Record Snow, what does spring bring to frozen fields?

[football54]

This is my first winter off, as I began metal detecting last spring. We have 4 feet of snow on the ground at the moment which is the most in decades in my area. My question is, will the fields/woods that I hunted to death last year yield any potential new treasure based upon the thawing/freezing and is what sure to be a muddy spring? Thanks.

 

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[PAPPYGOL]

it sure will. when its wet the targets are much better. deeper too. also any coins that may have been on edge may now be flat. last year you chose not to dig an ( iffy) signal. now it may ring clear. spring is my favorite time to hunt. more targets, deeper targets. hh, papp

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Of course.

Good luck!

 

[football54]

Thanks, I have cabin fever bad and can't wait to get back out. I have some old solitary fields that I thought I hunted out-and maybe did for the time being last fall. The thought of getting back out there to those quiet spots is helping through this winter of our discontent in the North East.

 

[Lowbatts]

Most of that snow won't last until spring, thaws, sublimation, etc. take it away before it is a big factor.

But here's the good part, gentle slopes lose more surface mass and make some coins more shallow or easier to pick up. The more severe the slope, the easier the pickins after a good winter's washing.

I'm one of the heretics that holds to the notion that wet ground does not help with depth. But that's just because I've dug my deepest clear targets in bone dry ground, time and again. Wet ground does enlarge mineralization effects on signal quality I think, and may help on intermediate depth targets (5"-8" coins) if you're swinging over otherwise clean and lowly-mineralized ground.

Try this, while the ground is still frozen hard and deep, get a few clear patches in a nearby park and check for targets. I've found a few places where the frozen ground gave me excellent reads on deep targets but later in the spring, when the ground was soft and wet, nothing, again later in the year, bone dry, the targets came up faintly. We're talking the 10"-12" deep coins in my neighborhood.

Might be in those spots the frozen ground really decompressed later when it was wet and made the targets just a bit deeper, then compressed again as it dried and compacted back down, elminating the increased effects of mineralization as well. Might be, but no good earth science in my background, just the experience I've had over the years.

 

[football54]

Thanks Lowbatts, great info. There is so much to learn that is what makes this hobby so interesting, I never ever get bored even during a fruitless hunt. One more question, I plan on upgrading from ACE 250. Should I wait to begin to learn a new machine until after the spring thaw? Some of the posts here suggest that spring is a great time to hunt, so should I hunt with the machine that I am comfortable with during that season?

 

[Jason in Enid]

My first question would be, why are you not happy with the Ace250? The 250 is comparable to highest end machines the generation before it. It used to be that cheap, entry level detectors had very limited results compared to high end machines. Garrett broke that mold with the 250. There is nothing "bad" about your machine. Make sure you aren't over-discriminating.

Having said that, if you want to change machines, I don't see anything wrong with starting out this season with it.

 

[Iron Patch]

If you plan to upgrade you should make your decision over the Winter, and read up on that unit because being familiar with it when it arrives will help you get going. I would definitely use it for the Spring and get used to it when the digging is easy.

 

[Lowbatts]

What IP said. If you upgrade, it won't mean you have to discard the Ace, it means you'll have a complimentary machine for other hunting. As soon as you decide what your next machine will be, start finding out who else is using one nearby and see if you can hunt along with them as soon as they start up again. I'm betting someone within driving range uses one of more of your probable upgrade machines.

There's a whole host of mid to high end rigs that get from 2" to 6" or more deeper in the same ground than the Ace will but that does not relegate it to closet status for sure. Keep it for the easy pickins at playgrounds, beaches and such.

That said, that Ace should be doing you good for decent targets down to 5"-6" and that's where a lot of the goodies lay in wait. But hey mostly, don't wait for the other guys to hit that ground before you get back to it, no matter what machine you're using!

 

[football54]

The Ace has been a terrific machine and it has me hooked on the hobby for as long as I am up right. I am simply looking for more depth in the fields (actually they are not fields anymore as the woods are reclaiming them after 20 yrs of no use but local maps show they were used for farming as far back as early 1800s) that I have hunted all of last year. It will be a while before I can get out there so it's time to start researching other machines, and I will not be abandoning the ACE, great machine! Thanks to all!

 

[football54]

Lowbatts, you were right on. I finally have some clear ground. I hit a spot I thought I hunted to death last year and sure enough on the slopes that were bare I found new targets. Only some old clad, and wheaties but I was thrilled. It was a very small area as there is still ice and snow on most of the slopes.
I am also sticking with the ACE 250 throughout the spring. I had a ball yesteraday in the mud, great time of year to hunt. Thanks again for the advice all.

 

[Swartzie]

Just a tip on dealing with muddy ground. If you can get out before the temps get above freezing, the ground will not be as muddy. It's when the temps get above freezing that everything starts getting soupy.

-Swartzie

 

[lookindown]

This is my first winter off, as I began metal detecting last spring. We have 4 feet of snow on the ground at the moment which is the most in decades in my area. My question is, will the fields/woods that I hunted to death last year yield any potential new treasure based upon the thawing/freezing and is what sure to be a muddy spring? Thanks.

My ACE 250 works better on moist ground. Deeper, stable, and crisp signals. I love to go out after it rains.