Detect or Sift?

[maverick4440]

I have done some research and found the site of an old community center that was active from 1915 till the 1960's, It is in an isolated area along a river and is easily accesible to detect, May have never been detected before in fact, The problem is that it has been used heavily and is just loaded with pulltabs and quite a few bullet casings. It is still occasionally used today as a campsite. it is in an isolated area and could be detected without anyone stopping by to see what You were doing. Would a site like this be worth the time and effort to just turn off discrimination and dig every stinking signal or just sift it. There may be good coin targets under all those pull tabs that My discrimintator is blocking out. How Do most of You deal with heavy trash areas? It is in an area where it is doubtful anyone would care about digging lots of holes.
Maverick

 

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[Dave (Pa)]

What are you useing?
A smaller coil would help.
Once you start digging up the junk you'll hear the differance between good and garb.
Deeper is better! Dig the weeker signals, search sistamaticly in the most probable area's.

 

[Chiz]

...Depending on the size of the area, you might want to do the search at different Desc. levels. One of the killers is that small silver rings will show up as a pulltab so you have to make the choice on that one. If you have the time, at don't get frustrated, dig them all!!! or do like I do and bring the kids along and let them dig the tabs. One great thing about the kids, they don't care what they find, as long as they find something, LOL...

Another thing I do when I am hunting parks that have been around for awhile and have a lot of trash in them is mark the finds. I went to the dollar store and got toothpicks with the different color "flags" on one end. If I go over something that gives me a pulltab indication, I stick a red one into the ground at that spot, if I have time or want a break, I go back and dig them.

Hope this helps some!!!

HH
Chiz
8)

 

[MDnoob]

Dig em all! There is plenty of fun stuff to be found aside from coins...

And Chiz's suggestion about getting kids to do the work is a good one- they love digging up anything.

 

[Fred]

Just don't give the little rascals shovels or you will never be allowed back there again lol Fred

 

[lab rat]

If there is a high volume of trash targets, I would go over it first with my discriminator up high! Walk over the area digging the best targets you can find and leave the trash behind on the initial search. This will give you a good indication of what the potential is if you dig everything. If you ignore pull-tabs and bottlecaps you will leave behind gold and some silver, but for a first time through, you should still be finding coins. Look carefully for silver coins, and if you are finding those, go back with the discrimination set a lot lower. If not, set it only a little lower and try again.

:idea: One thing I have found about areas where there is a lot of trash: either there is also a lot of treasure, or there isn't. If you can't find anything worth much with your discriminator up high, chances are good there aren't any gold rings anyway. If you are finding a lot of coin, it will be worth going back and taking the time for the gold targets. Also, in high discrimination, you can still find BIG gold and silver targets if they are there. If you have to dig five thousand trash targets in a row to find a tiny ring with maybe $2 worth of gold in it, you could probably do better elsewhere with your time.

 

[Chiz]

Hmmmm.... a lot of good things said.... One important thing that I didn't mention, but after watching someone down the shore do it this w/e, I would bring it to your attention....

If you dig up trash DON'T put it back!!!! One, it will not be there (duh) and couldn't mask something else. Two, if anyone gives you sh*t, you can show them you are cleaning the area also ( lol ). And three, I have found dollar bills in an old Cig pack that was buried..... Never know in this hobby....

HH
Chiz
8)