What makes YOU dig?

DubCoco · Nov 3, 2015

You are all set up with your equipment on, you take a step and start swinging the coil. When the target signals start beeping, what are YOU looking for from your machine to make you want to dig the target? Is it only high tones? Could it be anything that is repeating with the same value on your readout? A certain depth? Tell us what a seasoned detectorist is looking for that makes you do what you do. You guys with a few years behind you, tell us newer guys what you think it takes to have success at this hobby. Thanks in advance!

Isaac · Nov 3, 2015

First, at a new site, I determine where the good and bad targets lay in the ground. The deep targets or both shallow and deep targets can be keepers? If it's site where the deeper the find, the older the find, I usually will dig anything over 3", anything fainter than a surface target. I also will try to remove large surface trash, such as cans and canslaw and then proceed my grid search. I dig any repeatable tone over iron, or large deep iron, when digging these types of sites, over 3 inches. If the site varies, good finds ontop, at 6"+, or every depth, I will dig every single target over iron, and big iron, at any depth. Usually it takes me about 10 minutes to figure out what type of conditions the finds and site will have. Sometimes if I don't get many or no targets in an hour, I figure the research I did was off, the place is filled in, or nothing was lost, and will figure out what I did wrong... Oh, and for settings, personally, I never use discrimination, it's always on All Metal Mode for me.

In a plowed field, I'll dig everything at every depth, since the finds move around every year after every plow... being turned up from the plows.

Loco-Digger · Nov 3, 2015

I normally grid a place and swing my stock coil to cover it i.e. east to west and dig all targets within reason. (lord knows you don't want the permission to look like a WWI battle field). When I do my second grid I put on my 12" x 15" coil and and go north to south. It may take me 4 weekends to cover a permission (depending on it's size and target infestation). Sometimes you run across an iffy signal. I have found coin spills that depending on the direction of the swing may register from nickle to silver and swung the opposite direction may ring silver through zinc. Some site you will get to know where the good coins lay. My last site they were between 5 & 7 inches, anything shallower was clad. I try to pull as much out of the permission on the 1st pass since the big coil works better the fewer the targets it swings over. To finish up a site I install the 5" DD and do the hard to reach places like flower beds, behind and under shrubs and low hanging pine trees.

The next plug may be "THE PLUG" that contains a gold ring, a bucket list coin or even a key date coin. That is what makes me dig and motivates me to continue on this quest/obsession.

Newfiehunter · Nov 3, 2015

When it comes to detecting, nothing is ever written in stone...For example, some say when they hunt a site, the good, deep whispers are what they look for and to an extent, that is true...but I have also found very old coins on the very top of the ground or very near the surface! What I do sometimes, I search until I find one good target and then I try to dig everything after...You should to your homework...Research is very important and keep an open mind and be open to change especially tactics when you hunt...Everything helps and in time you will learn the tricks of the trade!

The reason why I hunt? One word! History....

Good Luck and HHing!

Limitool · Nov 3, 2015

Dig it all... PERIOD. But I admit I am NOT AN EXPERT MD'er at all. I guess if you "trust" your MD to register a correct re-out then... trust it! I on a personal note would NEVER trust a "re-out" to determine what to dig. Items being on edge, flat, old, older and dual signals possibly stacked are the reasons I dig.... But to each their own.

Probably the reason I dig a lot of horseshoes....?

bigfoot1 · Nov 3, 2015

if its small and repeatable,and above iron I dig it.My digging is generally in the woods so I can dig it all

Escape · Nov 4, 2015

DubCoco said:
You are all set up with your equipment on, you take a step and start swinging the coil. When the target signals start beeping, what are YOU looking for from your machine to make you want to dig the target? Is it only high tones? Could it be anything that is repeating with the same value on your readout? A certain depth? Tell us what a seasoned detectorist is looking for that makes you do what you do. You guys with a few years behind you, tell us newer guys what you think it takes to have success at this hobby. Thanks in advance!

I think the most important thing that leads to success in this hobby is experience. You have to put in the time learning your detector, swinging the coil listening and digging. But for practical advise, always dig signals that sound a bit different or unusual.

BigWaveDave · Nov 4, 2015

For me, each site is different...but typically, on a new permission, I will first cherry-pick the high tones as a quick once over. After that, I slow down, still focusing on the high tones, but also paying attention to lower, repeating signals. If I am lucky enough to hunt a third time or more, that's when I start pulling the rest of the targets, the foils, pulltabs, etc... One day I will find gold in an old yard, I am sure of it. I almost never hunt for iron targets, unless I am up north in the woods...once a year or so.

