Any tricks of the trade re: hunting in tall grass?

[SaginawIan]

Short of a lawnmower, of course! Just curious, there is a great great old site that a friend allowed me to hunt - but it has about almost waist high grass throughout. After about an hour, the arm gets tired from pushing it around, also - I'm afraid the coil isn't close enough to the ground. Surely someone has a nifty technique to handle this

Oh yeah, mowing it or weed wacking it is not an option - unfortunately,

Ian

 

[Mainedigger]

The best time to hunt that spot would be in the spring after the snow clears out and the ground thaws...the grass will be all matted down and you should be able to get the coil close to the ground. The fall will work as well but the grass won;t be as matted down then.
Other than that I am not sure what would work well, if anything..

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Mainedigger is right: Unless you intend to get a weedwacker or lawnmower, those type spots are best left to Fall, when the grass is down. Like right after the first rains, so ... not only is the grass down, but the ground is moist. Here in CA where I'm at, we get no snow (no frozen ground), so this ideal time of year for country sites extends all the way into early next spring. But starting in the spring, and through most of the summer, the grass in country sites will be too tall to detect in. Deer, cows, etc... can not eat the grass fast enough during those months, to flatten it. So we just go to other type sites during those months (demolition, furroughed field, parks/schools, etc....), and save the grassy sites till fall/winter.

 

[Jeff In North Georgia]

Take about a 4' square piece of plywood, paneling, or a clear plastic protector for an office chair. Drill two holes along the top edge. Use about 6' of rope. Thread the rope through the holes and tie a knot on both sides.

Use the sheet to knock down the weeds and step on on the sheet to crush them down. Use the rope to lift it, move forward and repeat.

A little slow but works well and no gas is required.

Jeff

 

[txkickergirl]

#1 Tip watch for critters and snakes

Jeff In North Georgia beat me to it I was going to suggest plywood, although a match would be quicker.

 

[SaginawIan]

Take about a 4' square piece of plywood, paneling, or a clear plastic protector for an office chair. Drill two holes along the top edge. Use about 6' of rope. Thread the rope through the holes and tie a knot on both sides.

Use the sheet to knock down the weeds and step on on the sheet to crush them down. Use the rope to lift it, move forward and repeat.

Isn't that how they make those crop circles Oh wait, that's aliens . . .

Thanks for the tip, I think that might work,

Ian

 

[BuckleBoy]

Machete. Works for me.

 

[silverswede]

I used to skip those tall grass areas as unworkable but as sites got scarcer and farther from home I gave a few a try anyway. Of course you can't swing a coil the usual way so it's just kinda a poke and jab process and you will find coins and rings that are on the surface or just an inch or 2 down. Your detector will do quite a job even if you're 6 or so inches above the target. I found my best ring last year in one of those quackgrass jungles.

 

[SaginawIan]

Machete - good call, didn't think about that! Oh and I remember seeing this other tool that you can swing back and forth to cut down weeds - kind of like a shovel handle with an L shaped blade on it - that would work good to, just cut down 100 sq. foot at a time.

Ian

 

[BuckleBoy]

Machete - good call, didn't think about that! Oh and I remember seeing this other tool that you can swing back and forth to cut down weeds - kind of like a shovel handle with an L shaped blade on it - that would work good to, just cut down 100 sq. foot at a time.

Ian

That's a scythe. (Think of the Grim Reaper hehehe.) And yes, a scythe would be better for tall grass. We use the machete for the overgrown woods.

 

[redlined]

I just use my leg, the opposite side I detect from, and with my foot start low to the ground and make a sweeping moiton. After I get a good amount of grass behind it I step on it at the base and hold it all down while I scan the ground where it used to be in the way. Not sure if I explained myself well enough that it made any sense, but with a little practice it works very well ...........

 

[Rifleman]

FIRE.... Just light it, run like heck and return after it's been put out You might end up in jail, but the area will be clear for the next guy with a detector. In all seriousness, high grass is a pain in the neck. Unless I was sure there might be some good finds, I would look for other places. You might just do a quick scan. If nothing shows, move on. If you find trash or good targets, it might be worth using some of the methods described in the other posts. Just don't do the fire thing, it tends to piss off firefighters and home owners who become former home owners.

Good hunting, John K

P.S. Momma says no to Obama

 

[COTTON]

Sling blade, Billy goat, my mother en law. COTTON

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

Sling Blade.....

Movie Quote
KARL: I picked up a kaiser blade that was a layin' there by the screen door, some folks calls it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade. it's just a long handle like a axe handle with a long blade on it that's shaped kind of like a banana. Sharp on one edge and dull on the other. It's what the highway boys use to cut down weeds and whatnot.

Ray S

 

[Shenandoah Digger]

I lay asphalt by trade and whenever I see a place where the grass is real high that I want to detect I just bring in one of our 4 ton asphalt rollers and pack it down. Can do an acre in less than 5 minutes. Makes for tough digging though.

 

[JOe L]

Machete - good call, didn't think about that! Oh and I remember seeing this other tool that you can swing back and forth to cut down weeds - kind of like a shovel handle with an L shaped blade on it - that would work good to, just cut down 100 sq. foot at a time.

Ian

That's a scythe. (Think of the Grim Reaper hehehe.) And yes, a scythe would be better for tall grass. We use the machete for the overgrown woods.

He must be a youngster, remember weed whackers haven't been around that long. LOL. I have my eye on a few spots with tall grass and have put them off until spring and after the snow. Allot easier then. JOe

 

[mastereagle22]

This is what I use, bought it at Ace Hardware for under $15.00

 

[oneeye]

I too like to hunt just after the snow melts for this very reason. Barring that, I bring my dad along and have him flatten down the grass ahead of me. He is 63 years old, so he can use the excercise
Dan

 

[ClonedSIM]

I saw something once about someone that used plywood or plexiglass with a whole slew of holes drilled into it. They would lay the board down and detect over the top of the board, and would shove a golf tee through the holes to mark the spot of signals they wanted to dig, then lift away the plywood and retrieve their targets.

 

[EDDE]

I saw something once about someone that used plywood or plexiglass with a whole slew of holes drilled into it. They would lay the board down and detect over the top of the board, and would shove a golf tee through the holes to mark the spot of signals they wanted to dig, then lift away the plywood and retrieve their targets.

SLICK