One technic I used was either to begin at the bottom of a mound of debris and dig a hole or dig a hole if the whole area is flat, 3 to 4 feet deep. I just used a nomal construction shovel for this part.
Then using a pointed piece of wood, a stake works well, I would start near the base and pull the debris from above down to the bottom of the hole and work my way up to the top of the hole. Gravity works for you with this technic. With each section, it dig the debris I pulled down out of the bottom of the hole and toss it behind me. Then repeat the whole thing again and again.
Watch very carefully and grab fast for items like jewelry, marbles, coins, and little trinkets as they fall down into the bottom of the hole. Snag anything disc shape as coins will almost always have tin can debris stuck to them, even silver coins. The bottles are easy to watch for. When you come to one, stop pulling debris down and carefully un earth the bottle.
Be careful!! Wear good thick clothing, boots, leather gloves, tie your pantlegs tight around your boots so no loose stuff gets in your boot. Don't dig too deep where a cave in would be dangerous.
Good luck and have fun. I hope you find a lot of goodies!
Smiles!
BDoo
