OK, I just have to ask...

[dlt123me]

Warning: Newbie Question Here...

I am new to metal detecting, in fact I haven't purchased a MD yet... but I keep seeing finds and videos of finds where people keep bottle caps, pull tabs and junk like that... Why is this?

Is it to clean up a hunting site, or is it just that one wants to keep track of everything found, both junk and treasure? If it's to clean up a site, that would make sense. I suspect there is a reasonable explanation for this... but I have not seen this addressed in any metal detecting readings I've done.

Remember, I am a newbie to this sport.

Dennis

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Argentium]

More than likely these were simply a large part of the total finds for the day , not likely the "keepers" .

 

[BC1969]

as a rule of thumb, always leave a site in better condition than you found it, I always pick up surface trash and dug trash and dispose of it properly. see below for guidelines.

CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL ALWAYS CHECK FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY AND LOCAL LAWS BEFORE SEARCHING. IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO “ KNOW THE LAW “

I WILL RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY AND WILL NOT ENTER PRIVATE PROPERTY WITHOUT THE OWNER’S PERMISSION. WHERE POSSIBLE, SUCH PERMISSION WILL BE IN WRITING.

I WILL TAKE CARE TO REFILL ALL HOLES AND TRY NOT TO LEAVE ANY DAMAGE.

I WILL REMOVE AND DISPOSE OF ANY AND ALL TRASH AND LITTER THAT I FIND.

I WILL APPRECIATE AND PROTECT OUR INHERITANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, WILDLIFE AND PRIVATE PROPERTY.

I WILL AS AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE HOBBY, USE THOUGHTFULNESS, CONSIDERATION AND COURTESY AT ALL TIMES.

I WILL WORK TO HELP BRING UNITY TO OUR HOBBY BY WORKING WITH ANY ORGANIZATION OF ANY GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT MAY HAVE PROBLEMS THAT WILL LIMIT THEIR ABILITY TO PEACEFULLY PURSUE THE HOBBY.

I WILL LEAVE GATES AS FOUND.

I WILL BUILD FIRES IN DESIGNATED OR SAFE PLACES ONLY.

I WILL REPORT TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES ANY INDIVIDUALS WHO ENTER AND OR REMOVE ARTIFACTS FROM FEDERAL PARKS OR STATE PRESERVES.

Mike

 

[Limitool]

Another reason guy.... Usually (not always) the trash is nearer the surface. And cleaning up an area of all metal helps find the possible other "good stuff" if present. Besides it's bad enough someone else just dropped their trash and even worse when you dig it up and do the same. Just take care of it properly and move on.... YOU'LL GET USED TO IT and GOOD AT IT ALSO!!!!!

 

[releventchair]

Humans litter where ever they go. Detectorists do not when ethical. They fill in any holes to heal, blend their recovery sites well and leave a place like they found it cosmetically.
Why a bottle cap could be retrieved is that a detector found something round and metal. Much like a coin till detector is learned but by digging all possible coins you miss fewer. Another reason is a detectors signal. Holding your hand, (hand represents an old coin) behind a book your eye does not see it. Move the book,(bottle cap) and you can see hand clearer to identify it better.
If we were not ethical in cleaning an area and making it better we may be less welcome but to leave pull tabs for example it would make detecting less efficient and the next return of ours,or anyone's would be less fruitful because that dang trash is still distracting us as it resembles gold or a ring to our detectors.
And once in a while when sorting junk after a hunt an overlooked goody appears. Here is one that if not inspecting trash at home,(yes real obvious can go in a trash receptacle anywhere) would have been tossed because only back side was looked at during recovery. It is a chauffeurs badge.(the nice one is just to compare the recovered one to.)

 

[CoilyGirl]

Oh yah,always save your trash and look at it later. True story,several months back I found a round disk that looked like junk and when I got it home and cleaned it off and let it dry it was an engrave pocket watch back.A few weeks ago I almost threw out what I thought to be a piece of a garden hose that had bursts but it was an artillery shell fuse and the top had blown off. Welcome to the forum and happy hunting.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

You're going to dig a lot of trash, that's a given - get used to it, or rarely find gold jewelry.

Since you're digging it up anyway, you are in effect leaving the grounds better than found - provided you practice good digging techniques.

So, you're removing junk metals. You've a number of acceptable options with that.

1) Dispose of trash in receptacles located at site.
2) Take home and throw them out with your trash.
3) Throw in bucket for later scrapping. You dig them anyway and over time you'll accumulate a lot of various metals. RECYCLE! And make a few bucks over time - granted you won't get rich, but you are also saving the Earth

 

[releventchair]

The ground has layers of history. Each layer can block the detectors signal from reaching below to the next layer.
When someone posts a great old coin and a pile of trash from more recent history we see the ratio of junk to treasure but also how the older stuff gets reached.

 

[BC1969]

you got that right RC, leave all the garbage for me I'll dig it, not always something good under, but often enough to keep me digging trash heh. I just found some bling under a rusty bottle cap, will post later today.

