Detecting at night

xXx

Hero Member
Nov 17, 2004
580
58
back in Indiana again
Detector(s) used
Multiple land, beach, underwater and specialty units
Leon said:
Are you allowed in the parks after dark? Here in Indy it is agaist the law to be in a park after dark? >:(
I'm sure that if we could me & my hunting parter would sure hit'em... Been wanting to get out and find a site that would be safe to hunt at night...

P.S> This forum needs a chat room... ;D
This is very true!!!!!!!!!!!!!! About 5 years ago I was caught in the park in Lawrence with a "PT's" Dancer (not metal detecting by the way). The cop was definately not friendly and insisted we get dressed and out of the park. He said something about getting a room too???????
DON'T GO TO THE PARKS AT NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

OP
OP
bergie

bergie

Bronze Member
Aug 2, 2004
1,815
1,147
Guess that brings a whole new meaning to a plug in the grass.
 

majik

Jr. Member
Oct 4, 2004
44
1
many an afternoon dig has found me at dark trying to see what i was digging.... i am a newbie at this but i was thinking " i wonder if you could do this in the dark" and have been planning to try of course up here in the back woods of montana i'd be more worried about the bear and lion critters rather than the crack critters ;) but now have to wait for spring happy hunting
 

lonewolfe

Gold Member
Feb 14, 2005
5,547
585
West Michigan
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A stick with a box at one end and a round thing on the other.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
bump up to revise?
 

Chester Copper Pot

Full Member
Apr 16, 2005
101
3
WI
Detector(s) used
Whites Idx Pro
I have detected in my back yard very late a couple times without a flashlight and just the yard light. The plugs were much larger than usual and progress was too slow. :-\
 

R

rvbvetter

Guest
I think the most dangerous place to detect at night.
Would be the white house lawn, dressed as a democrat, and wearing a turbin.
HH
 

D

diggit 65

Guest
I have a little headlamp with two different color led lights red for tactical and white for checking my finds I hunt all the time at night .

Diggit 8)
 

Mi$$ouri Jim

Jr. Member
Apr 3, 2005
89
0
I have been detecting mostly at night since i started detecting in 99. I prefer it to daytime hours.? I REALLY hate being gawked at & bothered by people while detecting so that is why I prefer detecting at night. I guess I'm not much of a people person.
? ? I have worked nights (graveyard shift) for years & years so i am usually up all night on my days off anyway. I will detect a site at night only when I have permission & I am comfortable with the surroundings (i check out the area during the daytime for dangers like hidden old wells & such).? I dont detect severely overgrown areas at night.?
?
A great benefit of night hunting is that it often keeps other detectorists from claim jumping your site. Especially if you are detecting a site near a highway where anyone can see you as they drive by. Often if a fellow detectorist driving by sees you out detecting an area... they assume that you didnt get permission & it is ok for them to detect it as well.? They can get you permanently kicked off a site VERY easily. >:(

The only animals I run into while night hunting are deer & skunks (and the occassional opossum) .? I always, without fail, get startled by the? loud "HUFF" sound deer make.? ?>:(? ? ?I also hear raccoons squabbling often, owls hooting/shrieking? & every once in a while a fox "scream" or squall.? What is REALLY creepy is when you hear an obvious noise from the nearby woods that you have never heard before or dont recognise at all! :o?

Most parks here dont allow anyone in them at night.... so i hunt them during the early morning hours (after 6 am? when they usually open).?

I dont use a headlamp .... the overcast night sky (with city/town lights reflecting off the clouds) or a moonlit night is all i need for the walking & swinging part of detecting.? I dont like to call attention to myself by shining a light everywhere.? My detector has a backlight on the display also which I keep at its lowest setting. When i get to the plug digging part I have found that a simple "necklight" works perfectly for me.?

Here is the first one i made from a bead chain, a AA cell maglight, a rubber band & a rubber handle grip.? It looks odd I know but it has worked well for years. It hangs around my neck & when I need to use it I turn it on, hold it in my teeth, then turn it off & let it fall when i am done.? I have recently made a new one that is smaller & lighter that is made from a AAA cell maglight (I dont have a pic of it yet).
 

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Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
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ACE 250, Garrett
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I just got my Redhead (Bass Pro) fall hunting catalog and it has nearly a whole page of head worn lights to select from. JIM
 

DiggerDude101

Full Member
Apr 19, 2005
130
0
Hey All

You can also use Cylume Sticks.(Blue, Red, Green, Orange) Just keep them in your pocket and use them to exaimin your dig/finds.
 

JW

Full Member
Apr 8, 2005
242
1
No. California
Detector(s) used
ML ExII, GPX4000
I detect at night, with no lights and dress in dark clothes (makes you invisible). If you have an ExplorerII and an X-1 probe who needs to see, when you can hear what you've found!

Carry a long handled trowell from Kellyco and hunt with another detectorist if you can. Keep away from the treeline too...

HH
JW
 

wirenut

Tenderfoot
Sep 6, 2013
6
2
Little Elm, TX
Detector(s) used
Ace 250
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I also detect at night just because here in Texas it gets so hot in the summer. I have made a simple gadget that plugs into the headphone jack on my Ace250but this will work on any metal detector.
I built a simple transistor switching circuit inside a headphone jack plug that connects to the switch of a flashlight, the flashlight is mounted part way up the arm of my 250. The best thing about this mod is that the flashlight only comes on when i get a hit!
 

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
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wirenut said:
I also detect at night just because here in Texas it gets so hot in the summer. I have made a simple gadget that plugs into the headphone jack on my Ace250but this will work on any metal detector.
I built a simple transistor switching circuit inside a headphone jack plug that connects to the switch of a flashlight, the flashlight is mounted part way up the arm of my 250. The best thing about this mod is that the flashlight only comes on when i get a hit!

You must not hunt in very trashy areas.
 

wirenut

Tenderfoot
Sep 6, 2013
6
2
Little Elm, TX
Detector(s) used
Ace 250
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I hear ya! If you still want to use the headphone jack you can use a 2 in 1 adaptor, this will allow you to use the flashlight and your headphones at the same time.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
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Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I also detect at night just because here in Texas it gets so hot in the summer. I have made a simple gadget that plugs into the headphone jack on my Ace250but this will work on any metal detector.
I built a simple transistor switching circuit inside a headphone jack plug that connects to the switch of a flashlight, the flashlight is mounted part way up the arm of my 250. The best thing about this mod is that the flashlight only comes on when i get a hit!
If I tried that in my typical park around here, it would look like I had a strobe light attach to my detector! I just realized, this thread is almost 9 years old! Were they talking about using candles back then?? :laughing7:
 

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
White's V3i / Minelab E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I saw that too cuda but I just couldn't resist the flashlight on every hit! Do you have to stand up and swing-dig, swing-dig, swing-dig so you can see? Do you have to turn the light off every time a hit turns it on? Or maybe it could be attached to a small helicopter and launch and hover over the hole while you dig.
 

BC1969

Banned
Sep 4, 2013
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Somewhere directly above the center of the Earth.
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Man talk about a mega bump, noticed this thread is 8 years old lol...but that matters not!
I love detecting at night, out in a pitch black farm field, nothing but starlight, and coyotes making that crazy sound they make when they found something they want to play with...then eat of course heh.

Tip: if you do happen to find yourself in a farmers field at night, do yourself a favor and wear some hunter orange!...crouched down and digging a target, sometimes depending on the local intoxication levels...lol, you may very well look like something said local farmers may want to shoot/eat while out shining for deer....No I'm not joking, most of the time though its a buddy that just wants to blind you to death with his Acme Wiley Coyote approved 40 million candle power spotlight :tongue3:

Mike
 

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