Re: Newbie needs answers...
...oOgers advice is good. Heed it. Here's a bit more.
Can I do this in the cold of winter when the ground is froze or do I need to wait till thaw out?
Threre are those intrepid folks who detect in the snow and ice. They most often hit sledding and toboggan hills, the areas just under ski lifts and so on - wherever people are active and losing stuff. Keeping your batteries warm is an issue. Buy a box of the cheap pocket warmers and fit them around your battery holder.
Some folks just mark good targets when the ground is frozen, using brightly painted 16-20d nails or those really long golf tees. Then they come back and "rediscover" them in the spring.
There is an abandoned lot where a one room school used to sit just down the road from me. Thats where I'm gonna start.
As good a place as any. Keep in mind that, if you know it was there, so do others. Detectors have been around a long time, my friend...But dont be discouraged. Get out there and have a go!
Also, what is the average success rate to finding something cool? I read all these posts about cool things people have found but I'm curious how long everyone looks for things before they find em?
No such thing as average success rate. I dont know what you call "cool," but I have an idea.
I could go Rogers route and say,"Treasures can be anywhere!" or "You never know?" Actually, these are both true and part of the fun of this hobby is finding the unexpected.
Or would you like a different TRUTH: There is far more trash than treasure, and you will find a lot of it.
Did you know Babe Ruth struck out more than he hit? It's true, but he always swung for the fences - you should take that to heart as a newbie. You will find far more goodies if you simply use your tools and recover targets, instead of watching meters and hoping not to uncover trash.
As to your question. I found a 1936 Mercury dime the very first time I took my very first detector out of the box. Will that happen to you? The odds are against it, to be frank. The biggest reason for success, ie, "finding something cool," is that the person who finds it has gone to a place where it can be found.
I cannot give you a better answer, as much as I'd like to. Much of this has to do with research and perseverance.
Theres also a rumor about a rich farmer near me that didn't believe in banks and he supposedly buried a bunch of silver and gold a long time ago. Does everyone think I should look more into this or would I just be waisting my time with it when I should be lookin in better places.
Definitely look more into it! Dont make it the only thing you do, but keep it simmering. Remember Babe Ruth...
Also what about competition from other people? How do I know if a place has all ready been picked over?
There wont be much there, of course! If you go to a park or modern school yard and you find very little, two things are happening:
1. Either someone beat you to it, or
2. Nothing is there to find.
The first is possible, the latter unlikely, since no place is ever hunted out. I went to a local school yard just behind my house recently, just to kill some time. When I got there , I found carefully measured footprints and coil scuff marks all around the play gear. Damn! I was beaten to the punch! But I was undaunted and pressed on. In about 30 minutes I found a handful of change, a silver amulet and a Sac dollar coin... and lots of trash. Did I mention the trash already? All this, in a place that was obviously hunted pretty well before I got there! Many detecetorists hunt quickly, haphazardly and honestly, pretty poorly. Spend your time learning to be thourough and knwing why you are there in the first place, and you will do better than most.
Seriously, we tend to judge people by our own standards, but its a fact that people didnt have as much back in the old days like we do. A quarter could buy you lunch AND a beer and money had more power. There wasn't the proliferation of credit buying as we know it and so people were more tight fisted. Take that school you mentioned - school kiddies didnt have a pocket full of change for the vending machines like todays kids do. Shucks, they didnt have vending machines!
BUT, a little known fact is that schools were gatherng places for folks. Everything from pie socials to political rallies were held at them. The chance exists that there IS something there, maybe something overlooked by every other detectorist who thought that he, and he alone, knew that secret of that vacant lot.
However, you will find little but what Lady Luck affords you if you don't take the time to "Know Before You Go." You're on the right track, my friend. Keep at it. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me.