Mike

 

[Frankn]

OK, here's the real 'unwrapped' reason, actually there are two.
1- In a park environment, if you don't pick it up and take it away, you will be digging it many times in the future.
2- If someone in authority questions your endeavor, You can show them what a good guy you are, cleaning the 'dangerous' junk from the area so the little kids don't get heart.

Got the picture? Frank

Hay, this is picture # 2 with my new camera!

 

[Boatlode]

Oh yah,always save your trash and look at it later. True story,several months back I found a round disk that looked like junk and when I got it home and cleaned it off and let it dry it was an engrave pocket watch back.A few weeks ago I almost threw out what I thought to be a piece of a garden hose that had bursts but it was an artillery shell fuse and the top had blown off. Welcome to the forum and happy hunting.

This is true ^^^^^^^. You don't know what you have until you clean it up (with nose grease, right CG? LOL).


No sense leaving pull tabs and bottle caps either, because you will only have to dig them up again later. Most of the beaches I hunt are pretty clean of trash now, so I don't have to waste much time digging junk.

 

[dlt123me]

All very good reasons. Thanks everyone for pointing this out. Yeah, I agree, keep your site clean and as others have mentioned, you might find a good find when you go over this catch when you get home.

Thanks again,
Dennis

 

[dlt123me]

Wow, I never thought of this...

Ok, I happened to run into this tidbit of information while researching MD's. On a review I read on Amazon, one reviewer made a very interesting and important statement about leaving your site as you found it. I never thought about this before, but what he mentioned in the following quote, makes real sense...

ONE BIG REMINDER. PLEASE whatever you do ALWAYS cover your wholes. Not doing this is the worst thing you can do as it will eventually ban detectors from places even towns as it has in many circumstances. Cover your wholes and we can all enjoy this great hobby for a long time. Leave your area better then you found it. Happy digging.

Now this drives home just how important it is to listen to what you all have been saying here.

Thank you everyone for fielding my newbie questions.

Dennis

 

[BC1969]

Well you will get varying opinions on this, and it really depends on the type and location of detecting you are doing. in parks and other locations with nice grass, you will have to learn to make proper plugs in the grass. for learning I suggest doing it in your own yard or somebody's yard that does not care if their lawn is messy, for it does take practice. personally to me holes is a bad word, for I use a brass probe and then a screwdriver for recovery, making a couple inch slit in the grass. in other words I could detect anywhere and you can't tell I was there. Now for varying opinions, I'd say don't use a shovel, but if you do have to, use one that's tailored to detectorists. and you will still have to learn how to make a plug, and a plug being say a half circle like a horseshoe, you don't really want to cut the entire plug out..for it tends to kill the grass, atleast in my area, this becomes obvious when you go back a week later and see brown circles in the grass..on this you will also get varying opinions. now if you are in say a farm field, sure dig it up, but still fill the hole, only takes a second or two. same goes for beaches, holes = no problems..still fill them.
you will find and can trust the knowledge gained here on TNet, many of us have been doing this hobby/lifestyle for literally decades, I started out in 1977..so I've learned a ton about ways to do just about anything pertaining to our hobby.

If you have Any questions that has anything to do with our hobby don't hesitate to ask me, send a pm or ask in this post.

Mike

PS when you buy your first detector I highly recommend buying from a local detector dealer, they will be able to instruct you in its use and answer any questions you have about different models, as well instruct on how to use one.

 

[BARKER]

Hi; Strangely it is sometimes both. We save them until we build up enough to sell for scrap metal. We also use them to show Park or beach Rangers how much we actually help clean up the area we are in. The biggest reason is as you said is to clean up a site we are working because of you clean off all the surface trash the you can get down to the real good stuff buried deeper ok. Hope this helps. Welcome to TNET as well. PEACE:RONB

 

[dlt123me]

Thanks everyone. Very good advice. Love the hat bc1969... LOL. After I get my first MD, I will better understand what I've learned here from TN... and I will definitely make sure no one will know when I've dug up the ground.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone tell how to properly dig a plug.. I suspect most have learned by watching others. Youtube is great for that kind of stuff.

Thanks all,
Dennis

 

[lookindown]

We post the trash just to show everything we dug on the hunt. When you don't show the trash with your good finds, people often ask how much trash you dug. Some throw it away before they get home. It doesn't matter either way. I like to see everything that someone dug...the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

[dlt123me]

... I like to see everything that someone dug...the good, the bad and the ugly.

LOL... Well, when I start hunting, I suspect I will have a lot of ugly to show.

 

[DigginDownUnder]

The first day I went out detecting, I found two of what I later learnt were pinfire cartridges.

I never did find them again
And I never leave anything on the ground again.

 

[lookindown]

LOL... Well, when I start hunting, I suspect I will have a lot of ugly to show.

We all find the bad and the ugly but if you put the time in you will make good finds...its a great hobby...good luck.