Terrible plugs! I really want to strangle these idiots.

[DiamondDan]

Apparently the apocalypse is bringing out all the half-assed plug diggers. You know, dirt scattered everywhere, the fully-removed plug just barely resting on the hole.... This pisses me off to no end. I saw them everywhere today. Stomped as many down as I could find, but what can you do? I would really like to run into these people. Hopefully the morons find nothing and end up shoving their machine in the closet.

Please do your best to educate new detectorists on the proper way to retrieve targets so there will not be a feont page picture of someone with an etrac wrapped around their head.

 

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[Georgivs]

I ran into a fellow detectorist at a spot a few years ago, he was complaining about how someone wasn't filling their holes. It was obvious armadillo work, even the worst digger in the world doesn't spray fans of dirt out 2 feet from the hole. It's amazing how typically the nicer the lawn/dirt, the easier it is to plug properly.

 

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[A2coins]

Yep there are alot of them out there.

 

[RobNC]

I seen this last weekend in a place I have hunted many times. It really pissed me off because I'm afraid people will think I did it!
The moron dug holes, flipped the dirt out on top of the ground and left it. Wish I could have planted my sampson shovel ball end against his forehead.

 

[faribo]

99% of the plugs I dig are as close to invisible as you can get. But that 1% pisses me off because that will be the one some busy-body finds and has to take pics of and post on the net.

 

[norman.hicks.35]

Foxes will do this too. I do a pretty decent job of cutting the plug but one night I came back to several of my plugs being flipped back after the previous nights hunt where the foxes had been buzzing me. Luckily it was the next day and I could fix. Two things I’ve noticed helps. 1. Hunting in the morning. I figure the smell must diminish. 2. Trying to avoid hunting grass once the ground gets dry. Wetter plugs seal better of course.

One of the more popular trapping sets for carnivores is the dirt hole set. Not so much for cats, but canids and mustelids are extremely attracted to disturbed earth.

 

[Al Bundy]

It’s one thing finding a patch of terrible plugs at a park, but it’s even worse when you scan a few only to discover a beer can, or other piece of trash, has been purposely left at the bottom of the plug.

On the other hand it’s a great feeling when you find a nice target adjacent to one. Just the other day I found a merc dime a mere foot or so from someone else’s dried up, moon crater plug!

 

[Michael G]

I am new to metal detecting and was practicing in my back yard. About two days later my wife told me she saw all the holes I dug because the grass died. Now I have dead grass plugs. Wondering if the ground was too dry, If I did it wrong or is that to be expected.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Try a flap rather than a plug. Cut on three sides and flip the sod over, then dig.

 

[Tinhorn2]

yep, like TooManyHobbies & BLK Hole, I see raccoons look under plugs all the time, or possums...

 

[ARC]

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I have had the same experience and the park attendant laughed at me because he could see how baffled I was at my plugs I had dug the previous day were all flipped out from where they had been nicely cut and re-planted. He proceeded to tell me it was crows doing it because he saw them do it he was not upset at me because he knew I took care of my holes. Since then I cut "U" shaped plugs with the flap and I find a stick and tap it in at an angle to pin the plug just in case the crows are watching and it works fine. but only in that park have I had that issue.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Them crows are really smart. One time I seen a crow grab some old bread from the ground and then he walked over to a puddle, dipped it in then ate it up.

 

[SD51]

I am new to metal detecting and was practicing in my back yard. About two days later my wife told me she saw all the holes I dug because the grass died. Now I have dead grass plugs. Wondering if the ground was too dry, If I did it wrong or is that to be expected.

Michael, if the grass is already dry from lack of moisture and heat, you will most likely see dried-out plugs in a few days after digging. The grass hasn't died yet and you can revive them by watering them now and for the next week or two. I know that we can't do that with plugs we cut at other locations.

I cut large, deep "U" shaped plugs, tilt it out, put any dirt I remove onto a towel (as others have mentioned here), recover the target quickly, pour the dirt back into the hole, tilt the plug back into the hole and step on it. I try to keep as much soil as possible attached to the grass roots. This is easy to do when the soil is damp. When the soil is damp, the plug is invisible immediately and there's no dead grass days later.

