hunt the area again, and many sites I do, that is one less tab to pick out next time. TTC
 

Tom_in_CA

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reply

Hopefully my first reply didn't come off wrong, I was just surprised you understood it that way. I chose 1000 to show even after so many one ring could be worth the effort.

hosensack, thanx for clarifying. And I hope I didn't come off wrong either. Sorry I was so long-winded.

Just wanted to convey, that the md'rs knee-jerk reaction of "lower your disc, and dig aluminum till your arms fall off" is not the recipe for finding gold rings (even though that's frequently the answer you see on forums, when someone asks: Do you pass tabs? or how can I find more gold rings?) Lowering the disc. is already a "given". So the answer of "lower your disc." is only a small part of the formula. I was wanting to point out that the much bigger part of the formula, is where a person hunts.
 

AdDicted2Ag

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Pulltab signals always have the possibility of being gold.. If there is one thing I have learned, you gotta dig the trash to get to the treasure.. It's all part of the game so DIG IT ALL!! You never know when you could be passing over a Pulltab signal that is actually a big fat diamond ring.. I know it's not likely, but one time in particular I was about to pass over a tab signal and went back to dig it up simply because it sounded so consistent and smooth on the detector.. After opening the plug I found my best gold ring to date.. DIG IT ALL!!
 

BaronH

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Jul 15, 2008
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I started out with the Ace 250 and thats what i found my gold ring with. I can guarantee the first time you find a gold ring you will never disc out pull tabs again.
 

Metalman1959

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Hey everyone! I have a question. I mostly hunt school yards. Here in Kentucky it's hard to dig in places unless you know someone, and they will give you "written permission" to hunt their land. Anyway I have read two schools of thought. One says turn the disc all the way up until you get interference and others say to turn it down. Up to this point I have always kept disc as low as I can, like one notch above the "on" button. I find lots of coins and even a few pieces of jewelry, but tomorrow I plan to hunt an old river lock system. I have hunted it before (it is literally in my back yard), but this time maxing out disc. Which method would be better maxed out or low?

I have found about 2 lbs of brass and some bullet projectiles that are pristine, they are all new not the good stuff :unhappysmiley: but what if I crank up the disc?
 

Metalman1959

Tenderfoot
Aug 30, 2012
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Digging up pull tabs


I have been reading the posts on digging up "everything" and for what it's worth this is what I do. I dig it all up! I am still learning. I have been detecting on and off for 3 or 4 years, but Tom Massie from Gold Fever infected me or something, now it's all I think about, talk about, and dream about!

So my advice dig up every target, especially if you are new like me! Believe me I have had days where all I could manage was a post 1982 penny and tons of cans, aluminum, various can tops and well you all know the drill. But it's the excitement of what it could be that keeps me going. I liken metal detecting to bass fishing, well fishing in general; you never really know for sure until you've got in your hand!

Also any suggestions for detecting an over grown field?

Thanks in advance
MetalMan

I hope your next swing is the big one! :hello2:
 

bill from lachine

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AC1955

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I dig EVERY signal, but I may be a glutton for punishment! LOL

As said before, you will miss out on the gold if you disc out pull tabs.

HH,
Anita
 

bevo

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square nails all day last weekend,pulled 27.
 

bevo

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gleaner1

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I like to dig aluminum. I never know what it will be until I dig it. Plus, I don't have to dig it later. I just dig it and get it over with. I even dig out the big flat aluminum cans. I do try desperately not to dig zinc. I would rather dig a steel crown than a zinc. But I would much rather dig a pull tab or aluminum bottle cap than a zinc. I have found a few gold rings and at least a thousand nickels by digging tens of thousands of aluminum can slaw and pull tabs and such. I never did find a gold coin. I wish I would have saved all that aluminum crap it would have filled an oil barrel by now.
 

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