How many holes?

underarock · Nov 4, 2011

Just curious to see how many holes you think you dig per hour while metal detecting? One a minute? 2? depends on other factors I know I'm just curious what people think they are averaging. This question is for Land sand underwater wherever you dig. Thinking about trying to go swimming for treasure next season so would definitely love to hear from all the scuba steves out there.
thanks

worldtalker · Nov 4, 2011

underarock, Never gave it much mind,seems at times one after another! Check out Hookah diving,Less expensive than Scuba! I really like mine,5hrs. on a tank of fuel. Best of hunting!! God Bless Chris

savant365 · Nov 4, 2011

I don't know how many in an hour but since I got a hand held pin pointer I can recover a target 4 or 5 times faster and get back to hunting. As far as hunting under water, I have never had the opportunity but I would love to give it a shot someday. Good luck,

HH Charlie

wwwtimmcp · Nov 4, 2011

it depends on where you are and how many targets and how deep they are. I have been in places where you get a target and set the metal detector on 2-3 more targets before I can dig up the first one I found. sometimes its half an hour before I get a hit. then there are multiple hit pockets. I dug 14 sinkers within a 1 foot circle,18 musket balls in an 18" circle. you just never know what or how many you are going to dig until you do.

leslie(nova scotia) · Nov 4, 2011

From the land of the Bluenose....as many targets as there are out there. Most guys can get a dignal, dig and fix the hole in 30 seconds!

Hunthicks · Nov 4, 2011

That depends on lots of factors - one a minute is probably a stretch unless you're in a hot spot.

CRUSADER · Nov 4, 2011

Depends how trashy it is.

But I have dug 1.5 holes a minute for 4 hours;

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,373401.0.html
(1 button every 1.5 minutes then add the other keepers plus all the trash not pictured)

Speed digging is my secret to good field hunting :thumbsup:

maipenrai · Nov 4, 2011

Crusader, did you hit the wrong button, or was that really more than 480 holes in 4 hrs? Man, thats a lot of dirt flying!

CRUSADER · Nov 4, 2011

maipenrai said:
Crusader, did you hit the wrong button, or was that really more than 480 holes in 4 hrs? Man, thats a lot of dirt flying!

Yes sorry, my metal Maths is not good, now worked it out, 158 buttons + 23 keepers = 181 + 200 bits of trash = 381 holes so probably closer to 1.5 holes per minute

(I will amend above)

maipenrai · Nov 4, 2011

Hey, no problem, I just thought I have to speed up a bit! hahahahah

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Nov 4, 2011

CRUSADER said:
Depends how trashy it is.

But I have dug 1.5 holes a minute for 4 hours;

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,373401.0.html
(1 button every 1.5 minutes then add the other keepers plus all the trash not pictured)

Speed digging is my secret to good field hunting

Good Advice CRUSADER !! :icon_thumleft:

As for me I lost count.... :icon_scratch:

Count your holes you won't have that much fun... :dontknow:

You'll start to look at it like work !!

Keep @ it and HH !!

West Jersey Detecting · Nov 4, 2011

I believe in Quality, not quantity. I only dig the perfect sounding signals, with a VDI that is locked in for sure. That way I only dig silver coins, large cents and colonials and I never dig junk. So about 1 hole for every three hours of detecting :laughing7:

CRUSADER · Nov 4, 2011

MUD(S.W.A.T) said:
CRUSADER said:

Depends how trashy it is.

But I have dug 1.5 holes a minute for 4 hours;

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,373401.0.html
(1 button every 1.5 minutes then add the other keepers plus all the trash not pictured)

Speed digging is my secret to good field hunting

Click to expand...

Good Advice CRUSADER !!

As for me I lost count.... Count your holes you won't have that much fun... You'll start to look at it like work !!
Keep @ it and HH !!

I count many things but never holes dug, the 200 junk is approx, as I know this field was about a 1:1 ratio for finds:junk. Normally its more like 1:5 or more on other land but with much less pace & spread out over more time/area.
Dad & I do refer to it as work but in a good way, which is an oxymoron. :thumbsup:

underarock · Nov 6, 2011

CRUSADER said:
maipenrai said:

Crusader, did you hit the wrong button, or was that really more than 480 holes in 4 hrs? Man, thats a lot of dirt flying!

Click to expand...

