Cellar hole question... Help!

[smcdmc]

I just found an old cellar hole (and suspect that there are at least a couple more nearby) that I intend to hunt as soon as I can get out again. I don't know the age of it although it appears very old. It has about an 18" mature pine tree growing up out of the middle of it and the walls appear to be random sized and shaped stones, not cut. My question for those of you who hunt these on a regular basis is, where do you start and how far from the hole do you extend the search? Is there typically one area that is more productive than another? Also, are coins here (in the forest) typically deeper or shallower than in a manicured lawn or ball field? I'm trying to visualize what it may have looked like 200 years ago, but with all the mature trees and underbrush its kind of hard. Any suggestions or tips? I hope to get at least a couple hours in Saturday morning.
Shane

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

Simply hunt the perimeters.. Like hunting modern home sites, there are dropped relics all around them. Have fun, and dig all your tones.

 

[Swartzie]

The hole itself and the immediate perimeter will likely be loaded with bits and pieces of iron junk. I will start outside this thick iron patch and work out from there. If you have an idea of where the front of the house was I would start there. As far as depth of coins goes. From my experience stuff in the woods is not as deep as stuff in a lawn. You would think that with leaves falling every year that stuff would be deep. In my case that has not been the truth at all. I assume the leaf cover decays pretty quick through winter/spring. The woods is my favorite place to dig. Another nice thing about the woods is the ground freezes much later than a lawn. You can thank the leaf cover for that. When the lawn starts freezing you can head into the woods to dig.

I have hunted five cellar holes. One has been very productive. The others have been so-so. It takes a long time to hunt them. I have a couple that I still go back to and they will still produce every now and then ( I will dig the real iffy signals and start to dig iron to get it out of the way). Probably one of my best finds from a cellar hole (liberty cap 1/2 cent) had been more than a hundred feet from the hole. So it takes time to hunt them. When you get into a lot of junk, slow your swing down and tighten it up to where you're only swinging a couple inches. You want to try and work between the junk. I dig everything above iron. Tombac buttons hit a little above the foil region. So if you disc too high you'll miss some stuff. Being that you're from Maine you should have a pretty good chance of having a nice old site. The trick is to keep at it. You may go home with empty pockets a lot, but don't let that discourage you.

Here's a nice little tutorial on hunting cellar holes: http://metaldetectingworld.com/metal_detecting_cellar_holes_p1.shtml

-Swartzie

 

[Frankn]

This is not my speciality, but this is how I work the cellar holes.
First I hit the ground around the hole to app 15'. Then I take the time to clear out the old wood and junk. I through this out in the cleared 15' perimeter." Watch out for snakes". Next I run the 2 Box around in there looking for a cache. This ignores all the nails and small junk. Next comes a once over with a good detector with a readout. You can visually discriminate this way. The last step is to use a small sniper coil to find the last choice pieces Good luck, Frank

 

[mainer]

Hello fellow Mainer. Anywhere around the hole is great I'll expand out as far as I can while still getting signals. usually there are rock walls around you want to expand out to those and on the each side of them as well. I dont bother going into the hole, usually the holes up here are filled with garbage from the 60's and 70's unless your deep into the woods. Go slow and don't let the iron intimidate you, there will be a ton of it but if you swing slow enough you will be able to pick the goodies out of the mess. From my past experiences coins in the woods usually are not that deep at all. Look for the well and be careful not to fall in it. usually theres some good finds around the well area. Good luck.

 

[smcdmc]

Thanks guys for the replies, that's the kind of info I was looking for. I was able to get over there for a little over an hour this morning and it is definitely worth going back. Along with a few modern coins and lots of junk I found a 1946 wheat and a 1923 Mercury! Not quite the age I was hoping for but I'll take it, and I've barely scratched the surface. The oddest thing was 3 different old Mepps spinners in 2 different locations. This is in the woods nowhere near a fishing hole. I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
Shane

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

Be careful of wells. In my opinion, you should always hunt with a partner in the woods or water. Those wells can be covered with debris and are often very deep, steep, and full of cold water. I got a 4 second count dropping a stone down a debris covered well before it I heard a splash. That's a very deep well. Be safe, have fun, and happy hunting!