Trash-to-Treasure Ratio

[Texas Jay]

Results of a 90-minute metal detecting hunt at a park a couple of weeks ago. When you're hunting primarily for gold, as I am, you must be willing to dig a lot of trash targets if you want to have any chance at finding gold. I've learned that the ratio of trash-to-keeper targets is about 5 pieces of metal trash for every good target I dig. Removing dangerous metal scrap from park playgrounds and public areas, putting it into your trash pouch, and disposing of it properly is just one of many benefits that we detectorists provide to the community.
~Texas Jay

http://centraltexastreasureclub.webs.com - Annual Fall Open Competition Hunt - October 13th!

 

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[SD51]

Good ratio I'd say and you are right on about removing the trash from the parks - Good Job!

 

[RW]

If you are looking for primarily gold then even clad is almost considered trash. More times than not it is 1,000 to one trash to gold but that rare streak could be 5 to one. Of course it's mostly all location and in a park it's going to be tough to root out the gold mixed in with years of trash. Now the secret honey hole spot I plan to hit later this morning...? Meh, I have a giant tub of trash form there too, but feeling lucky today!

 

[Texas Jay]

If you are looking for primarily gold then even clad is almost considered trash. More times than not it is 1,000 to one trash to gold but that rare streak could be 5 to one. Of course it's mostly all location and in a park it's going to be tough to root out the gold mixed in with years of trash. Now the secret honey hole spot I plan to hit later this morning...? Meh, I have a giant tub of trash form there too, but feeling lucky today!

RW, I don't consider clad coins or relics to be trash. The coins keep my detector and pinpointer in batteries and put gas in my car so I can get out and keep looking for gold. I get 12-15 hours on a pack of 4 AA alkaline batteries that I buy at Dollar Tree for a buck a package. And the relics are important pieces of our history that I can share with others. I don't just hunt parks. I detect almost anywhere that I can get permission to hunt and my ratio in all of those places is about the same - 5-to-1. I especially like old house lots and swimming areas.
~Texas Jay

 

[mindcrime1988]

I always pick up the metal trash from areas I go detecting. It's a win-win situation. First off you're disposing of potential sharp objects so others are not possibly hurting themselves and if I ever go back to the same area, I'm not detecting/digging the same trash all over again. I'm hoping many other detectorists have the same habit.

 

[HighVDI]

Yeah I always see those kids getting cut up bad by those sharp objects 3-4" underground.....

Lol. I use this line all too often to help with permissions but let's just keep it real. It's all BS! I love that skit from Carlin about the good ole American BS! Hahaha. Hey, whatever works, right?

 

[Terry Soloman]

Get rid of that Scorpion, and the Ace, and get a Minelab Equinox 600. You'll dig a lot less trash, and more gold!

 

[mindcrime1988]

Yeah I always see those kids getting cut up bad by those sharp objects 3-4" underground.....

Lol. I use this line all too often to help with permissions but let's just keep it real. It's all BS! I love that skit from Carlin about the good ole American BS! Hahaha. Hey, whatever works, right?

Who said anything about digging down 3"-4"? Have you never come across a bottle top with a broken glass neck attached sitting on top of the ground? Or sometimes the pull tabs are just barely sticking out of the ground hiding in the grass as well. Nothing BS about that.

 

[HighVDI]

Who said anything about digging down 3"-4"? Have you never come across a bottle top with a broken glass neck attached sitting on top of the ground? Or sometimes the pull tabs are just barely sticking out of the ground hiding in the grass as well. Nothing BS about that.

Lol, relax.

 

[kudzu74]

Seeing you all are on the subject...what kind of keeper/holder do you use for your finds/trash...post pictures? I hate carrying stuff around in my good backpack and on the reverse side of that trash in a wal-mart plastic bag. Let me know...thanks!

 

[against the wind]

As time passes, you will learn to identify targets with more accuracy.
When searching for gold jewelry, there will always be s higher trash ratio.

 

[HighVDI]

Seeing you all are on the subject...what kind of keeper/holder do you use for your finds/trash...post pictures? I hate carrying stuff around in my good backpack and on the reverse side of that trash in a wal-mart plastic bag. Let me know...thanks!

I varies for me personally. If I'm at a park hunting for silver my trash is slim as I'm high tone hunting.

Older spots I dig all repeatable tones so a garbage can is needed! Sometimes I even just switch gears and start digging the foil-zinc signals and get frustrated quickly, haha.

 

[Clad2Silver]

There's two ways to look at the trash issue. Yes, by digging all those trash items you're removing trash but on the other hand look at how many holes you're digging. Other people's perception of us is NOT how many trash items you've removed but how many holes you're digging......even if you're filling them in properly after digging. In the woods or a cornfield probably doesn't matter how many holes you dig but in public places it can be an issue. Just my two cents...…….

