What Are the Qualities of a Diggin Buddy?

[BuckleBoy]

What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

What qualities make for a good diggin buddy? It seems like that type of relationship with another detectorist sometimes has striking similarities to real relationships with the women I've dated as I look back. It's such an interesting facet of our hobby that I have to type about it a little here.

About a year ago, by chance, I met someone in my city that has remained the best diggin' buddy ever. I met this dude when I was having my car repaired and I went to grab the metal detector out of the trunk before I left it in the shop. He wanders over and introduces himself as Tom. We shared some diggin stories and exchanged phone numbers. Metal detecting, I found, was Tom's raison d'etre too. When he was in the hospital after a horrible motorcycle accident that snapped both his legs, Tom received an issue of W&E Treasures magazine that had a man metal detecting from a wheelchair on the cover. The drive and desire to swing his White's machine again spurred him on through all the agonizing hours of physical therapy. Tom now walks normally again. He has been through, as I have, some nightmarish THing buddies. Folks who were in it for the money aspect only. A drug addict that tried to steal some of his best finds. The first trip out with Tom, I found a Civil War sword belt plate on one of his sites. I figure that is enough to test any diggin' buddy, but we still go on hunts frequently without any residual jealousy. Then there was the time we drove an hour and a half to a Civil War site thinking it would be as cool weather there as it was in our city that day. It turned out to be a scorcher at 90 degrees there, and the fields were crawling with ticks. Fortunately, Tom has a great sense of humor, although it took a while for there to be any humor about that one! I also know that I can share all my research and leads, as well as my best sites. I think this degree of honesty, humor, and trust--as well as a lack of jealousy--are vital to a true diggin' buddy.

Please feel free to share your comments and experiences.

Until then, keep 'em beepin'.


-Buckleboy

 

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[bomber]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

someone who takes u 2 a spot and points down and says" dig here".THANKS AGAIN BOB

 

[Sandman]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

Someone that doesn't get upset when you dig up a gold ring or other great find and doesn't slam the trunk with your detector shaft sticking out.

 

[stefen]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

There's a dating story where a woman placed an ad requesting a handsome man with a boat...and finished the ad with "send picture of the boat".

A MD'ing buddie is whatever meets your personality needs...

My buddy, is my best friend and fiancee...no boat, beer or anything else is needed.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

Sweet story about your significant other. Even sweeter car though. And I had always wondered what a vintage porsche looked like in dug condition. Nice find.

 

[mlw67]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

Well I've had a few hunting buddies, and some were pretty cool. Some sucked.

ROFL @ "doesn't slam the trunk with your detector shaft sticking out" --I would have to agree with that one.

By far my best hunting buddy is my current one. I usually refer to him here as my "young apprentice". He's just a 10 year old kid (the son of a long-time lady-friend of mine), but he is riveted to this hobby. He spends our outings picking my brain about different types of coins, when they were made, etc. He digs any hole I want for me while I look for more signals. He lets me keep everything, or more appropriately, he doesn't want anything. Last time he asked if he could keep a GM key I found and when I shrugged and said "sure" he was elated.

His mom is talking about getting him a detector for his birthday this month, so I will probably soon have to deal with envy when he digs up a good find. When that happens I promise I won't slam his detector shaft in the trunk.

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I'v never Hunted with Anyone, I would Never hunt with again.

My 3 Pet Peeves though :

1. Someone who dosn't fill holes.

2. Someone who leaves their Garbage where they find it.
(Inside or Next to their hole)

3. Someone who Claim Jumps a site I researched,
and obtained Permission,
on a day I couldn't be there.


My solution is to Never take them to my sites.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I'm sorry you've been burned, jeff. We all have. I think it's important that a diggin' buddy be on the same page as far as trust and respect. I also think they have to agree as far as leaving the area cleaner than we found it and being neat about excavation. The excavation part is the only thing I have been a little picky about with my buddy because I leave absolutely no trace I was ever there while his excavations can be a little messy sometimes. No big deal though. His plugs are almost as neat.

I've just found that sometimes I like to go out alone, but usually I go detectin' more often when I have a friend along. (When either of us suggests a hunt, neither one bear the thought of staying home.) I also like being able to be on a massive site and know that there are two detectors swingin' instead of one in an effort to narrow down on a specific location. I once spent 200 hours or so trying to find a field where musters of Colonial troops had taken place in West Virginia. That "field time" would have been cut in half had I gone with a trustworthy friend to track it down. I think it is a gradual process of trust. I wouldn't ever take someone to one of my best sites the first time out with them! Thanks for your comment Jeff.

Buckleboy

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

Person who buys the drinks after a
day of hunting.

 

[Selecter]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I would never have a buddy. THing was always be a solitary sport for me, and the less that anyone knows I did it teh more I like it.
( Cant do it now, brain tumor got me in march so I cant walk right anymore.) Probably not be able to do it again. my left side is screwed up.

Money and enough of it makes people do strange things. It will turn your best friend into a murderer. forums like this are the extent i would ever go. Ask someone whose had a cache stolen out from under their nose beuase you ran your mouth at a th'ing club meeting and your 'buddies ' put 2 and 2 together and scooped it up. Happened to a guy I knew I 1980. His "friends" cleaned his clock. They even put a note at the bottom of the hole that said HI CARL in big letters in the jar the money was in. It was a post hole bank from the 30's.

I bet some will say I'm anti social, but I'm not. I know money affects people and changes them. just coins, probably no harm. But anyone on the trail of a cache that says any damn thing to anyone will be sorry.

I've been out of detecting a long time, but I was active from 1975 until around 1992. I owned every detector there was back then. Kellyco got lot of my money.

 

[EDDE]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I would never have a buddy. THing was always be a solitary sport for me, and the less that anyone knows I did it teh more I like it.
( Cant do it now, brain tumor got me in march so I cant walk right anymore.) Probably not be able to do it again. my left side is screwed up.

Money and enough of it makes people do strange things. It will turn your best friend into a murderer. forums like this are the extent i would ever go. Ask someone whose had a cache stolen out from under their nose beuase you ran your mouth at a th'ing club meeting and your 'buddies ' put 2 and 2 together and scooped it up. Happened to a guy I knew I 1980. His "friends" cleaned his clock. They even put a note at the bottom of the hole that said HI CARL in big letters in the jar the money was in. It was a post hole bank from the 30's.

I bet some will say I'm anti social, but I'm not. I know money affects people and changes them. just coins, probably no harm. But anyone on the trail of a cache that says any damn thing to anyone will be sorry.

I've been out of detecting a long time, but I was active from 1975 until around 1992. I owned every detector there was back then. Kellyco got lot of my money.

ditto lone gunn here most times

 

[leddel]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

well i've detected alone sometimes and i prefer to go with my hunting buddy not only for safety reasons but also company , and enjoy the " who can find the best item,coin ect. " mostley bragging rights. but we share alot of information to who found what and where . how deep the items are in that particular site are ranging from and what we've each have come across like wells or whats left of structures , barns , pens ect. and we share ideas as to why items are found in certain areas and its paid off to . it makes us better at what we do and the finds have been getting better for the both of us . some weekends he's got the better find and sometimes i do its just luck as to who's coil passed over it at the particular time . don't get me wrong theres plenty of razzing going on but its all in fun . why just a few months ago my buddy finds a gw button and says " hey i got a gw button" ( i hear this joke almost everytime out ) to which i reply " ya ok" i turn to look and he's flushed like he just seen a ghost and hyperventalating . i knew he wasn't kidding this time , so i walk over and say" lets see it" sure enough its a gw button i held it up to look at it and said " amazing" he said " it is amazing isn't it " and i said " ya its amazing you didn't hit it with your shovel ya lucky little #$@#ard " we bothed laughed for a while but i was very happy for him and he knows i was kidding around but i think its those memories like that are what its all about . good topic oh by the way heres his button

 

[lou423]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

For a couple of years I had a treasure hunting buddy.