Yes sorry, my metal Maths is not good, now worked it out, 158 buttons + 23 keepers = 181 + 200 bits of trash = 381 holes so probably closer to 1.5 holes per minute

(I will amend above)

thanks crusader for trying to help me out here numbers wise. Was just looking for an average number thats all. Some people really struggle with this question or wonder too much why i'm asking it rather than just answering it…
To say you just dig "quality" targets is no fun to me. I don't like to pretend like I know exactly what i'm digging before I dig every single time. Isn't that taking the surprise out of doing this? :icon_scratch:

I'm glad people still think they can predict exactly what is in the ground before they dig. Leaves the more interesting stuff for people that are just a little more curious than the last fella that passed it by with his top of the line minelab or whites.

underarock · Nov 6, 2011

Hmmm maybe i'm asking the wrong questions? I'm digging in some very trashy very well used areas mostly so i'm usually digging at least one hole a minute. I'm usually only covering a very small area in a few hours as well. 1000 square feet over 3 hours maybe. Just wanted to see if this was weird or not and I think I have my answer. I should have asked your ages and what kinda of shape you would say you were in as well because that seems to play a factor but I didn't want to start an age war. I'm 28 so I just like to dig. Foolishly digging probably but I like being surprised.

averages people averages. You can either answer or explain why you can't answer (which is still helpful) but its not that deep of a question. no pun intended.

CRUSADER · Nov 6, 2011

underarock said:
Hmmm maybe i'm asking the wrong questions? I'm digging in some very trashy very well used areas mostly so i'm usually digging at least one hole a minute. I'm usually only covering a very small area in a few hours as well. 1000 square feet over 3 hours maybe. Just wanted to see if this was weird or not and I think I have my answer. I should have asked your ages and what kinda of shape you would say you were in as well because that seems to play a factor but I didn't want to start an age war. I'm 28 so I just like to dig. Foolishly digging probably but I like being surprised.

averages people averages. You can either answer or explain why you can't answer (which is still helpful) but its not that deep of a question. no pun intended.

I'm closer to 40 than 30 but I feel 15, well mentally anyway.
I'm unsure how serious those comments are about digging only good signals.
I learnt along time ago that iffy signals can be some of the best. I also learnt to never look at the VDU, & my current detector does not have one. They were unreliable & I wasted time looking at them. My reaction now is to dig immediately, only if I wasn't sure where it was 2nd swing do I swing over it again (or that its mixed in with close targets). Those that don't clear the trash are not getting the best results however much they kid themselves.
I was once told by a wise shop seller of detector finds; 'you do dig everything, don't you'. I thought I knew better & said I only leave the Iron tones. Lesson now learnt.
Flexibility is better than a 'dig everything' mantra. Becuase depending on the site, & what I'm digging depends how much I dig. For example on a field where every swing has at least 7 nails, I don't dig everything.
However, because I return to a site, year after year, the general plan is to clear every signal, but not on the first year, because area covered is more important than clearing trash/potential trash/finds.

Frankn · Nov 6, 2011

The question is infinite so the answer is infinite also. To get a specific number you would have to refer to a specific past hunt since the variables are infinite also. Frank

pennyfarmer · Nov 6, 2011

When recovery technique requires care then I figure 2 minutes a target. If I am using a spade shovel and of course filling in my holes I can recover targets in 15 - 30 seconds.

Lowbatts · Nov 7, 2011

You need to find a local club holding a seeded, competetion hunt and go watch how fast some folks are and how slow and sure some folks are in a dedicated hunt for known targets. It's some of the best fun you'll ever have from a lawn chair. It gets more fun if you get into it.

Sometimes I swing like I'm in a seeded hunt, well good bye deep faint targets, save 'em for the next guy...

So the recovery is a subset of the hunting style, IMO. If you're not hunting right, you can be digging a lot of shallow clad and junk rapidly. If you're using good swing technique, then you'll be digging deeper targets at a more measured pace and you're goodie pouch will show the difference at day's end.

CRUSADER · Nov 7, 2011

Lowbatts said:
You need to find a local club holding a seeded, competetion hunt and go watch how fast some folks are and how slow and sure some folks are in a dedicated hunt for known targets. It's some of the best fun you'll ever have from a lawn chair. It gets more fun if you get into it.

Sometimes I swing like I'm in a seeded hunt, well good bye deep faint targets, save 'em for the next guy...

So the recovery is a subset of the hunting style, IMO. If you're not hunting right, you can be digging a lot of shallow clad and junk rapidly. If you're using good swing technique, then you'll be digging deeper targets at a more measured pace and you're goodie pouch will show the difference at day's end.

I know what you mean but no amount of slow detecting will hear the deep targets under shallow trash (depending on the sizes & depth of items) If you can hear a gold coin under a horse shoe, you have a detector I need