Am I really THAT old? How much time do YOU spend detecting?

[detectordave]

I see these posts from people saying 100 coin day, 200 coin day, 20 bucks in 4.5 hours, 30 bucks in 8 hours.......I have to be honest, I love this hobby as much as anyone but.....after about 2-2.5 hours my legs burn, my back aches and my elbow clicks and pops...lol. Am I really THAT old? Are these people 20 somethings that have never had an old "football" injury? IM 42, my wife is 38. After usually around 2 hours, maybe 2.5 or so if we are really doing well, we are ready for a good break. Possibly heading back out later for another 2 hours, but rarely. I have seen posts where people plan trips to Europe to detect sites for 8 and 10 hour days?? Id be in traction..lol. Please tell me there is other 2 hour a day hunters, and I'm not THAT old..lol. Its still the best hobby going. HH dave.

 

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[MD Dog]

Don't worry Dave sod busters have a much harder dig than sand fleas. I've got all kinds of health problems from bad heart to DDD and all I can muster is a 2 1/2 hr hunt as well. but where and how your diggin makes all the difference, Beach hunters can dig a hundred holes an hour while in my clay they'd be lucky to dig two an hour and that's for the shallow ones.

 

[Stacylee926]

I always wonder about those 200 coin days too!!! My biggest was just over $5.00 in clad at a local school - just lucky that day.

I probably spend a few hours a week - usually on the weekend, but sometimes I will go to a local school after work for a quick fix.

In 6 months I have accumulated maybe $50 in clad, a diamond necklace, a few rings and one gold nugget ring. Right now the heat is killing me!!!! I have always hated the heat and wondered how I would do during the summer... well is stinks! I wear headphones, and I just sweat buckets because of them (very unladylike - lol). I'm still at it though until the temp gets into the 90's with 100% humidity - then I will take a break or hit the beach only.

 

[detectordave]

I always wonder about those 200 coin days too!!! My biggest was just over $5.00 in clad at a local school - just lucky that day.

I probably spend a few hours a week - usually on the weekend, but sometimes I will go to a local school after work for a quick fix.

In 6 months I have accumulated maybe $50 in clad, a diamond necklace, a few rings and one gold nugget ring. Right now the heat is killing me!!!! I have always hated the heat and wondered how I would do during the summer... well is stinks! I wear headphones, and I just sweat buckets because of them (very unladylike - lol). I'm still at it though until the temp gets into the 90's with 100% humidity - then I will take a break or hit the beach only.

YEAH! lol I forgot about the heat! I'm the same way, plastic headphones and 80's -90's don't mix. Also going home feeling like someone has been slapping the back of my neck for 2 hours because of the sunburn. Also, your findings are about like mine..except the diamonds....nice. This thread could turn out to be funny. lol HH dave.

 

[MD Dog]

Bring a flashlight and go early or late to beat the heat. Also be willing to pass up some sites until cooler like I stay away from anything in heavily wooded areas and swampy areas as well during heat waves. Course for me anything over 70 is a heat wave.

 

[Sandman]

Dave, your not alone in the aches and pains dept. I used to hunt for over eight hours a whack and this was in the heat of summer in parks and woods. Then I got into diving and the weight belts kept getting heavier and the climb back up onto the boat was to much. Being old and more weak toned down my use of a PI for the beaches as I just didn't want to dig to China for a bobby pin anymore. Now it is getting harder to walk back to the vehicle after a hunt, but the only recourse is to get in the box. There will be plenty of rest then unless Hell is a huge beach and no metal detector plus ugly women.

 

[warsawdaddy]

I have posted this info before,but will do it again here for those who do not like to wear headphones.I don't wear them either,for a coupla reasons,but mostly I like to be aware of surroundings .I bought a Radio Shack Amplified speaker,uses a 9v and has a volumne control,#277-1008C.It was $11.It's the size of a pack of smokes and fits right into my shirt pocket.You will need the cord,of course,to fit from speaker to md jack,$1.79.Depending on your detector you may need an adapter,stereo to mono,to go between md and spkr cord(0.79).Out of seven mds I have,I only have to use the adapter on two.I feel that you will hear any signal thru that spkr that you would w/hdphones.It really boost the signal.Just my.02 worth.Works for me.

