To all the gold ring finfers

[jackintexas]

To all you gold ring finders. I mean the ones that have found at least 10 gold rings since they have been hunting. Other than in and around swimming areas what would you say are some of the type places that have been most productive for you in finding gold rings. In other words strictly land hunting.I have found 116 gold rings but mostly in and around swimming areas. beaches....Jack

 

[2wheeldevil]

Hunting for people who have lost their rings I have found most of them in water. Then comes grass, leaves, flower beds or vegetable garderns.
My keepers, I have all found all in the water except for 2, one small gold ring with a stone in it in a tot lot and one small gold pinky ring in the sand on the beach.

 

[slingshot]

Just about ANY public gathering place, but one of my new favorites are outside basketball courts- in fact any sports field. Following 2wheeldevil's thinking, a business card advertising your ability to find lost rings has many followers.

 

[REVIER]

I have found about a dozen around the perimeters of basketball courts, one bracelet and class ring included, some huge silver rings, smaller ones too and several silver chains around these things also.
I call these sites beach hunting for landLubbers.

 

[sprchng]

I have found 18 gold rings but have never hunted beach or water sites. Two of those rings are silver/gold inlayed so they don't really count as gold. One of the remaining 16 was found with a Deus , the rest with an etrac. Each ring established a pattern of it's own. Soccer field sidelines , soccer goals , basketball courts , tot lots , areas surrounding tot lots , picnic tables , football fields , baseball backstops ,,,,,, all public park common areas in both high and low levels of the economic scale. The one common denominator is that I seem to dig a gold ring for about every 2000 alluminum/low conductor signals I dig.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

If you take swim beaches out of the formula, here's some thoughts on best locations for gold rings:

a) if you MUST hunt turf to angle for gold jewelry, then choose turf that has LITTLE eating/drinking going on. In other words you want to stay AWAY from picnic tables, (where people sit to eat and drink) , BBQ pits (where people have foil wrapped food they bring to cook, and then throw their cans onto the fire which become can nuggets), bleacher stadium seating (where people drink sodas). Because ANYTIME you have eating/drinking going, on, then go figure: foil, tabs, & aluminum. Doh !

b) Hence that leaves sports related venues, where you don't normally have much eating/drinking/picnicking. As was pointed out: basket ball court perimeters, because the players might take off their stuff for safe-keeping and place with their coat and school books at the side-lines. Or football or soccer fields. (where, go figure, frolicking motions are the order of the day). Or sand volley-ball courts. Or mud-wrestle pits.

There's some do's and don'ts for the type land sites which will have better jewelry ratios.

 

[Southwind]

Schools!! By far I find the vast majority of gold rings at schools. Second would be parks. The best location at those places are the tot lots or around the swings and playground equipment.

Here is just 3 months from schools.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

But what type aluminum ratio are you having to endure, to get those ? Like for example: Do you see a difference in the aluminum ratio @ schools versus parks ? Because I would think that "parks" would have the eating/drinking going on (esp. if around picnic tables and BBQ stand-pits). Versus school yards which might be more sports-related, and less eating/drinking (unless it's a school where the kids eat lunch on the fields ?)

 

[jackintexas]

About how many hours of hunting did it take to produce that many gold rings. Really looks nice. Ihave hunted very few schools. Do you have a favorite type locations at schools. Very nice buch of gold there for just 3 months....Jack

 

[Southwind]

Schools have the best junk to ring ratio for me hands down. I've walked away from a school with 6 rings from one two hour hunt. You'd be surprised on how little junk I dig. Knowing what to watch for on a good VDI machine is the key for me. Rings will, in most cases, have a small variance where junk, in most cases, has a very high VDI variance. You can't eliminate junk completely and not expect to also miss some rings, but you can increase you odds greatly of finding more rings than junk with a good machine, knowing what to watch for and knowing where to hunt.

About how many hours of hunting did it take to produce that many gold rings.

As I said this is from 3 months of hunting on the weekends. My hunting buddy has pulled just as many. We stay pretty close on the number of gold items found.

Another 3 months worth.

