Hello From Garland TX

[Elexander]

It's super dry here in TX, digging is not easy. Any tips for beginners would be greatly appreciated...

[coinnut]

Welcome Elexander from western MA. Since the ground is rock hard, I would recommend two things. The first would be to use this time for research. Talk with folks in town, visit the library, look at old maps, or just take short walks around and find some sites for when the ground is softer. Second tip is to try and find places that the ground is diggable, like river banks, shallow water hunting in ponds, or any other place that water flows. Good luck and I hope you get out soon.

[Epi-hunter]

Hi and Welcome to the forum! I'm glad you found us :waving:

How much of the year is the digging typically difficult in your area? (I can imagine that this is the worst time of year).

I guess the first piece of advice I would give, in addition to what coinnut said, is not to give up. The first old coin or relic will get you hooked, and it's worth it. Looking forward to seeing your posts.

[Elexander]

I appreciate the welcome and the advice fellas, despite the dry/drought conditions in TX I was still able to dig in the yard a little, finding lots of nails & screws, I did find a penny though that looked as if it was 100 yrs old, cant seem to make out the date but it's clearly 19 something. Anyway Epi-Hunter I just got my detector on the 9th for my b-day so I'm not sure when the best times to dig are in TX but I plan on being active throughout the year and I'll definitely be posting my progress..

Thanks again Coinnut and Epi-Hunter

[Skamaniac]

Hello from Washington state :waving: You could move to western Washington or Oregon. It does get dry here sometimes too. I remember once in the 60's...

[Boulder]

Hello and welcome to the forum, from North New Jersey.

[Lowjiber]

Welcome from the Mojave Desert.

Advice: Swing slow. Sounds simple, and it is. The results are worth the effort.

I often recommend new folks find a sand filled volleyball court to become accustomed to their machine.

[OxShoeDrew]

Must be like us trying to dig in February :frozen: Hurt my arm last year :grin:
Dan said he uses a hatchet in frozen ground. :dontknow:
Welcome from CT :waving:

[Elexander]

Truly digging this forum already, |:cheering: awesome advice guy's thank you for making me feel welcome. Cant wait to start posting picks of my own.

[del]

Hi ya Elexander , welcome :waving:. patience and persistance is the name of the game and finding someone to detect with will make it that much more fun and enjoyable too. feel free to ask a lot of questions Elexander thats what this forum is about .

Dan

[aloldstuff]

Glad you joined us here. Lots of good folks here with a lot of knowledge so don't be bashful about asking questions.

If you are near the beach try hunting in the sand. What type of machine are you using?

Looking forward to your future posts.

[Elexander]

Thanks Del and aloldstuff, I have been talking about getting a Metal detector for years but just never got around to buying one and this year for my B-Day my wife surprised me with one, I don't know much about my machine but its a (Bounty hunter Quick Silver) and I love it. Not much success yet but I've only had it for three days, this Forum is amazing and seeing every ones pic's only make me want to do this even more, I look forward to showing off some finds real soon... Let me at em!! :boxing:

[Fire Fighter 43]

Welcome to the forum and hobby from SE Wisconsin. Make sure you learn your machine, stay patient and the finds will come. Good luck and happy hunting.

[tanacat]

Hi from Kentucky :waving:

It gets awful dry here too. I once dug my mom's yard after she had watered her grass during a drought and found a rosie, silver ring & Croix De Guerre war medal :yes:

Tot lots & volley ball courts... shallow water hunting is real nice to cool off at the same time... |:cheering:

Also, I've found that a Lesche digger slices through dry ground nicely but I try not to dig in dry lawns because the plugs will dry up and kill the grass. If I do, I carry a gallon jug of water and water the plugs real well or dig at abandoned homes where it doesn't matter. I'm addicted and am stubborn when it comes to my 'free-time' from my 2 young sons. I do understand how frustrating dry ground can be when you're wanting to hunt :hairpulling:

[Tony Two-Cent]

Welcome from Illinois! :waving:

Lots of great advice above from some of our members. :yes:

We had a severe drought here last summer, so I know what you mean about digging in dry ground. In some places it can be as hard as concrete. As others have mentioned, it is probably best to avoid digging in manicured grass when it's that dry as it will surely leave unsightly brown plugs.

You might try hunting in the woods, along a river bank or dry creek bed, or get permission to hunt around the edge of a farm field.

Best of luck! |:cheering: