Hitting Virgin Land

[MuckyBottles]

I really don't want to come off sounding like a newbie, but I think I chomped off more than I can chew so-to-speak. A little background, I finally have permission from my aunt to hunt her 50 acre property in which the house and subsequent buildings were built in 1710 and have never been hunted, this is certain and confirmed. I am sure there is more virgin land hunters than I here, so my question to you is, being the only person hunting this land tomorrow where would you focus most of your efforts to maximize your time and potential production?

Here is a general picture of the property..

 

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[MuckyBottles]

Here is an up close picture of the structures..

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Sounds like you have done some research to at least narrow it down to this property.

Find the water source, then look for spots that are somewhat sheltered but dry ground. The settlers didn't build in low, swampy areas, and also often used the natural terrain features to cut down the wind as much as possible. After that, let your machine do the talking.... set it to all metal and discover the inevitable iron patch.

I really hope it produces for you, good luck.

 

[MuckyBottles]

Sounds like you have done some research to at least narrow it down to this property.

Find the water source, then look for spots that are somewhat sheltered but dry ground. The settlers didn't build in low, swampy areas, and also often used the natural terrain features to cut down the wind as much as possible. After that, let your machine do the talking.... set it to all metal and discover the inevitable iron patch.

I really hope it produces for you, good luck.

Thanks for your pointers, I am hoping it does too...

 

[dokc]

Look for the largest trees nearest the roadways and spiral out from there, try along the long lines of the large trees (where the fields were separated), the houses would most likely have been on the highest part of the land along with the wells, the trash fields might be along the lowest points surrounding the highpoints.

 

[MuckyBottles]

Look for the largest trees nearest the roadways and spiral out from there, try along the long lines of the large trees (where the fields were separated), the houses would most likely have been on the highest part of the land along with the wells, the trash fields might be along the lowest points surrounding the highpoints.

Thanks! I literally have all day there in which I plan to use every minute because my gut tells me that there are probably some colonials sitting somewhere on the property, maybe a Nova Caesera? One can and only hope.

There is actually a working well that is 40 ft deep on the property, wishing to know what kind of stuff is on the bottom.

At 38 years old, I never been so excited to be around something that I can call "Virgin"...

 

[doninbrewster]

I got permission to hunt a 1795 property this year with over 100 acres. I started right out the back of the house and found 6 large cents within about 60' of the back door. I worked my way around the side of the house and found 2 large Baldric buckles and a silver knee buckle. As I started to work farther from the house the pickins got slimmer. Did pick up a flat button and a half a colonial copper next to one of the fields. The fields ion this particular farm seem to have been a trash dump that got plowed in although I've seen no signs of bottles. This property has over 2,000' of frontage on a 300 acre lake and that's where I'm heading next.

 

[empty_pockets]

1710 and 1795...Neighbor, just swing away and enjoy the hobby. You will be dead and gone before you even begin to scratch the surface....

 

[TankerRobbie]

ill take an invite and come down from sullivan county and help ya hunt

 

[DDancer]

Sounds like an exciting hunting ground

I hope you are going to keep your aunt in the loop and discuss what your doing and where. It's gonna take some time so keeping her and any others happy is kinda essential for such a large area with so much potential.
Make a plan and talk with her about it... also hammer out any sticking points like don't dig up the rose garden and who gets to keep what if there are items of potential value recovered. Might sound cheesy but a written permission would be helpful especially if the relatives get gold fever and think they have a say in your arrangements with the property owner.

Hunting:
My suggestion is just to start with a general wander of the area. Take notes of where you find stuff and general depths. A moderate coil, say 8 to 12 inches, initially and pick up any junk as you go. The notes will help to isolate hot spots for later gridding with larger coils. Oh yeah... go slow.

A couple of general hunts around the main structures and a couple down the fields or what common pathways you can decipher, remember humans are basically lazy and choose areas of easy travel, should set you up with a good idea of where to get serious. Then its time for Hero Mode.

Once you've done the general hunts start gridding. Use smaller coils and get the modern stuff off the top then concentrate with larger coils for deeper finds.... dig everything. I hope your aunt will be ok with deeper holes so be neat about it. If your picking up deeper stuff in maintained areas of the property, ie the front and back yard lawns, you might just want to gps the spots and leave a token on the spot *pennies work good* then discuss it with your aunt about possible recovery.
Keeping the property owner happy is kinda paramount to having success.

Think about a partner. Preferably someone you have hunted a few times with... not your relatives or hangers on... and can trust to keep to the wishes of the owner. A partner can help cut down the time for finding hot spots and help with planning for areas of interest. Work smarter not harder

Other than that in the hunting do a bit more research, note your finds, and keep an open mind about where people tend to concentrate or work. More than likely one or more structures have been replaced at some point in time. Or destroyed and never rebuilt. Areas with a lot of iron can indicate these things. Being the site is over 200 years old some stuff wont be shallow so as I said... go slow.

Hope you catch a dream.

 

[Frankn]

It's all right here! Frank...

 

[Juice in the hole]

If she doesn't mind you hunting close to the house, I'd start there first. It looks like the ground directly around the houses was cultivated at one point. That would be a good place as well if you have a lot of time. In the upper right hand corner of the photos there looks to be an old road skirting the upper edge of the green field and jutting diagonally into the the cut (yellow) field. That might be another place to look. Field hunting can be rewarding, but you'll also find a ton of farm iron pieces. I find my best stuff when I hunt the areas where people traveled the most. Just look for old walking paths and imagine how people got from building to building or to the roads.

Check your local libraries, historical society or online for old maps. Down here UNC has an excellent old map database with some overlays to Google Maps even. Maybe check the local university online.

Good luck!

 

[Jeremy S]

I have lots of luck under old cloth-lines and where people used to get in and out of vehicles/carriages.

Do you have any old family photos of how things were laid out back in the day? Maybe an area where family reunions were held, or where everyone would sit under a giant old tree that is long gone.

If you have time, pick an area that is full of stuff and dig everything. You have 200 years of trash and roofing nails to go through. Those old coins may be hiding under everything.

If it were me and I had time, I would grid off certain sections and go through and cherry pick the good signals. That will give you an idea of where the real trashy areas are and where you are finding the good stuff. Then go back to the good areas and dig everything. Come back to that area after a good rain storm and dig everything again. You'd be surprised how many good targets you missed when you come back to an area.

Good luck and can't wait to see what you find!

 

[reddirtwillie]

I personally think you could use some help