Hunting without a detector

[keredc]

What are some suggestions for hunting without a metal detector? Like antique hunting, dowsing, etc. I know there's more than just metal detecting, but what's some other fun ones to do without one? :P I like the smaller treasure hunting like coins & the like as compared to the bigger treasures, since they're easier to do, and fill in the space of hunting big treasure.

[omnicognic]

Treasure comes in many forms. To answer your question, it would help to know where you are. My mom just got back from a trip to N.C where at some point in the trip she hunted the tailings from a ruby mine and brought back a few! While there she also found garnets and what appears to be a low grade emerald! There are places where you can pan for gold, dig for diamonds, hunt for arrowheads, look for seashells and find meteorites! I can give you great ideas if I know where you are and I hope these suggestiond help some! Happy Hunting! omnicognic 8)

[omnicognic]

Good one Badger! I can vouch for that method!

[keredc]

I live in southern Illinois, right in the plains. Not much chance for gold here, and all the rocky stuff starts way down in southern Illinois lol. Indian artifacts, maybe meteorites, both of those could be possible. Maybe even geodes, but I'm not sure about that either lol. Love the idea on using magnets in water =D.

[omnicognic]

I found you some more info specific to your area, there is alot more, but I've run out of time (sorry)

this guy used a detector:
http://www.ancientamerican.com/article30p1.htm

this site has lots of interesting links and stories:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/hauntil.html

Hardin County area of southern Illinois has extensive gem mining that you can look into
HH omnicognic

[keredc]

I don't know anything about the 2nd link, but I have visited the first a couple times.

[paratrooper]

I pulled a nickel out of the tread of one of the drive tires on my Freightliner . Does this count ? I could get a T-shirt . "I spent $90,000 on a metal detector and all I found was a nickel ."

[omnicognic]

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I pulled a nickel out of the tread of one of the drive tires on my Freightliner . Does this count ? I could get a T-shirt . "I spent $90,000 on a metal detector and all I found was a nickel ."

ROTFLMAO!!!

[rvbvetter]

A shot in the dark here. But i seen on Discovery, they have places you can hunt for fossils and keep what you find. And some customers sold there specimens for pretty good money.
I tried the magnet thing, but my neighbor kept getting upset about dragging stuff out of his house. HH

[stoney56]

I also have tried the magnet but all the watches I found have quit running by the time I got them to shore. LOL

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

Back in the days before metal detactors searchers used probe rods - sometimes as simple as long bolts. exanimo, ss

[omnicognic]

Back in the days before metal detactors searchers used probe rods - sometimes as simple as long bolts. exanimo, ss

As a matter of fact, I used a probe rod to find a 1900 Coca-Cola bottle!

[rvbvetter]

I once used a leg as a probe. Was visiting in another state, and was invited to go detecting in some nearby woods. Rain climate with heavy moss covering much of the ground. Moss gave way under one leg. And after pulling my leg out discovered that some one had layed timbers across an old outhouse hole rather than fill it with dirt. The moss covered any sign of it.
Got a couple of Dr somethings or another miracle cure bottles. Apparently it cured everything known to man. And a lot of disentagrated iron. Wasn't equipped to dig it all up, and never got back their again. HH