Winter detecting/digging tips needed!

[treasurekidd]

Well, it's a timely topic with winter setting in. I really didn't even try hunting much last winter, due to frozen ground and owning a crappy detector at the time. But this year, me and my ACE250 just have the urge to keep going, and I can't bear the thought of having to put her away for the winter. Can any of you experienced winter hunters share your winter hunting tips and tricks with the rest of us?? Anyone with good ideas or advice on how to equip/dress yourself, protect your detector from the elements, and how to dig in the frozen ground please share them with the rest of us! Thanks in advance for everyones input!! Happy hunting, and may the snow be minimal for you this winter!!

TK (John)

 

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[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

TK,

buy yourself a tin of Badger Healing Balm, keeps the skin on the hands from cracking and bleeding.

have a good un..............

 

[JAG]

Dress warm so your comfortable, if your out for a long time bring some extra clothing to change into if you get wet, muddy... you know what I mean. Chapstick for your lips... you will regret not having any on if you spend any amount of time outdoors in the cool dry air. Make sure your digging tools can handle hard ground. If you don't dress warm you won't enjoy your time in the field. Bring some water and a snack.

Jerry

 

[BADDOG]

You could always get yourself one of these.

It's amazing what you find on the internet, here's the plans to build it!!

http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...704b&threadid=1107178&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any houses you burn down!!

Don't you just love how all the people in Florida have great advice on winter hunting?

Good Luck and HH

Baddog

 

[littlehugger]

So far as winter hunting goes, I generally avoid it.
Maryland winters are relatively mild, but only when compared to say, Minnesota.
It is not just being exposed to the cold, it is also the near impossibility of digging in the frozen ground, and the discomfort from chilled hands.
I would take a front end loader, one with a heated cab. Use that to dig up the top 6 inches of a promising local field. Load it in a dump truck and dump the frozen dirt in your basement, and search it when it thaws.
Alternately, you could move to Florida.
I tried just a couple days ago. I went to a local playground that is covered in wood chips, thinking it would be searhable. But even the wood chips were frozen.
This is during the time when it is only freezing at night, and only the top layer of ground freezes. Later in the year, it will be freezing or below night and day.
So, wear gloves and wear knee pads. Take one of those mini shovels you can stand on, like a regular shovel, as a hand trowel will not cut it.
Take a thermos of something warm to drink.
Stick to sandy beaches and wood chip playgrounds.
You could also hire someone to do it for you, while you sit in the warm car, sipping a "fortified" beverage and supervising.
I charge $75 an hour, and I dont dig pennies. LOL
Good luck,
Brian

 

[Vingamel]

Aside from a lot of the logic already shared by many here, I must admit I prefer digging frozen ground over thawed. I use a blunt hunting knife and have gotten good enough at pinpointing targets that I don't ever slice my finds with the knife. When the ground is frozen, the plug comes out just like pie or cake. You cut a square and pop the plug out. Place your plug to one side, use your MD to see if the target is still in the ground, or in the plug. Because I hate to have to dig a second plug, I try to pull out the deepest plug that my knife can manage. Then you just start slicing your plug in half, check each half with the MD, and whittle it down to your target. I can't stand gloves on my hands when I'm digging, so I just deal with the cold. Actually, I'm a sick bastard who likes cold. This is a great time to dig, because you can hit those spots where lots of autumn festivals occurred before the less hardy MDers hit the parks in the comfy spring.

 

[stoney56]

You might try figuring out how to attach a cold chisel to the end of this. It might give you a fighting chance.

 

[panzermeyer]

I;ve tried totally frozen ground and ended up smashing a perfect 1913 dime.That was the last time I hunted frozen soil.Better to wait for thaw and go at it with fresh determination.If its been in the ground a long time another winter won;t hurt it.HH Panz

 

[lonewolfe]

I hunt easy digging snow banks piled up in parking lots, snowy ski hill areas & school yards where kids play during the winter days that are a little more mild (in MI here that would be anything from around 25 degrees & up - preferable 30+)... I wear winter gear inc. neo-preen gloves for comfort & warmth...

You'll find lots of clad, some jewelry, and other items for the most part just digging in the snow.. Forget trying to dig in the "ground" because, the ground is frozen "solid" from Dec through March and I wouldn't even try jack hammering through it!

One of the best finds I ever made was during Feb approx. 6 yrs ago in a school yard/play ground area covered in 6+ inches of snow. I was waiting for my son to get out of school & was 15 minutes early to pick him up. It was during the short Feb "thaw" as we call it here, and around 35 degrees. I went to the playground & turned on the detector to pass the 15 minutes. In less than 5 minutes after finding a few quarters, etc. I hit a gold signal at 2 inches. I brushed the snow away and out came a 7 inch long, 1/4 inch wide antique 22kt "solid gold" bracelet weighing 22 grams (almost an ounce of gold)! Some kid must have got at moms jewelry which was probably a piece handed down to her at some point because it was a turn of the century piece but obviously not laying there too long being only 2 inches down in the snow...

HH

Lonewolfe

 

[Jayssan]

Hey Treasure kid,

Another Rhody Digger here. I've tried to get out once the ground has frozen, and never had much luck...but? If you can tolorate the wind off the water? The sand doesnt seem to freeze up as easy, I have played around on a few beaches.....and sometimes in the woods the ground isnt as frozen as open fields.

Good luck! Jay


http://metaldetectingfool.bravehost.com

 

[Digginman]

I hunt during winter in the woods. The soil stays soft from the decaying leaves. I think it's called peat. I'm in Civil War country, so my season starts this time of year. I've never tried sandy playgrounds in the winter. Do they freeze??

 

[JakePhelps]

I have actually been wanting to buid a flamethrower like that for a long time I have also heard you can use a pressure washer and just fill it with gasoline instead LOL. But seriously, i think im gonna make this flamethrower or one of my own design

 

[AzSports]

Jake,
You can get a pretty good flamethrower at harborfreight tools, as long as you insist on the fireworks.

Sounds like it's research time for the most part.