What is your top detecting Tip? Checklist

[earthmansurfer]

Hello all,

Curious what your top tip would be. I envision this thread as a sort of checklist, but not quite. If you have what you think is a good tip or two, then put it in here. Ok, here goes, preceding technique...

MINDSET - I have found that the better and more positive my mindset the better I hunt, the more intuitive I am to know where to hunt, the better I listen and focus, etc. Now, we can't always have the best of mindsets and sometimes we detect to get away from things but we clearly can still affect it. Just drinking a coffee seems to pick me up mentally. Planning the night before sort of pumps me up. ehehe You get the point.

FOCUS - This relates to Mindset. When I am swinging I listen and hunt better if my mind is focused or at least just open and relaxed as opposed to thinking of a problem, Hey, is that a cop?, something else, etc. If you are 100% with what you are doing, very little is going to pass you by. But if you are only partially there, well then that speaks for itself. We can't expect the machine to do all the work. So, imagine you are a surgeon as a lot is riding on you!

EMS

[Full Metal Digger]

Welcome to the forum

[CyberSage]

Hey EMS!
Great to see you posting on American Detectorist. Thanks for checking us out. I look forward to your post. OK, now to the question at hand. A few things that make for a good hunt...

Research - Know the history of the area your hunting. An old picture of the park is worth more than a thousand words, it's worth some Silver as well! Talk with the old timers in the area. Visit the local museums and history archives. Look at your surroundings as you hunt, and use your imagination.

Time - Try and plan for adequate hunting time for a given area. Move deliberately and at a slow pace. Don't hurry your hunts. Focus on small areas instead of the whole site. Go back and hunt instead of trying to cover to much ground. It's quality of time, not quantity that makes for good finds.

Jack

[Fire Fighter 43]

Research, research,research I always have plan before I leave the house which means good research. I make sure it is a site that has potential for old coins and I have my permission granted before I leave to hunt. That way my time is spent hunting and not driving around looking for a site and then winding up in a park somewhere digging clad. I would rather dig one quality find during a hunt than a pile of clad.

[Epi-hunter]

MINDSET - .... is absolutely everything.

My state of mind is everything. I need to be challenged. I love detecting with someone who challenges me. No matter how hard I try when on my own... when I am with someone who challenges me, I will go the extra mile for better results.

FOCUS - Like you said, it involves being able to focus AWAY from someone bothering you. That means you need permission to be at the site, reassurance of such, and being comfortable of that on your own. I like private sites (in public areas) and I can be in a better state of mind when I am not having to worry about others' thoughts.

That is hard to accomplish in public parks, where I do most of my detecting.

[Dimeman]

The most important thing in metal detecting is

[size=1t]KNOW YOUR DETECTOR

Learn the controls of your detector and what they do. Learn to adjust ( if the controls are adjustable) the controls to the different ground conditions and type of area ( trashy or iron items all over or beach...etc...) Learn the ID/VDI ( if your detector has those) and the sounds your detector makes on different targets. Learning how to search in loads of trash areas, on the beach, in and around tight quarters-------Knowing how to operate your detector at its maximum potential in many different settings will have your finds increase no matter where you are searching.

Research, Mindset, Focus and Time are important...but without excellent knowledge of how to maximize your detectors operations, in any situation, you will be missing targets.

[anotherpulltap]

The most important thing is have fun.

[Moxie]

Dig anything that makes a sound close to what your hunting I have found silver next to nails with my Excalibur II that sounded like a small blip.

[Relicminer]

Great tips for all of us newbies!! |)

[starman2]

This is my first full season detecting. I think one thing I have learned is. You can't hunt good, if you are tired. I get to the point. Where my arm doesn't even want to swing the coil anymore. If you get tired. Stop for a while and take a break. Have a drink, or a snack. Let your body rest. Figure out your next stratagy. Then go at it again! At the end of the day. You'll be glad that you rested.

[milco]

Research, research.....Know your machine, focus & patience,.....oh, and did I mention research!

[two_bit_digger]

The most important thing is have fun.

so true!!! |



Have the desire to learn, the patience and willingness to dig a lot of worthless trash for every one good find, and understand that you could go home empty handed after a long day of MDing.

[Jason in Enid]

research - know your targets and go to where they should be
permission - public grounds can give up a few targets, but you need to be on private property to find the goods!
know your detector - if you don't understand it WELL, you will only dig the shallow, easy things.

[JTGOLD]

RESEARCH ::::: KNOW WHAT YOUR DETECTOR IS TELLING YOU :::: AND DOUBLE CHECK YOUR HOLES .....

[RaZR]

Take a wet washcloth in a ziplock bag to clean off your hands when you're done.
Also take along a small squirt or spray bottle of water to clean off the silver coins so you can tell what you have without scratching them. And most important......
JUST GET OUT MORE OFTEN!!!!!!!!

[Zip Zip]

#1 Coil getting too heavy? shorten the rod a notch,it makes a difference.
#2 if possible,put all of your detecting stuff in a back pack.so when you leave home,you haven't forgotten anything. (Us old farts are allowed to forget stuff,,,hence the back pack LOL) .

[kurt]

Never get dejected. I have come home with zero[0] coins. Yet I am just as excited to go out the next time because I am convinced that at the bottom of the next plug I dig will be a worthwhile coin.

[Vito]

#1 - Be sure that thing is switched on!

OK. May be #2 right after Zip Zip's #2. lol

[BOWSER]

no flies on you zip zip good advice thumbsup01

[elkameno59]

Get permission 1st. And not trying to cover the entire site. Domain awareness, knowing where you are. Looking up the area in maps and old papers, Talking to the area residents and getting ideas from them. It usually is not the first time someone has asked them about where to start looking. I've had clues to where I should look talking to folks in the parking lots of stores and golf courses. Many times I look at the parks around the town central squares and ball parks. Since I don't usually have more that 2-3 hours for a hunt I draw a map and go back several times to make sure I didn't miss much. Sometimes I get the idea that a area has been hunted many many times - I don't really care ! These areas are still hiding something for me.... I was at a old park near a old bandstand and two other MD'ers were right there in the same park. One of them told me that this place is empty I shrugged my head and proceeded to pull out a 1922 Peace dollar right in the same path he just got done searching. (thanks ace 350) - and most important of all NEVER give up.......