How deep do you go or when do you fill in the hole and walk away?

[Andy Sabisch]

Here's one for those that dig the old coins we see posted here . . . . . the depth the Explorer and E-Trac can find keepers at is hard to tell non-users without being branded a liar at times.

Here's the question.

Well, if you are hunting a park or school where the grounds are maintained, how deep do you go before you simply say that it's too deep and that going any deeper will leave a heck of a sign you were there or if someone comes by, you'll be escorted back to your car.

A spot near a college campus in Charlotte this weekend turned up a number of keepers but in several cases, I was 10" down and the signal was still in the hole. Kneeling there with a pile of dirt on a cloth with people walking by was a tad un-nerving. I guess the option is use a detector that only gets 6" or so and the deep targets are not a problem.

So, how do you handle the real deep ones (Bryce?) and at what point do you pass and move on?

Andy

 

[JeffInMass]

Hi Andy,

When I hunt, I carry a plastic, triangular-shaped bucket that is typically used for oil changes. As I pull out dirt, I check my hand and if the coin is not in my hand, I throw it in the bucket until I find it. My typical rule of thumb is that once I get the bucket filled with dirt, if I haven't located the coin and it's not screaming out when I use my X-1, I pour the dirt back into the hole and cover it back up. That usually gets me down at least a foot and isn't very noticeable.

Jeff in Mass

 

[Bill_S]

I usually hunt in places that I do not want to leave obvious evidence of a bunch of digging. After about 10 inches if I still can not get a signal with the sunray probe I will usually fill in the hole. I carry a small towell with me and put the dirt on that for the deeper holes so I can just pour it back into the hole. I now need to find a way to keep from re-digging those deep holes if I visit a site some time later. I thought about putting something in the hole so if I start to dig it again I will know I had already dug there. Maybe a plastic golf tee or something.

 

[dahut]

About all you can do is become surgeon proficient. Make sure all your dirt gets on the cloth and make a nice big flap plug. If done carfeully, this work leaves little to no trace.
Lets just hope the groundskeepers are off on weekends.

 

[James N.D.]

Andy, I wouldn't be detecting a College Campus when Classes are going on. I only hunt them when they are out for the summer and no Classes are scheduled so you have the Campus to yourself. This way you don't have to look behind your back on every dig and you can relax and focus on what your doing so when done doing the Recovery, the Plug and the area around the Plug looks good as new.

Now as far as how Deep one digs in well maintained Parks, that will depend on the user's ability in retrieving Targets and how well they clean up after each recovery. If I get Deep Targets in the 10" Range, an the Park is well maintained, I still dig until I get that Target out of the ground. I try to cut only about a 4" Plug and usually when I flip it open, I take my Left Foot and hold the Plug Open while I am kneeling down doing the recovery. Doing this allows me to somewhat hide the sight of the Plug and the only way to see what I am doing would to be to walk up directly in front of me since I use my Detector to block one side of the hole and my body to try and block as much visual of the recovery as possible. I remove the dirt and set it in a pile near the hole until I find the Target. Then I will do a quick check in the hole with the X-1 Probe to make sure there's not other Targets and then push the dirt into the hole. If all the dirt won't go back in, I will put the plug back into the hole and take my Lesche Digger and fan the grass with the serrated edge until the dirt has blended back under the surrounding grass. Doing this acts like a small rake and if done right, there won't be any signs of dirt or the Plug itself. I make sure to firmly press the Plug into the ground and then brush the Plug with my foot to get the grass to stand back up.

Now if the Target starts getting too Deep, say 12" or so, then you call it quits since the Target will most likely be something rather large and not a Coin. The only way I will keep going is if the Target didn't have a good Signal say at 8" and it was real weak when you swung the Coil over the Target before the retrieval. If the Target was Loud and had a Strong Signal, say at 6" and now your down close to 11"+, then it most likely is a large piece of metal and not a Coin.

Also, if the Target starts to Null, say at 8", I still dig a bit more dirt out to see if the Target was just out of reach for the X-1 Probe to get a Signal from and if it still Nulls, then I go into Pinpoint and find the location of the Target and try and remove whatever the Iron Object is. If found and removed, then I re-check the hole to make sure there isn't a Coin that was with the Iron. If it seems that the Iron Object is too hard to locate or is Deeper, then I will just cover the hole and try and make a mental note of that Target and the area where it is in case of a return trip to that spot later on.

