Haven't really been out much since spring and the past to days have been poor.

[bruce1036]

Seems the schools are getting rid of the woodchips and going to the rubber mats or ground up tires.
It's becoming less and less easy to find places to go.
Now the question is I have a Xterra 305 with stock coil and rain cover. 9 out of 10.
If i decided to sell the unit what could I get for it?
Retired and took up golf since it was easier.

Thanks

Bruce

 

[Old Longhair]

Shame that you have to give up one for the other. There's so much more out there than tot-lots.

I won't tell you what I think of golf , but as far as the 305 goes....

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?44,1734318,1734597#msg-1734597
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?44,1745191,1746004#msg-1746004

 

[chuckciao]

When I began detecting, I only hunted tot lots and got bored quickly but graduated quickly to parks and found lots silver, Indians, wheaties and jewelry! Why don't you give parks a try before you sell your gear?

 

[mapper65]

I've been behind some slow foursomes out on the course and wish I had my 705 with me! Probably wouldn't go over very well huh.

There's time for both especially if you are retired. You need to find a couple of nice gold rings and then sell them off and buy a nice new set of TaylorMade clubs. Let one hobby feed the other.

Have fun!

 

[T.A.L.LasVegas]

Like mapper65 said.

 

[bruce1036]

And every year is getting harder. Parks are closing to metal detecting, woods are becoming posted, new homes are being built on wooded lands for old property's. It seems every schol is switching over to mats instead of wookchips and I swear the kid have their own credit card now.
Use to be fun and I was always trading off for a new detector for the fun of it.
Nine years ago was so much different. Can't keep hitting the same soccer field over and over. Just get boring.
Thanks everyone..

Bruce

 

[Hard 2 Find]

Bruce, I totally agree with you. I started metal detecting in 2006. When you live in a smaller city like I do, you can only do so much metal detecting without going over the same area again and again. Getting permission to metal detect on private property is getting harder to do. You are also correct about you statement about schools and parks using rubber mats and rubber chips. With the price of gas to travel out of town is expensive too.

 

[xwyokid]

I feel what your saying about getting enthused about only being able to detect the same old places. Like everything, things have changed. When my brother and I started detecting many years ago with White's Coinmaster 1V's it was pure heaven. Our small town in California was founded in 1861 and that was old enough to have plenty of old coins to be found. Coming home with half a pocketful of silver coins was a normal day. Oh well....

 

[chuckciao]

I agree that places to detect are rapidly disappearing but what has really helped keep MD'ing fun and exciting for me is the continuing development of my hunting skills and knowledge of my 705. I dig far less trash and many more good targets even in old previously hunted areas. I have to say that despite finding very little silver lately, I really look forward to each and every hunt!

 

[bruce1036]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/553563_3568926981176_1761251959_n.jpg
Hunted for a hour and a half and picked up 26 cents. Was hopeful, but with the look of the place i'm not surprised. Looks like a ghost town from the old west.
Tomorrow could always be better or maybe worse. Will try one more time tomorrow.
Just trying to prove to myself there's hope. Thought about heading to Maine for the day (3 1/2 hour drive and about $70.00 for gas) kind of turns me off, and my net may not be worth the ride.

 

[Old Longhair]

What are greens fees for a round?

I do understand.
I live in the boonies, and most of the immediate surrounding area was swamp or bog when it was first settled. So new places worth the time, gas, and effort are few or far.
Today I burned $10 in gas to recover about $3.50 in clad and only got one wheat, but I still figure it as cheap entertainment. One old park in a one horse town about eight miles from here is my proving ground. Every time I get a new piece of equipment, or try anything different, I go there first. It amazes me that it still gives up what it does. I've hit it hard in the last couple years, and many before me hammered it for years. But it continues to produce Wheats, and occasional silver. I dug my first Barber quarter in that park.

Try something different with that Xterra! Maybe you'll stumble on a revelation that will renew the game. If you normally GB around 10, set it to 11 or 12, basicly to manually offset it. If you normally hunt with a DISC pattern, try All Metal. If you only have the stock coil, get a smaller one (like buying a new putter). Try a different number of tones. Somethng! Anything!

The deffinition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. That kind of boredom would drive me from the hobby too.

 

[mapper65]

Today I burned $10 in gas to recover about $3.50 in clad and only got one wheat, but I still figure it as cheap entertainment.

I agree, cheap entertainment. We often times detect as a family and we've driven 120 miles or more to find 5 or 6 coins. We've also driven that same distance to unexpectedly find handfuls of coins.

We've always had the attitude that it's kind of the thrill of the hunt. We put a lot of research into the locations that we goto and many are not right down the street. We print out Google maps or save them to the iPad. It's more of an event for us. Sometimes we are very successful and other times we come up finding very little. I think people need to have the right mindset for detecting or just sell everything and find something to do that makes them happy.

Just some further thoughts.....

I have a friend that when I showed him some detecting videos on You Tube, he was one step away from buying a machine. He was so excited every time someone found a silver coin. I had to bring him back to reality and explain that these videos are like gamblers, you only see or hear the good stuff. He's one of those people that buys a fishing license every year and after 45 minutes of fishing he's bored if he's not catching fish after fish and he's ready to go home.

Sure, we all like to be successful at what we do but you're not always going to be. Success is based on your detector, your abilities with it and ultimately the locations that you goto. I told my friend that detecting is a lot like fishing, we may spend 5 hours and find very little. That kind of put his flame out and he didn't want anything to do with detecting. Now every time I show him my coin book or tell him about a great find, you can tell he wishes that he would have bought a detector. Unfortunately he has all the wrong reasons for wanting a detector. He wants detecting to be profitable and find handfuls of old coins every time he goes out. Some things come with a price and detecting is no different. Your going to spend time and money but you have to find the value in it in order to enjoy it. That value might be, spending time in nature, spending time with family or friends, learning more about your surroundings and possibly even finding an old coin or two. I feel that it's really what you make it out to be.

Just my two cents worth.

Have fun!

 

[bruce1036]

I have a Garrett Ace 250 with stock coil, Excelerator 10 x 14 DD coil, Sniper coil, and rewalked over and over the same area and the best you'll do is pennies, and I hate digging pennies. I'm not the only one that detects around here there are a couple others. Kids just don't go out and play like they use to. No one around here really rides a bike anymore. They walk and talk on the cell phone, and hang around at the mall.
It's a shame when you have a better chance of finding a condom by the swings then a quarter. Kids don't even slay ride anymore. Want to continue, but it's getting harder and harder.

Happy Hunting..

Bruce

 

[Beale]

I do understand! In my town are 3 parks, and 4 schools. I go to all of them. Yes it is getting harder. More MD's out there. IMHO Try to rethink how you hunt. When i hunt a school that i have been to a bunch I stop and look around. Trying to think like a teen. Where different do they hang out, I still find a couple of bucks. On Ballfields like your picture have you hunted where the bleachers may have been? If so then hunt the outfield, all over. Just look at it as a gamble. Some days it is a buck, others it may be 5.00.

Tot lots? Look around for the old ones or hunt them just in the rubber. I hunt a tot lot with rubber chips and always find something? Good luck to you, Beale.