Hunt almost shortened by unexpected rain Saturday (UPDATED to include Thur & Fri hunts)

[GKL]

They wasn't calling for rain in our immediate local area Saturday, but roughly about an hour into my hunt it started raining very lightly.

I was determined to not give up so easily, so I kept detecting as only a few drops of rain was hitting my display and I dabbed it off with a paper towel I had in my pocket. Thankfully after a few minutes the rain stopped and instead of an hour hunt I was able to do a 2 1/2 hour hunt.

If I had to stop after that first hour I would have left with about 7-9 pieces of trash and ONE penny but after 2 1/2 hours I had 15 pieces of trash and 6 coins, (2 quarters, dime, nickel, and 2 pennies) might not sound like much to some, but it sure made my day

That's not the first time I went on a hunt where no rain was expected but it rained some anyhow

Then I've also had times where the futurecast weather radar showed enough rain going thru our area where I didn't even try to hunt and it ended up not raining in our area !

Hey, I can't complain, at least the rain is keeping the ground easy to dig !

Anyhow, I found a new area to detect Saturday that somehow I forgot was there, it was in an area of town we normally have no need to drive thru, but it's not far from home, maybe about 10-15 minutes away. It a recreational area with a baseball field, tennis court, and a concession stand in between. While the area is open for use by the public, as far as I know it's not being used by any baseball teams this year, and finding no fresh drops seems to support that, you could tell all the coins I found had been in the dirt for a good while.

I detected around the concession stand, but also covered some of the area between the bleachers and the concession stand as I figured some people might have started pulling money out of their pocket on the way to the concession stand, and it did seem like I found more of the coins on the way to the concession stand then at the stand itself

I didn't get a chance to detect around the tennis court yet, will see about trying there next hunt there.

Anyhow, here's some pics of the area as well as pics of my humble but appreciated finds it's not a lot, but I still had a lot of fun !

The ground was easy to dig as far as dirt being moist, but much of it has gravel mixed in.











and here's all the finds including trash so noobs can see that it's not unusual to dig your share of trash too

 

[kevinpenney]

Love like it was a good time!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[GKL]

Love like it was a good time!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Thanks !

I definitely had a good time, it was even more fun than usual because of hunting a new place I never hunted before !

 

[Diabolik]

It finally rained here last night for about an hour. First time we have really had any measurable rain in what feels like all summer. Looks like a nice little park. I’ll bet there is more clad to be found. I’ve been hunting a similar one and it has been giving up a lot of clad. The hot spot for me has been the area between 4 baseball fields. It is shaped like an X and the concession stand it at the end of one of the legs. Whole area has been littered with quarters. Shallow coins and not much trash. Good hunting!

 

[Rock Jock]

The loud and abusive language would exclude me because it seems like most of the intriguing signals are so deep, the mosquitoes are a pain (have to dress up in muggy weather) and it has been raining so much, like darn near every day. I guess I prefer drier dirt.

Went to Sullivan Island yesterday for a swim and some MDing on the beach. More clad. I'm a dedicated goldbug. I keep hoping to find all the type of gold and silver jewelry that all those California guys and gals keep displaying. Maybe we need a good hurricane for concentrating stuff (Please God, not really!).

Good fun hunt, GKL! I've been finding mower whacked coins to. Gee, those vape people are forever losing their vape junk. Must be gooned out on dope.

 

[k2gleaner]

Good job. Keep it up!

k2gleaner

 

[davidlhyde63366]

Looks like a promising area , i would continue to hit it as you can.

 

[GKL]

It finally rained here last night for about an hour. First time we have really had any measurable rain in what feels like all summer. Looks like a nice little park. I’ll bet there is more clad to be found. I’ve been hunting a similar one and it has been giving up a lot of clad. The hot spot for me has been the area between 4 baseball fields. It is shaped like an X and the concession stand it at the end of one of the legs. Whole area has been littered with quarters. Shallow coins and not much trash. Good hunting!

Thanks ! being in a small town it's not a huge recreation area, but there is another similar area in another part of town I need to try again, I had tried it when I got my first detector (BH Tracker IV) and only found trash but I was a noob back then (not that I'm any expert now ) so I need to try it again with having more experience and now having a Nox 800 might help too.

Glad you got some rain, hopes it makes the digging easier !

Your 4 baseball field area sounds super - lots of potential drops from foot traffic from 4 fields, shallow coins and not much trash sounds like a detectorist's dream , hope it keeps on producing well for you

The loud and abusive language would exclude me because it seems like most of the intriguing signals are so deep, the mosquitoes are a pain (have to dress up in muggy weather) and it has been raining so much, like darn near every day. I guess I prefer drier dirt.

Went to Sullivan Island yesterday for a swim and some MDing on the beach. More clad. I'm a dedicated goldbug. I keep hoping to find all the type of gold and silver jewelry that all those California guys and gals keep displaying. Maybe we need a good hurricane for concentrating stuff (Please God, not really!).

Good fun hunt, GKL! I've been finding mower whacked coins to. Gee, those vape people are forever losing their vape junk. Must be gooned out on dope.

Hey, look on the bright side, some have posted about it being so hard to dig from no rain in some areas, bet they wish you could send some rain their way .......but I can understand not wanting to dig in the mud either

I get tempted to complain when we have some weeks with several days of rain in the same week that cuts into my hunting time, but then when I go to dig and the ground is so easy to cut into it's hard to complain

I've had some shallow finds, but many of my finds were fairly deep, you can tell the coins had been in the dirt quite a while, I just wish some of them were much older coins after digging so deep

Glad you have a beach close enough to hunt, none really close enough to my travel range, but you mean to say California is hogging most o the gold ? anyhow simply digging in sand is nice, not having to worry about carefully digging plugs like in dirt, only sand digging I've been able to do was in a sand filled area that had an old swing set

Some junk stuff I find is a mystery but at least I get it out of the ground in case it is masking signals from good finds.

Good job. Keep it up!

k2gleaner

Thanks ! Sometimes I feel hesitant about occasionally posting about average finds, but I feel it might have the added benefit of helping some noobs to realize they likely are not going to dig spectacular finds every hunt, but that the hunt itself can still be fun. (when I was a noob and saw posts of people digging stuff like Barbers, V nickels, and other very old coins, I might had gotten the initial impression they would start popping out of the ground for me too not that they aren't out there to be found, just not quite as easily found as I first might have thought )

I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat amazed at digging 2 different "state" quarters, both 2006, different states, and each was from a completely different hunting area and both within a 2 week period this month, maybe not super amazing, but interesting nonetheless

Looks like a promising area , i would continue to hit it as you can.

Yep, definitely want to hit that area more, still have plenty of area there I never got to scan at all yet, and even then there were many "iffy" signals I can consider digging later

 

[davedude]

Gary it is amazing how similar your hunt was with mine. Uncanny! Same type of areas swept and everything except--for the rain. Ball park, bleachers, concession stand, result etc..etc..all the same but have been dry.
I managed more trash, clad and a piece of cool bling but not much more than you over all. I was expecting silver and have found one rosie and a couple wheats at this park but I think the Garret guys have cleaned this place out very well. But like you I am going to go around the tennis courts which are incredibly busy and may be likely to yield something. Thanks for posting!

 

[diggin4clad]

The most encouraging thing is the sign saying that the grounds were open. Here in Connecticut just about all the sites that were closed earlier in the year are open again. Good luck next time out.....

 

[GKL]

Gary it is amazing how similar your hunt was with mine. Uncanny! Same type of areas swept and everything except--for the rain. Ball park, bleachers, concession stand, result etc..etc..all the same but have been dry.
I managed more trash, clad and a piece of cool bling but not much more than you over all. I was expecting silver and have found one rosie and a couple wheats at this park but I think the Garret guys have cleaned this place out very well. But like you I am going to go around the tennis courts which are incredibly busy and may be likely to yield something. Thanks for posting!

Wow, that is neat how similar your hunt was Dave, thanks for sharing that !

I'm sure this town has been hunted in the past but not sure if anyone has been hunting in the area in recent times as I have yet to see anyone detecting while I was out detecting. I might have seen 2 detectorists detecting a few years ago in a cow pasture, but it was at a distance and I was riding in car heading out of town and only got a quick glance so I am not totally 100% sure.

That I have not dug any silver makes me think much of the silver might have been dug many years ago, not that there is no silver left to find, but just that it is likely more scarce now. Likely my best chances for silver and older coins are getting some private property permissions, especially if they have never yet been detected.

Yep, I will try the tennis court area when I get back there, not sure how actively it has been used recently, but maybe some finds in the dirt from years ago that are still there. Had to catch up some desperately needed mowing today, still not 100% done but got the worst of it for now, good chance for rain tomorrow, grocery shopping Wednesday, so if the weather cooperates hoping to get back out hunting by Thursday, will see about posting about the tennis court area after I hunt there, maybe some tennis players lost some quarters flipping a coin to see who served the ball first

The most encouraging thing is the sign saying that the grounds were open. Here in Connecticut just about all the sites that were closed earlier in the year are open again. Good luck next time out.....

