How long do you Detect at a spot for

Gare

Gold Member
Dec 30, 2012
7,456
14,030
Canton Ohio Area
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Presently using Deus 2's & have Minelabs, Nokta's Tesoro's DEus's Have them all . Have WAY to many need to get rid of some
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
In a days time when you go to a spot to detect. How long do you stay there detecting normally? {Please post your hours at a site so others can see this is not just a one or two hour session.

I am old and usually 3 to 4 hours. But if good finds are coming in its ,maybe 5 or 6 hours
I just wanted new people to see this is not a short time event


Please post your times
 

digger460

Silver Member
Sep 19, 2015
2,972
3,295
Southeast Grundy, Illinois
Detector(s) used
EQ600, EQ800 and a Carrot
Primary Interest:
Other
Well if this weather ever breaks:BangHead:, if it's a full day, I'm pushin' to go 6 to 8 if the property is giving up goodies, and is large enough to spend that much time. If it's an open permission to hunt anytime, I'll try 3 to 4 hrs. after work. Weekends 6 to 8. Heck, if it's the first time on the property, I'll spend 3 to 4 just getting some trash out of the way.:laughing7:
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,512
139,072
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
10 yrs ago I could throw 10hrs to the wind without notice. Now it seems when time allows I'm good for 6-8hrs so the body is slipping a bit. If the finds are coming I really can make 4/6hrs disappear without notice, but if the digging is tough then I start to notice the time.
 

Rookster

Gold Member
Nov 24, 2013
29,382
111,597
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, F75Ltd., AT PRO, Garrett pointer
Primary Interest:
Cache Hunting
5 to 6 hours. My knees aren't what they were. BUT, if I'm finding targets A little longer.
 

Slowtaknow

Sr. Member
Oct 27, 2015
375
435
Kannapolis nc
Detector(s) used
Fisher f2, Tesoro vaquero, Nokta Simplex, Garrett Csi 250, whites gold master 2.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have to agree with almost everyone so far, but i am the 2 to 4 hour detector, unless as others have said, it's giving up goodies to motivate me to go longer. But also depends just how i feel that day.
 

Phishfarmer

Hero Member
Feb 26, 2016
785
1,328
Petersburg Virginia
Detector(s) used
Deus, Others
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Interesting post. I'm 61 and I'm pretty much like the original post-er. I normally go for 3 or 4 hours. Yesterday I took a friend to a new-ish spot and we were finding CW bullets pretty consistently; it was briers, small saplings spaced about 12" apart with a few small creeks mixed in- all of it wet. Normally I would've lasted 2 or 3 hours but with the finds I stuck it out for 5. We found over 30 bullets between us with a few other relics to boot.

As far as being old I'm using a new system of gauge. Single digits is young, two digits is middle age and 3 digits is old.

Happy hunting to all.
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,438
7,562
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,438
7,562
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
when I detect I try to go as long as possible. minimum is usually 3 or 4 hours, My average is 5-8 hours, and in the past I've gone as long as 10-12 hours in good spots. If you are talking how miuch time will I spend at one spot? depends on what I'm finding, but usually I give an site a minimum of 2-3 hours before switching it up.
 

DDancer

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2014
2,339
2,002
Traveling US to work
Detector(s) used
Current Equinox 600
Past Whites DFX Garret GTI 2500 and others
Prospecting Minelab GPZ 7000
Past SD 2100 GP 3000 (retired)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
New spots 2 hours, getting goodies 4 and getting old stuff 6 hours is my average. Old spots 6 hours because they are worth it. :)
 

Ammoman

Bronze Member
Oct 12, 2015
2,211
5,348
NC
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Nokta Impact, Tesoro Compadre..
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Once I am on a property the only thing holding me back is my job, weather and my wife! I am pretty sure i can get rid of two of those things but which one do i keep?
 

DeepseekerADS

Gold Member
Mar 3, 2013
14,880
21,725
SW, VA - Bull Mountain
Detector(s) used
CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
Primary Interest:
Other
Back in the early 80's I could do 10 - 12 hours on a virgin Boy Scout camp where the silver was frequent.

Today I'm worn out after 3 hours. But, I'm pushing 70 pretty hard now. And I don't have that scout camp to hunt any more.
 

Hawks88

Gold Member
Aug 26, 2012
7,878
11,840
Niagara falls
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ammoman im still laughing but my wife’s not. Lol. I agree though.
 

West Jersey Detecting

Gold Member
Oct 23, 2006
5,241
1,058
Philadelphia Area
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend, Excalibur 1000/II (hybrid) , Teknetics T2 SE
Primary Interest:
Other
Three to four hours is normal for me. I'll detect the same site over and over for years. Wooded sites change dramatically from season to season and I can get into spots that were overgrown the previous seasons.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,714
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Gare, I'm getting older too and it's normally 3-4 hours. I was out the other day for over 5 hours. That HURT.

Most of my spots I can go back any time I want, so there is no need for me to try to get everything in one outing. These are not public property.

Even when I'm on the beach, it's normally 3 or 4 hours anymore. With a VERY lightweight machine!
 

OP
OP
Gare

Gare

Gold Member
Dec 30, 2012
7,456
14,030
Canton Ohio Area
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Presently using Deus 2's & have Minelabs, Nokta's Tesoro's DEus's Have them all . Have WAY to many need to get rid of some
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am asking this question for 2 reasons. First one is for people to see how many hours it takes to find targets. It is not just turn on and poof you have good items. Some times it takes hours. The second reason is toi find out WHO i want to detect with LOL I am not up to a 10 to 12 hour detecting day any more. I did want people to see that a LOT of hours are put into this sport
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,714
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ammoman, dump the job. Gare, you did post an excellent question. The other day I went to a friend's site. I walked 10' and found a 19th century "D" buckle. I also found about 6 more good items, we were there an hour. It was bam, bam bam. The other guys didn't do as well. It had nothing to do with the machines or skill, just getting the coil over the item and digging it. At the one beach I go to, I can walk for half an hour and not get a signal. Now at THIS beach, there is a strong possibility, depending on the tides, of a shipwreck coin, but if I don't get anything within about 3 hours, I'm ready to go home. I have hit this beach 6 hours straight when the coins are present.
 

ARC

Gold Member
Aug 19, 2014
37,280
131,718
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Some spots... years of occasional working... IF... repeat IF... the spot has been a fruitful in the past.

Heck I have gone back to spots I hunted out 10 years ago... just to see if ground conditions are in better favor for a missed hit.

Now...

When speaking of beaches ... which... are what I primarily hunt...

I have been hitting some of the same spots on beaches for decades.
 

digginNdreamin

Jr. Member
Nov 21, 2016
21
18
North carolina
Detector(s) used
Xp deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am going in a different direction here..I guess im getting softer as I age but The weather has the biggest impact on me..Cold,wind,hot and humid etc.. Ill average 3-4 hrs per outing to answer your question though..
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I still can do my usual 8 - 10 hour hunts with lunch and snack breaks, but nowadays life (teaching responsibilities, home...etc.) seems to reduce that number. I usually start hunting about 6:00 am (most cases) and hunt till 4:00 pm plus; on weekends.:hello2:
 

against the wind

Gold Member
Jul 27, 2015
24,797
24,977
Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
E-trac, Excalibur, XP Deus, & CTX 3030.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I will hunt a new spot for 4 to 6 hours. If it is productive, I will return over and over and hunt it to death. On average with a packed lunch in my bag, I'll hunt for 4 to 6 hours.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top