Not only am I not finding anything, I can't find a place that will allow me to metal detect. Had an officer today tell me that I couldn't detect at Trout Creek Park, St. Johns County, Florida..
Getting frustrated!!!!
- Thread starter twilli1
- Start date
Pork King
Jr. Member
- Jan 27, 2013
- 65
- 38
- Detector(s) used
- Bounty Hunter Sharpshooter Ultra Mag
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
If there was buried treasure everywhere, everyone would have a metal detector! 
If you are metal detecting to find priceless artifacts, you will be disappointed. The world is full of buried pennies and coke cans. Just have fun digging and you'll eventually find some pretty cool stuff.
As for WHERE to hunt, I try to stick to private property if I can help it. Ask family members or neighbors if you can search their yard, or try to find old historic sites that will allow you to look around.
I recently got permission to hunt an old jailhouse, active from about 1830-1870 or so. I thought FOR SURE I was going to pull some awesome stuff out of the ground. I ended up with 1 rusted button (that I lost) and 2 modern pennies, with some other modern odds and ends. I still had a blast searching!
Good luck!
If you are metal detecting to find priceless artifacts, you will be disappointed. The world is full of buried pennies and coke cans. Just have fun digging and you'll eventually find some pretty cool stuff.As for WHERE to hunt, I try to stick to private property if I can help it. Ask family members or neighbors if you can search their yard, or try to find old historic sites that will allow you to look around.
I recently got permission to hunt an old jailhouse, active from about 1830-1870 or so. I thought FOR SURE I was going to pull some awesome stuff out of the ground. I ended up with 1 rusted button (that I lost) and 2 modern pennies, with some other modern odds and ends. I still had a blast searching!
Good luck!
- May 9, 2012
- 22,402
- 70,735
- Primary Interest:
- Other
Say you can,t ,and you can,t. So put detector up,really.
When you decide you can,get some recipe cards or paper squares and start doing your home work.
Most days you pass spots you can hunt. Start writing down those that catch your eye and why they do.
When you have 4 or more places you want to hunt,locate contact information for owner/taxpayer.
Now,you can do next step how you want. If you are comfortable with your people skills start contacting owners,explain your code of ethics(a condensed very short version) explaining you fill any holes and respect property(do it too). If not comfortable take a ride ,bring detector anytime your asking so you can hunt right away,and knock on doors away from your choices on cards/paper. Smile, i metal detect for a hobby and your yard looks interesting,would you mind my checking it for a half hour? If asked for what be prepared to answer. Maybe smile again and say,for anything older than i am. If you have an inexpensive like ,(wheatback cent,matchbox cars)say that. I want you to get turned down and learn how to approach people in a relaxed manner. If they say no,thank them for their time.
Same if they say yes. There is info on this site about interacting with landowners,research it and get some ideas that work for you. Once you get an eye for sites and collect them in writing,when you have contacts lined up and time to hunt you go out and start going down the list till you get a yes. Put detector away(o.k. practice in yard or something) till you have multiple possibilities lined up.dig into Florida enough you,ll find places and surprises.
Get some spots lined up and post some finds !
When you decide you can,get some recipe cards or paper squares and start doing your home work.
Most days you pass spots you can hunt. Start writing down those that catch your eye and why they do.
When you have 4 or more places you want to hunt,locate contact information for owner/taxpayer.
Now,you can do next step how you want. If you are comfortable with your people skills start contacting owners,explain your code of ethics(a condensed very short version) explaining you fill any holes and respect property(do it too). If not comfortable take a ride ,bring detector anytime your asking so you can hunt right away,and knock on doors away from your choices on cards/paper. Smile, i metal detect for a hobby and your yard looks interesting,would you mind my checking it for a half hour? If asked for what be prepared to answer. Maybe smile again and say,for anything older than i am. If you have an inexpensive like ,(wheatback cent,matchbox cars)say that. I want you to get turned down and learn how to approach people in a relaxed manner. If they say no,thank them for their time.
Same if they say yes. There is info on this site about interacting with landowners,research it and get some ideas that work for you. Once you get an eye for sites and collect them in writing,when you have contacts lined up and time to hunt you go out and start going down the list till you get a yes. Put detector away(o.k. practice in yard or something) till you have multiple possibilities lined up.dig into Florida enough you,ll find places and surprises.
