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TrpnBils
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IDXMonster
Jeff,that’s excellent record keeping! It’s also a VERY clear indicator that If you have spent about the same time hunting these last 4 years,these particular sites are NoT going to allow for high coin counts. What they DO allow is a larger chance of finding those older coppers and weird denom coins that traditionally don’t show up as often on public ground(parks,schools,etc.)
It all depends on what you want to find. If you are going for it all and feel as if these defunct sites are the way to do it,I won’t argue. But if you’re looking for more silver,IMHO it has to be where a lot of activity occurred,and people had it in their pocket. To ME,it’s about return on my time,I won’t usually go hunt somewhere that MIGHT have something. I will go somewhere that DOES have something,because the odds of it having nothing are zero.
On your chart,the difference of 6 silvers to me isn’t an indicator of machine error or operator error,rather...the places you’re hunting do NOT have enough of what you want. Even though you seem to have access to a lot of them,it’s going to take a ludicrous amount of time to sort through them all and harvest the stragglers. Hunting a site with perhaps less area and more activity within that area will up your silver coins. The large coppers are big targets,any of those in public places are likely gone for the great part.
If you’re looking for that “spectacular find” or a “cache” or you don’t mind digging horse shoes,you’re on the right track,IMO. But the biggest thing you can do to change that “9” number is to NOT hunt where you’re hunting. I truly believe that.
That all makes sense, but I have to wonder.... the vast majority of those public sites (schools, churches, parks, fair grounds, etc) that had a lot of people over the years are right there on everybody's radar that does this. You look at any "how to metal detect" site that covers even the basics and those are the spots they tell you to go to. My mindset over the past couple of years is along the lines of "find an untouched site"...one where nobody else has hit so everything that was lost there over the years of occupation is still there in one way or another. That's also the reason why I tend to not bother with homes that are still occupied...less hassle and less modern garbage with the unmapped sites that are sunk into the middle of a farm field somewhere or buried deep in the woods.
If I remember right, you and I started with the CTX right about the same time, right? What kinds of sites are you having success at? If I recall, the last video of yours I watched was a cellar hole in the middle of the woods in the snow, right?
That could have been misleading as to where I DO hunt. The vast majority of my finds come from old ball fields. ANY old ball field that has 75+ years of history. It can still be in use,been hunted by every body in town...they produce like nobody’s business. WHY? Because even though they have been hunted,chances are high they haven’t been hunted by an FBS machine or a CTX. Even if they HAVE,that’s NO guarantee the operator had ANY idea what they were doing. The best way to test this is to go find a ballfield and hunt the outfield. It’s as simple as that. Most of my coins come from the 8+” range. You’ll be able to tell if it’s been hunted hard,because there will be very little in the way of clad,which tends to be up to 6-7”. Basically those other hunters have cleared the pesky coins out of the way for us! The 17” coil is what I use almost ALL the time,unless it’s a very specific situation where I need to go smaller. 