 

[txkickergirl]

I have had all day hunts and they are a bear. But when you take a break eat lunch and then hit it again its not so bad, time just seems to fly by. I do like the quick little 30-1hr hunts though to get my fix...lol yesterday I was not able to get out until almost dark. I had about 10min of light, but was happy with the handful of clad I found.

I think for a lot of people 2hrs is a normal range.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I like to hunt for 8 hours too....if I take a four hour nap in the middle

 

[Cynangyl]

I like to hunt for 8 hours too....if I take a four hour nap in the middle

Amen Gypsy!!

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Sheesh peeps: Here it has been running 40+c, now into a cool spell, 36 - 7 c.

http://espanol.weather.com/weather/local/MXSR0094?letter=N

I simply use a quality mini earphone set. The ears are not covered since they merely fit into the ear. Cool and comfortable wthout letting the world know of your detector responses, if any snifff..

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Farmercal]

I'm 50 and I can still hunt for about 4 hours at a time but I pay for it the next day. I much rather hunt in the water at the beach as digging is much easier. The cool water all around my body doesn't hurt either and remember sunblock is your friend at the beach.

 

[Stacylee926]

I really need those headphones - I have the famously loud ACE 250! They were great in the winter... kept my ears toasty warm! I will have to look into smaller ones, but I need the volume control feature.

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

I'm 30 and if the time is there, I can easily hunt a 8-10 hour day.........BUTTTTTT........there is no way in hell I am coming out with 200 coins! I'd say maybe 60+. Weird as it may seem, these NYC parks are not the clad parties one would think.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Works out good for me. I do most of my hunting on my lunck hour at work at a town park down the road. I think otherwise my longest was three hours. What I do occasionally is pack a lunch and wander back into the woods in search of whatevers and that may take six hours, but I don't detect the whole time. Usually I find zero coins on those trips but I do get some surprises.

Now if you want to count up "60 shotshell base days" or "300 .22LR case days" I'm with you.

 

[kool007]

Me and some buddies hunt almost 8 hour days. One of my buddies is an older, retired guy. He gets out there and digs.

We also have a girl with us. txkickergirl. She gets down and dirty as well.

Of course we are hunting rellics and haven't found the 200 musket ball dump yet, but we do find some good stuff.

Can't wait till this weekend. Wait for pix.

ed

 

[erikk]

I am 67 and I hunt 4 to 7-8 hours several times a week. I have had many days where I have pulled $20-30 in coins-mostly clad quarters. I hunt a Minelab EX-2 and use a learned coin program so I know what I am digging pretty much before I dig. I hunt in the dirt and some of those quarters are down 8-10+ inches. I hunt soccer fields and sports parks. I also use a WOT coil and a swingy-thingy
I will say though that after a 25-30.00 day I am pretty beat the next day and don't hunt. . but, ready to go the next. A bucket of quarters from Novembret to now ($500.00+)

 

[alexisntx]

Two hours is about all I can take, also (age 45). In addition my town does not allow digging in grass, so at parks, I am limited to the sand or gravel they have under the playground equipment. Pea gravel is NOT easy to find things in. I suspect some of the little pebbles have metal in them, therefore the two days I have been out netted $0.11 and $0.18. Don't feel bad! HH....alexis

 

[El Cooter]

About 4-6 hours a week

 

[NorCal 6er]

3 to 4 hrs is a good hunt for me out by 7:00am back by 12:00 eat lunch take a power nap 20 to 30 min. can go the rest of the day. I started the power nap thing about three years before I retired then it was only 10 to 15 min but now I play I mean work so hard I need that little extra.
when I go hunting with the young kids (30-40yrs old) yes I can do the 6 or 7 hr thing but boy do I feel it the next day I'm going to hate it when I get their age top coin count is about 50 the ground around here gets hard in the summer. I'm going to get a ground shark and see if that helps should get it monday.

The thing I don't get is if you layoff MDing for two or more days when you startup again every bone in your body hurts
Been retired just over a year now turned 63 March 17 and MDing gets me away from the house out in the fresh air it matters not to me if I find a coin or a pulltab its all fun to me as long as I have my good health good friends and family
what else do I need.

HH
Joe