Hunting around rivers and creeks

TEDSFINDS

Jr. Member
Jan 9, 2014
36
60
Kentucky
Detector(s) used
Minelab X-Terra 305
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Just wondering if anyone has had any luck hunting around rivers or creeks. I have one place where a civil war camp might have been located next to a creek, but had no luck. Is it worth a shot to keep trying ?? I know that's a silly question kind of, but on the fact of these areas have a lot of flooding and possibly relics traveling for miles. Maybe even buried under a lot of mud.
Travis
 

luvsdux

Bronze Member
May 16, 2007
1,767
690
Lewiston, Idaho
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Multiple Tesoros and Whites
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
My thinking is any place is worth trying at least once. Areas around rivers, creeks, lakes etc. that have been used by people for picnicing, camping, etc. are often productive as well as historic crossings, ferry landings and the like.
luvsdux
 

Swartzie

Hero Member
Mar 15, 2009
791
52
Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Tejon
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Keep looking. The name of that game is called persistence. If research tells you there may be something there then keep looking. It took me over a year of searching a particular area (many acres) to find the site I was looking I was looking for. The joy of finding what I was looking for was worth all the disappointing hunts looking for it.

-Swartzie
 

releventchair

Gold Member
May 9, 2012
22,242
69,758
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Lots of development and of course transportation follows the highways today, rest-stops locations hard to figure as to the whys of sites choice but they exist. Before that it followed the railroads, and before that it followed on and along the waterways. Transportation utilizing horses and other four footed beasts required... water. Ahh, summertime hot days and nights what better place to rest a bit. Plus shade and green growth .
Your civil war era campsite would involve water when possible,there were cold camps but horses if involved had to have water eventually.Some grass good also. Try picturing your self choosing a site that did not stand out real loud to others passing by on the at that time travel routes but where those routes could still be easily watched for traffic by someone with in a shout of camp, while high ground great for a sentry a tree would do in a pinch if all other aspects of site were sufficient. A now shallow cut in bank deer may still use for access to water may be a sign horses were there due to topography. By chance a hill side run deer used had an old bottle exposed from a discard site non civil war related but still neat to find in the woods. Around here natives used the river bluffs in places with a view of a stretch of water, on a bend at times as well and where a stream forked or where two merged.
 

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TerryC

Gold Member
Jun 26, 2008
7,732
10,991
Yarnell, AZ
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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
Chisum Trail Hunt 5. Oct of 2012. Burdie did a gig in Kansas. Some of the participants were "screening" silver out of the nearby dry creek bed. Yes, rivers and creeks can be very productive near cities and towns. TTC
 

TnTom

Jr. Member
Dec 27, 2013
37
20
Woodbury Tn
Detector(s) used
don't have one yet
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Still haven't saved enough to get that detector yet but I've a creek through my property that flows heavily after significant rains and brings lots of gravel from up the hollow I screen the gravel before I bring it up for the driveway and some landscaping and to date Ive found a cannon ball ive been told is from a canister load, several cartridges and lead musket balls, and a collection of horse and mule shoes, harness fittings, nails, bolts and shortly Im predicting a huge gold nugget will turn up maybe an old buried strong box full of Yankee or Confederate silver or gold coins will be unearthed and wash down to the bend where it all gathers for me. With every storm the creek widens and new gravel collects and more treasures accumulate. I find fossils, pieces of petrified wood, and bones. Creeks can be very interesting story tellers.
 

SusanMN

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2007
4,534
4,098
Minnesota
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Tiger Shark, Xterra 705, Makro Legend
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All Treasure Hunting
Go onto YouTube and look up Beau Ouimette. He has had some incredible finds in creeks and rivers including a whole pile of silver from one site. That video alone will have you buying a detector tomorrow.
 

Bum Luck

Silver Member
May 24, 2008
3,482
1,282
Wisconsin
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Teknetics T2SE, GARRETT GTI 2500, Garrett Infinium
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Creeks:

Snapper_Marchand3.jpg
 

OP
OP
T

TEDSFINDS

Jr. Member
Jan 9, 2014
36
60
Kentucky
Detector(s) used
Minelab X-Terra 305
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Well your guys posts make me want to go hit that possible creek spot even harder! I had never thought about deer paths to creeks or away from creeks where horses could have gone.
Travis
 

doc-d

Bronze Member
May 19, 2013
1,639
2,561
Pacific Northwest
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Be aware of how rivers and creeks change where they flow over time……….so where it is today, may be different from 100 or 200 years ago……..you should be able to determine or guess these paths…….
 

Aug 20, 2009
12,824
7,899
New Hampshire
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Garret Master hunter Cx Plus
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Other
Creek outlets have a lot more erosion than the inlets do.Highwaymen had a habit of burying their goods around creek inlets.If there was any highwaymen activity in that area take a good look around the inlets.
 

TnTom

Jr. Member
Dec 27, 2013
37
20
Woodbury Tn
Detector(s) used
don't have one yet
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Go onto YouTube and look up Beau Ouimette. He has had some incredible finds in creeks and rivers including a whole pile of silver from one site. That video alone will have you buying a detector tomorrow.

WOW and WOW. Oh that video and his others make it hard to practice self control but I will. There are many creeks I wade and bass fish in this neck of the woods, be sure I'll somehow be adding a metal detector to my tackle before summer gets here. Thanks for that fine motivator makes my blood cook!
 

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