How good of a hunter ARE you?

[Paul B]

I've hunted all my life, but just started with a metal detector!!
Just like fishing I could spend all day just saying one more swing, just one more swing.........I know the next swing will be GOLD!

Paul B

 

[amc rulz]

I've hunted all my life, but just started with a metal detector!!
Just like fishing I could spend all day just saying one more swing, just one more swing.........I know the next swing will be GOLD!

Paul B

Good luck and welcome too!

 

[IDXMonster]

Welcome Paul! It must run across all disciplines of hunting...deer,turkey,fishing,gold...the gamblers mentality that the next one is the big one...or at least a GOOD one...I'm short on all those lately but ready to do it all again tomorrow!

 

[ohiochris]

What makes a " good " hunter is if they are happy with what they are doing.

Since everyone has different perspectives , expectations , goals , preferences , and hunting styles , and locations , the term good is highly subjective.

" Successful " is less subjective , but still has varying degrees of meaning , depending on who you talk to.

But for the purposes of this thread , .... " good " should mean understanding your machine and being able to adapt and research. Anyone who can do that is usually going to be successful no matter where they hunt , though good don't always mean successful as we all know.....unless we judge success by how much fun we have had.

 

[BottleCapKing]

I am not a very good hunter. I lack patience and am easily frustrated. I would probably have quit by now if I were not so stubborn.

 

[NectarDetector]

Ask the guys who have hunted with me....they know...lol

 

[flyguy784]

Never thought to categorize my abilities that way but I would guess I'm a high average, with the machine. Only been detecting a few years. Got a CTX so there was that whole learning curve, still learning. As far as overall, I'd say above average. That's because of the amount of research I do. We hunt mainly rev war stuff and I read it all, diaries, maps, troop movements, look out positions, fords etc. I enjoy the knowing almost as much as I love popping out another button or musket ball.

 

[bodkin]

As it is question based on the perception of ourselves, is it one that we can objectively answer?

 

[IDXMonster]

As it is question based on the perception of ourselves, is it one that we can objectively answer?

Oh hell no!! It's just a poll about how we feel about our own success....what we seek to find and how many times do we actually find it. The people who dig everything, not targeting anything, might put a more positive spin on their "success". After all in that case, they're ALWAYS a winner... of the highly coveted and much enjoyed chicken dinner...

 

[Jamflicker]

I like the challenge of a trashy lot or park and finding something that has been missed by others because it is masked by trash. I won't complain about easy, great silver signals though.

 

[bodkin]

Oh hell no!! It's just a poll about how we feel about our own success....what we seek to find and how many times do we actually find it. The people who dig everything, not targeting anything, might put a more positive spin on their "success". After all in that case, they're ALWAYS a winner... of the highly coveted and much enjoyed chicken dinner...

OK then. The question opened a door in my mind that I seldom look behind

I am happy with my goals and achievement and have assimilated my ATG to become one, total and complete detecting solution. Therefore, how can it get any better?

 

[matmit]

Great Thread!
For me, finding 1 or 2 keepers per hunt is my goal (that usually means a wheatie or a silver, but cool relics and marbles count too!)
I know that I spend too much time hunting pounded areas, yet if I can still find 1 keeper for every 2-3 hunts, I will continue to hunt them.
Patience and persistence are key attributes which make one a good hunter.
Learning one's machine to the best of one's ability is critical as well.

 

[IDXMonster]

Great Thread!
For me, finding 1 or 2 keepers per hunt is my goal (that usually means a wheatie or a silver, but cool relics and marbles count too!)
I know that I spend too much time hunting pounded areas, yet if I can still find 1 keeper for every 2-3 hunts, I will continue to hunt them.
Patience and persistence are key attributes which make one a good hunter.
Learning one's machine to the best of one's ability is critical as well.

The last two sentences above are what I think makes a complete hunter. That's all there is to it.

 

[matmit]

The last two sentences above are what I think makes a complete hunter. That's all there is to it.

'nuff said

 

[superphrog]

Am I a good hunter? Nah, not really. I go out, I dig up a bunch of junk even in what should be good areas. Mostly I just do it for fun. Truthfully, I get a kick out of seeing what comes out of the ground. Everybody wants to find the cool relics, jewelry, or nice silver or gold, right? So do I of course, but as long as I find something other than pull tabs or canslaw I'm fairly happy.
I think this quote from the old movie "The Zero Effect" sums it up nicely.

"When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."
-Bill Pullman, The Zero Effect


Truthfully I do most of my actual "treasure Hunting" at estate sales and such. I've made some nice finds and made more than a few dollars that way. Metal detecting is just for fun.

 

[IDXMonster]

Am I a good hunter? Nah, not really. I go out, I dig up a bunch of junk even in what should be good areas. Mostly I just do it for fun. Truthfully, I get a kick out of seeing what comes out of the ground. Everybody wants to find the cool relics, jewelry, or nice silver or gold, right? So do I of course, but as long as I find something other than pull tabs or canslaw I'm fairly happy.
I think this quote from the old movie "The Zero Effect" sums it up nicely.

"When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."
-Bill Pullman, The Zero Effect


Truthfully I do most of my actual "treasure Hunting" at estate sales and such. I've made some nice finds and made more than a few dollars that way. Metal detecting is just for fun.

Excellent take on it Frog! And you just may be right about all of it...

 

[calabash digger]

IRON I think thats where I shine ,I cut my disc on my deus to 1 and run full tones and go threw the thickest iron around. Me and my partner both do well in it. The guys I first started hunting with who had been doing it for years ran from the thick iron we hunt today and find the goodies in. It does have alot to learning the nuances of your machine very well. So what do I think makes me a good hunter is my ability to hunt the thickest iron around and consistently pull good relics from it. Of course it helps to have a capable machine to do so. Im sure some are better but I dont think that way because if I walk onto a hit hard site I want to believe im one the best and will find what they missed ,one of the worse things for me in the begining was getting mentally whooped on hard hit sites. Me and my partners motto is it hasnt been hit by us yet! To me alot of detecting is mental esspecially hunting behind others , to say they cant find it all is easy but to believe it is sometimes hard to do ..

 

[IDXMonster]

IRON I think thats where I shine ,I cut my disc on my deus to 1 and run full tones and go threw the thickest iron around. Me and my partner both do well in it. The guys I first started hunting with who had been doing it for years ran from the thick iron we hunt today and find the goodies in. It does have alot to learning the nuances of your machine very well. So what do I think makes me a good hunter is my ability to hunt the thickest iron around and consistently pull good relics from it. Of course it helps to have a capable machine to do so. Im sure some are better but I dont think that way because if I walk onto a hit hard site I want to believe im one the best and will find what they missed ,one of the worse things for me in the begining was getting mentally whooped on hard hit sites. Me and my partners motto is it hasnt been hit by us yet! To me alot of detecting is mental esspecially hunting behind others , to say they cant find it all is easy but to believe it is sometimes hard to do ..

Heavy iron and really dense trash,especially Conductive Trash, are two things that a lot of people shy away from for the reasons you mention...machine may not be fast enough or their patience is not in line with what that kind of hunting takes. But if a guy can figure out how to do it...you'll have more hunting places than you could ever go through in a lifetime,perhaps all to yourself.
Well done so far CD! You've had some really good finds,even for that area.

 

[Barracuda]

Are you the "permission a minute" person to cherry pick old houses? Are you the person who hunts and hunts and hunts a pounded park some more for the challenge or finding one more keeper? Are you the hunter who dives into the garbage pit to see if you can decipher all of that electronic blabbering?
In your mind...what makes a really good hunter?

If it's a site that produces old goodies im low and slow all day digging any iffy signals.

I enjoy hunting iron infestation with the Deus. I continue to pull out coins with multiple nails in the same shovel scoop

I hit a campground that was from the 1920's to 1990's no iron but a billion pull tab signals. So I cherry pick higher signals. Plus i got to keep the owner happy. Ill leave a target if there are lots of shallow roots to keep my permission

 

[KyleTheDetector]

I usually go to older parks but am moving to more virgin areas... I feel comfortable with my ability to use my machine and while I may lack patience and get frustrated easy... My stubbornness keeps me going!