If the soil is dry, there's still a good chance the plug will dry out.

 

[Toecutter]

Wait till a home owner you got permission from is upset because you didnt fill your holes, but wait you know you filled your holes and done a proper job, so whos left to blame??

Well I'll tell ya, raccoons and skunks !!

 

[bigscoop]

Keeping things in perspective, there are those certain ground conditions that make nice looking plug cutting and replacement impossible, and yet these conditions seldom prevent even the most ardent perfect plug detectorist from hunting those conditions. Just saying, we've all been there, and we've all had to learn which takes time. But sure, there are those people who simply don't care, which I don't think accounts for all that many in my experience. I think most detectorist want to learn how to do the best they can. But that's just me.....

 

[Michael G]

Michael, if the grass is already dry from lack of moisture and heat, you will most likely see dried-out plugs in a few days after digging. The grass hasn't died yet and you can revive them by watering them now and for the next week or two. I know that we can't do that with plugs we cut at other locations.

I cut large, deep "U" shaped plugs, tilt it out, put any dirt I remove onto a towel (as others have mentioned here), recover the target quickly, pour the dirt back into the hole, tilt the plug back into the hole and step on it. I try to keep as much soil as possible attached to the grass roots. This is easy to do when the soil is damp. When the soil is damp, the plug is invisible immediately and there's no dead grass days later.

If the soil is dry, there's still a good chance the plug will dry out.

Thanks for the help!!

 

[KeyaPaha]

I carry a 1 foot x 1 foot piece of orange road flag in my pouch. When the target isn't in the plug, and I have to go exploring, out comes the "ground cloth"! All loose dirt goes on the cloth until the target is recovered. Then, it is a piece of cake to dump all the dirt back into the hole, push it down, reset the plug and step on it.

 

[Megalodon]

I am new to metal detecting and was practicing in my back yard. About two days later my wife told me she saw all the holes I dug because the grass died. Now I have dead grass plugs. Wondering if the ground was too dry, If I did it wrong or is that to be expected.

I dig in yards only after a good rain when rain is forecast again soon. My son has a 1832 house and I don't want to make a mess of his yard, even with my U-shaped plugs.

 

[Megalodon]

I work at my plugs but as mentioned before there are reasons that some digs look really bad besides poor detector work. This time of year all the turtles are laying eggs. All the predators are looking for the eggs. The turtles wander out of the low lying areas sometimes to large open areas in the sun. Around here any clearing and even dirt roads.(probably something to do with warmth while the eggs are incubating) You can dig a nice plug today and come back tomorrow and find it dug up. I started paying attention to that years ago because I knew it wasn't me leaving them like that. When that coon, possum, or armadillo or whatever other creature it is at the time smells, sees, or senses fresh dirt, they think it's a new turtle nest and dig it up to eat. Let me tell you, they don't feel like covering their holes up after digging an empty one. I know it's a problem with some uncaring people, but that's not always the case.

Yes, foxes, raccoons, crows etc eat turtle eggs. Most turtles lay in sandy soil, do a great job hiding the nest, and yet the vast majority of eggs are consumed the night after they are deposited. I was involved in some turtle studies in which predation was over 90%. Some have hypothesized that high predation is one reason turtles have evolved long lifespans - more time to replace themselves.

Predators don't carry away the turtle eggs but eat them on the spot, leaving the eggshells and holes behind as evidence.

 

[Megalodon]

Michael, if the grass is already dry from lack of moisture and heat, you will most likely see dried-out plugs in a few days after digging. The grass hasn't died yet and you can revive them by watering them now and for the next week or two. I know that we can't do that with plugs we cut at other locations.

I cut large, deep "U" shaped plugs, tilt it out, put any dirt I remove onto a towel (as others have mentioned here), recover the target quickly, pour the dirt back into the hole, tilt the plug back into the hole and step on it. I try to keep as much soil as possible attached to the grass roots. This is easy to do when the soil is damp. When the soil is damp, the plug is invisible immediately and there's no dead grass days later.

If the soil is dry, there's still a good chance the plug will dry out.

The perfect plug explanation. Nothing to add except "thank you" for educating new diggers!