Tell us places you hunt, not the location, types of places.

[Jack Flynn]

Different places to give others ideas where to look for those elusive targets. Where do you like to hunt?
I tend to hunt parks or virtually any place where people have congregated over the years. I've just started knocking on doors and asking to hunt peoples yards if they look promising. I've gotten permission to hunt several late 1700-1820 beautiful homes but I am waiting for the grass to die this winter. Also just received permission to hunt 120 acres in the low country of S.C. this past Sunday. Work keeps interfering with my detecting though!

[OkieDigger]

Churches and houses are my preferred spots, but I'll hunt anywhere I can get permission.

[Epi-hunter]

I used to prefer private property but since moving to KY I have tended to go for more public spots. I'm still struggling with finding some good places here.

[grinsebring]

I prefer to hunt for older coins, so I don't do much around totlots and schools. my last 2 meaningful hunts were in in Mass and N.H.
while I was there last month on business. Which reminds me,
Angie, did you ever find the spot I told you about, or give it to Angel
to clean up? I had very little time there. 3 coppers, an oxshoe, and a cloak button. I did'nt even scratch the surface. Much of the area is grown in. maybe after a good hard freeze some of those bramble areas might let you get a coil in....Gil

[angellionel]

I prefer to hunt for older coins, so I don't do much around totlots and schools. my last 2 meaningful hunts were in in Mass and N.H.
while I was there last month on business. Which reminds me,
Angie, did you ever find the spot I told you about, or give it to Angel
to clean up? I had very little time there. 3 coppers, an oxshoe, and a cloak button. I did'nt even scratch the surface. Much of the area is grown in. maybe after a good hard freeze some of those bramble areas might let you get a coil in....Gil

I will need to talk to Angie! It looks like you did well in the short time you were there.

[bmattioli]

I love to hunt the old parks and schools. Parks can be searched for days and still not even scratched the surface..

Bruce

[Lowjiber]

Here in the S.F. Bay area there are literally hundreds of parks. However, the majority are less than thirty years old. The trick is to find which have been around long enough to have a better chance of containing older coins.

I've been using this site for historic aerial photos: http://www.historicaerials.com/default.aspx

It's a bit cumbersome to use at first, but I work it in 2005 mode to get a view of the park and then tab back through the years to compare pictures. Around here, if I find one that was in existence at least in 1965 (there are very few earlier), I hit it hard.

Since the pics are the same angle/altitude, it's easy to see features that existed previously but have since been altered...tree lines that are now gone, etc.

I did this yesterday at the following park and found two silvers (rosie & quarter) along the strip down the right field sideline.

[gmwtexas]

Hi Lowjiber, The site you posted is interesting. I was checking it out and was wondering if one has to pay as a subscriber. What if any costs are associated with the site? Thanks

[tanacat]

Hi Lowjiber, The site you posted is interesting. I was checking it out and was wondering if one has to pay as a subscriber. What if any costs are associated with the site? Thanks

http://www.historicaerials.com/

Howdy! I don't think John/Lowjiber saw your question, so I'll try to help out

I browse this site often to do map overlay ( free) You just have to subscribe if you want to buy any imagery/maps. Did you try it out? I love this site, I could compare maps and topos forever!

www.historicmapworks.com is great for older county maps but unfortunately my area doesn't have overlays (yet) they tell me to keep checking back and I have requested. But I joined and bought an 1877 map ($9.99) of my area and use it to make notes/highlight areas I want to research and hunt.

... and finally I have my own REAL treasure map!

[Digger_O'Dell]

Have to say this aerial photo site has given me new hope on a site I thought was a lost cause. Had found a place that was supposedly an old school built back around 1847, and replaced with a newer school around 1900, then torn down around 1970 when the site was turned into a park about 10 plus acres (est.). Hunted the areas I had thought were most likely near where the building and play areas might have been, judging by the topography, and found nothing but a bent modern fork.
Now was able to look up a photo from 1963, and realized how far I was off! (Maybe 1/4 mile? Treeline was removed, driveway and parking was relocated, etc. Crazy amount of changes in just a few years!

Thanks much for the tips, and HH!!

[Epi-hunter]

That is some great research John!

What is the date on that first aerial?

[Epi-hunter]

I prefer to hunt for older coins, so I don't do much around totlots and schools. my last 2 meaningful hunts were in in Mass and N.H.
while I was there last month on business. Which reminds me,
Angie, did you ever find the spot I told you about, or give it to Angel
to clean up? I had very little time there. 3 coppers, an oxshoe, and a cloak button. I did'nt even scratch the surface. Much of the area is grown in. maybe after a good hard freeze some of those bramble areas might let you get a coil in....Gil

I'm going to find that PM you sent me. Heading out there this week so maybe we can hit that place. Remind me Gil... was that private property? Do we need to seek permission to go there?

[Rusthunter]

I like to research and hunt historic sawmills. Around here I have found and hunted 3 of them and I find at least 1 silver half at every one.

[Islandhunter]

I prefer private property over public....LOVE old foundation sites, farm fields and yards to older homes. Those are the sites I zero in on. I am kinda spoiled by where I live though...I pretty much know everyone here so asking and getting permission to hunt on private property isn't much of an issue...not sure how I would do on the mainland and don;t think I'd be overly comfortable knocking on the doors of people I don't know, thus would be more apt to lean towards public property if I lived in the real world.

[MNDigger]

In my neck of the woods my best finds have come from private property specifically old farms. Now by old for around here means between the 1870's to the 1930's. I have also hit a lot more chuches and old schools which have also produced but not nearly as well as yards.

[Lowjiber]

What is the date on that first aerial?

1965. The next step back in time was 1958 and the park was an orchard.

[Jason in Enid]

My favorite places are older, city homesites. They can be sparse or silver mines, but you can always find something. They are almost always virgin ground too. The only problem is getting permission to hunt them.

Next up are old parks, but these have been hit pretty hard

Nest would be old school yards, but these have usually been hit harder than the parks

Lastly are old farmhouse sites. Most farmers are cash poor, and in the old days were even worse off. While the occasional nice, older coin can be found, there just wasn't much to be lost. Ever seen old, holed coins? That's because coins were too valuable to lose, so they tied them all together

[hoser]

For the most part I'm a woods whacker. I really like going into the woods where I believe there was an old camp like the one I hunt that the Mich. National guard camps on and has since 1903. There is a vast area to hunt and sooner or later I'll hit the sweet spot and then you better watch out Angel I'll be right on your heels.

[coinnut]

Cellar holes are my specialty! But I never kicked a picnic grove or old house out of my list Here in Mass, unhit holes are hard to find!!!

[OkieDigger]

Yeah, but you sure do hunt a bunch of 'em! I've only run across one here. We call them dug outs though. No stone involved.