Get some spots lined up and post some finds !
wvwildman
Silver Member
- Jan 3, 2013
- 2,975
- 771
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT PRO, 5X8 DD, white's coin master pro, 4X6 DD, garrett propointer
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
you got to get permission people not getting permission is what makes it hard on everyone else and mess'es up the hobby for other people start by talking to your family and friends and get permission to hunt there yards thats the best way to start out and always fill your holes back in
Hello. I am new to md'n myself, & live in an agriculture community in Kansas. Trust me when I tell ya, there ain't nobody any harder to get permission out of than a farmer that has something he don't want messed with, UNLESS you just happen to be a city boy with a pocket full of cash, & wantin' to make a deal! Around here, ALOT of the farmers are "cash leasing" their property to these fellas. So, my point being, not only do ya have to get permission from the land owner, & the fellas that cash leased the ground to hunt wildlife on. We have alot of great huntin' around here, & I have hit a few snags, but, I know enough locals that I can talk to, & get started. Then word goes from neighbor to neighbor. Remember, word travels. Your attitude, appearance, & intentions speak for themselves when you knock on doors. Keep your chin up, explain your intentions, say thank you, & remember, no matter what the out come, ALWAYS remember to smile.
McKinney_5900
Bronze Member
- Jul 30, 2010
- 1,140
- 929
Not only am I not finding anything, I can't find a place that will allow me to metal detect. Had an officer today tell me that I couldn't detect at Trout Creek Park, St. Johns County, Florida..
I share your pain. This is THE biggest downside to the hobby IMO since getting started myself. I am personable by nature, yet being a pudgy 60yr old guy dressing casually...the private property owners probably don't warm up and give permission naturally as they may with others. I wish I had a positive answer for ya. I ain't found one myself yet. It is frustrating for sure. martin
I should try to help though. I found some new friends to hunt with after a period of downer-time and located several public parks and schools that were fine to hunt. They are out there.
Last edited:
Tom_in_CA
Gold Member
- Mar 23, 2007
- 13,837
- 10,360
- 🥇 Banner finds
- 2
- Detector(s) used
- Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
twilli1, when you say you are "not finding anything", is that to mean that .... litterally ....... you are "not finding anything"? I mean, not even tabs, bottle caps, foil, nails, or .... SOMETHING? Or do you mean "nothing OLD"? (or valuable, etc...). Please be specific.
My advice to you is, to hook up with someone in your area who is finding stuff. Like if you meant any coins at all (like for clad/jewelry hunters), then simply hook up with someone in your area who is finding stuff like that, and see how they do it. See what type places they hunt. See how they avoid busy-bodies like the type you ran into (perhaps you were sticking out like a sore thumb or something). If you meant old coins, then hook up with someone in your area who routinely finds old coins. See how they do it, what type places they hunt, what type signals they're looking for, what type signals they pass, and so forth.
Because yes, I can only imagine, having been hunting in my city for 35+ yrs, that I too would pity the poor soul to picks up his very first metal detector, and goes to the "obvious spots" (the obvious oldest park, the obvious oldest fairground, the obvious stage stop with the marker right on the road-side, and so forth), and thinks he's just going to pull up 4-star banging easy seateds and barbers But they're still out there. You're just at a disadvantage if you're new to this, because ..... it's true ..... if you're in a heavily hunted area, then the easy-pickens are usually gone.
But if you just meant clad, then there should be no shortage of places you can go and bulk up on that. And even if you meant jewelry, just go to any swimming beach, and dig enough low conductors (because jewelry too is constantly replenished).
My advice to you is, to hook up with someone in your area who is finding stuff. Like if you meant any coins at all (like for clad/jewelry hunters), then simply hook up with someone in your area who is finding stuff like that, and see how they do it. See what type places they hunt. See how they avoid busy-bodies like the type you ran into (perhaps you were sticking out like a sore thumb or something). If you meant old coins, then hook up with someone in your area who routinely finds old coins. See how they do it, what type places they hunt, what type signals they're looking for, what type signals they pass, and so forth.
Because yes, I can only imagine, having been hunting in my city for 35+ yrs, that I too would pity the poor soul to picks up his very first metal detector, and goes to the "obvious spots" (the obvious oldest park, the obvious oldest fairground, the obvious stage stop with the marker right on the road-side, and so forth), and thinks he's just going to pull up 4-star banging easy seateds and barbers
But they're still out there. You're just at a disadvantage if you're new to this, because ..... it's true ..... if you're in a heavily hunted area, then the easy-pickens are usually gone. But if you just meant clad, then there should be no shortage of places you can go and bulk up on that. And even if you meant jewelry, just go to any swimming beach, and dig enough low conductors (because jewelry too is constantly replenished).
For Airborne
Jr. Member
buy jps the navigator and ancient cards attached in Ozi and there will be to you a happiness)
GMD52
Silver Member
You need diligence to succeed. I carry a 3-ring binder in my truck containing notes on what I see, and where I saw it. When I get home I make the notations in the Gazateer for further research. When work is done, the fun begins, you'll be surprised what information you will discover. Everything is stored in my binders, and continually added to as new information is discovered. At my age I can't trust anything to memory!
Locate the landowners, ( public or private), and decide if you want to pursue searching that location. Secure the needed permission, and have fun, and good luck.
If like me, you may find the research and history is as important to you as the the actual search.
Locate the landowners, ( public or private), and decide if you want to pursue searching that location. Secure the needed permission, and have fun, and good luck.
If like me, you may find the research and history is as important to you as the the actual search.
Toby1858
Sr. Member
There's been times I've spent ten plus hours at one spot to find nothing but maby a few cents, and trash.
tims1chap
Full Member
- Feb 6, 2013
- 102
- 43
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT Pro
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Just like golf, we are not all Tiger Woods and hit the perfect shot all the time, most of us go out to have a good time. We need to keep going out time after time and just enjoy being out there. There are worse places you could be.
scurvy_seadog
Full Member
- Feb 9, 2013
- 133
- 55
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT Pro Bounty hunter Pioneer 505, Garrett pro pointer, Garrett AT Gold.
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Yesterday I went to a used to be camp site that was a US Forest service camp ground. Now it is owned by a city utility that maintains it. the city that owns it is 100 miles away. there is a care taker on site and a staff on site the keeps the park/ camp ground pristine. went there MDing read the signs no were did it say NO METAL DETECTING. know what I did i stayed off the grass stayed on the waters edge and pick nick areas that can be disturbed. No way am I going to dig wholes in grass that is on some of the rockiest soil that you can ever find and has zero top soil. The staff saw me and my kids. they never came out. we ended up packing out a bag of trash we found, old pop cans foil balls pop tops etc. I know they saw that too. I just think if you don't see a sign use commonsense don't be digging on the lawn don't run up to a cop and ask can I? the answer is going to be NO!
s.c.shooter
Bronze Member
- Jul 28, 2008
- 1,063
- 730
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Sov- AT PRO - AT Max - Equinox 600
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
The beach!
BigChief14
Jr. Member
I use the same trick I learned when I was single and chasing women, get them talking about theirselves!
Strike up a conversation, tell them they have a cool place, let them tell you what they like about it and maybe share something you know about their place that they might not know ("Did you know there was a civil war camp somewhere around here? It might have even been over by that creek!)
After you work the conversation to MDing, show them what you typically find, explain that 99% is worth squat, so they're not too greedy with the stuff they couldn't find for themselves. Offer to give them whatever you find or whatever you can agree to.
BE FRIENDLY!
Also learned very well from my single days, all they can do is say no! Never hurts to go right up and ask!
Strike up a conversation, tell them they have a cool place, let them tell you what they like about it and maybe share something you know about their place that they might not know ("Did you know there was a civil war camp somewhere around here? It might have even been over by that creek!)
After you work the conversation to MDing, show them what you typically find, explain that 99% is worth squat, so they're not too greedy with the stuff they couldn't find for themselves. Offer to give them whatever you find or whatever you can agree to.
BE FRIENDLY!
Also learned very well from my single days, all they can do is say no! Never hurts to go right up and ask!
Silver Searcher
Gold Member
Sell the detector and take up fishing 
SS
SS
- Jun 26, 2008
- 7,735
- 10,996
- Detector(s) used
- Ace 250 (2), Ace 300, Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Cortes, Garrett Sea Hunter, Whites TDI SL SE, Fisher Impulse 8, Minelab Monster 1000, Minelab CTX3030, Falcon MD20, Garrett Pro-pointer, Calvin Bunker digger.
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
You frustated. Frustated? How about finding hundreds of trash items to every gold ring!? How about getting to the beach at 6am just to find the REAL hunters are just going home!? Take a deap breath. Swallow hard get back out there. Your time will come! TTC
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