What are your settings for wet ground hunting?

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

What is your setup for hunting wet ground?

I'm not talking ground that is saturated to the point that your hole fills with water as soon as you dig it. I'm referring to a nice ground soaker where the soil is nice and moist, but isn't that soupy mud pie mix.

DJH

 

[Nick A]

Settings the same, regardless of ground conditions.

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

Thanks Nick for your response.

Just wondering if others make adjustments due to the wetness of the ground where they hunt.

 

[Goes4ever]

Same settings for me, no change at all

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

Thanks Goes4ever.

 

[Terra1959]

Make sure I wear my knee pads to keep them dry

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

Make sure I wear my knee pads to keep them dry

 

[markg]

If there is a lot of iron in the ground I'll op for lower sensitivity settings. The iron will mask a lot more targets when it is very wet like you mentioned.
I have a test garden with several pieces of iron left in the ground when I planted the coins years ago. After a very soaking rain I have three targets that will all but disappear due to iron co-location next to the targets. To remedy this the best I could I ran with very little discrimination and setup the machine for TTF.
Then go slow.

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[texasranger]

If there is a lot of iron in the ground I'll op for lower sensitivity settings. The iron will mask a lot more targets when it is very wet like you mentioned.
I have a test garden with several pieces of iron left in the ground when I planted the coins years ago. After a very soaking rain I have three targets that will all but disappear due to iron co-location next to the targets. To remedy this the best I could I ran with very little discrimination and setup the machine for TTF.
Then go slow.

****************************************​

That is a constructive, and thought provoking, helpful reply Mark.

As experienced detectorists will know, dampness in the sub-soil can emphasize the presence of targets, especially ferrous ones. Large iron that has been in the ground for many years undisturbed and encrusted in its own rust, readily absorbs moisture. That in turn will 'enhance the iron's 'conductivity', which may then possibly exceed its decaying ferrous magnetic properties, making it react more like a 'good' target.

The degree to which 'masking' occurs depends on several factors.

As you have explained, there are those associated with your detector's settings, as well as those variables involving the target itself due to the enclosing ground in which it is laying, and the daily conditions affecting soil moisture and chemistry.

I personally prefer to hunt when the preceding days have produced sufficient rain to penetrate the soil to several inches, especially if the site has low levels of ferrous trash.

Tex.