Thanks, and since the sign includes "maintain social distancing" you know it is a recent sign.

Surprisingly even on a Saturday when I was there, no one person came in the area or even walked down the street, just cars driving by. Guess part of that might simply be from it being a relatively small town.

 

[Webekin]

Children drop coins

My take on concession stand hunting, parents/grands send children to the concession stand with paper money. Purchases are made, change in hands, drinks and eats all carried in their hands. More than they can carry and they drop the coins as they are difficult to contain. I search in the line of travel from the stand to the bleachers. Also around here the boys, play graba$$ behind the bleachers, loosing any quarters they may have in there pockets.
Just my thoughts. OH, and the gate area, where they are pinched, funneled into a small area. Also the parking lot, folks pull there keys out of their pockets and drop coins in the grass. GL HH Webekin

 

[GKL]

My take on concession stand hunting, parents/grands send children to the concession stand with paper money. Purchases are made, change in hands, drinks and eats all carried in their hands. More than they can carry and they drop the coins as they are difficult to contain. I search in the line of travel from the stand to the bleachers. Also around here the boys, play graba$$ behind the bleachers, loosing any quarters they may have in there pockets.
Just my thoughts. OH, and the gate area, where they are pinched, funneled into a small area. Also the parking lot, folks pull there keys out of their pockets and drop coins in the grass. GL HH Webekin

Thanks for the ideas, it is appreciated !

I did hunt the area between the bleachers and the concession stand as I was thinking maybe they started pulling money out of their pockets on the way to the concession stand, but your idea makes sense too, maybe they drop coins going in both directions

 

[Soil Surgeon]

Glad you were able to get out and make some finds .That looks like a spot with some great potential .

 

[GKL]

Glad you were able to get out and make some finds .That looks like a spot with some great potential .

Thanks, hope to get back out there by Thursday, getting needed yard work caught up in between periods of rain, but my free time and the weather should cooperate by then

 

[davedude]

Wow, that is neat how similar your hunt was Dave, thanks for sharing that !

I'm sure this town has been hunted in the past but not sure if anyone has been hunting in the area in recent times as I have yet to see anyone detecting while I was out detecting. I might have seen 2 detectorists detecting a few years ago in a cow pasture, but it was at a distance and I was riding in car heading out of town and only got a quick glance so I am not totally 100% sure.

That I have not dug any silver makes me think much of the silver might have been dug many years ago, not that there is no silver left to find, but just that it is likely more scarce now. Likely my best chances for silver and older coins are getting some private property permissions, especially if they have never yet been detected.

Yep, I will try the tennis court area when I get back there, not sure how actively it has been used recently, but maybe some finds in the dirt from years ago that are still there. Had to catch up some desperately needed mowing today, still not 100% done but got the worst of it for now, good chance for rain tomorrow, grocery shopping Wednesday, so if the weather cooperates hoping to get back out hunting by Thursday, will see about posting about the tennis court area after I hunt there, maybe some tennis players lost some quarters flipping a coin to see who served the ball first

How old is that park? I use the website historical areas and google maps to see if the parks have age enough to be silver bearing. Can't really say that doing that has netted me much silver though....I blame the Garrett guys, the factory is less than a mile from my house and they have been all over this area cleanin it out and makin it hard for newbs like me.
Kinda wierd that in this 1950's ball park most of my finds have been around the outside perimeter. Squat around the ballfields which are kept locked so I can't sweep them.
I dug a franklin half last night in a spot I have pounded which gives me hope I can go back to the ball park and find something there. The tennis court looks to be really good as it is super busy all the time. Packed.
GL and HH Gary!

 

[GKL]

How old is that park? I use the website historical areas and google maps to see if the parks have age enough to be silver bearing. Can't really say that doing that has netted me much silver though....I blame the Garrett guys, the factory is less than a mile from my house and they have been all over this area cleanin it out and makin it hard for newbs like me.
Kinda wierd that in this 1950's ball park most of my finds have been around the outside perimeter. Squat around the ballfields which are kept locked so I can't sweep them.
I dug a franklin half last night in a spot I have pounded which gives me hope I can go back to the ball park and find something there. The tennis court looks to be really good as it is super busy all the time. Packed.
GL and HH Gary!

I was trying like crazy to find historical data as far as the dates local recreational areas were constructed but still looking. I'm thinking as far as that recreational park likely no earlier than the 1960's but could be even the 70's or 80's but that is just a guess at this point.

Wow, with the Garrett factory that close I can understand it maybe giving you a whole lot of competition, having a few fellow detectorists in your area is okay, but if there are/were even around 30 or more that even occasionally detected (or detected in the past) then you've got (or had) some real competition

Congrats on that Franklin half ! that is great, quarters are still the largest coin I've been able to dig so far

Hope hunting that tennis court area really pays off for you Dave !

 

[davedude]

I was trying like crazy to find historical data as far as the dates local recreational areas were constructed but still looking. I'm thinking as far as that recreational park likely no earlier than the 1960's but could be even the 70's or 80's but that is just a guess at this point.

Wow, with the Garrett factory that close I can understand it maybe giving you a whole lot of competition, having a few fellow detectorists in your area is okay, but if there are/were even around 30 or more that even occasionally detected (or detected in the past) then you've got (or had) some real competition

Congrats on that Franklin half ! that is great, quarters are still the largest coin I've been able to dig so far

Hope hunting that tennis court area really pays off for you Dave !

Thanks Gary! You too man!

In addition to the Garrett factory guys there is a local club of pros that don't help me much either. :-)

"Historical aerials" is what I meant to type.

https://www.historicaerials.com/

Here in my area some of the aerial photo maps go back to 1952. There was an aerial photo survey done back in the '30's that is available on a separate site. I think it's called the Fairchild survey or some such like that.

That silver half waited patiently for me to finally find it. Don't know how many times I went over that curb strip and missed it every time
GL and HH Gary!

 

[GKL]

Thanks, hope to get back out there by Thursday, getting needed yard work caught up in between periods of rain, but my free time and the weather should cooperate by then

Well, I did get back out there this past Thursday and also went back again Friday, sure glad Thursday was good, it helped make up for Friday's results

Thursday I focused on the tennis area (I'm guessing it's a tennis area though it seems a little narrow so maybe it's for baseball pitchers to warm up ?) anyhow at first I was hesitant to dig inside the area as the dirt looked hard and packed down so I started detecting a little outside the area, but then thought to see if there might be some shallow finds inside, well, when I first went to dig I saw that it only looked hard and packed down, the dirt was actually moist enough to dig with ease !

On Thursday I started on the side closest to the ball field and that kept me busy for that hunt, Friday I tried the side closest to the street.

Here is a pick of all the finds (so as to see the trash to non-trash ratio, and a pretty good ratio of trash to non-trash items compared to some hunts I had ) then individual pics of the 8 coins I found on Thursday. No silver, but still glad to dig 8 coins ! After that are pics of some of the areas.






















Now on Friday I tried hunting the street side of that same area but what a difference, didn't find one coin on that side, I guess people liked being on the other side better

So I decided to try around in front of the bleachers closest to the concession stand, was getting several 13 signals so I tried one as they often might be nickels. I dug the plug very carefully there as that area was more "manicured" looking, after digging quite deep I found a pull-tab ! and then remembered that pull-tabs can sometimes give that signal, and thinking further I realized many of those 13 signals in that area would more likely be pull-tabs given the location

So I started detecting the area I detected the Saturday before, the area between those bleachers and the concession stand, found more trash, but did at least find 2 coins, which while not anywhere as good as the hunt the day before, I at least felt better finding 2 coins rather than it merely being a trash clean-up hunt

Here is a pic of all the finds (notice the trash to non-trash ratio much higher than the day before ) then individual pics of the coins, and 2 pics showing my revelation of a 13 signal in front if the bleachers being a pull-tab and a pic of that general detecting area.








Hey, I know there were no spectacular finds, but I got more educated, and I definitely still had fun and enjoyed the hunts !

 

[davedude]

Thursday I focused on the tennis area

So you went back? I did too. Saturday morning after dropping off wifey at work. Real early, still dark. Had to use my headlamp for a bit until the sun came up. Hit the tennis area, old aerials show one court way back in the day, now there is many. I started one the side of one of the newer courts and then figured I would go to the old original court. These are hard concrete so I am doing our the outside thinking to find something tossed out accidentally. And I did. A sterling silver ring!










It's a small ring I think may have been nested with another. Looks bent but I think that is the way it is supposed to look.
I dug the you know what out of mid tones lookin for gold but it was not to be. I cleaned out the surface along one side of the old court with the six inch coil and low sensitivity. Will go back with the 11 inch coil and go deep. Lots of tennis court type trash and a few tennis balls to boot!
Keep at it Gary. You wont find anything unless you are swinging. Hope you don't mind me posting crummy pics on your thread. I sure do like the way you post photos, thanks for posting!