We went to old places that he had searched before with a cheap detector.

I came in with my Gemini 3 and in the end he bought a top of the line Garrett
detector.

We never found anything of value.

Ever since then I have been metal detecting by myself, some times I wish I had a metal detecting partner.
. .

 

[Visionquest]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I would have to say it is more fun with someone there. Of course that depends on who it is, but I have enjoyed hunting with every person I have gone out with so far. Even goofy Dekalb. Competition is fun.

If I spend a lot of time researching a site, I don't think I would invite anyone. Depending on who it was, I wouldn't turn down a request to go with me either.

Any time I can take my nephew I would, he likes to dig and does a decent job of it.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

Nice thoughts, folks. I think it is an important (although less-discussed) aspect of our hobby. Nice comment about the beer. It has just been too hot lately. Got a trip planned tomorrow with my diggin' buddy. Beer? Hmmmmmm.

 

[sounder]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

I have a hunting buddy that has gone with me almost every hunt for the last 5 years. We both enjoy being outdoors, and of course, metal detecting, and the thought of finding out whats under the ground.

When we get to a hunting sight, I go my way, and he goes his, and thats the way we like it. We stop detecting about every hour or so, and have a coffee break together, and compare our finds, and talk detecting and unusual signals and methods that we have tried.

Occasionally, we are joined by my son who has been detecting for about a year. He has listened to us, and has some outstanding finds of his own. I wish I could hunt with my son more than I do, but he is busy, and his time is limited.

Among the 3 of us, we have made some good finds, and not once have I ever heard any of us say that they were mad because someone else found something better. Of course, any of us would have liked to find this good find, but envy never rears its head, and congratulations are always given. I couldn't really ask for 2 better guys to hunt with.

Happy Hunting.

sounder

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

sigh, don have no stinkin partners, who would want to go riding a mule in unknown areas, getting a sore butt, fighting sweat flies in 130* temp. canteen water just as hot, with a funny taste from that last pond which was used by animals with no idea of hygiene.

The tortillas are as dry as your mouth, the left over beans a bit stale, coffee gone, another night of sleeping with rocks under your left kidney, and nothing but pine clad mesas as far as you can see cut by deep canyons, some of which require swimming to cross. No sign of civilization except for the occasional overgrown ruins of by-gone Jesuit activities.

At night, no sleep keeping the critters away from the mules, what little food there is, and your personal butt. Wondering if that weird noise was one of bandidos you were warned that were known to be operating in here.

Getting up with frost on the ground and ice in the washing water, no hot coffee waiting. Bathroom facilities zero except for behind that bush and the delicious pine scented air is full of skeeters or no-see-ems which do not allow one to squat contemplating the worlds affairs very long.

I wonder why no-one likes to hunt with me? I do get a cold arroyo stream bath every week or so, so I don't smell bad, just the nice clean odor of Eau de La mule sweat.

Tropical Tramp

sigh, as usual alone again, sniff.

GYPSY wanna go treasure hunting with me?

Tropical Tramp

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

hi potential partners (Gypsy?? Judy? Rr? Nana?? jn? and on loves) Doc, deker, golly, chagy etc. please do not apply heheheheh

Incidentally, those are pine trees down below.

Doc, side scan sonar not useable up here, sorry.

Tropical Tramp

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Re: What Are the Qualities of a Diggin' Buddy?

CaptainZossima ]

Its like reading a Jules Vern novel, before golf carts were invented.
A mule, a horse, a camel...??Running out of cool water? No Hyatt Regency nearby? Beans? Rocks? Dry throat?

I need air-conditioned Hummer..private chef...Moulton-Rothchild Cabernet..possibly a female masseuse..eggs and lobster for breakfast...ten well trained Indian guides hunting ahead with laptop computers..wireless communications..the local militia paid off..the local drug cartel paid off..and internet access at everytop along the mountain path...
Give me a call, when my needs are lines up...
Cap Z.
*******
You forgot your tel. no. bestest buddy?

Tropical Tramp