Get to know your MD. Carry known items, such as clad and silver coins or rings, and put them in the kind of soil you search. Then bury a bottle cap and a pull tab. Test each item over and over. Do a clad dime and then a silver dime, then a pull tab. Learn the signals your detector gives you. Next pick places where people tend to go or have gone for a long time. Be happy with every find. I still get a little thrill when I can pull up a clad dime. The thrill of a signal is a little like fishing. When you get that nibble on the bait, you have no idea what is on the other end of the line. You will pull out dozens of small change coins and then one day you will reach down and pick up a Standing Liberty Half Dollar or a gold ring. From that moment on, your heart will skip a beat with each solid signal. If you have kids, let them be involved. They get really excited over a simple penny. That joy is infectious.
Try to hunt with a buddy. Especially when out in the wild.
Yesterday I was hunting with my mother out on an Arizona trail. She had to take off. So I figured I'd go hit another spot. While going to my destination I saw some bedrock waterfalls in a wash. I parked my truck and hiked down to the wash and detected till almost dark. Instead of going back the way I came, I decided to take the more direct route towards a road to the truck. This meant going up a 15' bank that had a 3' shelf at the top.
I found a big rock that sloped up towards the shelf. So I started walking up it. I stopped for a second to look at my path. My left side doesn't work that good. So I take my time and watch every step I make. Well, my left foot slipped on the rock, and I started to fall down the rock. My right ankle twisted up the rock, and my knee went down hill and then behind my back. Needless to say after about sliding down the rock, my ankle popped along with who knows what. I then had to crawl out of the wash, over the step and then to the truck. Used my detector as a cane when finally on the road. Took about 1-1/2 hour to go a quarter mile.
I lay in bed now saying. Why didn't I head home when my mother left? I had planned to hit a smooth old camp site, but instead wanted to try and find a nugget or two.
You just never know what can happen out there and I'm sure glad I wasn't mountain lion or coyote food.
So always try and have a buddy with you, even if you're going on a simple hunt. Company's good and if you run into a problem, you have help to get you back safe.
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca