Dowsing rods or witching rods

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
One thing I noticed is no one that posts on the Dowsing Forum has a banner find. I would think if dowsing worked there would be more banner finds there than anywhere. Crickets from the Dowsing Forum. Gary

That's a good observation, there probably are some, but i don't see any of them claimed to have been found through dowsing and if they were, we have no way to confirm it. If dowsing worked, can you imagine the immense amount of treasures they would be uncovering? Some of them even do remote dowsing or "map dowsing". Heck, they'd be digging up hoards all over Europe, Asia and the world over as well as in the seas, but guess what, to the best of knowledge, not a single one of the hoards i've ever seen uncovered in the world or lost treasure ships in the sea, have been found through dowsing.

If dowsing worked, we wouldn't even have a section on this forum dedicated to lost treasures and mines, they would have all been found a hundred + years ago.

If dowsing worked even a few percentage points better then chance, not a single dowser on this forum wouldn't be a multi-millionaire, if not billionaires.
 

Last edited:

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
One last story...neighbor bought 40 acres and asked my dad if he would dowse a well location for him.

My amazement isn’t that they hit 30 gallons a minute when they drilled the well, but that two people, 40 years apart would come to the exact same conclusion using two different hokus pocus methods. What a coincidence!

This right here. This is exactly the problem with any dowsing claims, they are completely subjective. "30 gallons a minute". Unless he drilled 1000's of wells all over the whole 40 acres, it's just a subjective number. For all we know, he could have dug 10 yards over or a quarter mile over and hit 40 gallons a minute!

We just have to take 30 gallons a minute as "proof" dowsing works because it's a "great" number. That ain't science! Water is under our feet everywhere, most anywhere you dig you'll hit water.
 

Last edited:

BillA

Bronze Member
May 12, 2005
2,186
3,218
Drake, Costa Rica
as stated 20 posts back, ya got to have faith
Dowsing permits someone with nothing to partake in the hunt
parallels with religion, everyone gets to play (double blinds not permitted)
 

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This right here. This is exactly the problem with any dowsing claims, they are completely subjective. "30 gallons a minute". Unless he drilled 1000's of wells all over the whole 40 acres, it's just a subjective number. For all we know, he could have dug 10 yards over or a quarter mile over and hit 40 gallons a minute!

We just have to take 30 gallons a minute as "proof" dowsing works because it's a "great" number. That ain't science! Water is under our feet everywhere, most anywhere you dig you'll hit water.

That’s exactly why I stated my amazement wasn’t that they hit 30 gallons a minute, but that two people 40 years apart, had the exact same guess. Thats a true story, the idea that they hit water or a certain amount of water because of the dowsing...that’s really conjecture.

The 90 deg. pipe elbow is a much better example because the chance of hitting the elbow just anywhere you dig is pretty slim. Not provable scientifically, just a story about my experience.

Now my dad is a gold miner and likes to hunt for treasures. He has never found treasures or dowsed exact locations of a piece of gold. Dowsing the flow line of the draw is the closest he has come. He doesn’t subscribe to that thought...” well if it worked he would find all kinds of treasure” that’s a black and white analogy which doesn’t seem to fit what is happening.

I’ve never seen remote dowsing work...people that claim to be able to point to a map or hang pendulums over treasure...I’m pretty skeptical about that, but I’d watch someone try.

Your looking for proof, but you will find nothing other than weird coincidences and stories.

My confidence in what I’ve seen my dad do made me give it a try once on a construction job...there was a 3/4” waterline they were looking to tie into. I brought some bent welding rods and made a bunch of marks that lined up...the excavator was brought over and at 13’ deep they decided to stop digging...no pipe! Oops.
 

Last edited:

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Now a neat unscientific test would be to have my dad find that elbow again since it has been 5 years or so since we fixed the sprinkler.
Obviously he has an idea of where it is buried, but I would think the chances of him being able to pinpoint the elbow again by chance would be pretty slim.

I may try to see if he can repeat that feat, that would be interesting. We will be there in two weeks, I’ll see if I can remember. I’ll bring a metal detector this time as well.
 

Last edited:

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Now a neat unscientific test would be to have my dad find that elbow again since it has been 5 years or so since we fixed the sprinkler.
Obviously he has an idea of where it is buried, but I would think the chances of him being able to pinpoint the elbow again by chance would be pretty slim.

I may try to see if he can repeat that feat, that would be interesting. We will be there in two weeks, I’ll see if I can remember. I’ll bring a metal detector this time as well.

Has he found any treasure caches or hoards dowsing? Finding things you already know are in the area under your feet (water or buried pipes) is one thing, but finding treasure is another ball game.
 

Last edited:

Goodyguy

Gold Member
Mar 10, 2007
6,489
6,895
Arizona
Detector(s) used
Whites TM 808, Whites GMT, Tesoro Lobo Super Traq, Fisher Gold Bug 2, Suction Dredges, Trommels, Gold Vacs, High Bankers, Fluid bed Gold Traps, Rock Crushers, Sluices, Dry Washers, Miller Tables, Rp4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Here is a photo of a lost diamond that I found 5 years after it had been stripped from it's setting by a dogs toenail while playing with it's owner in their large back yard.

The property was abandoned when I searched and the owner was not present. The only clue I had was that it happened in the back yard.
I used my rods to locate the spot and then dug up a 1 foot square area and sifted the dirt through the screen in the background until I saw the diamond catch a glint of sunlight.

diamond.jpg


On another occasion I was able to locate my stepsons lost ring after he claimed he had looked everywhere in the house for it. My rods led me to the dirty clothes hamper in the bathroom where I found it at the bottom.

I have many more successes that I will not divulge for obvious reasons, and this will be my last post on the subject.

Folks can believe whatever they want like the fools that claim wearing a mask wont help keeping from spreading a virus. Science seems to still be debating that one.

As far as the million dollar challenge goes, every true dowser knows it's rigged from the start. All you have to do is read the rules.

GG~
 

Last edited:

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Here is a photo of a lost diamond that I found 5 years after it had been stripped from it's setting by a dogs toenail while playing with it's owner in their large back yard.
The property was abandoned when I searched and the owner was not present. The only clue I had was that it happened in the back yard.
I used my rods to locate the spot and then dug up a 1 foot square area and sifted the dirt through the screen in the background until I saw the diamond catch a glint of sunlight.

View attachment 1855849

GG~

Cool find no doubt! But to find a diamond in an confined area where you knew definitively it was lost....well, you know....

As far as the million dollar challenge goes, every true dowser knows it's rigged from the start. All you have to do is read the rules.

That's a convenient way to never have to prove it works. I too read the rules, and didn't see anything that was "rigged". In fact, it was a pretty straightforward, no bull test. Buried water pipes with water in them. And to make sure that the pipes had adequate "detectablility" by the dowser, they even had the dowsers show it worked on some exposed sections of the pipe. All successfully dowsed the visible section of buried pipe that wasn't covered up with dirt yet, none faired better then chance on covered up sections of pipes. If dowsing works, they could have easily passed the "rigged" test.
 

Last edited:

Goodyguy

Gold Member
Mar 10, 2007
6,489
6,895
Arizona
Detector(s) used
Whites TM 808, Whites GMT, Tesoro Lobo Super Traq, Fisher Gold Bug 2, Suction Dredges, Trommels, Gold Vacs, High Bankers, Fluid bed Gold Traps, Rock Crushers, Sluices, Dry Washers, Miller Tables, Rp4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Gg
did you use a rod whose matl would 'resonate' with the carbon crystal?
or another expression of faith?

I will answer your question, but after this I will not respond further due to the negativity that surrounds this subject.
Without going into every detail, what helped me the most was using what is known in the dowsing world as a "witness" sometimes referred to as "baiting" I had placed a small diamond into one of the handles. The rods are brass and the handles are copper.

GG~
 

Last edited:

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Has he found any treasure caches or hoards dowsing? Finding things you already know are in the area under your feet (water or buried pipes) is one thing, but finding treasure is another ball game.

He's never tried to find hoards or treasure. Water lines and ground water is all he attempts to do as far as I can remember.
 

Last edited:

Doubter in MD

Bronze Member
Jan 18, 2013
2,109
2,939
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You can get in trouble with the mods if you "attack" the believers in the dowsing forum(s) with facts and logic. Since this thread isn't in the dowsing forum I'll share my opinion.

1. I believe dowsing is hokum.

2. Those who believe in dowsing will not be swayed by scientific observations, methods, and studies.
 

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Fair enough, I appreciate not being attacked.
I believe there is SOMETHING going on that can't be proven, patented, sold, or even repeatedly demonstrated.
It's more than simply chance but I can't explain it.

Be patient, science is unfolding and deconstructing our reality.
 

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
as stated 20 posts back, ya got to have faith

This is probably the most honest post of those who believe in its efficacy.

It's faith based, not science based. I may have faith sitting in the pew, but out in the field, i don't rely on spine tingles and divine guidance. Science baby!
 

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This is probably the most honest post of those who believe in its efficacy.

It's faith based, not science based. I may have faith sitting in the pew, but out in the field, i don't rely on spine tingles and divine guidance. Science baby!

I'm curious, in your opinion is there anything in this universe that exists which science cannot demonstrate or explain?
 

BillA

Bronze Member
May 12, 2005
2,186
3,218
Drake, Costa Rica
This is probably the most honest post of those who believe in its efficacy.

It's faith based, not science based. I may have faith sitting in the pew, but out in the field, i don't rely on spine tingles and divine guidance. Science baby!
lol, am an engineer - far from a believer
possibly the most skeptical of unproven assertions
 

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm curious, in your opinion is there anything in this universe that exists which science cannot demonstrate or explain?

No. Let me qualify that though, there are things in the universe the scientific community has not fully demonstrated or fully explained or have yet to even discover due to the infancy and current ability of science. "Modern" science has only existed for effectively 200 years.

But lets not play strawman arguments with my statement, as though science has yet to solve all the questions of the universe, the scientific method has been applied to the simple act of dowsing and it has faired no better then chance. If you know of, or conduct your own scientific experiments on it that come to a different conclusion, most would be interested in evaluating it.
 

GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
2,120
4,515
Detector(s) used
Whites, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
lol, am an engineer - far from a believer
possibly the most skeptical of unproven assertions

Ah yes, i reread your earlier post, i missed the nuance in your statement, my apologies.
 

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
No. Let me qualify that though, there are things in the universe the scientific community has not fully demonstrated or fully explained or have yet to even discover due to the infancy and current ability of science. "Modern" science has only existed for effectively 200 years.

But lets not play strawman arguments with my statement, as though science has yet to solve all the questions of the universe, the scientific method has been applied to the simple act of dowsing and it has faired no better then chance. If you know of, or conduct your own scientific experiments on it that come to a different conclusion, most would be interested in evaluating it.

So we agree then.
 

signal_line

Silver Member
Nov 14, 2011
3,601
1,835
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Most are charlatans. Practice a couple times a month and NFW you will be a real dowser. When people make claims of super high accuracy that should be a red flag warning. Very few people are dedicated enough. Just mention the word meditation and they all scatter. Mention it take about fifteen years of daily practice to reach your peak and that's if you really work at it.

Of course on the other side you have people who know nothing about it and claim it's all faked. People who run the tests can't dowse and have no business even attempting to do so. Look at that randi test--not only are the odds astronomical but then he requires the person to repeat it, so now the odds are more difficult than finding one item on the whole planet. And you can't pick up a freshly buried item very easily. Depending on depth it usualy takes months or years before it becomes detectable.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top