Will the seasonal beach changes effect your hunting strategy?

[bigscoop]

It’s that time of year again, the beaches are once again crowed, and unfortunately, those deep summer sands are rolling in and piling up and quickly swallowing everything in its path. In some areas this effect will be greater then in other areas. For instance, at my usual hunting grounds hunting in the water becomes a very low percentage proposition, the sand being extremely deep, very soft, and it’s constantly being stirred and disturbed by the wave and surf action. Sure, there’s going to be a lot of stuff lost here but getting at it or just getting to it before it is quickly sucked away toward the deeper shell pack doesn’t present a very promising proposition. The troughs, holes, cuts, etc., are all gone and what remains of these features can now be best described as, “pudding bottoms”, a soupy mixture of sand and water. Lose a heavy gold ring here and we’d best hope it falls right into our scoop.

The wet sand has also taken on a new face, no longer appearing gray and flat with an obvious scattering of shell, now it is tan and rippled with a series of runnels appearing all along the mid/lower beach as the returning water continues to work its way around the massive sand buildup on the lower beach.

With these seasonal changes the transition is now complete so how will these changes effect the way you hunt, or will it effect your hunting strategy at all?

 

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[Sandman]

Sure it affects the hunting strategy depending on the choices where you chose to hunt. All beaches are different and are constantly changing due to tides, wind, etc. Not counting the hot weather which draws people to the swim areas for recent drops.

 

[Olegrumpy]

Well...

Been beach hunting for two decades now.

One thing is sure : the same targets will always pop up at the same places at the same period of the year, OR after the same meteorological events.

So, true, my strategy will depend of those circumstances.

HH

 

[baywalker]

Big my EXcal is still at minelab so I have been relegated to the dry sand ,it's interesting in that I am covering a lot more area in less time then in the water but I am finding a lot of dif. stuff and still finding my share of rings and coins. But now that the weather has warmed not so many maybe because of more competition ? now that school has let out maybe there will be more depositors on the beach.

 

[seeker41]

my plan is to buy a shock collar , the kind you use to punish a dogs bad behavior and put it on then have you follow me around with the remote while im detecting. every time I start heading for the deeper water/unsupportive sand you push the button and zap the crap out of me!!!! maybe then ill learn!
chuck.

 

[bigscoop]

Big my EXcal is still at minelab so I have been relegated to the dry sand ,it's interesting in that I am covering a lot more area in less time then in the water but I am finding a lot of dif. stuff and still finding my share of rings and coins. But now that the weather has warmed not so many maybe because of more competition ? now that school has let out maybe there will be more depositors on the beach.

Our dry and wet sand over here "gets pounded" in the summer season. Hardly a day will go by when you won't see numerous land machines roaming the dry and several beach machines cruising the wet. The number of night hunters will really start picking up as well. Once the winter cuts are the way filled in, which they nearly are now, it forces the water hunter into the blunt of the surf and currents in the deeper main troughs over a bed of deep soft sand, so that equation doesn't present a lot of promise even if you do elect to try and endure it. So the summer season certainly has a huge effect on the way I approach my summer hunting weather I like it or not. And honestly, I don't do all that well in the summer season, "very slow" last summer and from what I'm seeing I don't expect this year to be any better. It's all down to recent drops now and those are going to have to be accessed quickly, especially if they are in the water.

 

[bigscoop]

my plan is to buy a shock collar , the kind you use to punish a dogs bad behavior and put it on then have you follow me around with the remote while im detecting. every time I start heading for the deeper water/unsupportive sand you push the button and zap the crap out of me!!!! maybe then ill learn!
chuck.

Buy me one too. I was out there myself this evening for about 2 hours. But I did get a quarter after about a dozen attempts! Damn sand just kept collapsing around my scoop and feet until I finally captured the thing. Swallowed about half the sea, I think.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

It’s that time of year again, the beaches are once again crowed, and unfortunately, those deep summer sands are rolling in and piling up and quickly swallowing everything in its path. In some areas this effect will be greater then in other areas. For instance, at my usual hunting grounds hunting in the water becomes a very low percentage proposition, the sand being extremely deep, very soft, and it’s constantly being stirred and disturbed by the wave and surf action. Sure, there’s going to be a lot of stuff lost here but getting at it or just getting to it before it is quickly sucked away toward the deeper shell pack doesn’t present a very promising proposition. The troughs, holes, cuts, etc., are all gone and what remains of these features can now be best described as, “pudding bottoms”, a soupy mixture of sand and water. Lose a heavy gold ring here and we’d best hope it falls right into our scoop.

The wet sand has also taken on a new face, no longer appearing gray and flat with an obvious scattering of shell, now it is tan and rippled with a series of runnels appearing all along the mid/lower beach as the returning water continues to work its way around the massive sand buildup on the lower beach.

With these seasonal changes the transition is now complete so how will these changes effect the way you hunt, or will it effect your hunting strategy at all?

That explains why my finds have been dropping off Big Scoop.
From now on, I will only hunt down stream of the Sewer plant during the winter months!
Pudding bottom, thats a nice name for it.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Pudding bottom hmmm - sure explains why finds have decreased.
From now on, I will only hunt a favorite beach which is near a sewer pland during the winter month(s)

When we first hunted this location at night, we couldn't figure why there were so few targets.
Went back the second night, with detectors which worked well in mineralized soil and salt water - same results.
Determined went back third night, and only detected on dry sand. - the few targets found were on the side near top of the crest (clay soil) at the boundary of the dry sand.
Then it finally dawned on us
There had been a sewer spill earlier and the beach sand had been removed as part of the clean up .

The moral of the story is if it does not work the first time "Move On" and try some where else.
Finally figuring it out only satisified our curiousity, it did increase the number of finds, as moving on would of.

 

[Crispin]

Law of entropy. On the gulf coast, there is a cut that goes in and out with a tide where the waves crash. It pushes objects down...but it also pushes objects up. Just my two cents....that is where I have had the most success with maxed out hunters.

Crispin

 

[bigscoop]

Law of entropy. On the gulf coast, there is a cut that goes in and out with a tide where the waves crash. It pushes objects down...but it also pushes objects up. Just my two cents....that is where I have had the most success with maxed out hunters.

Crispin

Ah....and now you've touched on a subject that gives the advantage to the local hunter, as the same type thing occurs over here with every change of the monthly tide cycle. The same cuts and holes will reopen during the high period and then quickly close up again as the monthly lows begin to return. Periods of "rip current warnings" will also have a similar effect on generally the same areas of beach each time they occur. The strong easterly winds we're having now, even though it brings in more sand, isn't all bad if you know what to look for. The more you hunt a particular beach the more you learn about it and the better your odds.

 

[Crispin]

Ah....and now you've touched on a subject that gives the advantage to the local hunter, as the same type thing occurs over here with every change of the monthly tide cycle. The same cuts and holes will reopen during the high period and then quickly close up again as the monthly lows begin to return. Periods of "rip current warnings" will also have a similar effect on generally the same areas of beach each time they occur. The strong easterly winds we're having now, even though it brings in more sand, isn't all bad if you know what to look for. The more you hunt a particular beach the more you learn about it and the better your odds.

I like the way you put it, "the better your odds." I couldn't agree more. There is a lot of luck associated with beach detecting but experience and knowledge helps turn the ratio more favorable. I hardly ever get to hunt at the "right time" because I go when I it is convienent and deal with whatever tides I have. It has helped me learn where to hunt at different times to increase my odds but it never increases those odds past a low tide hunt.

Crispin

 

[Buzzlitebeer]

I am still a very green MD'r. But at my beach I found that if I hit the LOW TIDE, but MD the first sets of ripples "scallops"? in the sand from the high tide I am increasing targets. When I hit a circle the hit. I dug 12 pennies and a dime in a 20 ft area. Some new some old. I think this represents the weeknd spills getting pulled out, but not sure.

When I get a trough all I seem to find is bottle cap hits right now oh and occasional HOT WHEEL...lol

 

[Crispin]

I am still a very green MD'r. But at my beach I found that if I hit the LOW TIDE, but MD the first sets of ripples "scallops"? in the sand from the high tide I am increasing targets. When I hit a circle the hit. I dug 12 pennies and a dime in a 20 ft area. Some new some old. I think this represents the weeknd spills getting pulled out, but not sure.

When I get a trough all I seem to find is bottle cap hits right now oh and occasional HOT WHEEL...lol

You are right. You are new. But keep hunting and learn from every hunt. Pennies mean you are looking in the wrong area. Hot wheels mean you are picking up the strongest of signals. If you dig nickels, dimes, and pull tabs then you are on the right track.