World war 1 training sights dig worthy?

[fishguy]

I found a few places on family land nearby that was used for training and staging of soldiers during WW1, before they shipped em off at the local RR station. Has anyone dug sights like this before? Is it worth trudging the 3 mile walk into the woods to get to it with just my fisher f2 or should I put these sights on the back burner till I get a better machine? Any tips on settings or how deep I should expect targets? Sadly I don't know much about WW1, seems like the war they just pass over in school so I don't even know what I am looking for. tips for newbies appreciated!

 

[cudamark]

No, forget about it. Just send me the address so I can keep it guarded against trespassers! Seriously, you have a site that should be hunted several times with all kinds of detectors if you have access to them. If it's off the beaten track, it probably doesn't have much if any in the way of trash. I'd hunt it in all metal and dig every target. There are bound to be some coins and military items to be found. If the ground hasn't been plowed, the items shouldn't be too deep.

 

[diggummup]

I only wish I had access to a site like that. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start hunting. lol
Take a back up detector just in case and bring extra batteries and pack a lunch.

 

[scott9050]

I grew up on a WWII training site that trained 1,000,000 soldiers and was later sold off to the state.
In short, I would detect before someone else does.

 

[fishguy]

I had also found out that the area was used to do "sham battles"(ok thats what it said in the paper at the library) where union and confederate veterans would gather and camp to do reinactments at the amusement park nearby in the early 1900's late 1800's. So I am getting excited . The actual park is off limits to me detecting untill the fall when the owners come back into town, they would like to join me. But the fields above are all owned by my wife's family as part of the family farm. These areas as anyone can remember where never plowed or planted due to the seperation of land by a steep hill. I would be happy to take somebody along once I nail all the permission slips together, theres a piece of land that is owned by a neighbor on the creek bed that I am waiting to hear back from. Welcome to come along, just got to be with me to be on land, the family still appreciates their second ammendment rights. I am looking to go next weekend, after scouting out the best way in and out this weekend. Trash could really be an issue since the area was used so much for many things but I would dig 100 pull tabs in the excitement to find a penny, ok this is a official sickness right?

 

[AZOUTLAW]

I grew up in a small town in New Mexico called Deming, it was the site for world war 1 training camp 1916 to 1919. The camp name was called "CAMP CODY ". My dad has been metal detecting for around 20 years and to this day still finds relics,and coins! I just bought the tesoro outlaw this year and had the pleasure to go out and detect with my dad. I can tell you that the experience was beyond words! Here are some of the finds we dug up. God bless and happy hunting!

 

[lededoop5125]

That site would be well worth your time. your bound to find something worth while.

 

[firemac]

yes, go today, pack a lunch , water, supplies etc, and have fun!

 

[Sledgod2]

I would hunt the heck out of the land... could be some really cool finds there...

And sorry ahead of time for doing a little hijacking of the thread but...

I grew up in a small town in New Mexico called Deming, it was the site for world war 1 training camp 1916 to 1919. The camp name was called "CAMP CODY ". My dad has been metal detecting for around 20 years and to this day still finds relics,and coins! I just bought the tesoro outlaw this year and had the pleasure to go out and detect with my dad. I can tell you that the experience was beyond words! Here are some of the finds we dug up. God bless and happy hunting!

AZoutlaw,

What is the thing in the lower right of your photos I recently found one of those in my backyard and have no idea what it is

 

[AZOUTLAW]

Hope this is what you were talking about. From what my dad told me anytime a soldier

 

[AZOUTLAW]

Sorry dog jumped on my Phone!lol anytime a soldier was transferred into another division they used this type of thin aluminum button to cover up the old one. Some of them have the division number or some will have a letter.

 

[fishguy]

cool button covers (fingers crossed) Hope I find one. Doing my grid work on google earth tonight, and laying it out this saturday, really excited I also noticed theres a old home site on his land that was taken down in the late forties so if all else fails maybe I will get some cool finds from there. I think its going to take me a few months to cover this one. I am digging all signals till I hit nails on the homesite. Plus owner (uncle-in-law) dosn't want any finds, just for me to take the trash out, getting really excited just hope I can search deep enough with the f2 if not Ill be back again later with something better. Anyone in the jeannette, pa area wanna go along it is a decent size with alot of room to search. This is my first hunt where I have done the history and research, loving every ionute of it. Even if I don't find anything I already have learned so much about the area it was worth it. Dumb addon question the oldest airial photo I have is from 1947 then 1900 postcards and old vacation pictures. How big can the trees grow in 66 years the bottom field has grown in, and mostly thats where the re-inactment camps where?

 

[AZOUTLAW]

Fishguy good luck with all your hunts, hope you find lots of relics! Can't wait to see all your finds and hear all the stories. Happy hunting and God bless

 

[BryanM362]

I found a few places on family land nearby that was used for training and staging of soldiers during WW1, before they shipped em off at the local RR station. Has anyone dug sights like this before? Is it worth trudging the 3 mile walk into the woods to get to it with just my fisher f2 or should I put these sights on the back burner till I get a better machine? Any tips on settings or how deep I should expect targets? Sadly I don't know much about WW1, seems like the war they just pass over in school so I don't even know what I am looking for. tips for newbies appreciated!

Fishguy, as you can tell by the responses, your question was a llittle silly! Of course you want to detect a spot like this!!

 

[fishguy]

I don't think it is silly at all I am inexperianced and don't have a machine that is a top rated relic machine and do not want to loose a good invite by spending weeks there digging 1000 holes to find just pull tabs and nails and ruin the chance of coming back when I am more prepared, either way I weant today dug a few signals but had to leave since I forgot half of my gear, water, and food, I think I tried to prepare to much but not for the heat. I will be back out there in the morning and the invite is still open to a local detector to help me search. I found a bunch of small iron targets but they were not shaped like anything that could have been use-able and would crumble when rubbed. Doing a pass on the same spot now that I have removed some of those targets. Gladly I can run my F2 with the sensitivity all the way up there without to many chatters. Wifes Uncle decided he wanted some of the finds if and when I get any, still happy to have the privelage to search it. BTW if you don't have permission to be on somebodies land don't detect there it makes it tough for those of us that do try to do the right thing, he had chased 5 people of his land last year and called the police on one after leaving part of his field look like he had a groundhog on crack.

 

[diggummup]

I don't think it is silly at all I am inexperianced and don't have a machine that is a top rated relic machine and do not want to loose a good invite by spending weeks there digging 1000 holes to find just pull tabs and nails and ruin the chance of coming back when I am more prepared, either way I weant today dug a few signals but had to leave since I forgot half of my gear, water, and food, I think I tried to prepare to much but not for the heat. I will be back out there in the morning and the invite is still open to a local detector to help me search. I found a bunch of small iron targets but they were not shaped like anything that could have been use-able and would crumble when rubbed. Doing a pass on the same spot now that I have removed some of those targets. Gladly I can run my F2 with the sensitivity all the way up there without to many chatters. Wifes Uncle decided he wanted some of the finds if and when I get any, still happy to have the privelage to search it. BTW if you don't have permission to be on somebodies land don't detect there it makes it tough for those of us that do try to do the right thing, he had chased 5 people of his land last year and called the police on one after leaving part of his field look like he had a groundhog on crack.

I hear you. Digging pulltabs and bottlecaps is called paying your dues. But I understand you don't want to waste your time on a non productive site. Have you researched the original layout of the area as far as buildings, tents, mock battlefields etc. goes? Knowing that will help you decide where to hunt at. If he's had to chase people off his land before for detecting, that should tell you something. Groundhog on crack, lol.

 

[fishguy]

Yes did the research as much as possible the area I am detecting is above a well known 1900's amusement park found some interesting finds and will post pictures tonight some have to go in the "what is it" thread lol. alot of modern trash mixed in with some older finds and found a 1913 wheaty so I'm taking that as a signal I am on the right track. Anyone know how to tell a older bullet vs newer I found a bunch of copper ones with rifling marks so I assume those are newer but found a smaller one that is white just like a ?musketball? that I had found the ball may not actually be a musket rather than some buckshot for all I know its a little bigger than a pea. The lower part of the field is all grown in and in the 1920 it extended down another 200 yard towards the park. I am just having trouble swinging my coil in all the green brier and lost alot of blood today one scratch at a time. I know nothing about small arms I was a aviation ordnanceman so what I was used to was described in pounds, ie. 500 pounder MK82.

 

[fishguy]

ok here are some of the pictures from todat from a ten yard square that I detected, all the picture aren't here battery died in camera so I will have more to post later.


The wheat cent is a 1913 my camera won't focus on it (any tips?)
not pictured was a nail with 2 white porcelan cylinders on it (trench communication insulator) shotgun shell that says US No 12 CLIMAX on it, looks like the tube was paper.
pictured the button you see has a shank on the back but is covered in leather.
cannot read any of the markings on the large cartridges.
found a couple hundred 223 cartridges just showed a few.