Rookie Detectorist and the reality of digging.

[Dawgs241]

Just got my Ace 350 for Christmas and been trying it out the last few days. So far the 350 has been great and I have finally found a hobby I can really get into. Some of the things I have experienced so far as a beginner:

1.) Red dirt SUCKS!!!!!! If you live outside the Mississippi flood plane you know what I am talking about. Sticks to everything especially when wet.

2.) Digging tool (I will never underestimate its importance again !!!) I bought one of them $7.00 things from Lowes , big mistake, broke on second dig.

3.) Wedding Ring I was scanning piles of dirt with my left hand under the coil and kept getting signals but no metal. Held the dirt in my left hand and scanned it with my Pro Pointer and kept getting signals. Felt stupid when I realized what it was detecting.

All and all having fun. Still have a lot to learn. I guess the more you do it the easier it will get

 

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[digging440yrs]

Hang in there, and your right about having fun, that's what it is all about

 

[sproatz]

Ha that's funny. I did the same thing with my wedding ring. I felt so dumb. And was glad no one was there to see it. Well everyone's learned hard lessons. Hang in there

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[kingskid1611]

You should have posted a found and returned ring post........

 

[pepperj]

Been doing it for 45 yrs and now for the past 7yrs I can't the ring off so I still detect it once or twice every hunt, now that the colder weather the hand warmers sound off in the gloves. I've recited the stupid is stupid a few times to myself when I'm finished pawing through the dirt only to realize it's still in the hole. The one thing I've learned is to have a good chuckle at my own expense sometimes, was it's too short to get upset over the little things.
You get what you pay for in the tool department, buy it once and should last a good many years of digging.
It does get better because you dig something that makes you "Wow" and you just stare at it for a moment and you can feel the rush of excitement flowing through and sometimes I think to myself-I'm the first to see and hold this after X amount of years-that's what I love about this hobby.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt!

 

[releventchair]

Just got my Ace 350 for Christmas and been trying it out the last few days. So far the 350 has been great and I have finally found a hobby I can really get into. Some of the things I have experienced so far as a beginner:

1.) Red dirt SUCKS!!!!!! If you live outside the Mississippi flood plane you know what I am talking about. Sticks to everything especially when wet.

2.) Digging tool (I will never underestimate its importance again !!!) I bought one of them $7.00 things from Lowes , big mistake, broke on second dig.

3.) Wedding Ring I was scanning piles of dirt with my left hand under the coil and kept getting signals but no metal. Held the dirt in my left hand and scanned it with my Pro Pointer and kept getting signals. Felt stupid when I realized what it was detecting.

All and all having fun. Still have a lot to learn. I guess the more you do it the easier it will get

Lots of ways to stay busy when detecting.
Keep at it and keep it fun.

 

[Dawgs241]

Been doing it for 45 yrs and now for the past 7yrs I can't the ring off so I still detect it once or twice every hunt, now that the colder weather the hand warmers sound off in the gloves. I've recited the stupid is stupid a few times to myself when I'm finished pawing through the dirt only to realize it's still in the hole. The one thing I've learned is to have a good chuckle at my own expense sometimes, was it's too short to get upset over the little things.
You get what you pay for in the tool department, buy it once and should last a good many years of digging.
It does get better because you dig something that makes you "Wow" and you just stare at it for a moment and you can feel the rush of excitement flowing through and sometimes I think to myself-I'm the first to see and hold this after X amount of years-that's what I love about this hobby.

I can't wait for that feeling . Even if I don't find anything it's still fun to get out. I use to be extremely athletic, participating in all kinds of sports, long distance running, heavy weight lifting...etc until I suffered a major abdomen injury. I had several surgeries and the doctors handicapped me. Metal detecting allows me to be active again in a way. I'm still trying to figure out better ways to get up and down to dig without hurting. I actually considered getting a small stool to sit on.....lol.

 

[mtsheron]

Just got my Ace 350 for Christmas and been trying it out the last few days. So far the 350 has been great and I have finally found a hobby I can really get into. Some of the things I have experienced so far as a beginner:

1.) Red dirt SUCKS!!!!!! If you live outside the Mississippi flood plane you know what I am talking about. Sticks to everything especially when wet.

2.) Digging tool (I will never underestimate its importance again !!!) I bought one of them $7.00 things from Lowes , big mistake, broke on second dig.

3.) Wedding Ring I was scanning piles of dirt with my left hand under the coil and kept getting signals but no metal. Held the dirt in my left hand and scanned it with my Pro Pointer and kept getting signals. Felt stupid when I realized what it was detecting.

All and all having fun. Still have a lot to learn. I guess the more you do it the easier it will get

Congrats and welcome! My first detector was a very capable ACE 350 as well! As far as point 1- Yes I know what you mean! Red clay here in NC and can be messy. Point 2- Look hard to Lesche tools......simply the best in my opinion. Point 3- I bet we have all done this at some point. I have!

Hey, quit reading these post and go dig my friend!

