help with techniques in Civil War area....PLEASE!

[tymcmurray]

I live in Maryland right near the Antietam Battlefield. I do restoration on the civil war homes in this area and get a few permission slips to hunt.

My problem is that I am not skilled enough to discern the good signals from the bad. I spent eight hours at a 1750 farm with home, forge, and 8 other outbuilding, and I got one really good hand hammered wood bore and 5 gallon bucket of junk.

Does any have ANY tips or techniques that they could share.

Or if someone with experience would like to come over and hunt a few......that would be coool!

 

[Dman]

I have hunted a civil war sites. It is best to dig everything. A friend of mine past over a target because he thought it was a can. I dug it and it was an eagle button.
Dman

 

[VOL1266-X]

I am certainly no expert but if you find a CW bullet-dig all solid signals around it. Check for a good water source in the area. Camps will be located on a gentle slope where their tents would drain. What type of detector did you use? Maybe some Tnet members with that brand of md will give you some helpful advice. You are in a great place to find relics-Good hunting!

 

[tymcmurray]

My Whites 6000 is in the shop so this week I am using my Tesoro silver max.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Montana Jim]

I have hunted a civil war sites. It is best to dig everything. A friend of mine past over a target because he thought it was a can. I dug it and it was an eagle button.
Dman

I'm a relic digger too... dig it all, figure it out later, no matter what kind of detector you have. Even iron could be a horse-shoe or... ?

 

[Shady Digger]

My Whites 6000 is in the shop so this week I am using my Tesoro silver max.

Thanks for the tips.

that silver umax is a good detector lol i just got mine a few weeks ago and it works like a charm

i dont really have any tips or techniques for you but just remember, you cant find something thats not there.....maybe the land owners have given 100 other people permission and the spots are hunted out already
good luck

 

[tymcmurray]

So, Montana, Do you think I should set detector on all metal and go to work?

 

[tymcmurray]

Hey Redneckin Rookie, are you close enough to join in on some hunts?

 

[Montana Jim]

Yup... do not discriminate... it's a long, slow, boring process... but, you never know.

You will develop a style as you go along... take your time.

Remember:

- If you dig ONE gold ring, you will dig a million pulltabs hoping they are gold.
- If you choose NOT to dig that large iron hunk-o-crap, again, you might be missing out on an axe head or any other relic

You will learn to narrow the field based of your own desires, don't chase a water line across the yard, but if you can isolate a signal... dig it up.

Be careful to noy destroy her lawn... slow and easy... It's gonna suck MOST of the time!

ALSO!!! It's NEVER hunted out! My sites have been hammered over the years... I still make a killing with relics.

 

[Shady Digger]

im in southern west virginia so not very often, if any, however me & my family are going to berkley county in october and i asked my dad if we could go to antietam (last year we went to gettysburg) he said maybe but itd be up to the friend were visiting. I am only 15 so im not the decision maker lol. My dad & the friend were goin to see are HUGE civil war buffs. So its possible we could go on a hunt for a day that weekend. Ill have to ask my dad and see what he says.
Ill get back to you sometime tonight or tomorrow.

RR

 

[tymcmurray]

Thanks guys! I did get a big signal and had to break out the pick in order to dig 2 feet down, and all for a burn barrel full of glass.........OR.........a treasure chest full of gems, it's all how you look at it!

 

[Montana Jim]

Thanks guys! I did get a big signal and had to break out the pick in order to dig 2 feet down, and all for a burn barrel full of glass.........OR.........a treasure chest full of gems, it's all how you look at it!

Okay... stick to the shallow stuff - exhaust that first... LMAO! THEN start going for the deaper stuff...

 

[tymcmurray]

YOU ain't tellin' me nothing, brother!!!!

 

[treasureguy]

agree with other members , tough to do, but in these kind of sites i would also dig everthing, good luck

 

[{Sentinel}]

Hey TyMcMurray, did you say you are from Hagerstown? Thats a good 30min. ride from the Antietam Battlefield and South Mountain Battlefield. I am strictly a relic hunter and can tell you that the Antietam Battlefield has been hunted to death. I do see some guys still pulling some nice minies and such from private property around there. I would suggest seeing if the areas that you have permission to search are near the battlefields of Antietam and if so, see if any action happened on them. Once you know that the property is near enough to a battlefield or camp site than you break that detector out and start scanning. I scan large swaths of area until I start finding the minies or muskets, than you are on the right track. Once you find those, scan very thoroughly all around that area and work outward.

 

[diggervet]

I've only been hunting for a couple years but I have hunted a bunch of sites in central Va. with guys who have been doing it for years. here's what I've learned:
1. hunt slow and methodically, it doesn't matter how much ground you cover, its more important to cover the ground thoroughly.
2. Learn your machine. Go out and buy a couple CW bullets and shell frags and buttons (old brass, don't have to be authentic CW). Bury them at different depths and listen to how they sound.
3. Pay attention to the sounds when you get a signal and dig eveything initially, you'll begin to pick up the subtle differences in tone etc.
4. Hunt the area others are likely to pass over with undergrowth, briars etc. they are likely to have been passed over by others. This is much easier to do in the fall and winter.
5. Keep eveything you find until you've had a chance to let someone with experience look at them. Many artillery fuses have been chucked into the woods as old plumbing parts
6. Don't get discouraged, keep hunting and you'll find stuff.
Good luck

 

[tymcmurray]

Great advice DIG. Thank for all the good advice!!!!

 

[{Sentinel}]

I do agree with Dig, but the SLow and methodical searching technique does not always work. Case in point is where I hunt, you can hunt a small area slow and methodical and not find much at all. The relics are sparingly dispersed. In other places, such as me and my buddies old 3 ringer honey hole..SLOW AND METHODICAL is the only way as there was soooo many bullets per square foot there. Trust me on this. So, you should decide what kind of situation you have, if it is a new spot that hasnt been touched much than definitely take your time and comb it well....but if you think others have searched it quite a bit, than I would suggest scanning UNTIL you find a good spot that has some minies etc. If you look in the Relics section, you will see the Civil War relics that I have found in the past 4-5 months. HH

 

[BureFreak]

I only hunted Civil War battlefields in Missouri and Tennessee until I moved to Florida. While the "dig everything" approach does work good, it is not the best method to use if you are on private property and using the "trusting you won't destroy my property" relic hunting.

What you want to do don't pass over any signals you are receiving, but being on a battlefield, or even close to one, keep in mind that someone has probably been there. If you hit a really strong signal, the first thing to do, is to lift your detector off of the ground. See how far off the ground you are still receiving your signal. Depending on the ground, choose a level that is far enough to presume the relic could be there, and that it is not junk. The last thing you want is a family giving you permission to dig their property on a battlefield, and you digging up lots of holes filled with junk.

If you find a location that has not been searched with a detector on a Civil War battlefield, you will know in the matter of minutes. I hit one area that was just a skirmish line at Nashville, and I was just walking around picking up relics on the surface of the ground. So if need be, use a couple of signals to determine what type of "playing field" you are working with and use your best judgement.

HH

Nathan

 

[Slabman]

Howdy folks,
Well, the "Slow & Methodical" method might work for the more modern
detectors, but Ty said he was using a Whites 6000. It's a good old machine
and you will find a ton of stuff with it, but it's a "whipper". The faster you
swing the coil over a deep signal, the better the signal gets.
Ty... I used a 6000 D Series 2 for years, and found TONS of coins and
the normal stuff. You mentioned in your post you were having a problem with
the signals. That 6000 should make a nice solid "bong" when your over a good
target. Set a quarter on the ground and go over it a few times. Note, that the
faster you swing the coil, the better the signal gets. This will be the same with
those very faint, deep signals. You can barely hear it, but when you stop to investigate
the signal, whip the coil faster, and it will make that deep signal sound better. Those broken
up sounding signals are usually iron. As most people were saying, dig everything.
Pay close attention to what types of things make what kind of sound. In no time
at all that machine is talking to you. If you have any other questions feel free to
PM me.
HH Slabman