Drained Hunt Spots

I can think of spots where, if I wanted, I could go dig 100 quarters in a day . But .... gee.... why do that ? By just cherry-picking surface "gimmees". But why do that ? By the time you have your $25.00, you could have likewise earned that at a minimum wage job in the same-few-hours.

I'd rather go look for old coins, or a few silver coins. But .... that's just me.

Tom_in_CA said:

I can think of spots where, if I wanted, I could go dig 100 quarters in a day . But .... gee.... why do that ? By just cherry-picking surface "gimmees". But why do that ? By the time you have your $25.00, you could have likewise earned that at a minimum wage job in the same-few-hours.

I'd rather go look for old coins, or a few silver coins. But .... that's just me.

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Live in Texas for a while.

I can definitely relate, because even though I do live in PA, I just don't have the time to get out and hunt all day, every day. Between kids, work, aging mother-in-law drama, and the frozen ground that plagues us for a few months out of the year, I scratch my head at how some folks manage hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year in clad. Plus, there are so many others in the hobby in my area, the silvers in public areas are very few and far between.

But...I haven't done any door knocking yet. I only hunt in parks and schools, so that's on me. I'm ready to start branching out next year. I don't drive long distances to hunt. I don't see the sense in spending $10 in gas to find a $5 silver coin. I don't slice it down to the penny, but I try to stay aware of the general cost/benefit. For some, just getting out is a huge benefit. I can definitely relate to that, but I have other interests that get me outside. For me, this was supposed to be a self-sustaining hobby. It's just the way I look at it, and I enjoy the challenge. I used money from another hobby to buy my first detector (Ace 350).

So, with all that in mind, I've made my peace with getting $50 to $150 in clad every year. Sometimes it's more, if I have an "Aha!" moment and find a new place or a new approach that opens a spot for me. Little league ball fields get renewed every spring. Lol. High school football stadiums get renewed every fall. Public parks are slowly renewing all the time. Community celebrations tend to pile up a bunch of clad. And once in a while, I stumble upon some silver bling.

It also helps that my area is pretty densely populated with people who like to be outside. But it's mostly average, everyday folks. Not multi-millionaires like Tom has in CA, dropping gold rings like we drop pocket change. "Oopsie! Just lost another one! Oh, well...someone will find it...". Just busting ya, Tom. I know how hard you work for that butter.

I'm way overdue for gold, but I was having shoulder problems for a couple of years so I chose to cherry pick dimes and quarters instead of every mid tone. So, that's on me too.

So I guess it comes down to expectations and what you're looking for in the hobby, given the limitations facing you. I know it can get downright discouraging sometimes. For me, I look at it as a challenge to work through the roadblocks and get creative. I recently had a great experience with my first actual woods hunt. I'm even considering actually knocking on doors next year...talk about a personal challenge! I'm not the kind of guy to do stuff like that.

I hope all that helps. I just wanted to convey that you're definitely not the only one experiencing the drought. My first year...with my Ace 350...i hauled in almost $400 in clad, if I remember correctly. I'm lucky if I hit $70 this year. Be patient with yourself and the roadblocks you're up against, and see if there are any opportunities you're overlooking. That's one of the biggest benefits I get from this forum and from watching videos. It helps me identify possibilities that I hadn't considered.

Rest if you have to, but don't ever quit a hobby you love.

That's my $0.02 (in crusty zincolns )
Mike

Martin_V3i said:

I see posts with mega quarter coins, plus more stuff. Here in Texas, you don't find that count anymore. The first thing I look at when I see these posts, is the location and it is usually California or one of the original 13 states. Here in Texas...it is dry "finds."

Just venting. It is hard to keep trying some days. I can live with some clad :-(

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I used to and still do vent about not finding silver coins in North Atlanta. It was only just back in the 1970's farm land and now almost totally developed with office parks, neighborhoods and now densely packed 3 story townhome clusters going up like mushroom farms.

But not much I can do about that than vent or move to rural Georgia (not a bad idea for many, many reasons). But I have tons of totlots, volleyball courts, basketball courts and a few old parks and a fair number of Civil War sites I can hunt.

The Civil War sites were decended upon by hundreds of local detectorists in the late 70's and 80's when some of the improved detectors hit the scene. We had 3-4 large detector clubs that were very active. I have seen images of their finds back then and they were huge number of 3 ringers and even belt buckles, bayonets, buckles, etc.

One gentleman ran an Antique shop and had a big salad bowl of silver coins he found that was about 18" across at the top.