You sure are right about being nervous when people walk by and see what you are doing Andy. If I find a Target that sounds good and is Deep on the Depth Meter, then I will look around to see where the people are and then I will put my back to them and then do the recovery since this will buy you some extra time before anyone notices what you are doing. Something to think about using when there are people present, that and waiting until they walk by or leave the area, then go back and recover. I have done this also by either marking the area with a Twig or some other way of knowing where the Targets are so you can retrieve them later on.

Well, I hope this makes sense Andy and hope it wasn't too long since I try to explain exactly how I do things when out hunting and retrieving. Good Luck and HH to you on your next outing Andy.

 

[Hotcz70]

that one option of getting a detector that only hits 6" coins .. ..My friend....you wouldn't be any happier than I would with one of those
The E-trac and explorers are in their "own little world"...as you probably know better than anyone. They are amazing machines...and my SE continues to impress me each and every time out....with what it can do.
I tend to hunt parks where the grooming isn't priority....and to be honest....most of the coins left there are at least 8" to 10" deep. That's truly all that's left in these places...so I have to be able to dig deep...and I need to be able to dig a decent sized plug.
In the example you provided...at the spot near the campus...that was well groomed...and had a lot of pedestrian traffic....that would be a tough one for me. If I have a nice 10" plug dug...and the x-1 probe is still screaming "deep coin"..."deep coin"....I don't think I could walk away. I think that's why I enjoy hunting most of the "beat up" parks that I frequent...because I can pretty much feel okay about digging a nice plug. There's been plenty of other hunters there before me...so I feel okay about it. I try and be as neat as possible when refilling the hole...as I'm sure we all do. There are times though in some parks...that I feel it would be better to hunt another day. It might be because I felt there were too many "curious" passers-by...or because the park had just been mowed/groomed...etc....and I don't feel comfortable digging a deep plug. On days like that Andy...I guess it is better that I move on...but you can bet the farm that I'll be coming back another day
Take care Andy
-Bryce

 

[XLT-user]

What exactly are you asking. Or suggesting. With your vast amount of knowledge, Your numerous Books on detecting, and your love and promotion of the hobby I believe you know the answer before you ask.

Are you in a slight way saying some of us are going to deep at certain areas?. I would tend to agree if this is your point.Are you attempting to get us thinking, and realizing we are doing damage?.

I know your not only an expert detectorist, but a fine man and a gentleman too. Is this the response you were looking for?.I know you would never just come out and say it.

Have a great day my friend, and I hear you may have a book out soon on the new Minelab ET series.Keep us posted if it isn't out already

 

[BlackX]

I generally stop at least by 11-12" depending on what the signal was like. Though in gravel or hard-pack I may quit sooner. One thing I had to learn with the Explorer was to trust what I heard and keep digging.

It's pretty amazing how much dirt one can get out of a small circumference surface hole! In those situations where the surrounding are important, I may be looking around to find a place to dump a bit of extra dirt if I can't pack it tight enough on the refill.

 

[Rick(ND)]

A lot depends on where I am, if it is a well manicured yard I will only use my screwdriver probe, pinpoint the very best i can and then use my X-1 probe to retrieve the target. Now if it is deeper than my X-1 will give a reading I will recheck with the detector and try to pinpoint it by going all the way around and dig 2 inch plug and use my X-1 again trying to get a signal. Now when I find the direction it is I will work the dirt around to get to the target and check it with the X-1 quite often to see if I moved it or not.
Now in some of the older parks that are looking real good I do the same thing, but the plug is is now a bit bigger and be 3-4 inches big and by using the X-1 probe a lot I can work the dirt around with out make the hole bigger if it is in the side of the hole as I can hollow out the area under the sod. I have given up on some that dont seem to get any better after digging 3 or 4 inches of dirt out of the hole as I know they are bigger items deeper.
Parks and ball fields that are not well groomed if surface I just use my X-1 probe and use my screwdriver to pop the coins out, if deeper i will dig a deep plug about 4 inches in dia. and try to keep it intact and use my X-1 in the hole or the plug and find the target and slip the plug back when done. In every case the X-1 probe is what i use as I can make smaller plugs and dig to the target without digging a big hole or digging too deep.

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

Sure wish they still made them. But with that I know exactly how deep the target is before I start to dig. And very seldom get dime/cent size coins much beyond 8". I only use a screwdriver to dig, cut a half plug and fold it over, then retrieve the coin. Very seldom detect when the ground is dry so once plug is flipped back and tamped down almost impossible to see that any thing had been dug.

Perhaps I've left a half or silver dollar in the ground, but usually hits deeper than that turn out to be big chunks of iron..

Chris

 

[Weasel_Loader]

What I hate is those plugs that come apart. You know those half turf and half dirt type plugs that are impossible to replace as you found them. I try my best though and spend as much time as I can to make it look as untouched as possible.

I also find that if I make my plugs somewhat on the larger size, it has a better chance of healing especially if I leave one side of the flap still connected to the root system. I see a lot of people separating the entire plug from the hole which usually leaves the plug dead and noticeable to the grounds keepers.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Here's my take on it. I dig as deep as I can without leaving to many hints that I have been there.
This depends on the ground and

I make a BIG plug this has two (2) purposes; 1. it makes it easier to dig deep and 2. it makes it harder for a grass mower to "lift" the plug from the ground.

It seems grass mowers create a vacuum sort of effect and can literally suck up the plug if it is not put in place properbly!
That alone to me are 2 good reasons.

That is why you should stomp on your plugs to get them back into the ground, it makes it even harder for the grass mower to lift it up.

I move on at about 10-12" depending on ground conditions. But if I'm at the beach I can dig like a little piggy!
(The sand beaches I mean.)


HH,
Eu

 

[Andy Sabisch]

No, I was simply asking to see what the consensus was on the question.

This weekend I was out with 2 other hunters - one with an Explorer and one with an F-75. The ground was wet from rain and deep signals were plentiful. But, after you get to 10" and there is a pile of dirt on the towel left to the hole, you start to question how much deeper do you want to go. Several veteran hunters regularly pull coins out at that depth or deeper. When we were looking at deep meaning 6", this was not a question . . . . . now 10" is achievable.

My question was simply at what point to you toss in the towel. The site we were at dated back to the mid-1800's and as I filled in a few holes, I wondered what I had covered up. One of the guys had started to pull out a relic shovel to hunt the park surrounded by 100+ year old homes worth way more than mine. He usually hunted older sites in the woods and said that he could dig a nice plug with it but the appearance of digging with the relic shovel was less enticing than kneeling there with a pile of dirt next to a hole. I guess using a shovel is an option to get a 12" deep plug of sorts but somehow I think you would be asked to leave pretty quick.

So, no I was not saying we as a group are digging too deep . . . . . maybe some different techniques might allow a few more inches before moving on and some of the posts and a few PM's have given me some points to consider.

Thanks for the feedback and best of luck to everyone in the field.

Andy

 

[Andy Sabisch]

. . . . . it's the ones that are usually in the better sections of town and have residents that keep an eye on it. When they eye you up and see the dirt pile, I for one tend to get a little self-conscious.

I was only kidding about getting a detector that gets no depth . . . . . often the only reason I find what I do is because the detectors that get 6" have "cleaned" the area out and I hear about it after the fact . . . . then you can go in and find the real good stuff.

The "ghetto parks" as the St. Louis gang affectionately call the parks in what was once a nice part of town tends to be a non-problem for recovering the deeper targets.

I hate to leave a target that is singing "Silver Here" but when the pile gets so high, you need to decide

Andy

 

[Ray-Mo.]

Just kidding as I know what you mean about people watching as the hole is made ever deeper to get down to the older coins.I just try to go when there are the least amount of people to watch me, Ray.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

The fewer people out the better . . . . . good advice Ray

Andy

 

[king-ghidorah]

I'll keep digging until I get the target. I don't care how deep I go. Where I'm swinging now I just use my Lesche digger but where this park is between several streets and their are houses all around it would be nice to bring out that shovel and go deep at first bite but then I know they would call the police because it looks more destructive whereas with the digger it doesn't draw attention. I have had no problems at all and the police have seen me numerous times and they just drive on by.

I am using an AutoMax probe and that is getting old. Pretty soon a Sunray or Pistol Probe is in order.

 

[XLT-user]

IMHO I do believe it is possible some areas we detect dictate the depth of the recovery. I thought maybe you were just trying to make us aware of our responsibility given the area where we are for the hunt. I have had a Ranger or two question a few digs when in a county park.I try and be as responsible as possible, and judge the area before digging 12 -14 inch holes. My thoughts have been in a heavily populated area it would not be a wise dig in a park.That's my take. Happy Hunting Andy!.

 

[king-ghidorah]

The only difference is the perception of people viewing us and how and with what we are digging with. The difference between a 14" hole and a 5" is 9" but when you fill it back in it's all the same.

What was the Ranger's questions about your holes?

 

[BlackX]

...I don't think I've ever stopped digging if I thought it was silver. Those are almost always something that turns out to be large and I'm curious what they are.