HI all from Florida and elsewhere! CHECK OUT MY BOOTY!

[p52ntwrk]

ive been detecting for a month or so and just stumbled across your wonderful community. |:cheering: yay!

so here goes the saga of unconventional metal detecting dude! i might add that my real challenge lately that i am working on is not leaving craters in the ground :grin: and getting better at making ground plugs.

so the story goes like this, a rainy day in an abandoned parking lot, with thunder blasting over head!
i discovered many root entangled can after can with fingers to prove it.

the occasional pull tab came up along with a cool copper washer.
then the gum wrappers decided to join in, bahhhh! i quickly adjusted discrimination knob did the smart thing and headed to the large tree hoping for a trinket of some sort. on my way MR Abe Lincoln and George Washington said hello along with a piece of copper pipe, window weather stripping, and a macy march of dimes pin.

the rain got harder so i covered my detector with a plastic bag and kept going.
and wouldnt you know it? the bottle cap patch kids decided to join in all about 20 feet of each other.
maybe some gravitational or psychological force that drew people to toss them here in such variety.
alert the shrinks and researchers now! :shocked03:

then a dull low toned blurp not jumpy but solid, i dropped to the ground and started digging.
A BRASS ELEPHANT IN PERFECT CONDITION!!! wow i was excited as ever and only 2 feet from the big tree.

ofcourse this fueled my desire and i went on to find more pennies, 1 peso, 2 keys, smashed brass part to a street light, some sollid chunks of aluminum, to cap it all off with an unopened bottle of water, yup right there in plain sight.

lol and no i didnt drink it...

hi guys my names Barry and im glad to find the metal detecting community forums and for god sakes help me help the ground not look like a rookie golfer or prairie dog just got done with it.... :groovy:

[OxShoeDrew]

Glad you joined us. I remember my first few months when I dug a 3 foot hole and having Del come over to show me where the target was. :embarrassed: now I've got my holes down to 2 feet :grin:
I love the stick on your coil, my buddy repaired his with a 30¢ piece of plastic from Lowes. Ingenuity. Welcome from the nutmeg state.

[Fire Fighter 43]

Welcome to the forum and hobby from SE Wisconsin. It looks like you had some succes. The stick in the coil is different, but if it works for you that is all that matters. GL and HH

[CODY]

Welcome from Mississippi. Welcome to the forum.

[p52ntwrk]

hehe i replaced the stick with a zip tie :cheesysmile: genius!!!

[Lowjiber]

Welcome from southern Nevada. We have a second home in Orange Park, Florida...long way from you though.

I liked your introduction and the pics. The elephant is cool.

The stick in the Bounty Hunter may gain you a nickname, but that's a good thing. Very clever field repair.

[del]

well Barry , i do believe your the first one i ever met in this hobby who dug up and entire elephant :wow: lol lol very cool of you to use it as your avatar |:cheering: |:cheering: and that clevor stick fix says you have a nothing gonna stop me from detecting attitude , you'll fit right in here . welcome to the forum Barry .

Dan

[aloldstuff]

Welcome to the forum from western MA. Have you named the elephant yet. Looking foward toyour future posts.

[jkress]

Welcome to the forum p52ntwrk. Glad to have you here with us. :clapping:
Interesting bunch of finds you posted. :yes:

By the way... loved the stick. :peace: Hope the zip tie works better.

You'll get the hang of digging those plugs. Practice makes perfect. Dry ground is tough now matter
how long you've been digging. :stretcher:
Use a good digger, make your incisions straight down (5-6 inches) in a horseshoe pattern and flip it up
with your digger. Should work. thumbsup01

[p52ntwrk]

ohhhhh i remember reading somewhere about that trap door or horseshoe method, im going to try that next time but i need to get one of those lesche tools, currently i use a small shovel and trowel. thanks jkress :cheesysmile:

[tanacat]

Welcome to the forum Barry! |:cheering: I like your enthusiasm thumbsup01

Congrats on the elephant - items like that are so cool. You never know what you're gonna find. My latest odd cool find was a key with root growing through the hole for prob 10 yrs or so lol

As far as holes and trying to leave it like you tell property owners you won't even know I was there'... I've seem some horrible scars left from other MDers :shocked04: They fill in their holes but they also stuff the grass down there too :confused: Now that I've been doing this for about 3 yrs it seems so simple but it def takes practice and learning along the way. I started out digging a circular plug then got a tip to cut the horseshoe-shaped plug like Joe (jkress) said, leaving one side w/roots still attached to decrease chance that grass will die and/or be ripped off when mowed. If I'm in someone's yard or visible areas I use a towel to scoop out soil, then put soil back into hole and replace plug on top... I always push down the plug w/my foot and swish my foot back and forth over the bits of loose soil so it blends in w/grass... Some people use their hand. It is very satisfying to literally not see where I've been.

I have a friend who taught me some additional tips over the years, there's quite a bit to it- depending on soil conditions also lol To cut/tap around the edge of the plug w/digger to loosen up clayish soil or if it's a little dry. If the soil is really dry I don't even go to homes or churchyards-I head to out of the way areas in city parks or vacant homesteads. Or take jugs of water to pour over my plugs... I don't want to be told not to come back if there are circles of dead grass everywhere. Okay I'm rambling aren't I... :rolleyes: lol This is such a fun hobby- glad to see you got the passion already. Just wait until you find stuff pre-1900's!