any advice for hunting old school sites?

[JSMITH]

I have the opportunity to hunt a school this weekend that has been around since the early 1900's. Any tips and/or advice? Maybe some areas to key in on based on your experiences? I haven't done a whole lot of school yard hunting. I am also new to the website, hello to all!

 

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[Critical Recovery]

If there are any paved areas, check the very edges. Things are dropped on the surface and work their way to the edge of the grass.
Also, around trees and underneath "monkey bars" (can we even call them that anymore?)

Base areas of ball fields.

But these are "hot spots" and most likely will be hit already.
I usually work these areas first and then do a grid.
Don't be disappointed, there is about a 99.9% chance it has been hunted already.
Schools and parks are the first places everybody hunts.
Also, you will find a lot of aluminum "pencil eraser attachment tops" that will give a hit similar to a gold ring.

 

[JSMITH]

Thank you for the tips. Some I had thought of but the edge of pavement is a great idea, I hadnt thought of that. I would agree that I am not the only one who has ever had this idea. However, this town I will be in is far off the beaten path and im hoping (fingers crossed) it hasnt been hunted to death. We will see.

 

[Critical Recovery]

However, this town I will be in is far off the beaten path and im hoping (fingers crossed) it hasnt been hunted to death. We will see.

Probably a better chance of success then.

I haven't hunted a school in years, and I am trying to remember a lot of stuff.
I think I found a lot of cars (matchbox type) quite a bit of clad coinage and I know this is surprising, three or four live bullets.
Now people may freak out about that and think "oh my god a bullet! At a SCHOOL!" but until about the 90s or so, bullets were a part of life for a lot of people and had a "cool factor" for boys.
Hell I remember in the 1980s a classmate of mine did "gunstock refinishing" for a "how to" project. It was just an object to us.
Anyhoo, I digress. Don't get discouraged with the interference you will get from metal schoolyard equipment, swings and fences, just crank down the sensitivity and you can get closer.
People are often surprised how deep they can get on very low sens settings.

 

[JSMITH]

The only other time I have hunted a school was when I first got my machine. It was a newer school (built 1964) , and i found a spent nine millimeter slug under the swings. Other than that it was clad and pulltabs galore. Lol. Thanks for the great info!

 

[sonofadigger]

dig around entrances where they played and most important go slow and dig every signal...everyone of them

 

[JSMITH]

Thanks sonofadigger. Thats a beautiful largemouth in your avatar by the way! Bass fishing is my true passion in life, metal detecting is a close second though. It gets me through the winters here in the northwest when bass fishing is brutally tough. Lol.

 

[sonofadigger]

Thanks sonofadigger. Thats a beautiful largemouth in your avatar by the way! Bass fishing is my true passion in life, metal detecting is a close second though. It gets me through the winters here in the northwest when bass fishing is brutally tough. Lol.

I heard that been fishing since I could hold a rod it's my number one passion

 

[JSMITH]

Now if I could only metal detect and fish at the same time.....lol. Anyway, I hope to be able to post some good finds this sunday when I get home from my trip!

 

[sonofadigger]

Now if I could only metal detect and fish at the same time.....lol. Anyway, I hope to be able to post some good finds this sunday when I get home from my trip!

well all you need to do is find something good sell it and buy an AT PRO then you can fish and detect cuz its water proof lol hope to see some goodies good luck

 

[gunsil]

If you are really lucky the place wasn't well dug years ago, but I mean really really lucky. The number one place on an old school yard is where the swings are or were. More coins are found near the swings if they are on dirt and were there for the last 80 years or so. I hunted schools pretty hard back in the early 1970s and traveled a good sixty to seventy mile radius from home to do so. Now my machine back then was nowhere near as good as today's machines but I sure cleaned out all the easy to find coins and jewelry. Baselines on the ballfield are pretty good too, lots of spilled coins from sliding into base. Good luck and let us know how you did, it would be nice to hear about an old school that was indeed still un-hunted. Schools ruled for silver coins in the glory days of early detecting!!

 

[JSMITH]

I will most definitely be posting my finds! I hope to be that lucky.

 

[Firewolf]

Now if I could only metal detect and fish at the same time.....lol.

We have a lake next to a battery company, and it is heavily poluted with lead. You might be able to metal detect FOR fish there...lol

 

[gleaner1]

I found a school that seemed untouched, We found over fifty silver coins and hundreds of wheats, a couple gold rings, on and on. The best place at this old school was anywhere you could swing a tecter, the crap was all over the place.

 

[JSMITH]

That is awesome. I hope I am that lucky! I have two full days to hunt this place so if its putting out, im in business.

 

[Normsel]

I usually find more along the walks and close to the doors if possible. Also like everyone else says the ball diamonds are good too but I usually hunt where the spectators would sit or stand. If there was a play ground you usually don't find much because years ago kids didn't have money like they do today.

Never think anywhere is hunted out because so many guys pick the easy stuff and don't take time to do a real grid hunt. I found $26 in day at a place i was told had been hunted out.

The fun part about this hobby is you never know where or when your going to have a great day or great find.

 

[JSMITH]

Very good points. Ive always thought that even if a place is "hunted out" there is no way they could have gotten every last good target. Suppose it depends on the size of the hunt as well, but im an optimistic person. Lol

 

[dougofpa]

I would hit all the spots where money could have fallen out easily..."monkey bars", swings, shade trees...etc...and I would most def. hit the edge of the parking lot where it meets the grass...do the whole edge...anywhere the pavement hits grass...then if there is time left, then I would go back and start a grid system in and around the area where the swings, bars, jungle jim are....and DIG EVERY SIGNAL.....go SLOW and keep the coil LOW..good luck

 

[JSMITH]

So glad I joined this site. Info galore from a lot of friendly people. Thank you all.

 

[Firewolf]

So glad I joined this site. Info galore from a lot of friendly people. Thank you all.

I totally have to agree with you. I think that i have aquired more and better information from this site than all the other sites I have visited put together.

Thanks to ALL of you for this great site and all of the contributions to it!

HH, Phil