Here we just don't have the silver coin history like up north where the industrial revolution spawned large now old neighborhoods of workers with silver coins in their pockets. Our northern friends are fortunate in that aspect, but we have a longer hunting season to not find silver coins. So it all equals out.

Tom_in_CA said:

I can think of spots where, if I wanted, I could go dig 100 quarters in a day . But .... gee.... why do that ? By just cherry-picking surface "gimmees". But why do that ? By the time you have your $25.00, you could have likewise earned that at a minimum wage job in the same-few-hours.

I'd rather go look for old coins, or a few silver coins. But .... that's just me.

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Totally agree with Tom, I don't mind picking up clad change but an OLD coin in the hole gets me excited. I dont hunt parks anymore only sites that I know are old.

Curious as to what you would consider a good silver count. I started detecting in the late summer of 2017 and didn't find my first silver until May of 2018. More research and an equipment upgrade allowed my annual silver count to increase every year since, until 2021, a year in which I managed 67 total silver coins . By comparison, 2022 has been a bust, as I have only dug 13 silvers. I still consider this year to be a success , since I found my first and only silver dollar, and my first and only seated coin. I am sure my silver count went way down due the fact I continue to hunt the the same old dirt. The easy ones are gone, whether dug by me or a detectorist before me. But " drained" doesn't necessarily mean dry, as these places still give up an an old coin or relic once in a while.

I am no longer interested, as I once was, to just driving up my silver count. If I were, I would be spending my time in the post WWI neighborhoods, door knocking, detecting yards and scouring the curb strip boulevards with all the junk signals notched out. But I want the oldest coins I can find, and that means hunting the oldest dirt and digging lots of deep junk, even if the good finds are sparse. It's like fishing for muskies or hunting free range trophy deer; success is rare, but oh- so sweet. If I just want to catch lots of fish or fill my freezer with venison, I could do that with a very high rate of success by dunking worms in a stocked pond or staking out a local hayfield and shooting does and yearling bucks.
First you do the research and find out where muskies live. Then you have to be willing to throw big baits for hours and days and weeks on end, for the hope hooking into one. Taking a free range trophy deer also requires research and lots of time spent in the areas where they live. Early mornings, all day sits, long and difficult hikes and willingness to do it in the worst weather conditions . All of that, along with year round practice shooting your weapon of choice.

I have never detected north central Texas so I cannot speak with any first hand authority. But by comparison to where I do detect, north central TX has more history, more historical population and more historical wealth. You have the location potential for good finds. If you want the good , old stuff, I am not telling you anything that you don't already know- research, swing time and the willingness to dig questionable signals is what gets it done.

I'll say for the readers, my mega posts sure don't come as easy as just finding something in a park. At times it takes me days of solid research to find a spot, up to hours to walk in, multiple days of scanning, then maybe I get a hotspot. My last few day stretch was almost 30 miles of detecting back and forth on the GPS. Gotta pay the abuse toll to get to the good stuff.

I consider myself very lucky in my location. Who hasn't heard of Dodge City, This very location has a history back to 1541 and Coronado. Anything is possible, and I've proved it. From Roman coin to Spanish Reale, and in the state of Kansas which became a state in 1861.

After nearly 50 years of metal detecting the area my bucket list is very low. Boxes & boxes of coins, jewelry & relics even to the point I have many I don't even know what is in them. I would just clean out my pouch and put it in boxes. Many items are on public display in local museums. Metal detecting has a whole new meaning to me now.

As my signature has said for years, The Real Treasure is in the Hunt... I'm getting old and my body is paying the price for my indiscretion when I was younger. I still have many sites ready to give up the goods but I just can't do it anymore. I hunt mostly tot lots because it doesn't require me to bend down in most cases. Sometimes I still make a trip to the city park and throw the dice for some oldies. There is still so much to be pulled out of that park.

Back when I was working and in good health, I chased new technology looking to gain that next 1"-2" that would hand me the goods again for a while, but I think we've hit a wall when it comes to depth. I say this simply because I have given it my all buying the best money could buy until I reached the point that buying the newest dog wasn't getting me any more bite. That was about 5 years ago. I have tried several of the new rigs, but nothing seems to work any deeper in my ground than what I had.

I'm not complaining, metal detecting has been very good to me. Now I can enjoy myself with just a quick hunt for clad or bling.

Back when I was looking for the best of the best. My Deus isn't in this picture, nor my NOX 800.

