Heard some like hunting corn fields.

[Digdoggy]

I've read before some guys love to detect corn fields. Why? Has anyone ever done well on such? Maybe the old house was right where the field is today. I believe in trying places that may not look great or unproven with research. Like the little patches of woods alongside schools and parks. That's if you have nothing else promising. I'm asking because I have so many schools and parks that were farms. Planting fields galore around CT here. In the past that is. Problem with the past farms that pics show in 1934 in my hood is I've noticed where the house and outbuildings were are the nice level spots so the building envelopes are still in use. That's right where the new schools and all the concrete and pavement sit today. Patches of woods and ball fields at these schools today were the planting fields 80 yrs ago. Some pics i have just 50 yrs ago up to the 70's when the schools near me were built.
Soooo, why do some say cornfields are loved? What do you folks think? Is there something I should know about the "Children of the Corn". Maybe they only carried silver n gold?

 

[Roscue2]

Back east once a corn field may have always been a corn field. Even back to the CW.

 

[GKMan]

I love corn fields, and fields in general, all of my greatest finds have came from them. For the most part research paid off to detect a a specific part of the field that once was the site of a homestead, but you never know where you will find something

Here is a link to my greatest find ever, a 1793 Liberty Cap cent (which is the rarest penny ever made) leaving the chain and wreath cents in the dust... I dug it right between a corn row...

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?86,1924635

 

[hershey1]

Here in TN. plowed corn fields expose relics that would otherwise be out of most detectors range. Research is great but many a campsite, skirmish or battle site has been found by investigating with a metal detector. Indian relics come into play here also. Those old farmers lost things also (coins, buttons, tokens) . Get permission and check these places out. Very few times you will come away empty handed. Uncovering history. When all else fails hit those plowed fields. JMHO. HH

 

[ChicagoJohn]

I would go if something out there 100 years ago and never know what you find! I know some people find some nice indian arrowheads after rain before farmer plant corn!

 

[Steve O]

Some of my best and oldest coins are from corn/soybean fields. They are few and far between, but they are there. Masking is less in fields compared to around the old homes also, less iron and trash. You can use your deepest detector that's not good in trash areas,,, like the cz or Explorers, etc. Farm fields also don't require a 'perfect' back fill either. No prying eyes out in a vast field. Of course, there are only certain times during the year you can detect them because of the planting....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....i....
One bad thing is the fertilizer destroys copper coins...not harsh on silver or gold though.

 

[Mega]

Most of our detecting over here in the UK is the reverse of your type of detecting,we dont detect parks or playing fields due too politics and the various governing bodies use the health and safety trump card,but we do detect on pasture and ploughed and rolled land but when our history goes back 1000s of years i guess we stand a good chance of finding historic finds.

When a field starts getting tired and the finds slow down a little a fresh ploughing can bring the finds upto the top ago,especially as tractors are getting more powerful they can use deeper ploughs,i guess we are very lucky in that aspect and we tend too take our finds for granted.

 

[Digdoggy]

Wow that's pretty decided then, the farm fields are good sites. Thanks for the answers. All these ball fields around me were once farm fields in the 1934 and still in 1965 aerial photos I have and I've superimposed them over todays satellite images. I did this and sure enough the old houses and barns long gone are covered by the school and pavement as I've said. I did a bunch of work on this because its in my neighborhood and figure start in our own backyard to be practical. I don't think they needed fill on these ball fields when built. So the dozers probably just smoothed out what was there. Maybe these sport fields still have some goods within reach. Been having back troubles so I'm not mding right now. Soon hope to hit the fields. Especially after hearing you guys do well on fields. Well find out soon I hope and I'll post back some finds no matter what.

 

[GKMan]

Good Luck!

 

[Digdoggy]

Thanks GK and that's an awsome coin. I dare only dream of such finds.

 

[Simpsonslammer]

Last fall I hit a feild hard where a turn of the school once stood. I did pretty good finding alot of wheats, a few silver, v's and buffalos. I drove by and noticed they just plowed it up so I thought i better go back and see if they turned any thing up. Guess what I found right on top of the dirt..a walking liberty half. Sometimes the farmers plow can be your best bet

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Cornfeilds are great for many of the above mentioned reasons, such as. they are only accessible a very short time each year which is even shorter with freeze up or snowfall meaning they dont usually get over hunter.. if the land was farmed prior to the early 1900s it would have been plowed with horses or oxen so tack and buckles can also be found.. the only lawnmowers back then looked very much like goats and cattle so if coins were lost the chances of them finding it in deep grass would have been slim... also due to plowing there is always a chance of finding more coins which would have been too deep to find in previous years.. know whos land you are hunting on and make sure its not planted as some feilds dont look planted even though they are..many farmers are starting to go to non till farming due to fuel costs so coins dont get rotated like they use to..

 

[Digdoggy]

Around my immediate area the schools and sports parks are on old farm fields. I hunted two such schools with the 705 and digger coil. Just a couple hrs each and each one I hit along the sidelines of ball fields. One Ive done 3 - 4 two hr hunts. I've pounded around the tennis courts a few times. All these hunts I was on school sports field property that was once farmland. I've never hit a silver. Not one coin older than 1965 other than a penny but not even one wheat cent. Now that's not very promising. Clad, tabs, can lids and those darn twist offs from 12 oz. beer bottles and soda bottles. What old coins may have been on the old farms must be deep under the ball fields by now. I guess I need better sites to hunt.

 

[GKMan]

Yes, good research is instrumental to success, it has paid off very well for me..

 

[Digdoggy]

Yep,, I'm not mding for a bit due to back trouble but I've honed my research skills with the down time. Best tecnique online is---I can get aerial photos of any area in my state. Using Google Earth I overlay them on todays satelite image. Takes a little time to learn but once you get it right. Oh my...it shows you right where everyting sat. I can go back up to 80 yrs. That's enough and plenty diffecult to align.

So I don't need to check every area of these ballfields. According to my overlayed map I can hit the most likely spots and if that's not giving even one silver its been pounded out by others or the ballfield has covered them too deep. HH