Metal detecting in Michigan.

[Ender_boy24]

Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone knew any good spots to metal detect in Michigan so i don't have to go out of my way to find good spots. Thanks.

 

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[cudamark]

That's part of the hobby.....doing your own research. What are you trying to find? Use old maps to find old sites for a starter. Go to a swimming beach to find jewelry.

 

[SD51]

Welcome to TNet! Sounds like you are new to the hobby. If that is the case< first and foremost - always get permission (sometimes get written permission), learn how to dig and recover the target and always replace the dirt and grass back so nobody can tell you have even been there. Always pick up your trash and even pick up other trash you find on the ground.

You ask about places to detect. Start with a local park and make sure you don't detect where you see a sign like this...



Signs like this are enforced when someone new to the hobby leave holes and trash.

You can also go to your local library and do some research. Look at the old newspapers for clues on where the people gathered years ago for carnivals, picnics, etc. Good luck.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...make sure you don't detect where you see a sign like this...

View attachment 1404750

.

Wonderful. And if there's NOT a "sign like that", then presto, there's no "sign like that". No grovelling required.

 

[releventchair]

Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone knew any good spots to metal detect in Michigan so i don't have to go out of my way to find good spots. Thanks.

Don' t ask. Do your own homework.

You did not state what you would like to detect.
Your/ our Mi. History goes back a ways to settlement following fur trade and can be traced as the state was developed.
If a particular era appeals to you ,you have homework/ research to do followed by securing where needed permission.

If you have no era or particular interest ,after learning a little about your detector by making and using a test garden ,or rug or cardboard reverse side with a variety of objects on it.
And learning how to make clean recoveries so not to damage sod ect. And studying the ethics of detecting , a park can be a place to start followed by seeking permissions to hunt private properties.

Go where either a few people were a lot. Or a lot of people were for a while ,or both.

Don't take offense ...but if you ask me where I hunt morel mushrooms you will not like where I send you.

 

[Ender_boy24]

The problem is that whenever i look up old sites for metal detecting in Michigan nothing ever comes up. Whenever i look up old maps in Michigan it just brings me to a site to buy decorative maps for your house. My local library doesn't have any newspapers and i can't find any online that give good data about things near me older then the 21st century. And too top it off my local metro-park bans metal detecting.

 

[releventchair]

The problem is that whenever i look up old sites for metal detecting in Michigan nothing ever comes up. Whenever i look up old maps in Michigan it just brings me to a site to buy decorative maps for your house. My local library doesn't have any newspapers and i can't find any online that give good data about things near me older then the 21st century. And too top it off my local metro-park bans metal detecting.

Library has historic accounts of the local area. Local historical society too.
Maps you need to dig deeper. They exist.
The thing with using metal detecting as a keyword in seeking sites is ..others all ready hit them.
Detectorists been around since the sixties and had more liberal access to old sites.
Often we hit sites others have. That is why ,once familiar with equipment ,private permissions become so valuable after doing research.
Where was the local swimming hole? Carnival site? Harvest supper ? Dance hall? Old ball field? Railroad station?
Huge lists of places to hit get mentioned on this site. Terry might be along to bury you with places but you need to fit them .
Where was the nearest payphone to you? Outdoor pop machine when dimes were still 90% silver?
Keep an eye out for old foundations when out of town,or in town. Many been hit all ready but you don' t know if they all were.

Where ever people been. Any place fresh dirt is turned up or carried in or removed. Sidewalk replacement or construction. Water sewer line installs or removals...
Many municipalities have odd vacant lots that once had homes.
Oldest homes in town been hit maybe but newer ones that were around in the sixties can produce. Those that had a lot of kids can be a bonus.
Search for your local county,town,village history. Surprises await.

 

[bigscoop]

First, where exactly are you located in Michigan? And second, can you travel within reason around the state? And last, are you prepared to land or water hunter, or both?

 

[Ender_boy24]

First, where exactly are you located in Michigan? And second, can you travel within reason around the state? And last, are you prepared to land or water hunter, or both?

I can travel all throughout Michigan and i'd hunt on land.

 

[marjam]

Try your local sports fields as well as older schools in your area. If you are just starting, these should offer lots of clad modern coins to cut your teeth on which will help you get familiar with your detector. The more time you do it, the better you will get. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect. Learn the proper way to dog holes, and don't take a huge shovel in a public place. A hand trowel is the most politically correct digging tool for public areas. Always act like someone is watching you even if you think they aren't, this will help you develop good digging habits and trash pickup habits. If you see a piece of trash not just dug up but laying on the ground, pick it up as you go by. These things will ensure you will always have a place to go practice your hobby.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

 

[Loco-Digger]

Welcome to the hobby, I bet you have an idea if a house is old or not or where the older parts of town are. I often take detours on the way home from work and on the weekends between hunting sites looking for prospective sites.

Read local history, I am not from this town or area, but I bet I know more about it's history than some of the lifelong residents. If you are from that area, I'd ask friends and family if I could hunt their properties.

I also suggest you use a more generic google search term maybe use the term historic maps. You will be amazed at what you can find online. I often use the Library of Congress for some local info and maybe a map or 2.

Most towns and parks departments have websites, towns normally have links to their ordinances and parks to their rules. If the subject of metal detecting is not specifically prohibited, I'd hunt locals public schools and parks, the older the better. Just do it in low activity times. You can search the ordinances for text on all the sites I've gone to.

I find it somewhat comical when I read a post like your's. "I was wondering if anyone knew any good spots to metal detect", I see someone who wants to enjoy the hobby without having to work for any of it. People do not share their great bass fishing spots, the same goes for dirt fisherman.

Here are 2 truths to the hobby.

1. you never know what's there until you swing your coil over it

2. The more you swing the coil, the more you find.


Good Luck & Happy Hunting

 

[bigscoop]

I can travel all throughout Michigan and i'd hunt on land.

Priority #1....get the Michigan Atlas Gazetteer shown in photo (red) as this will really make things much easier on you, add a notebook to this and you're ready to start traveling and keeping track of those outings. Next, the old green Region 1 county book of maps is dated 1961 and I have several of these that I have found at various flea markets, shops, and even various county offices - items like this can direct you to a lot of places that are no longer on many of the current maps, etc. However, often your very best source of intelligence are those older generations who simply enjoy talking about past and the lives they have lived, those memories generally easily shared with those who will take the time to pull up a chair and inquire and listen. "Always be on the lookout for potential sources!" These can also come in the form of old pictures, old postcards, old books that detail the histories of the people and places as they were back in the day. "Never stop looking!" Hope this helps. (Click on image to enlarge)

 

[bigscoop]

A couple other things....if you like camping then gear up as Michigan is loaded with campgrounds so use them. Also, use the equipment you have to their fullest potential, check your owners manual and I believe you will discover that your coil can be submersed in the water so use that to your advantage and don't limit yourself to just land hunting. Michigan lakes and streams are freshwater so no issues with the added mineralization associated saltwater environments. "I have done extremely well over the years hunting these same Michigan waters, and yes, I use to hunt them all the time years ago with Bounty Hunters." So gear up, get out there and live those adventures! Good luck and have yourself a ball! I sure did! Many of my best detecting memories are in Michigan and many of my better detecting days took place there.

 

[Sandman]

The problem is that whenever i look up old sites for metal detecting in Michigan nothing ever comes up. Whenever i look up old maps in Michigan it just brings me to a site to buy decorative maps for your house. My local library doesn't have any newspapers and i can't find any online that give good data about things near me older then the 21st century. And too top it off my local metro-park bans metal detecting.

The Metroparks state no metal detecting, what you can detect there with a permit and sometimes it's only at certain times. We have always detected there between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Do your homework in the finds will come

 

[Ender_boy24]

I was able to find a good place to go with all your help and because of you i found my first item: a 1966 licence plate! Thanks for all the help!!!

 

[fistfulladirt]

Hit up some of the older county parks. I've dug hundreds of old coins in these lower Michigan parks.
Another favorite is door-knocking for permission on private yards.

 

[Donut]

Why is it this gentleman asked specifically about Michigan and he gets people from California, why , that’s not right.
also why is everyone not saying where they are from, what you afraid of. And also when I see a post from know where I skip over because they are know one.
when someone says they are from Michigan the could be a block away.
a good post from your area is fun to read.

Doug.

 

[Keppy]

This post is from 2017 and ..Ender boy24..has not posted since 2017..

 

[digger27]

This post is from 2017 and ..Ender boy24..has not posted since 2017..

Guess he was very happy with that license plate he found...and retired.

 

[marjam]

That date isnt right. I posted a response a few weeks ago, and it has me posting in 2017 also.