point of diminishing returns

[Agseeker]

With all the posts talking about how good the E-trac is at finding previously missed coins in heavily hunted parks I thought it would be interesting to hear from other detectorists about where their personal point of diminishing returns is at. In other words: at what point do you stop hunting an area because there is so little found that its no longer worth the time and effort to continue hunting there?

 

[Fubar]

There are a number of fields near my home in Yorkshire, UK some have been "well" detected but every year old coins still turn up. So I never give up!

 

[jeffc]

It kind of reminds me of a fishing analogy. What day is the best day to go fishing?

Any day, of course. Just like the fact that it is known as fishing and not catching, metal "detecting" is not the same as metal "finding". I think it's the possibility of detecting something is what keeps a detectorist coming back. Just my thoughts...

 

[moonshine]

for me its if i feel that I will not find a single thing. I have pretty low expectations, meaning, it doesnt take much by the way of finds to make me happy. if i think i have a chance at just one silver coin i will detect it.

 

[Agseeker]

I like what I'm reading--keep it coming. I think a lot of it depends on location and what you expect to find. If you live in the UK like Fubar where you can find coins and relics that are 2000 years old it makes sense to keep hunting areas that don't yield much. But using jeffc's fishing analogy, would you continue to fish in a lake where not a single fish has been caught in the past two years? That doesn't make sense to me. I do have to agree with moonshine - if I think I can find even one coin worth finding then I'll hunt the area. As an example, I hunted a little park that's in a 1950s neighborhood this evening and found 4 memorial cents, 1 clad dime, and 3 clad quarters. I've never found anything in this park that dated earlier than 1970. I personally don't see much point in continuing to spend time on this park when there are other areas where I've found wheat cents and silver coins (I just went there today because its close to home and I didn't have much time). On the other hand I've hunted an area where about 15 1940s houses were torn down and have found around 18 wheat cents but no silver. I keep going back there even though the wheat cents are few and far between, but I expect that there are still some silver coins there.

I'm just curious at what point others decide to pack it in and go somewhere else.

 

[jeffc]

Just as Moonshine is suggesting. Maybe there is a certain expectation level that's driving your hunting and not realizing the pure satisfaction that the hobby can bring, with or without finds. I all but gave up on a vacant lot I had been detecting but decided to go one more time. Now, I am looking forward to going again, time permitting.

I think you misunderstood my fishing analogy. It's not about fishing sometimes. For me, it's about the time spent fishing. I probably would find a new fishing hole after two years too. But, as they say, insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Maybe I was off the mark drawing the comparison, but sometimes the best find is peace of mind.

You can only decide when it's time to pack it up. In my case, sometimes my wife decides for me. I'll bet, though, you'll find yourself back there some day...

JC

 

[jmaryt]

simple! when ya just dont find anything worth finding!
ain't no shortage of places,it's just that they are all '"cooked"
to the point that you are just not findin' anything worth your time!
soooo!.ya keep lookin'! and it is what ya have to do in order to stay
"engaged" so to speak!..way it is! what can ya say?..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

you are correct! "it's the THRILL of the hunt!" (anticipation!)
makes it work! 33 years and counting!..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[nge]

I hunt several parks that are flood plains. Never a dull moment! But one thing I have noticed in over 50 years of M.D'ing, is that if you have a headache, don't go out to hunt, you can't concentrate, likewise if you have a fight with your significant other and leave the abode in a huff, go hunting, it is very relaxing..........NGE

 

[Barry NY]

I think that before you abandon a location you'll need to detect it in different modes (ie: multi CO and TTF) and from different angles and in different ground conditions until you get to the point that nothing good is recovered over about 2-3 hunts...

 

[Agseeker]

I thank everyone for their comments thus far. It's interesting to read the different views. I agree with many of you that just getting out and enjoying the sunshine, fresh air, exercise has its benefits. However, being the practical, pragmatic person that I am let me express my opinion that I didn't buy a $1500 detector just to walk around swinging it not caring whether or not I find anything. If I wanted to do that I would have spent $200 on a detector and saved a lot of money. No, I bought a top-of-the-line detector so I could hopefully find older, deeper coins and artifacts that others have missed with less sophisticated machines. Now this isn't intended as a slam on those of you who enjoy the hobby for the hobby's sake, but I didn't buy an expensive detector just to look--I bought it to find. After all, isn't that why the hobby metal detector was invented - to find metallic objects that people lost or buried years ago?

To get back to my original topic of a point of diminishing returns - I think most everyone has a point, at a given site, where they decide that site is no longer productive and its time to move on. I know where my point is. I just thought it would be interesting to hear what others have to say on the topic. Hopefully this might be helpful to someone who is new to the hobby.

 

[mcb613]

I often have issues with returning to spots that I think I have cleaned out. In fact, I guess I really have an issue knowing most of the easy finds have been taken, which does diminish end results. I would be interested in how some of the Etrac pro's would make out following me and my hunted out spots. I assume a few items would be found by the deep guy's. But for me, I do lose patience and look for new spots after the ratio comes down. Just my take. HH, Mike

 

[banditicey]

We hunt an area waiting for my son who is training in martial arts which is about an hour drive from our home

It is hit and miss but the area is VERY OLD, so there is hope and potential

We detected in a park and I found my only Seated Dime 1876, when I found it, I did not know what it was because I was a newbie

We went back several times and had poor results and did not return for about two years

Last week we went back and the Husband found a LARGE CENT!

So we will be returning to dig with new hope and new attitude

 

[banditicey]

We hunt an area waiting for my son who is training in martial arts which is about an hour drive from our home

It is hit and miss but the area is VERY OLD, so there is hope and potential

We detected in a park and I found my only Seated Dime 1876, when I found it, I did not know what it was because I was a newbie

We went back several times and had poor results and did not return for about two years

Last week we went back and the Husband found a LARGE CENT!

So we will be returning to dig with new hope and new attitude

What I forgot to mention was that when we started detecting at the park we had different detectors

Also, yesterday I found a 1835 Large Cent in that same park