Night Time Metal Detecting

[MrPoptop]

Any tips advice for night time hunting parks and or other places u may feel to imbarrased to do in broad daylight with lots of vehicle traffic around - people u might know see you?

 

[Dano Sverige]

Advice:

Read this thread VERY carefully! lol.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,376118.0.html

 

[crazyjarhead]

I do it only during the day time. I don't care what people think or say. My old saying is, "mind your own and I'll mind my own." I've had people yell at me and everything else. I just ignore the little children. As far as night hunting.........I would never do it. Too much can or could happen. Just my opinion. Some people on here have done it because of heat issues but if I can't see what's going on around me, well better have someone watching your back.

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

I've never been very big on night hunting mostly because as a few have made note of you can't see what or who is around you and since I always use head phones I can't hear anyone approaching.

Back in the mid to late 1980's I did do some night hunting on our town square (Court House Lawn) as there were a lot fewer people around and the square was pretty well lit at night. Since then vandalism has become so bad that our Court House Lawn, Local Parks, and even our Cemetery's all have curfews on them. Heck your not even allowed to take walks in our parks after 10:00 P.M. at night.

Since it's not safe at night to be out walking in small towns like we have here in Central Illinois, I'll just do my hunting in the day time. That is if this vandalism thing doesn't get to the point they won't even let us dig in the parks during the day. Rick

 

[Tom_in_CA]

It takes a little getting used to at first, but after awhile, you'll find night-hunting so peaceful, so serene, so quiet, etc.... No busy-bodies around to make a fuss (or to jump to conclusions, etc...).

A tip I can offer: Don't use any lights (miner's lamp headlights, etc...). Because if you do use some sort of light (even the back-light of your detector display), you will find your eyes becoming focused on *just* that light, and you'll be blind to everything outside of that light. So instead, let your eyes become focused to the night. There's always enough moon and star-light to see bushes, tree, obstructions, etc.... just fine. And you can carry a little penlight in your apron (or wear around your neck on a lanyard), to turn on only at times you need to see the date on a coin or whatever.

 

[MrPoptop]

After I posted this last night the wife said lets try it...
So we went out... like 8 pm.
Traffic was way less and could hear better, we felt like thieves in the night, LoL.
It was fun and we only did a busy intersection of a park we were gonna do this morning anyway.
Was fun. Found a small bronze soldier figurine.. key chain type deal and some clad.
We would never put ourselves in harms way for anything, even metal detecting.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[gleaner1]

I like metal detecting at night, I prefer it for about fifty percent of my hunting. If I put in a long day at work and it's dark outside, I don't care, I go metal detecting. The first advice that comes to mind is you first have to learn to become very good at target recovery in normal daylight.

 

[dazoff]

Most of the detecting I do is at night the later the better.
I do use a headlamp, the only rule I have is avoid Friday & Saturday nights when the young crowd tend to party.
I've never had any problems say for skunks & raccoons but learned that if I pull the headphone plug out when there around the noise from the machine tends to get them moving the other way.
The peace and quiet can't be beat. Dan

 

[Goes4ever]

Why would u care if someone u know sees u metal detecting?

 

[Woodland Detectors]

LOL Most of the people in my town know me , and think it's cool what I do. They go by and toot their horns and wave. Sure I felt funny at first, but people around here love theur History as much as I do and know what I am doing . They really enjoy seeing me recovering historic items we donate to museums, or helping others recover lost or stolen jewelry. Hunting at night raises big red flags. You are sure to get more attention at night! But, to each his own


Good luck!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Any tips advice for night time hunting parks and or other places u may feel to imbarrased to do in broad daylight with lots of vehicle traffic around - people u might know see you?

Three primary things to consider.......

1. Safety
2. Safety
3. Safety

If it meets all 3 go for it...............

 

[Roland58]

Any tips advice for night time hunting parks and or other places u may feel to imbarrased to do in broad daylight with lots of vehicle traffic around - people u might know see you?

Three primary things to consider.......

1. Safety
2. Safety
3. Safety

If it meets all 3 go for it...............

You summed that up quite nicely!! +1

 

[maipenrai]

When I first started metal detecting, in parks and in the city, I was very shy about it, but you get over it. But night detecting? I would think you would be hassled by the police all the time, people reporting prowlers around the school, and any older guy hanging out around tot boxes would have some explaining to do. I think in the states, and especially California, most people, and even kids have seen metal detectors at work, so they shouldnt be a problem, getting in your way. It may be quite and pieceful at night, but when I have my earphones on, I only concentrate on what im doing, and try not to pay much attention what is happening around me. I doubt that a daylight dector has to worry about someone attacking him, in parks or most other places.

Its different here in Thailand, I have people watching me all the time, and sometimes they get so close, that they almost fall in the hole im digging. I have to tell them at least a dozen times a day, how much the detector cost, where I got it and what do I find. One even thought I was looking for crabs! I try to follow the tides, so night or day I detect, but night is dangerous, so I just detect where the beach is lit up, or better yet, with a friend. I have enought stuff to carry, so no guns or other war machinery, just my detector and digger, which would put a nice dent in someone.

I will stick with the day light hours

 

[MrPoptop]

Actually I see no need for us to continue night hunting after the sun stays up past 8 pm.
Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Seajay]

There are two occasions when I have night hunted. One occasion is on the beach and in the surf here in Eastern NC when low tide occurs. I try to take advantage of the low tides regardless of the time. I must admit, it gets a little spooky and for the most part I am alone. There is a local patrol car that swings through the parking lot that is visible from the beach every 45 minutes to an hour. And once in a great while there is the person who walks their dog at 4:00 a.m. Otherwise, I'm good to go. The second occasion was a number of years ago in East Texas. I was a member of a three-man party searching for a trove that had been put down almost 100 years ago. Night hunting was the only way to search the area without being noticed by locals and others just coming through the area. I will say this: know as much as possible about the area before going in. We were out on a night with some starlight and little to no moonlight. There were some manmade landmarks, but we got "turned around" and it took awhile to make our way out of that area. Barking dogs from a house 1/4 to 1/2 mile away did not help our situation. Anyway, that being said I would do it all again and then some!
Bottom line: you make the call.

Seajay

 

[Daedalus]

In SW Missouri when trying to hunt at night the only thing that happened was we drew people to us while looking in the holes with lights.
It was like a neon sign saying I am over here! We had more people stop and come over the night we did this than we ever had in the daylight.
I guess we where out of place at night and most wanted to see what was up and what we where doing.
In the parks now you can not go in them after 10:00 PM in the City , as they make the whole town not use the park at night because of a few people.
One would think that the right thing to do would be to stop the few trouble makers so the people could use the parks when they wanted.

One thing we did see was while hunting in Town in the late afternoon was the Police would come over and talk and watch us hunt, that kept all the punks out of our area. A few of the police got there own machines because of watching us.
And they told us of real good areas to hunt in around town, and when we went there they would come by and see what we had found. But hunting in the late afternoon and at night was just not worth the time it took to try to see what you where doing. For us anyway.

I myself like to go out before first daylight and start, it is quite and you have time to workout what you are doing and where you are going to hunt.