Tips & Tricks
151-165

151. When running your search pattern, it is easy to veer off course and miss patches of ground. Try this tip. I like to hunt an area two or three days after it has been mowed. Not only can you sweep closer to the ground, but, if they didn't bag the grass you can follow along between the "wind rows" of discharged grass. This will keep you on course, and, it'll be just about the right width for sweeping the coil.

152. When searching around old trees and foundations, try this one. Tip your searchcoil up to a 45 degree angle, to "fire" the signal under these obstacles. Many times, trees have covered targets with roots, and you cannot get the coil close enough to pass over these targets. Also, many good finds have been made under old foundation stones. Using this method, you can hunt under the foundation, without constantly bumping your coil against it. You will lose alot of depth, but targets in these areas will usually be shallow, since they have been protected from surface traffic.

153. Digging tools aren't cheap! I frequent garage sales and flea markets, where boxes of old kitchen knives can be bought, often for 10 cents or a quarter apiece. I look for knives with heavy carbon steel blades, and grind a cutting edge on the back side of the blade, as well as re-sharpening the factory edge. This will double the knife's usefulness in the field. Even if the knife only lasts for one season, it more than pays for itself, usually with only one target!

154. When out detecting for gold nuggets, kick those bigger rocks out of the way . Lots of gold nuggets hide under them . Most people will detect right over them and miss the little nuggets that might be under the rock. If you move them you will be in new ground and your coil will pick them up . Don't let a rock stop you from getting a nugget

155. All too often you will find that your coil doesn't pinpoint in the exact center, where it's supposed to. This is due to normal variations in the manufacturing process. I test all new coils, and mark the "pinpoint" center with a permanent waterproof marker, before using them in actual field conditions. This saves me from having to remember that it's "between the 'A' and the 'R' on the 8 inch coil, but it's below and to the right of the first 'T' on the 12 inch."

156. Have you ever had a landowner reluctant to allow you to detect his/her property? Sure, havent we all?! Next time you go out, give this tip a try. Take your back-up detector along, and suggest that the owner hunt along with you. This will serve 3 purposes: It shows you are sincere, and open about your intentions; It will keep you from having to constantly answer questions while you hunt, as the owner will be busy hunting "over there"; and finally dividing up the finds will be easier, finders keepers!

157. When I get a "mixed signal" on my tagret ID machine, such as "Penny" + "Half dollar", I use the following method to narrow the ID down. Once the target has been pinpointed, I hold the coil motionless on the ground untill my machine goes back to search mode. I wait a second or two, then quickly sweep the coil off center from the target. This will cause the machine to respond only one ID, and it is invariably closer to the target's actual identity. This is very useful for telling dimes from pennies!

158. When I am doing general research, looking for coinshooting sites, I bypass a LOT of useless info in the library newspaper archives by only focusing on holidays, special events like large family reunions, or other similar events. Page after page of unrelated stories can make you glassy-eyed, and cause you to miss the leads you're looking for. Focus on when and where the people congregated, and you're research will be more productive!

159. On sites where I have standing permission to search, I use the following method of clearing out the junk. I will start with my 8 1/2" coil, and dig all the pinpointable signals. Then I switch to the 4 1/2" coil, and focus on the mixed signals and tight places. Once I have dug all I can get, I will switch to the 12 1/2" deep seeking coil, and pick up all the signals that had been masked by shallower targets. It's time consuming, but it works!

160. Don't overlook the areas UNDER old hedges and bushes. On old homesites these can be quite large, and difficult to search under/around. If it's hard for you to get to, it probably discouraged others as well, and they went on to easier pickings. I have even crawled on my stomach to hunt under old blackberry bushes, and made many good finds in hard hit areas. As an added bonus, these targets will usually be shallower, due to reduced surface traffic.

161. In the late fall and early spring, when the vegetation is sparse, an aerial view of the farmland in your area will often reveal old homesites. Have you ever wondered about those "islands" of trees in the middle of a crop field? Many times there is an old foundation or cellar hole there, and the farmer simply works around it, rather that go to the trouble of clearing it off. Carry a county topographic map, available from the County Assessor's office, and mark possible sites for later investigation.

162. In need of fast cash for battery money that these detectors just love to eat? Under the bleachers at high schools is a good place for surface money or just below the surface money. Also childrens milk money that has fallen out of thier pockets while hanging upside down from the monkey bars at an elementary school. Other places are under the bleachers of your local little league fields. Just remember to get permission and cover them holes

163. Ok, for all you prospectors out there here's a couple of things that have worked for me many times.In fact, a good example of it is detailed in my article in the Sept 97 Western and Eastern Treasures entitled " Braggin'Rights" Whenever you are hunting an area that others have been through, ALWAYS check other peoples dig holes. Not only the hole but the dirt they pulledout. Pick up the junk if they left it. Many times the previous hunterdidn't re-check the hole or the dirt after recovering the nugget. Spread the dirt out of the pile and detect it carefully. I've found that gold is not lonely. If there's one, many times there's two or three.

164. Once again, when hunting where others have hunted, watch for obvious pieces of iron or other junk on the surface. Whenever possible, pick it up,move it, pack it out.What happens is nobody has hunted under or near the junk. When it can be seen, it has been given a wide berth by other hunters due to the sensitivity of the modern gold machines. The ground under it is essentially virgin ground. Many times I have found nuggets in worked out spots with just a little more effort. This is another way that your coinhunting skills can be transferred to nugget hunting.

165. When I find a site with a lot of potential, but seems too trashy to hunt. I rake alot of the surface trash up, then make a trip or two specifically to dig trash. I dig every signal. You would be surprised how many targets that trash is masking out. Takes alot of patience but will be worth it when you start pulling out those old coins. Alot of hunters either pass up these sites or use alot of discrimination, and are missing so many good finds it is unbelievable.

166. A very good source of coinshooting leads are oldtimers in your area. Search them out and talk to them. Most love to talk and tell stories of yesteryears. Find out where those old gathering spots and carnivals etc. were located years ago and probably make a good friend in the process. My grandfather alone has provided me with so many leads I havent even had time to scratch the surface.