Find Gold, Silver, Coppas in the Winter!!!

[bergie]

Here's the catch. You won't dig them until the Spring. Does anyone go out in the winter and mark great signals, say with little flags, then come back and dig later? Think how far ahead you could be and how much it would be to look forward to making all those digs you have marked all winter. I get out in the winter and hammer and chisel the best signals if I need to, but the better use of time would be to just mark all the signals and dig them when it warms up. It would be like laying down crab or lobster pots. You'd want to map the site and flags as you go, just to make it easier to find all of them.

 

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[Leon]

Sounds like a great idea Bergie. With me just recently braking my digger it sounds like a fantastic idea, It would definitely work in some of the out of the way sites you may have. I might just have to try it. Being somewhat new to the hobby (3rd year) I usually go out and almost freeze to death dig'n, but I wasn't going to do it this year. That don't sound too bad though , you wouldn't even have to take your left hand, or which ever hand you don't use to hold your detector, out of your pocket...

Thanks for the idea, I'll let ya know how it works out for me...
Good luck, & Happy hunting~

You'd want to map the site and flags as you go, just to make it easier to find all of them.

I was just going to sugguest you might want to use Google Earth to add "Placemarks" where your targets were located just to help you remember where they are, or incase someone moves your markers, you still have a good idea of where to find them...

 

[Colonial Zoyboy]

Boygie, this is a great idea for marking future coppas. My uncle chiseled out a 1794 Liberty Cap large cent last year when it was 5 F.

BDD...zoyster

 

[Don in SJ]

I have used the marking system years ago, but since then have learned to hunt areas that are still possible to get through the frozen earth. I know I live in an area that may not freeze as solid as other northern areas, but our fields and open areas do freeze up enough to where you can forget diggin unless on a Southern Exposure and lots of sunshine hit it.

So what we have done is change our digging tools for when there is frozen ground, especially when it is in the two to four inch range. First off, hunt only in wooded areas with lots of leaf litter. That acts as an insulator and if in a sunny area, will have a much better chance of being diggable.

I used to be a rock hound and long time ago I bought a dry wall hammer to use for chiseling rocks while rockhounding. This tool is solid, will not break and has a side benefit of being a great root cutter also.
I took the dull edge that the drywall hammer comes with and put a nice sharp edge on it. This tool is very effective in going into most frozen ground, of course there is ground it will bounce off of when frozen more solid than a rock.

I bought a hammer holder and just hunt that way when I know I will encounter frozen earth..

Don

 

[Colonial KirkPA]

Bergie,

LMAO! That is an awesome idea. Keep up the great hunting, bud.

BDD...Kirk

 

[Don in SJ]

I wanted to add, that back in the 90's when we (my son and I) first started using the dry wall hammers, we were hunting in a field that had a 2-3 inch frozen crust of dirt and perhaps one of the rarest finds for a detectorist to be found in our area, was found by son after "chopping" thru the layer of frozen earth. That late December day was a fruitful day for my son.

The coin found was a 1785 Vermont Immune Columbia, only 25-30 or so known to exist, check out Red Book pgs 67&68 in 2007 version on that one.

Don in South Jersey

 

[IndianaSmith]

Consider a cheap GPS, they'll get you to within 10' of the target marked. If the ground is too froze to dig, you probably aren't gonna stick a flag in it.

Also, here's a pic of one of the trapping hammer/diggers I'd made for trapping. Blacksmiths hammer (3 lb) that I welded a steel handle into, and a piece 2"X4" of 1/4" steel into the back of the head, and ground an edge on it.

Smitty

 

[Green1]

lol smitty !! i just read the line under your post.....

 

[whoknows52]

I'm gonna sneak behind you guys and pull all your little flags up!!!!!!!