All these were found in the dirt. We have no beaches in southwest Kansas. It's all about knowing where to look more than anything else. And having a good detector for the job. I prefer either the DFX, AT Pro or Deus for school hunting.

 

[Thompson44]

For my 12 rings this year: 2 Football bleachers, 2 yards, 2 Baseball outfields, 1 near basketball court, 5 Swimming areas. Hands down if I could only hunt swimming areas I'd give hunting everywhere else. But here in NC stated owned/maintained swimming areas prohibit metal detecting.

 

[Sand dog]

Wow I gotta start detecting at the schools by me. Where are the hot spots at schools? Those are some amazing finds southwind hope you find many more.

John

 

[Southwind]

Where are the hot spots at schools?

In my experience of course the tot lots are tops. Those little boxed in areas filled with wood chips, sand or shredded rubber. Wood chips are most productive. Next is along sidelines of the soccer/football/basketball/baseball grounds. I have one grade school with an old baseball field that I've pulled over 80 rings myself from. I know my buddy has pulled many as well. No idea why this one school seems to have had so many ring, but hey, I'm not complaining. The good thing about most schools is they lack all those pesky pull tabs. Lots of gum foil but it gives a VDI all over the place unless it is rolled up in a ball.

This year has been a bit slim but it is more because I don't get out near as much as the last few years. Getting too old to spend more than a few hours hunting before I run out of steam. Damn 40+ years of smoking and now I have emphysema. I quite 7 year ago but still suffer shortness of breath.

Rings so far this year.

 

[GeorgeinSC]

I have never found any gold jewelry around a school. I have found a few sterling rings/charms. Sports fields and City parks have been the only place that I have picked up gold except on the beach. 98 percent of my good jewelry finds come from the beach.

Unfortunately for me all the schools in my area are now under Fence with locked gates and no trespassing signs.

 

[REVIER]

More math...
36 gold targets in 6 years.
The 12 I found around basketball courts, 3 were found in grassy parking lot dividers at schools, one next to an old football field and one in the middle of a small soccer field , one was found behind baby swings in a tot lot, my first was found in the sand of a beach at a little inland lake, all the rest were found in many different areas in public parks.

 

[Southwind]

I've heard from others that their experience in tot lots hasn't been all that great. I'm not sure why there would be such a contrast between tot lots but we make a trip now and then to several other nearby cities and do nothing but the tot lots and do great in gold as well. I'd love to hit some of these tot lots that have not produced anything good just to see if it has anything to do with how they are hunted. We leave nothing above a hairpin or tack when we hit a tot lot. I used to be very surprised on just how low some gold can read. I've recovered gold as low as 28 on my AT Pro and as low as 01 on the DFX.

 

[Goldstrike]

What I do when I hit a tot lot is to initially sweep it with a higher sensitivity and then sweep much closer to all the poles and under the climbing frames/monkey bars/swings etc; with a much reduced sensitivity. Ive picked up coins and yes, rings that have bounced and settled in closer to the metal poles and above the metal bases under the swings and the ends of the slides that other guy's could not retrieve because their detector would go into overload with all that metal. I always sweep very close to the edge of a tot lot where, if there is a short concrete wall, parents will sit and chat and drop coins and maybe a ring!!

 

[Southwind]

closer to all the poles

Yup, I've found some nice stuff just inches from a poll using the AT Pro 5x8 or with the DFX and a 6x10. I sweep from the poll out. If you put your coils side against the poll and sweep out from the poll you'll hit stuff just inches from the poll. Sometimes its little more than a quick double beep that can be mistaken as a signal from the poll.

 

[RichW]

Old lots where I can use a shovel. A lot faster to dig and fill in. If I'm finding coins I feel like My ring chances are good. On a good lot I dig it all. As mentioned parks and school grounds are good but getting up and down gets tougher every year.

 

[Oldguy]

Baseball diamonds, especially ones without fences by the players benches. Hunt an arc from the field within a reasonable distance of throwing a baseball glove toward the player benches on the 1st and 3rd base sides. Be prepared to dig a lot of pull tabs, and remember, if you find pull tabs that means it probably hasn't been hunted for rings before.