To Dig or Not to Dig ?

[Jerry-Wi]

On Friday we were out enjoying the only nice day of the week and so was everyone else it seems. The AtPro was really clicking and was having a blast digging stuff.

One signal really presented a dilemma, did or not dig. Hunting in Pro Custom mode with 35 Disc, Sens at 7. Started getting a high tone with no numeric ID to it at all. That really got my interest! I turned sensitivity all the way up and it was still hitting high tone with 80 to 81 VDI. It pinpointed at 10 inches.

Now for the flip side. This location was in a park that had a lot of people around. It was the first time we have seen the sun in a week so everyone was out enjoying it. Also the target location is on a very nice lawn that was seeded down last year and does not have a well established root system.

There is no question about covering my holes, but in this case I did not feel that I could dig a hole 10 inches and not leave a mess, so I opted to leave it and not dig the target.

This was a hard one to walk away from. What would you have done ?

BTW: The day was not a loss by any means, I dug 32 quarters, 21 dimes, 3 nickels and 39 pennies for a total of $10.64 in clad.

Jerry

 

[Terry in PA]

I've taken a small cloth with me to wipe my hands with. But have pulled it out and placed it on the ground and put my dug dirt on it after I cut the plug of grass. When I got the target out I picked up the cloth and emptied the dirt back in the hole and placed the plug back in and gave it a nice step with my foot.
There was no dirt at all around where I had dug and the plug was nice and tight. Could not tell anyone dug a hole there. Also if it's dry put a little water on it. I carry a bottle of water sometimes .

 

[Jerry-Wi]

Normally I leave it so when I stand up it is hard to tell where I dug. This one did not have enough sod to even think about cutting a plug. There was grass there but not enough to hold togeather at all for a plug.

Jerry

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

May want to hit it off season when no ones around or after a good rain.

 

[quarterhorse]

Personally I would have backed off as you did, not worth getting everybody all riled up over a penny or dime...and you always have it in reserve if times get real tight....LOL

QH

 

[zeekeys]

Jerry I live in Milwaukee. I hunt the parks and usually there is someone around, jogging, walking or sitting on a bench. I have been at parks and got a coin hits with 8" + depth. I walk away. I keep my sensitivity down to 3 bars and still dig some coins 5". I take my probe and if I can hit it with my probe and it is less than half way down my probe I will dig it. I am like QH leave it. I am a guest in the park. Thanks for reading.....Z

 

[Jerry-Wi]

I agree. That is pretty much what I did at that park. Most of the coins were in easy depth to pop out with a screw driver. Later the same day we went to two other fields where digging was not a problem.

Jerry

 

[ralph]

I'd agree to walk away from it, however i'd get a gps reading and go back in the fall after a rain and harvast the object.

 

[DirtSurgeon]

So far in my travels with the AT, I have gotten a few 10 inch signals but they have rarely been 10 inches. If the tone is loud and covers an area larger than a couple inches while pinpointing, it is probably a deep copper or lead pipe. If it gives you a faint, repeatable signal in a small area it is probably a clad dime. I have found a few silver dimes (mercs) and they usually bounce around a little from penny to quarter. I would dig a 6 inch hole (neatly of course) and if I couldnt find it then, I would probably move on.

Good Luck,

DS

 

[Dennis Harbour]

We are in adrought in south Mississippi and Louisana, so I.ve been looking for a spot that has sprinklers.Sometimes I thinkIfind deeper coins ion moist ground because of easier digging rather than a 'halo effect',

 

[Caretaker me]

Jerry, I had a signal just like that last week, about a foot down, I popped out a LC, if I have any signal that is 10 inches down I dig now

 

[JimCVA]

Jerry I think you did the right thing not to dig the target at that time you can alway go back when no one around and dig the target. A lot of people don't need to see us digging a large hole.
Keep up the good hunting

 

[Dwayne2010]

I agree 100% with course of action Jerry. Good common sense there. I often dig in school yards and thanks to my Garrett Pro pOinter, my holes are tiny. Still, there are people around and I admit to feeling self conscious digging a hole in a school yard. It kind of goes against our instincts to do this. I mean, you don't dig holes in your own lawn, so, why else where? ON the same token, I see swaths of grasses dead or missing where people play soccer, where as, you can't see the hole that I just dug looking for that penny.. I am a user of the area, just like anyone else I guess. I think we all need to be diligent and minimize any damage. I like to make a big show of tamping down the grass after I remove my target like its my first born baby lol.