I'm happy to dig one silver coin a year!
Also actually happy to have any targets at all!

Realistic expectations, Research and Hard work. Although I live on the east coast I don’t hope to find the kind of things the guys in England find. There’s good things every where. Don’t get discouraged. Go out swinging. Good luck!

metaladdict said:

I'm happy to dig one silver coin a year!
Also actually happy to have any targets at all!

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I wager that you could probably go find $2-$5 dollars of clad in a few hours in California. I used to be able here. Now, it seems like the work that got me silvers for years, are resulting in diminished clad counts, a buck or two tops. It is hard keeping the interest with an aging body at 70. I could dig junk I guess, but I ain't a relic guy, never have been.

I never have been a door knocker. I put myself in their place...I don't want any stranger poking around my property. Maybe that is over paranoia.

Howdy Martin,
I live south of you in Bryan-College Station and there are a few parks to dig some clad, silver is almost impossible without a little research and luck. Lots of detectors over these areas over the years.
Tom

Tom_in_CA said:

I can think of spots where, if I wanted, I could go dig 100 quarters in a day . But .... gee.... why do that ? By just cherry-picking surface "gimmees". But why do that ? By the time you have your $25.00, you could have likewise earned that at a minimum wage job in the same-few-hours.

I'd rather go look for old coins, or a few silver coins. But .... that's just me.

Click to expand...

I agree. I'll pick them up as I search for gold rings. That's my thing. I know there's plenty of quarter hunters though, because the parks and schools that I do... there's hardly any quarters, but plenty of pennies and nickels, and gold.

Skippy

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I started this hobby out in California, which I consider to be a target rich environment. I was in MD heaven in the High Desert of So Cal when I lived there. Not knowing anything about the hobby back in 2013, when I came home with a pound and a half in clad and a dozen cosmetic jewelry items I thought life couldn't get any better. Then I moved back to Indiana and found out what the other end of the spectrum looked like. I'm used to the slim pickings here in this small community and I am very happy to have found 5 of 6 silvers this year. As others have mentioned, here in this part of the country most of the season is only about 9 months at best. I probably won't get to hunt at all in December January, February or March unless I want to travel about a hundred miles. Yeah, I know what "drained" is like....smiles.

HDD

I consider one of the interesting things about this hobby to be the variety of ways you can hunt and the variety of things you can find. Oops, that's two things. Hmmm... Anyway, here in Iowa I can't go to a coastal beach every day, but I could on a vacation. I do have local beaches along lakes and rivers I can detect. I can detect farm fields (but the season is very short (basically March and November). I can detect older areas looking for the older, deeper stuff. I can detect newer areas looking for clad, bling, and the occasional precious ring. I do them all, depending on the mood I'm in and how far I want to travel.

I do understand hunted out. In my four years of detecting, I've found a few honey holes with older stuff. I've pretty much hunted them out. Oh sure, I can go back and detect for two hours and pull twenty pieces of garbage for one decent find, but I'm not going to do that often.

Anyway, point is, to each their own and I appreciate everyone's contribution on the board in terms of bringing and showing off different ways of enjoying the same hobby.

I have been hitting open spaces in my area, knowing they are hunted out.
Finds are few and far between but they trickle in.

A recent park area I hit gave me one IH penny, a pewter spoon handle, and a great Ox Knob.

No place is hunted out completely.

I don't mind hunting these sites, they are mostly empty and peaceful.

Now that the year is almost over I am regretting not being more aggressive about getting permissions, but it was my first year and I did find some great things.

Can't wait until next year!

I spent a lot of the last few seasons going back to sites that were good in the day in hopes of finding that missed stuff now that I swing newer tech. What I found out is I did a very good job with my old tech and experience with it LOL.

I'm going to stick my neck out and admit that I despise digging up clad. Further to that, I've even become bored with silver coins, unless they are really old and in good shape. In other words, I now only hunt for jewelry and unique relics. By "relics", I don't mean rusted out buckles and similar items.

City parks are ok if you want clad and you're cherry picking the coin signals. Finding jewelry in a city park though? Well, that's ok too, as long as you're willing to dig up massive amounts of trash to find that elusive piece of valuable jewelry.

With all that said, that's why my only land hunting, is at old vacant lots in which the house has been demolished or abandoned, and construction sites on old land that has had the ground razed. The best thing about these sites is twofold: 1) Unlike park type sites, there is very little nonferrous trash to drive you nuts. 2) No one cares that you're digging holes.