OLD Fairgrounds

[Theakiki]

The County Fair Grounds in my area is very old.

I knew it has got to be full of prizes underground! Today, I finally went up their to detect.
It was just as I suspected! .....and then some. The ground is saturated with targets. Literally!
Every few inches is a signal.

Now this is a dilemma that I didn't expect, but I'm certain that many of you vets have found it to be commonplace.

I was on my hands and knees trying to pick through all this, in 100 degree temperature. One hour later, I drove home with a 1999 penny, and a sack of pull tabs and bottle caps.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

...I was on my hands and knees trying to pick through all this, in 100 degree temperature. One hour later, I drove home with a 1999 penny, and a sack of pull tabs and bottle caps.

Welcome to the hobby! You are now an OFFICIAL member.

 

[spartacus53]

Well at least you came away with something, still better than nothing. I hope you had plenty of water with you in this heat. You could get a heat stroke in no time with this type of weather.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

And what's funny is, some md'rs will lend the following advice: lower your disc, dig every signal "lest you miss a gold ring"

Clearly the admonition here is obvious: you either need to pick less junky grounds, or raise your disc. You're simply not going to "be a hero" there and find gold rings or nickels. Or if the junk is so thick that it litterally masks the deeper high conductor coins as well, then pick a new site, and wait for some urban demolition project to scrape off the top 6" of that location.

There are simply some locations where strip-mining is not an option.

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

First off I don't hunt in 100 degree weather, I'm to old for that. That casket is getting to close as it is.

Another option is to get a small coil. I hunt a park locally that dates back to the mid 1800's. It was first used as a Circus grounds then a Chautauqua grounds, then as a Circus grounds again and is now being used as a city park.

Like you the ground is littered with Aluminum foil,screw caps,pulltabs,nails, bottle caps, you name it, but I have found that by going very slow with my 6" coil I can pick a few goodies out of that mess. I've had some back trouble so I haven't hunted a lot this spring, but with only about 4-6 hours out there I have managed to ferrite out 4 Silver dimes ,one a 1876cc, a 1884 V nickle, and several wheat pennies. Surprisingly some of those targets were no more then 4" deep, including that 1876cc. I've also dug enough trash to fill my not so goody bag a few times, but persistence does pay.

Rick

 

[suprdave]

no one said it was going to be easy, hang in there. suprdave

 

[deepskyal]

On the plus side, with all that trash there's a good chance there's still a lot of goodies in the ground....unless that is if it wasn't hit before all the trash landed there. Old fairgrounds were prime detecting areas before bottle caps and pulltabs came into existance and covered the ground like weeds.

Even back in the early 80's when I started detecting, there wasn't lots of trash with the exception of some bottle caps here and there.

That's why detectors have more ID capabilities and better discrimination....gotta go with the times.

A smaller coil would definately be in my arsenal of equipment...as it is now. Still...a slower, very short swing is necessary too if junk targets are that close together.

I agree that you're not going to find the rings and nickles plentiful enough to make it worth your while to dig every target. Concentrate on the solid hitting silver/copper with your disc up above the pull tabs.

I find sites like that a challenge. I know of a couple very old, very littered parks that kick up some old silver and that's the challenge....finding it in the trash. A lot of newer folks won't hit areas like that.

Try from different angles....if you're determined, you'll find something. If not, there are a lot of other places to detect probably without so much trash.
And keep in mind...hit the not so obvious places where there may be little trash...just into the tree line or flat areas that may have overgrown some. Chances are the layout of the fairgrounds has changed over times to meet growing needs so some hot spots may just not be obvious now.

Al

 

[Theakiki]

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I will go back again. maybe sooner. Maybe later, but I will go back, and I'll have a different mindset!

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

One thing that seems to work for me to some degree, I'm 65 and have lived here almost all my life, and I've been noticing some changes such as play ground equipment that's been removed or moved or buildings being removed. I have been going to these areas and hunting them slowly and have found I always find one or two goodies.

A bleacher at a ball park that has been there as long as I can remember was removed this spring and I managed to find several Barber silver coins, Wheaties and Indian Heads.

Look for these changes and if your not old enough to remember these changes, or haven't lived in the area long enough, talk to people in the community that are. You'll be surprised what you can find doing this.

Rick

 

[hollowpointred]

what i do in circumstances like this might seem odd to some, but i use no discrim at all, coupled with a small coil. work VERY slowly and really investigate each signal. if you know your machine well enough you will know what the silver sounds like as opposed to the pull tabs and bottle caps. Gold is tough to find in conditions like this, but silver can be found.

 

[freddy williams]

yep that is our hobby I say discriminate just a tad bit but I would dig all the strongest signals first in an area then go back over it and recheck it. At 2 inches + down you should be getting the older silver.. HH an good luck I wished I had an old fairgrounds near me I would love it

 

[TerryC]

Pick an area. A 10 by 10 foot area.Try to figure where the traffic "lanes" were. "Rope" it off. Work on JUST that area till you get ALL the signals. ALL of them. The goodies will be there. Take out the garbage when you leave! The goodies will be there! Give it a good HONEST try. You will be amazed at what you will find. The Halifax Co (NC) fairgrounds yielded about $128 one summer for me. If I put a 9 inch paper plate on every coin found, I could walk the entire grounds without touching dirt! Caution! Make sure you keep the dirt in the "plug" or else the riding mower will pick up the dead grass clump, making the area look like an artillary impact area! NOT GOOD for the hobby. Go for it. Remember... a small area must be worked till no more signals. Good luck. TTC

 

[minton7]

I totally agree with the idea of hunting out a smaller spot.. will give you a really good idea of what is there

 

[Theakiki]

Pick an area. A 10 by 10 foot area.Try to figure where the traffic "lanes" were. "Rope" it off. Work on JUST that area till you get ALL the signals. ALL of them. The goodies will be there. Take out the garbage when you leave! The goodies will be there! Give it a good HONEST try. You will be amazed at what you will find. The Halifax Co (NC) fairgrounds yielded about $128 one summer for me. If I put a 9 inch paper plate on every coin found, I could walk the entire grounds without touching dirt! Caution! Make sure you keep the dirt in the "plug" or else the riding mower will pick up the dead grass clump, making the area look like an artillary impact area! NOT GOOD for the hobby. Go for it. Remember... a small area must be worked till no more signals. Good luck. TTC

I really like this idea. It makes some sense to me. One of the things that I was struck with is that these couple hundred acres of high traffic property with a piece of metal in the ground is completley overwhelming! Now.... a 10' x 10' area on the other hand is completely manageable!

The next time that I drive there I will be do a test area!

Again; Thanks for the interest in my post, and the hunting tips! This is so great.

 

[TerryC]

The point all these responses is making is that the good stuff is there! Don't be overwhelmed by the size of the property. Yet, cutting the area down to manageable plots will show the overwhelming potential there! Go for it! Modified 6-12-11: This is BASIC. I learned this and other digging axioms back in the early '70's with a BFO. Learn from this forum... it is the BEST! TTC