 

[Captain Caveman]

Welcome aboard TNet from a fellow Mississippian! I always leave my wedding ring at the house when I go detecting. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

 

[worldtalker]

I can't wait for that feeling . Even if I don't find anything it's still fun to get out. I use to be extremely athletic, participating in all kinds of sports, long distance running, heavy weight lifting...etc until I suffered a major abdomen injury. I had several surgeries and the doctors handicapped me. Metal detecting allows me to be active again in a way. I'm still trying to figure out better ways to get up and down to dig without hurting. I actually considered getting a small stool to sit on.....lol.

You will find your way around it the first cool find you make,you will have no choice..you'll be addicted.

 

[bill_wabo]

Welcome from a Montreal frozen frog! Don't forget the steel boots, I started detecting in the woods with those... only for a hunt. I leave my wedding ring in the house or car. As for a digging tool, I bought a Gardena planter for 10$ and still using it after 2 years. Hey, the ground is frozen solid where I live, but not for you! Go out and dig and best of luck!

 

[Carolina Tom]

mtsheron is all over it... a Lesche tool is a must have. $75 seems like a lot until you look back at it after a year or so... then it looks like a good investment. I live in Charlotte (Psst... add your location to your profile) and the red mud is hard as rock in summer, and sticky as glue in winter. Some people say that if you spray the stuff with Pam (cooking spray), the mud won't stick as bad... I tried it, but still came home all muddy.

Remember to enjoy yourself, that is the real treasure of this hobby!
Best of luck to you in 2016!

 

[Cletus]

Detecting is a lot of fun. in fact it can and has consumed the minds of many.
The longer that you dig the more you will learn.
If your machine is giving you a good high tone dig it. Even if you are sure that it's
another pull tab or can. you just never know what treasure has been waiting for you to pick it up.

 

[Dawgs241]

Congrats and welcome! My first detector was a very capable ACE 350 as well! As far as point 1- Yes I know what you mean! Red clay here in NC and can be messy. Point 2- Look hard to Lesche tools......simply the best in my opinion. Point 3- I bet we have all done this at some point. I have!

Hey, quit reading these post and go dig my friend!

Just ordered my Lesche digging tool from Amazon.

 

[jtermz]

don't forget about steel toe shoes they will bite you too LOL

 

[pepperj]

don't forget about steel toe shoes they will bite you too LOL

Brass eyelets in the hiking boots sound better.

 

[SusanMN]

We have all, whether or not we will admit it, at some point detected our rings, our shoes and our diggers. You do it a few times and you figure out how not to do it again. As to dirt, get your self a good pinpointer, like the Garret Propointer, and locating the target is easier, whether it's in muck, rocks or clay. And, as other have posted, get a good digger like a Lesche, makes a world of difference in making your dig easier. Then find a good site and once you pull a great target, you are really going to be enthusiastic about digging.

 

[Dawgs241]

Some other things I discovered as a rookie:

The Lesche digging tool is fantastic!!! As I keep digging, my holes are getting cleaner. That tool really cuts the ground and will also cut your target..LOL. I cut a penny in half.

I didn't realize how physical metal detecting is. Looking down and swinging a detector for about 30 min you really start to feel it in the lower neck and back. I detected a park the other day and I had constant coin hits every 2 feet. Getting up and down digging targets works the thighs and hips. The next day, I haven't been sore like that since Police Academy and Military PT. I really feel for someone that has lower back problems.

When I was looking at buying a metal detector, I wanted to get one that would detect really deep. The Ace 350 does better than I expected on deepness, however 9 or 10 inches seems a lot deeper when you start digging (Especially in a park with people around staring at you...LOL). I still like the deep hits, esp in historical rural areas. However in parks I tend to now go for the 4 to 6 inches. Some dude actually thought I was a utility guy looking for pipes or something.

I play golf and a lot of new people tend to put so much on the long game (driving and irons) but those who play golf know the real challenge is the short game and putting. I found out that the challenge in metal detecting is the recovery. I am actually digging just about everything right now for practice and I noticed that my holes are becoming smaller and recovery quicker. I didn't realize the challenge of recovery before I started, esp in trashy areas. Even though I have a Garrett Pro pointer it still takes practice. I can see those who start the hobby may become frustrated with this. I believe Mr Garrett said that you should hunt all metals and dig everything for the first 100 hours using the machine.

Im having a blast. Each hunt I love it more and more. My planned vacations are actually going to revolve around metal detecting. I have friends that have taken interest and members of my family. Happy digging all!!!

 

[whammy]

When I had my hip surgery, I had a hard time getting back up. Left leg didn't bend like it used to. On one trip I found a branch, almost like a club, that was about 3 feet long and about 2 inches thick. Ended up being just what I needed to get back up using it to push off from. Piece of rawhide through the top, easy to carry and won't set the detector off. Used it for about 4 months, and now it sits in my closet, just in case. Maybe this would help and work for you. I know exactly what your talking about when you mentioned Police Academy and Military PT. Good luck out there and happy hunting.