I’m learning my MD & finding things

[AurumHunter024]

I’m not sure but I think I’ve only been out with my machine for a couple hours (total) previous to yesterday. In those couple hours I’ve dug up a little bit of can slaw & foil, a steel hair clip, a few bits of steel wire AND a 1944 penny that I ruined digging it up. I nailed the penny with my pick, in this super compacted red soil, & bent it. DOH!

I went to a spot where I used to go camping & partying & got the detector out for a couple hours yesterday. As I was swinging the detector around I decided I was only going to dig high pitched targets because the ground is sooooo dirty. I was getting signals every couple inches (mostly between 1 & 8) and just about everything I dug was slaw. I also retrieved a dime, a 1996 penny, a 9mm bullet & an unspent 9mm cartridge. Now I’m positive I could go clean the place up & find a ship load of slaw, iron & other trash. Question is;

How would one go about cleaning the place up without it making it look like somebody is trying to start a farm or a garden?
How does one “dig everything” without destroying the ground?

This particular spot is fairly sandy & grassy.

 

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[against the wind]

Well, it was suggested by the late Charles Garrett that to start to understand and become proficient with your metal detector, you have to log in at least a100 hours of using the machine. I would suggest that you scan a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, halfdollar, Pulltab,
Bottle Cap, and iron nail. Record the readings on a small piece of white cardboard and laminate it. You can tape this "Cheat Sheet" to your machine and use it as a quick reference until you have those numbers memorized. There are numerous videos on how to dig a proper plug without destroying the area. The use of a pinpointer and a good digging tool like the Lesche Digger is recommended. Many of our Tnet sponsors have a wide variety of digging tools that you can view. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Loco-Digger]

When a site is so target rich that it would look like a WWI battle field if you dug every one, I take my time as in hitting it numeral times so as to not leave it look trashed by my actions, per hunt. If the site has some historical significance and was used way back when, then I'd stay or otherwise I'd look for another site until you really know your machine. A super target rich site is better hunted with a sniper coil. Good Luck & Happy Hunting.

 

[AurumHunter024]

Considering the history of that location, you may be correct in suggesting to get to know my machine a lot better.
The only thing I think I will find, of any real value, will be some clad & some copper. I’m not sure how old the road is but I doubt it’s we’ll traveled. I want to hit the campground closer to town after this weekend. It was packed for the celebration this week.

 

[AurumHunter024]

Went to a local campground & spent a couple hours digging some clad, pennies, bullets, casings, a 410 shell, a bottle cap, an electrical butt connector & a sardine tin.

No silver but not a complete bust.

I’m wondering about how much ground I should be covering, single pass, in an hour?
I think I covered about a 20x30 space.

 

[CASPER-2]

ive been detecting since 1975 at age 12 - I have used a large sharp knife always and cut perfect neat plugs
9 out of 10 you probably could not tell I was there and the 10th you would not notice easily - Ive never wanted
to have anyone see me with a shovel in my hand - that way they could never complain I was "digging the place up"
I try and keep the soil in the hole when ever possible - with todays pinpointers - they make that easier
knife has always worked for me and I cut a big enough plug that #1 - the grass will survive and #2 I don't damage good
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