Bummed

[becky21b]

Went to two different places 2 hours each, only to come home with a single 1977 Penny.. I thought both places would be promising, but I don't know, I dug up a lot of nails and pull tabs. I'm getting really Frustrated with all the garbage. The one place that I went to used to be a 1900's Polo Ground/club house (the club house is still there but its condemned and fenced off), where all the rich people went back in the day. Thought for sure I would get something, but no.... Ill have to fiddle with my detector and get it tuned in better I guess... The crappy thing about that place its a 15 min walk up hill.. lol so it sucks cuz your tired by the time you get up there. Anyway thanks for hearing me rant

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[West Jersey Detecting]

Hang in there, and keep doing the research. You will soon be amazed at what you can find!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[DMN]

Some people have already noted the place could have been hit pretty hard by people in the past . But as a massive number of people here have found, sites are rarely "tapped out". You may want to do what many do here--grid your detecting space (think graph paper squares). Figure out a good stretch of land you want to detect, set some pins, stones, sticks or what ever at corners of the area you want to cover (making a rectangle no wider than you can swing comfortably), and start detecting slowly and methodically over one strip, move the markers over and start back on the next strip, overlapping your swings. Do this slowly and methodically with the coil as close as reasonably possible to the ground. You may not cover a lot of ground but you will cover your spot completely. And dig everything you get a tone from. Not all things tone the same. When you're heading back down from one strip to the next, something which did not tone on the way up may down on the return trip because of the angle it rests in the ground. Also remember, when you remove the garbage, you're opening up the chance to hear signals from obscured objects. Make sure you have a good set of headphones so you can hear those whispers (the deep stuff). The good finds are there--they're just playing a game of hide-n-seek. Good luck! Oh, and get a camera that can get pics on here. We all like to see the finds, the good, the bad and the bizzare!

 

[minton7]

if it were easy to find goodies... everyone would do it... if you could go out and find gold and silver each time or place, we wouldnt have reg jobs but could detect full time LOL hangin there keep huntin! Hit places others cant or wont and you will be successful

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Hang in there, we've all been through it. here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

1. Don't let the today's finds forum discourage you. When I first joined the forums it was probably 50% posting clad and junk and 50% posting neat finds. Now it seems that 95% of the finds posted are neat and no one posts "ho hum" stuff. But just keep in mind for every cool thing posted by a user, I can guarantee that user has buckets full of junk sitting around. Just don't let it frustrate you and remember, that next signal could be the big one.

2. Try to think outside the box with your areas. A map can tell anyone with a detector where the polo grounds were, but try to imagine the other things going on in the area. Where did the Kids go run and play while their parents were watching? Is there a tempting hill or stream close by they might have liked. Is there a hill close by that might have offered a better viewing area? Where are the paths the people and horses traveled getting to and from the location. Where might people have gone to get relief from the heat.

3. look where most others may not have looked. Most of the bushes and small trees were probably not there long ago. Get up close and tight to those and crawl under bushes. Move fallen logs and cut down any taller grass that may have kept others from getting their coils close to the ground and getting the deep signals.

Good luck to you.

 

[Iskuli]

If you're new to the hobby, and just learning how to use your detector, may I suggest tot lots, school playgrounds, etc until you've got your swing down (low and slow...no happy face swings) and you trust your ears and eyes with how the detector works. It will give you confidence and you'll lots of coins and probably some jewelry.

 

[allen]

Whatever you do, dont give up.
You will find more when you get more experience
and then you will be saying, hell to the yeah !!
Good luck Becky !!

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

If you're new to the hobby, and just learning how to use your detector, may I suggest tot lots, school playgrounds, etc until you've got your swing down (low and slow...no happy face swings) and you trust your ears and eyes with how the detector works. It will give you confidence and you'll lots of coins and probably some jewelry.

Thats exactly what i did...When i first started..I only Hit tot lots..founds a bunch of change..even some gold surface finds..but once i got a handle on the signals it was giving me..Once i figured it out..i started hitting up the older areas in town..and now im to the point where i laugh at tot lots when i see them..When i first started i had high hopes of find Tons of Silver..but then reality set in ..But now that i have figured out my machine..i very rarely dig garbage..and if i do..its something Copper or Brass...or a Damn Rusty Nail about 8 inches deep that reads as silver

But i also set my Discrimination to where i only want coins ( no nickels)..and thats helped alot..im sure i "could" be missing all the gold and nickels..but im still in my Silver searching phase...and when i start having troubles finding coins..i will go back over looking for gold

 

[staydetuned]

Howdy Becky, I started my MDing 'career' in Santa Cruz. The thing is, there really aren't too many good, producing spots in town itself. Chalk that up to a solid bunch of local hunters and development... But many of the surrounding small towns are pretty good.

Like I said, there are a lot of good local hunters in the areas, and some good people. You should hook up with someone from the local forum; everyone's super nice and willing to share/teach... Check it out: forums.kinzlicoils.com.

PM me and I'll turn you on to a couple spots there that have produced silver for me in the past. Good luck out there!

Jayson

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

You sound like you may be a beginner. It might help if you can team up with an experienced hunter who can help you get down the learning curve faster.
[/quote]

That's probably the best advise I've heard. Try and find an experienced metal detectorist who has had several years in the hobby. Have you partner flag some good signals and you can come over and check them with your detector. Also, find a metal detector club in your area and meet some other people in the hobby. When I first started metal detecting in 1985 it took me 9 months to find my first silver coin, once I got the technique down the silver coins stated to show up.

 

[groundsmn]

Competitors show um up, they like when people get bummed it gives them the upper hand.

 

[darkwing_66]

take you time. be patience,it will pay off. what kind of machine are you useing

 

[SusanMN]

The very, very, very cool thing about this hobby is that some day, after you've found a couple hundred pull tabs, and have spent hours on hunted out, tapped out, worthless sites, you can turn over a chunk of dirt and find a gold ring, or an old coin. I hunted one old shoreline for hours with only a few lincolns to show. Then I moved a few more feet down the shore and started pulling indian head pennies and barber dimes. I have started a hunt by setting down my coil right on top of ring that had been buried since 1968 - and didn't find even a single penny for the next couple of hours. Go figure - that's the way it is. And I love it, even when I'm getting no signals because you just never know what the next one might bring.

Try different sites, do some research and search in unlikely places. Sooner or later you'll find something good.

 

[idabag]

I know this probably won't help, but the ground is frozen solid where I am (Idaho). With temps near zero, it will be a while. I can't wait to try the ol' detector again. I may get desperate enough to go somewhere warmer. Even mostly nails seems better than being in the house to me. Sorry.... I couldn't help feeling sorry for myself for a minute.

 

[becky21b]

Howdy Becky, I started my MDing 'career' in Santa Cruz. The thing is, there really aren't too many good, producing spots in town itself.

Yeah I've been to many of the local parks, some have been better then others, got some slack on New Years Day from City Worker at one of the parks, I told him "It wasn't illegal, if anything I'm cleaning the park just like you." He said Ok just don't make a mess... What ever DUDE! I assured him that I wouldn't. (people I swear) meanwhile theres HOBOS all over the park throwing their garbage on the ground...

I'm definetly not giving up, I was just bummed with that day I had, I'm sure Ill be back out next Sunday or Monday, those are my only days to go, until it starts staying daylight longer. I'm thankful that the ground doesn't freeze here, and if it does its thawed my 8 am
Actually I wouldn't mind going with someone, just so I'm not alone and to learn from a more experienced MDer.

I've been going out for about 4 months now, and just about gone to a different place each time, so I think I'm gonna pick a place and just MD the heck outta it, for a couple weeks or so, see if I find anything other then junk after awhile. I've been wanting to go up to Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Felton places like that.. just haven't had the chance too.

Anyway thanks to all for the great advise! I really enjoy looking at everyones Finds!

 

[staydetuned]

Yeah, those days that bum you out will happen, but they're what make the good days that much better!

Definitely try one single spot for a little while. You find you really get to know a place well over many hunts, and it's easier to learn your machine and its nuances when all the variables associated with different sites (ground conditions, trash, types of targets in the ground) remain the same.

Good luck, and check out the CA forum when you want to get out with some of the experienced locals.

 

[treasurehound]

Oh yeah, and this statement,

"Crappy thing about that place its a 15 min walk up hill."

You should see what me and my digging partners (Billie goats) climb, sometimes finding nothing. Right fellas

OH, and the blood from the briers..... All in a days fun

Oh Mike does that bring back memories of our hunts. Those briars tore us up but hey we found buttons in there where most people would not even think about hunting. And we hunted some extremely steep hills and found some good targets as well. If you dropped them they were gone forever. lol. So Becky please don't get discouraged. A lot of people would not have walked up that hill and with a 1900's building there you have an excellent chance of finding something. Go back. It's there. You may have to hunt slower. I know on my DFX a deep silver dime will just be a quick chirp. When I hunt sites I like to go to places other hunters may not have hunted. If there are trees around the property hunt in there. Most of what you see today was not there 100 years ago. There is a small park that I have been hunting for some time now that dates back to the late 1800's and I find things almost every time I have hunted it. Just when you think it is hunted out I go back and find more wheats and mercury dimes in the exact same place I have hunted several times. They are deep and very faint signals or iffy signals. And yes we all have been skunked a few times. Also the more you hunt the more you learn your machine. I try to learn something every time I go out and I have been hunting for over 30 years.

 

[mud dog (aka) Salty Dog]

Hang in there Becky,better days will come ,the others gave you good pointers on the where what and when,let me say this,tecting is ment to be a fun thing,if i have to make a long hike to a place,I will get rested and look over the place to see what i hit first and second,then swing away,I use a V3i,so i don't dig lots of trash as such,but every foil,pulltab target could be a gold ring,I dug 69 rings last year by digging iffy signals,most detectors have factory settings that will get you finding the good stuff and no place is ever truly hunted out...Best of luck in 2011,can't wait to see all your finds this season,Dave

 

[Dman]

One thing I learned about hunting where rich people gathered is they didn't lose much money. That is one reason they are rich.

 

[kyphote]

One thing I learned about hunting where rich people gathered is they didn't lose much money. That is one reason they are rich.

Fewer holes in their pockets.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

If you are in an area with lots of nails and pulltabs, that can mean several things.
1. Anyone detecting there before you got sick and tired of all the nails and pulltabs.
2. The older stuff is still there, just deeper.
3. All that is there is nails and pulltabs.

Remember, a pulltab is just a gold ring, made of aluminum.
It's all about percentages.
Try a smaller coil, go insanely slow, dig everything.
Think Happy Thoughts, don't get too frustrated.
Talk to everyone you know, and find out when and if they are ever planning to re-sod their lawns.
A scrape-off of soil, even if only a few inches, can do wonders to your general view of detecting.
Save any tokens for me.
Carl