 

[Alre]

Texas Jay, looks like my ratio find on the beach.......................

 

[Texas Jay]

Yeah I always see those kids getting cut up bad by those sharp objects 3-4" underground.....

Lol. I use this line all too often to help with permissions but let's just keep it real. It's all BS! I love that skit from Carlin about the good ole American BS! Hahaha. Hey, whatever works, right?

Yes, let's do keep it real, HighVDI. If you hunted as many tot lots as I do, you'd realize that what you're saying is BS. Tot lots (kids playgrounds) are covered with deep layers of either sand, that kids like to dig in and pile up into mounds, or wood chips that can easily be swept down to a depth of 6-9" inches when kids slide their feet while swinging on the swings or when their feet or butts hit and scatter the chips when they come down a slide. Many kids either go barefoot or wear sandal-type shoes with their skin exposed. I have removed almost every kind of metal trash from these playgrounds that you can imagine - rusty razor blades, nails, broken bottlenecks with the screwcaps still on them, used needles, fired and un-fired bullets, and an incredible number of razor-sharp, mower-shredded aluminum can slaw. I hunt our local tot lots every couple of weeks and each time I finish detecting one and removing the hazardous trash from them, you could roll all over one naked and be completely safe because there's not a piece of metal trash left anywhere on those playgrounds.
~Texas Jay

 

[Texas Jay]

Seeing you all are on the subject...what kind of keeper/holder do you use for your finds/trash...post pictures? I hate carrying stuff around in my good backpack and on the reverse side of that trash in a wal-mart plastic bag. Let me know...thanks!

Most of my life, I used a simple and cheap carpenters apron that ties around your waist and is divided into 2 pockets - one for your keeper finds and one for the metal trash you dig and other trash items you pick up from the site while detecting. This year, I was given a very nice detectorists tool kit which is much bigger but it has places for everything you need and is comfortable so that you don't even notice it's at your side until you fill it up with metal targets. It has a holder for your pinpointer, digging knife, large pouch for trash, a smaller pouch for your keeper items, and two interior pouches for accessories - I carry extra batteries for my detector, camera, and pinpointer, a compact Garrett magnifier, a pen, a small notepad to keep a list of permissions and contacts on, and my detecting eyeglasses in them. There's also another pouch on the outside which holds my digital camera perfectly. Photo of it next to 3 of my detectors attached.
~Texas Jay

 

[Texas Jay]

Get rid of that Scorpion, and the Ace, and get a Minelab Equinox 600. You'll dig a lot less trash, and more gold!

You need to tell that to my detecting buddy who uses an Equinox 800 and who paid over 4 times what my Ace 250 cost. ha. I've found a lot more gold, silver, valuable relics, and coins with my 250 this year than he has with his Equinox.
~Texas Jay

 

[HighVDI]

Yes, let's do keep it real, HighVDI. If you hunted as many tot lots as I do, you'd realize that what you're saying is BS. Tot lots (kids playgrounds) are covered with deep layers of either sand, that kids like to dig in and pile up into mounds, or wood chips that can easily be swept down to a depth of 6-9" inches when kids slide their feet while swinging on the swings or when their feet or butts hit and scatter the chips when they come down a slide. Many kids either go barefoot or wear sandal-type shoes with their skin exposed. I have removed almost every kind of metal trash from these playgrounds that you can imagine - rusty razor blades, nails, broken bottlenecks with the screwcaps still on them, used needles, fired and un-fired bullets, and an incredible number of razor-sharp, mower-shredded aluminum can slaw. I hunt our local tot lots every couple of weeks and each time I finish detecting one and removing the hazardous trash from them, you could roll all over one naked and be completely safe because there's not a piece of metal trash left anywhere on those playgrounds.
~Texas Jay

Our experiences are 100% opposite but like I said if it's true then you can use that line with a clean conscious! HTH.

 

[IDXMonster]

Get rid of that Scorpion, and the Ace, and get a Minelab Equinox 600. You'll dig a lot less trash, and more gold!

Ha! Now THAT is funny,good one Terry!
Do you have the 6” coil for yours yet and if so....thoughts?

 

[kudzu74]

Texas Jay...you forgot one thing...does it have a holster for your sidearm? You are in Texas after all...sounds like a lot of those parks are pretty rough places by what your saying you find there. On a side note, I think I will look into getting something like that...its not fun hauling around everything and forgetting to bring a bag for the trash...I kept everything in my sand screen pan it made for an early ending the other day in the heat.