DFXonly hunt and other recent finds

[Mirage]

Here are my finds from my last three outings. I spent Friday with a bunch of DFX owners at a boyscout camp hunt here in Ohio. I managed to find one Merc and one wheat penny. I was under the weather and there was lot’s of competition. I think I let the competition mess with my psyche a little and got discouraged. I like hunting with a group but when everywhere you go there are two or three people hunting and you are walking over dug spots everywhere… Last year’s hunt was a good size. This year it might have been a little too many. The finds were good – just not enough to go around.

Some of us met at the Trolley Diner:

Getting ready to head out:

Zoso hunting a trail:

My finds:

Thanks Don and Steve for another successful hunt. It takes a lot of time and effort.

Other stuff:

The silver ring I found at the bottom of a ravine with a lot of old bottles. Most likely dates to early to mid 1900’s ?

Saturday Nate and I went to the ‘berg. Nate smoked me on silver but at least I found a few wheat pennies(66 actually).

Bob

 

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[Johnny Cache Hunter]

Nice finds Mirage, congratulations!
I hope your feeling a little better now too.

Is that coin with the star on it a challenge coin of some type, or is it currency I just don't recognize?

I've never hunted in a group as large as what you showed in your pictures. Was it a formal competition hunt, or just a bunch of DFX users gathering at a particular location for a friendly hunt together?

I was looking through the recent issue of W&E Treasures magazine and noticed a open competition hunt hosted by a group in my State not too far from where I live. I was toying with the thought of participating so I went to their web site but was surprised to see there was an entry fee of $50.00 pre-paid or $60.00 the day of the hunt. I don't know if thats typical but it was somewhat more money than what I would have expected. Now, after reading your post, I'm wondering if this type of hunt would be enjoyable. Have you tried a competition style hunt before?

Happy Hunting
Johnny Cache

 

[twister]

great finds congrats

 

[Trash Digger]

Nice finds. i see you found two 1920 pennies, one with a "S" mintmark. I also found a 1920 penny this weekend.

Mike

 

[CarolinaDigs]

I love you pictures

 

[Mirage]

Nice finds Mirage, congratulations!
I hope your feeling a little better now too.

Is that coin with the star on it a challenge coin of some type, or is it currency I just don't recognize?

I've never hunted in a group as large as what you showed in your pictures. Was it a formal competition hunt, or just a bunch of DFX users gathering at a particular location for a friendly hunt together?

I was looking through the recent issue of W&E Treasures magazine and noticed a open competition hunt hosted by a group in my State not too far from where I live. I was toying with the thought of participating so I went to their web site but was surprised to see there was an entry fee of $50.00 prepaid or $60.00 the day of the hunt. I don't know if thats typical but it was somewhat more money than what I would have expected. Now, after reading your post, I'm wondering if this type would be enjoyable. Have you tried a competition style hunt before?

Happy Hunting
Johnny Cache

This was not a "seeded" hunt where the finds are planted. I have never done one of those. This was the second "DFXonly" gathering. It started with Steve(owner of the DFXonly site) and some others talking about getting together for a friendly hunt. Don found a scout camp in Ohio that had never been hunted and the first year(last year) about 20 people hunted the camp. This year Don got permission at another camp. It has been hunted but a big area that could accommodate more than 20 people(had about 50 register). The only cost was $5 to cover "renting" the camp for the weekend.

The tokens are more recent type tokens used for arcade/vending machines. Everybody was finding them.

What was interesting about this hunt - If Nate and I had hunted the area by ourselves it would have taken us at least a dozen or so hunts to find what everyone found in two days. Also, we probably would have given up on it way to soon. It's one of those places that you hunt for an hour and only dig a few targets.

 

[ModernMiner]

Bob,
Hope you're feeling better. Man, that looks like some stiff competition there. That is a beautiful Merc you got there. On next years outing, sneak the guys some Ex-lax disguised as chocolate, and some of them may just have to GO. Just a thought.
Thanks for the post,
MM

 

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

Thanks for the extra info Mirage.

The idea of a large friendly group hunt, particularly one where everyone is using the same detector, seems like a nice one. The modest cost of $5.00 is very reasonable too.
I would think it would be especially beneficial to speak with other detectorists who are old hands at getting their DFX to sing for them, you could probably pick up a lot of good tips in just one day by talking to other folks.

I had thought that you were using an Minelab Explorer SE. Did you buy a new machine? Or are you thinking about one and borrow a detector for this hunt?

I often thought that if I was to get another detector I would either select either a Whites DFX or the Minelab Explorer SE, and I still lean slightly to the Explorer SE.

Have you had an opportunity to try out both machines, and if so, can you offer any feedback on their performance in comparison to each other?

I will say that I am honestly very happy with my Garrett 1500, and have invested money into the detector through the purchase of the Sun-Ray probe as well as a 12.5 PROformance search coil, but that aside , I still have read many times how owners of these other detectors feel they are getting increased depth performance. If you can relay any first hand experience you may have I'd be curious and interested to hear it.

Thanks Again,

Johnny Cache

 

[Kas]

Yep, I had tons of fun. It was a great time.

We had scads of food brought in by everyone, and had four nice gifts donated by Jimmy Sierra to give away. Hotfoot coil,digging pouch, pin-pointer and knee-pads.

I got skunked on the silver, but found a nice London button and BSA pocketknife way up on one of the trails. Plus a load of clad, tokens, 1939 dog tag, old shotgun brass, and other novelties.
What a beautiful place to hunt-hike. LOL.

Ken-Kas.

 

[Mirage]

I had thought that you were using an Minelab Explorer SE. Did you buy a new machine? Or are you thinking about one and borrow a detector for this hunt?

I often thought that if I was to get another detector I would either select either a Whites DFX or the Minelab Explorer SE, and I still lean slightly to the Explorer SE.

Have you had an opportunity to try out both machines, and if so, can you offer any feedback on their performance in comparison to each other?

Johnny Cache

I primarily use the Explorer II. I had to leave that at home. I have used the DFX for a couple years and have since given it to Nate. So I got in the hunt by being a DFX owner not necessarily a DFX user. It's almost more of a "Whites" hunt since I saw one guy there using an old Whites 6000 hipmount unit. He did good too.

As for comparison of units - a lot has already been written. Check through the various sections of TNET. A lot of good info. I generally give the nod to the Explorer over the DFX. But if you look at my finds compared to Nate's(we hunt side by side most of the time) we are pretty even. Only category the Explorer does much better than the DFX is with Indian Head Pennies. For some reason in Ohio here the DFX does not pick up IH's well.

Bob

 

[Mirage]

Yep, I had tons of fun. It was a great time.

We had scads of food brought in by everyone, and had four nice gifts donated by Jimmy Sierra to give away. Hotfoot coil,digging pouch, pin-pointer and knee-pads.

I got skunked on the silver, but found a nice London button and BSA pocketknife way up on one of the trails. Plus a load of clad, tokens, 1939 dog tag, old shotgun brass, and other novelties.
What a beautiful place to hunt-hike. LOL.

Ken-Kas.

Ken, It was good to meet you. You seem like a class act. That dog tag sounds like a neat find. I love finding old dog tags.

Yeah, I forgot to mention - I was the lucky recipient of a new Bullseye pinpointer that Nate has already abused for hours in the field.

Bob

 

[Kas]

You too Bob. It's always nice to post to someone after meeting them.

Wish we could do it again this summer, somewhere.

By the way. That small boy in the first picture between the telephone pole and paper box found a silver ring with a small stone in it late Saturday afternoon. You could hear him howling all the way up the mountain. LOOK WHAT I FOUND, LOOK WHAT I FOUND. I don't know if he said it twice or it echoed. Cool for him.

HH
KEN

 

[Ridley]

You did well Bob!

The photos are very cool! That must be strange to hunt with all those people at the same time.

Thanks for sharing the experience!


Ridley

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds Mirage! I don't think I would like a crowded hunt like that but have never tried an organized/planted hunt. HH, Mike

 

[Wasabi]

Looks like your hunting skills paid off.
No matter how many people were there you still found the good stuff!
WTG.

 

[Mirage]

Looks like your hunting skills paid off.
No matter how many people were there you still found the good stuff!
WTG.

Thanks but someone always does better. I think about 4 half(3 walkers, 1 franklin) were found. Lance(JerDFX's brother) did good. I think he had the best find with an 1824 Large Cent. He found some other good stuff that he will most likely post.

 

[kakcsdad]

nice finds, sounds like you still had a good time..
hope to maybe see what some of the others came up with sometime..

hh

 

[Nana40]

So you decided not to use the MXT? Was it this hunt you were planning on using it? You found some great stuff whatever you used! Great silver ring!

Congrats on all those finds!

Nana

 

[ringfinder]

Wow Mirage, I could have brought my Whites XLT and hunted with you guys, but naw, I'll just keep using my ACE 250. Sounds like a neat place to hunt. Glad you are feeling better now and can get back to the Iceberg. Gotta love those Wheaties. Next time maybe Nate will share a few silver coins with you.

As for planted hunts, I would suggest a Fisher 1235 to hunt with, I'd never hunt with a Mine Lab Explorer or a heavy Whites XLT or DFX at a hunt. The trouble with hunting with these big name detector's is they interfear with each other. You need something small and fast and that can change frequencies. These hunts are fast and furious. In a hunt with over 200 people in the hunt, in a field of an acre, the hunt usually lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. Many guys who hunt in these planted hunts, practice. They take movies of themselves and see how to dig a target the fastest they can. Some guys only look for tokens, that's tokens buried for prizes.

I've seen some people who have never hunted at one of these planted hunts, dig a coin and check the date. WRONG!!!, the guy next to him, dug 5 or 10 more targets while he was checking the date.

As for price, $60 dollars for a two day hunt, isn't bad. That's $30 a day and the cost of silver now days, that's cheap. At these hunts all the money collected is put back into the hunt. Silver dimes are going for around 70 cents each. Some hunts plant silver rounds, small 1/4 gold coins, silver quarters, but mostly they plant silver dimes and plant tokens for prizes. Some prizes can be a headset, a silver round, detecting diggers and even a New Detector.

I go to Shreve, Ohio hunt every year. This is a week long hunt and I suggest if anyone who lives near this hunt, come and try your luck. It costs $30 a day if you regester before June, after that it costs $40 a day to hunt. Usually over a weeks time, they bury around 30,000 coins. All the major dealers are at this hunt and many dealers are also at this hunt, selling detectors and other items of interest to the metal detecting hobby.

If you think you would like to go and try your luck, do it. It is a lot of fun and you meet some of the nicest people in our hobby. Maybe in your area they have a hunt, and maybe you could just try one day instead of two. Or you could just go and watch and see how much fun they have.

Hope this has answered some of your questions about hunts. If you have any more, please email me.

HH, Ringfinder

 

[dave-enc]

cool finds and neat adventure wtg
hh
dave+bobbie