This is my first post to a site like this and my first detecting I did today with my new Quick Draw II. My wife and I went to our engagement spot for a picnic. I took the detector just for fun and ended up finding my first treasure - a pull tab. Yahoo. Anyways, it was spot on accurate in location and depth. Feeling lucky, we went home and I began hunting in our woods. We have 5-1/2 acres in East Peoria, IL. and a walking/biking path. To make it easy, we started on the path so as not to get into too much brush and weeds. The detector was behaving eratically high/low tones here and there. I used my pouch tool at first but then I was getting 8 inch depths so I grabbed my full size spade. Every time I dug - nothing. We continued this off/on for about an hour in several spots. It's almost as though there was a mole with braces playing games with us! I thought I found a spot and then dug down the suggested depth. Then I grabbed the detector again and sure enough the spot moved! It kept "moving" and I kept getting lower tones indicating iron/pull tabs (mostly the far left on the indicator). Occasional higher tones on the middle to right (25 cents area). The depth readout was usually around 4-6 inches. There are no power lines or antennas anywhere near our place. We are 300 feet to the nearest house.
Feeling a little discouraged now I'm wondering if anyone has any tips they can lend to a beginner. I did adjust the sensitivity and had it turned all the way down (counter-clockwise) at times. If I turned it up (clockwise) the reading depth would go up to 8 inches. I don't know if there could be something buried pretty deep or not. I'm using the stock 8" coil.
Finally, could it be possible that the detector could be reading old buckshot from shotgun hunters? We do have quite a bit of deer where we live. The lot is at the rear of a small subdivision. Before the subdivision was built, it was a farmer's field with wooded spots at the rear of the field (where we are). I just assume that people have probably hunted here at one time in the past.
Jason
East Peoria, IL
Feeling a little discouraged now I'm wondering if anyone has any tips they can lend to a beginner. I did adjust the sensitivity and had it turned all the way down (counter-clockwise) at times. If I turned it up (clockwise) the reading depth would go up to 8 inches. I don't know if there could be something buried pretty deep or not. I'm using the stock 8" coil.
Finally, could it be possible that the detector could be reading old buckshot from shotgun hunters? We do have quite a bit of deer where we live. The lot is at the rear of a small subdivision. Before the subdivision was built, it was a farmer's field with wooded spots at the rear of the field (where we are). I just assume that people have probably hunted here at one time in the past.
Jason
East Peoria, IL