FreeBirdTim · Nov 5, 2015

Always detect a promising spot at least a dozen times. Do the whole area in one direction and then do it in the opposite direction. Then go back and do it diagonally. Repeat this procedure until there's nothing left!

bill from lachine · Nov 5, 2015

I dig pretty much any repeatable signal from foil on up even the scratchy/broken ones.

When I started out I was just cherry picking the coins and changed my approach when things go thinned out at my sites....that's when I started finding rings, buttons, relics, etc....it made it way more interesting.

Regards + HH

Bill

mtsheron · Nov 5, 2015

DubCoco said:
You are all set up with your equipment on, you take a step and start swinging the coil. When the target signals start beeping, what are YOU looking for from your machine to make you want to dig the target? Is it only high tones? Could it be anything that is repeating with the same value on your readout? A certain depth? Tell us what a seasoned detectorist is looking for that makes you do what you do. You guys with a few years behind you, tell us newer guys what you think it takes to have success at this hobby. Thanks in advance!

For me it is first and foremost that audible tone that is solid and wide if that makes sense. My detector most often with junk and ferrous items gets that gruntle Fe sound most detectors do so those usually most often remain in their tomb! Repeated values or same TID readout means nothing to me if the audible is not right. I am a sound person even though the TID readout is a nice confirmation.

That is not saying you don't get a undertone as I say that hits hard quick to suggest ferrous or trash near a great find. You really get good at those and hearing those from, well, you guessed it, being in the field doing detecting.

When new I say dig it all to get use to several things. One is digging property or plugging and replacing. Then get use to putting eyes on the object that is associated with that sound you just heard. Plus, it is just fun to dig and the other thing is it gets you practice with your pin pointer as well.

So that is how I rolled. Now I am getting much better at discerning the sounds and knowing what is junk and what is worth digging.

Good Luck!

digger460 · Nov 5, 2015

Although I have just gotten serious with this hobby, it's become clear to me that the most important thing is Learning your machine. I was out yesterday, and hit 5 spots with solid 82-83 signals. I figured I finally got on some silver. 5 wads of tin foil. But the 6th, same 82-83, was an '89 Quarter. So I learned something about the machine. I'm diggin' 82-83 all day anyway. Why I dig? No greater rush then pulling something awesome out of the ground.

mrwilburino · Nov 5, 2015

Most of my swing time is spent hunting for older US coins in trashy city parks that have seen a lot of coils over many years. I always use a multi-tone machine and rely on the audio as my main source of information. An accurate depth reading is also important. Most of the good targets at these sites are fairly deep due to sinking, back-filling, and just the fact that the shallow easy ones have long since been removed. Masking can also be a big factor in certain areas. At these sites, the best targets will be accompanied by the worst signals; so that is what I'm looking for. For the copper/silver range, I'll dig anything four inches or deeper that gives at least a faint peep of a high tone, with the exception of some iron falses. For nickles, it's six inches and deeper. If the site is old enough to give up indians, then I'll pay more attention to the VDI #s while still watching the depth. I dig plenty of trash using this strategy but still bring home a few keepers. For the trashy areas I use the smallest coil I can get, but will usually re-hunt it at some point with the stock coil.

Terry Soloman · Nov 6, 2015

Patience. When you decide to detect an area treat it like someone you really want to date. Identify the curves and indentations you want to explore. Go low and S-L-O-W. You think you are going slow? Go Slower! Enjoy the soil beneath your coil and LISTEN to the story it is telling you.

You know the old war movies where the guy is at the radio with the headphones on and all the other guys pack in around him as the Morse code fades in and out as the operator fiddles with the tuners? You are doing the same thing to get the best signal and depth from the ground below your coil when you "Ground Balance" your metal detector.

You must be patient, you must put the hours in on the headphones, and you MUST Believe! :occasion14:

DFX DAVE in M.D. · Nov 8, 2015

On the Chesapeake Bay Beaches, I am looking to be there at low tide to work the clay and pebble areas. In a big piece of woods, I just roam along trails and clearings, I gravitate towards foundations and trees with old carvings, and rocks that look like it would make a nice seat to sit on. If I don't make any finds I will just roam and look for hot spots and work them hard.

Perses · Nov 9, 2015

At this point it is purely addiction ... there are times when I dont even realize that I am out digging, just kinda catch myself that oh boy, here I am in the woods again, kneeling in front of a hole looking for that darn shotgun shell. Cant....stop....digging....help

digger460 · Nov 9, 2015

I blame it on my parents. When I was about 8 yrs. old, they kept buying me Tonka Trucks. And what were they made for? Digging, and I've been playing in the dirt ever since. Of course , now it's to uncover history. Before it was who could make the biggest hole. I do remember one thing that makes me sick now. We would always find IH's and silver, and of course we didn't know any better, so we went to the penny candy store.

I dig now for the unexpected find. :occasion14: