Snow hunting

[gvanvekoven]

Still waiting for my bonus to hit my bank account - but looks like the Minelab is going to be my next big purchase. In the mean time - I was just wandering something else that's been weighing heavy on my mind. The snow here in SE Iowa is about 1 foot deep right now and the sun was out today for a change. I got really - and I mean
REALLY tempted to throw on my hunting clothes and go out to look for stuff in the snow. However - chickened out when I started thinking about what the neighbors might think or say about the weird guy in the hunting clothes outside in the field with a metal detector. As I sat thinking tonight - I got to the "I don't don't care what they think" point - but - if I do get up my courage and it's sunny tomorrow - is it a waste of time? Will a metal detector work any good in snow? Just wandering.

 

[steve in so la]

The higher your coil is from the target the less the signal will be. It's that simple, I always scrub the coil on the ground so as to get the best signal. And what do you care what others think - it's you that should be having the fun, steve in so az

 

[gvanvekoven]

I suppose your right Steve. I will take your advice and go out looking anyway. Unfortunately - I don't think my prism III will get me much deeper than a few inches into the dirt after I add in the 12 inches of snow. But what the hey - I have found lots of stuff just a couple of inches down. All I know for sure is I am getting aufully out of shape and fat sitting inside during these cold winter months and I need to do something about it. Don't work off too much weight at a computer keyboard. I just wish all these Penny's were silver dollars. Man I have been reading lots about all the hidden loot and Gold in Arizona. Must be nice! You don't get much snow down your way do you? I guess you might if you live around Flagstaff. I spent some time around Yuma many years ago when I was in the Marine Corp. All I can remember about it now is how dang hot it was. Good Mexican food for sure. The best! Would be a nice place to vacation during the Northern winters. Unfortunatly - time - work - and money put a damper on that dream. I will just have to put it on my things to do list.

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

You will likely not hear a thing through a foot of snow. Maybe a pop can? You want excercise, shovel a big area, then you will be down to the grass. Steve is right, the coil right on the soil is the answer. Many veteran detectors still don't do it. Have fun and post a report!

 

[steve in so la]

is way over rated Gvan, for ghost towns, gold & such. There's so many people living at some published ghost towns that you cannot find a place to park.
The weather is great here - summer's are not as hot a Yuma. We get no snow here. Yuma was 70 degrees a couple days ago. Good luck, get out and find some goods, steve

 

[Jamie(MI)]

If it is powder you stil can get pretty low to the ground. It also makes a good marker where you have gone. Have fun!

 

[Pete in MI]

people lose a lot of stuff...some as they sit down on the sled or tobbaggan, some as they are going down the hill, some where people have hit bumps and tipped over the sled or tobbaggan, some at the bottom as they get off the item and areas at the top or bottom where people stand to watch others as they are sledding or tobbagganning and also don't forget to check the area going to and from the parking area to the hill as people pull keys out of their pockets to get into their vehicles.

Biggest problem I had was not a lack of signals. Lots of lost coins (mostly clad stuff), keys, etc. Problem was the signals coming from below the grass in the frozen ground. If one could mark the spots then go back in spring that would save having to swing the coil again...but hey ya know the stuff will still be there til spring.

(I don't know of any sledding hills up here. One I visited was down in the Lansing, MI area. (Grand Ledge - Fitzgerald Park for anyone down that way and also in Lansing itself there is one that I forgot the name of the park..bet I could find it on the map if anyone was interested).

So detecting in the snow is a way to go..if there is a hill someplace to detect. Good luck.

 

[gvanvekoven]

Did a little research and found a city park here where lots of kids have been sledding down a major hill for over 100 years. Got permission from the city to use a metal detector at city owned parks. After searching out one of the smallest parks, I made the mistake of showing a nearby property owner my pocket full of old coins (not really "that" old but coins none the less). I was hoping he would allow me to search his property after seeing what I had found, but no dice. The next weekend - during a short warming spell - I went back to the small park and found where someone had went in with what appeared to be a large shovel. They had dug huge holes all over the nice grassy areas of the small park and made a really piss poor attempt at covering them back in. The grass is now obviously DEAD. Now I am crossing my fingers in hopes the city doesn't place the parks off limits to detecting. My heart really sunk. Live and learn. Has this sort of thing ever happened to you? What do you call people that do this sort of thing? Their must be a good term detectorists have come up with for these sorts of people. Can't really call them a claim jumper, thief, or.......hummmm. I do know what you can call me for shooting my mouth off.......S T U P I D!

Gvan

 

[gvanvekoven]

Sorry about the use of a not so good word in my last post on this. It "magically" got replaced thank goodness. I will be more watchfull of my somewhat colorfull termonoligy in the future. Thank you whoever you are.

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

LAZY!!! They are the kind that also cover up a trash item when they find it instead of taking it with them!

 

[Pete in MI]

but for the rest of us they are replaced with these:

[attachment 77270 PlaygroundClosed.jpg]

[attachment 77271 NoMDs.jpg]

[attachment 77272 NoMDs2.jpg]