Quick Question

[KeyaPaha]

How many detectorists on here use drop cloths where you put your excavated dirt?
I always carry a 12"x12" oilcloth from an old orange road flag in my pouch. When I am detecting on public or private grounds, the cloth goes down to collect any loose dirt. Once I find the target (the cloth makes it so easy to locate the target if comes out of the hole) I dump the dirt back into the hole, tamp it down, insert the plug and step on to conceal. 99% of my recoveries are totally undetectable to the casual eye.
To me, leaving a private yard or public area looking like it was hit by a rabid ground squirrel, is not a good look I want to represent.

 

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[E-Trac-Ohio]

It's a good idea - I thought about using a Towel but never did.

I'm very careful about digging a clean plug and not making a mess of any kind - even in the woods.
After the plugs out - if I have to dig deeper in the hole to reach the target I try to leave all the extra dirt inside the hole.
One thing I won't do is hunt on a nice lawn after a heavy rain - the mud smears all over.
I've hunted on hundreds of lawns and never had any complaints - you really can't see where I've been.
I also make it a point to take any trash I see with me - Can Slaw, Pop Tops, Nails, Glass, etc.
If you leave site cleaner than when you got there you'll be welcomed back.

Good Hunting !

 

[ironhorse]

Man it's been too many years since that was a thing I had to worry about. I'm about 99 percent fields and beaches these days but back when I lived across the street from a very big public park with a pool baseball fields and totlot and lots of forest trails too! I hunted that park often .I almost always used a cloth or sometimes just a grocery plastic bag...at the end of the hunt I'd bag up the trash and dispose of it in it.
For a while I used a frisbee..it was easy to carry and did the trick. Not mention i found plenty in the edges of the common areas in the bushes at the parks so seemed to be useful for detecting.
But as ot goes you see good plug cutters and bad ones alike but I used drop cloths to make it look like I was never there and it worked pretty well but it was never perfect all the time but it was better than the big dirt stains raggedy plugs from others before me.
Leave the place as good or better than you found it .

 

[Bucketfreak68]

How many detectorists on here use drop cloths where you put your excavated dirt?
I always carry a 12"x12" oilcloth from an old orange road flag in my pouch. When I am detecting on public or private grounds, the cloth goes down to collect any loose dirt. Once I find the target (the cloth makes it so easy to locate the target if comes out of the hole) I dump the dirt back into the hole, tamp it down, insert the plug and step on to conceal. 99% of my recoveries are totally undetectable to the casual eye.
To me, leaving a private yard or public area looking like it was hit by a rabid ground squirrel, is not a good look I want to represent.

I still carry an old towel with me that was actually for golf players has a brass grommet in it so I can hang it off my finds pouch.
Keeping clean plug area was a big thing when I got back into detecting after losing interest as a teen then I saw a lot of youtubers doing this.
Now sadly I see a lot of them leaving dirt strewn 8 to 10 inches away from where they dug their plugs.
Or digging huge trenches in peoples yards with a general purpose shovel, that's a good way to lose a permission.

 

[Silvermonkey]

100% of the time when I'm not off into the woods. I think this is an important technique when detecting on ballfields, lawns, etc.

 

[peruna]

yes

 

[scruggs]

Like your idea and will try it Thanks!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Rather than use a drop cloth, I use a piece of cardboard about 12 x 12. This way, I can bend the cardboard in half and funnel the dirt back into the hole a little easier. When I'm in the woods and fields, I don't bother using anything. I only use the cardboard in private yards.

 

[Silver Saver]

Yes. Makes for putting the dirt back easier too. Grab the corners and dump

 

[tnt-hunter]

I agree it is important to leave things like you found them so people can’t tell you have been there even in the woods. I use a 5 gallon bucket lid, easy to carry, you just set it down. It holds a lot of dirt and with practice you can slide the dirt back into the hole without it spilling around outside the hole. It’s quick and easy for me. Stay safe, good luck and keep swingin.

 

[opalboy]

That’s a great way to do it!

 

[rayoh]

How many detectorists on here use drop cloths where you put your excavated dirt?
I always carry a 12"x12" oilcloth from an old orange road flag in my pouch. When I am detecting on public or private grounds, the cloth goes down to collect any loose dirt. Once I find the target (the cloth makes it so easy to locate the target if comes out of the hole) I dump the dirt back into the hole, tamp it down, insert the plug and step on to conceal. 99% of my recoveries are totally undetectable to the casual eye.
To me, leaving a private yard or public area looking like it was hit by a rabid ground squirrel, is not a good look I want to represent.

I use a drop cloth when on private lawns, schools, and parks. I do a demonstration for anyone who is interested. Great to give people a "birds eye view" of the amount of care we use to dig a hole.

 

[CRUSADER]

I don't do private lawns very much & only when wet, so the 3 edged spade sized flap goes back nicely. Keeping 1 edge keeps some of the grass roots attached & stops it dieing off so easily. You can never see where I have been. No cloth needed.
I do use a tarp when digging a 5ft test pit in peoples gardens & you can't see that either:
(I use square turf the size of my spade & put back exactly where each one came from)

Backyard Test Pit...

As Cru'Dad is away, I decided to dig a small test pit in someone's backyard. It's within the area of a Roman Town, so I found pretty much what I expected; 5 Hours digging & filling. Roman Pot shards Animal Bones & Teeth Oyster Shells 2 Roman Nails He was very fond of his lawn. So I did a...

www.treasurenet.com

 

[iAmMike]

Great question and good points you made. I've seen so many detectorist treat private lawns and fields like they are in a plowed crop field - totally unacceptable.

I sometimes use a drop cloth but it all depends on the lawn, and the weather. If it's going to rain soon, that will wash away all excess dirt that doesn't make it back in the hole. If it's a pristine lawn, I'll always use one. I like to use the hinge method when I dig a target, this allows me to put the plug back in perfectly each time thus leaving the yard the way I found it. But, as mentioned previously, even if a drop cloth isn't used, it'll look fine after it rains.

 

[cudamark]

Yup, 3 sided trap door and a big Ziploc freezer bag as a drop cloth/funnel for extra dirt to sit on..