whats ur pattern?

[treasureace14]

when ur hunting whats ur pattern of hunting?mine is forward then turn and make a big square the start to do smaller squares.i also go back and forth :P

[ClonedSIM]

when ur hunting whats ur pattern of hunting?mine is forward then turn and make a big square the start to do smaller squares.i also go back and forth :P

I wander!

Usually no rhyme or reason, just go where my detector leads me. But since I tend to make tons of trips to each section of each park I visit, this usually works out pretty well.

An exception would be soccer or football fields. Very easy to grid those.

[Monty]

Depends of the size and circumstances of the plot. Familiar places like parks I have hit before I know where the hot spots are and hit them first, then try some of the more unlikely spots. Usually looking for coins and jewelry. A new spot I've never been before I'll usually grid off small sections and hit them randomly until I get a few hits or promising signals and then I will grid it off and slow down and go end to end over lapping my path of travel. If I am hunting without any discrimination (all metal) I carry some golf tees I painted florescent orange and will first dig the shallow targets, marking the deeper ones with the golf tees to go back over and take my time digging. This usually gets a lot of the shallow junk out of the way. Then if I don't have much time I just hit it at random and try to cover several parts of the site as quick as I can. Any good hits in the short time span and I come back later when I can search it more slowly. Sometimes I just scratch my head and don't know where the hell to start! Well, let's be honest! M nty

[rockhound]

It all depends on how much time I have, weather,and situation. In a familiar place I tend to hit
the hot spots first. If unfamiliar, I randomly walk toward any structures or trees. If it's hot, I try to
stay near or under the trees. When I start hitting coins, I slow down and scan the entire area. Soon I can determine the hotspots in an area. Next time I can start at that area.

[strike it rich]

I perfer a reverse triangle matrix pattern

[stefen]

Salsa and foxtrot work best

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I'm kind of with Monty. Depends on what I'm facing. I ask myself "Where would someone reach into their pocket here and why?"

A yard with house, yard without house/foundation, woods, park, etc.

In a park I like long straight-a-ways- just like I was mowing. I may strike a diagonal or a better looking edge if the mood strikes me.

If it's a park where a carnival stops I try to remember where the ticket booth and concession stands were.

On hot, sunny days I hunt under trees.

Houses I start at the front door, either side, and then to the driveway from there. Then back door.

Foundation sites hit the foundation and then the biggest trees nearby. I don't know why I do this, but I do.

[Eu_citzen]

I work in a "straight" line then at the end I make a rectangle before I go the other direction.
Sometimes I go randomly to.
This will depend on mood and place condition. (I might apply other ways to if needed)

[Monty]

Further , I have found that most places I hunt will have "hot spots" or places where goodies tend to accumulate. So when I get a pretty good hit, I will cover that area with a fine tooth comb and it usually pays off. Monty

[whiteknight38]

I read a "Doc Ford" novel recently, by Randy Waynbe White, where the character searches an underwater wreck in bad visibility, and serious time restraints (a huricane coming in) by tethering a line to a central spot, and searching in expanding concentric circles.

If a large area needed to be covered in an absolutely methodical manner, say to find a specific lost item like a wedding ring, an above-ground vriation could be employed.

I would imagine that walking too small a circle to start would encourage dizziness, but once a large central area was marched out, and then a line set in the center of that area to start the circle with a 40 foot or so diameter, you could tie off, and continue detecting. After each rotation, the circle could be enlarged by three feet or so for each new pattern, and so on.

Fast to set up, and as accurate as any other method I should think.

[ClonedSIM]

I read a "Doc Ford" novel recently, by Randy Waynbe White, where the character searches an underwater wreck in bad visibility, and serious time restraints (a huricane coming in) by tethering a line to a central spot, and searching in expanding concentric circles.

If a large area needed to be covered in an absolutely methodical manner, say to find a specific lost item like a wedding ring, an above-ground vriation could be employed.

I would imagine that walking too small a circle to start would encourage dizziness, but once a large central area was marched out, and then a line set in the center of that area to start the circle with a 40 foot or so diameter, you could tie off, and continue detecting. After each rotation, the circle could be enlarged by three feet or so for each new pattern, and so on.

Fast to set up, and as accurate as any other method I should think.

That's a pretty good thought! I could definitely see how this could be applied in some of the larger parks without many obstructions.