first hunt since 96 when I broke my back.

[DanWho]

I went on my first hunt in 20 years. I broke my back in 96 and back then I couldn't stand that long let alone swing my heavy White's in front of me. I never lost interest but didn't really have confidence in my physical ability.

Fast forward to my watching a video on youtube and my girlfriend seeing it this april. She had back surgery 2 years ago and she got interested. I have been working hard for the last year trying to get her interested or at least busy moving so she just doesn't curl up turn into an invalid. I got her a garrett ace 350, she didn't want to get something expensive if she wasn't going to be interest or ability.

Today was the first day I had off that we could go out and hunt due to weather. We started by planning to go to the lake and hit the beach. Rules say small sand scoop or trowel. We didn't get scoops yet so we brought trowels. When we got to the lake the dark clouds we had been seeing busted loose and started raining. We decided to hit a city park that was north of the rain line. This park has been hit hard continuously by detectorists with older machines.

We spent about an hour and a half. The targets we hit were all junk, near the surface or showing 8+ inches deep. Little hand trowels wouldn't cut digging 8+ so we stuck with the shallow stuff, we will go back better equipped to go after the deeper stuff next time.

My GF only found poptops, chewing gum foil and pulltabs. She was upset that we weren't really equipped to go after the deep stuff. I found 2 copper memorials and 1 zincon. I also found someones bronze medal for USA kids wrestling.

I'm heading to the high school tomorrow and see if they know who it belongs to, I'm sure they would like that back.

All in all we are both looking forward to going back to get the deep signals. We both are somewhat back sore but eager.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[Duckman Willcox]

Danwho welcome back to dirt fishing. I'm a heart transplant patient and use MDing as my exercise routine. Walking is boring, gyms are for serious muscle building, I feel intimidated there and doctor says nothing over 40 lbs. I plan on calling for help when I find that treasure chest. So I normally spent 15 to 20 hours a week swinging away. Keep swinging!

 

[foilfinder]

Glad to see you got back into it, I too had major back surgery and learned I just had to break throughout my hunts and sometimes they are just an hour but I still pull some good things sometimes..look at the park this way, you can clear the easy surface stuff off then later you will have your tools for the deeper stuff.
good luck out there.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Welcome back to the obsession. I love my Lesche hand digger. Cuts through the Ohio soil like butter. To make it fun for her, maybe you ought to set hers up with some discrimination, so she can at least dig coins. That's what got me hooked, knowing that when I got a deep, it was a copper penny, dime, or quarter in the hole. After she digs money, a silver ring is sure to pop up. Then after the bug bites, maybe have her use less disc and go for the gold.

GL & HH

 

[trapperart]

Glad to hear you are detecting, good luck

 

[DanWho]

Her detector was set up running coin and jewelry for the hunt. What had her frustrated was that all the coin signals were 8+ inches down on her machine and on mine showing some as 12+. Many of the signals were steady dime and quarter readings on both of our machines and some that sounded good but wouldn't show anything on the screen. My next day off will probably be after tax season. She already has the right equipment setup and ready to go for when I have time off. She wants me to tell my daughter that she has to run the office by herself for a couple days so we can get the rest before some one else gets in there.

She and I both woke up with some sore backs but she still cant wait to get back there.

UPDATE: The school says they don't know who the bronze medal belongs to. There was no engraving on the back and I have put calls to the other local schools but have not heard back yet from them. I'm thinking that whom ever lost this, has lost it for good.

 

[Bgmeanie]

Metal detecting can be great excercize for anyone! Just take it slow! Time together w/ your gf is treasure in itself. GL pal!!!!

 

[SusanMN]

Welcome back. Be sure you pick up a good pinpointer, like a Garrett Propoimter. Makes recovery so much faster and easier.

 

[against the wind]

Congrats to both of you for getting out and having fun. If your depth meters are accurate. I'm thinking, 8 inches = silver coins.
As has been said,, the Lesche Digger will cut through anything

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Welcome back Dan! I hope you and your girl friend find many goodies this hunting season!

 

[mikeraydj]

Welcome back. Detecting is one of the best hobbies I have. Nothing like an early morning and a whole park to myself. Weather here in Montana is iffy, so I haven't been swinging as much as I would like. But the weather will be getting nice soon. My Minelab sits by my front door just waiting to hunt.

 

[TheRingFinder]

Danwho - Sounds like you need the Deus!! I hear it's like swinging a twig - an expensive twig though.

Good luck with your health and digging the treasures - You ever hunt with Ralph from Sunray?

 

[s.c.shooter]

Welcome back to the worlds greatest hobby!

 

[DanWho]

No sorry I never dug with Ralph from sunray. Other than Lou my GF the only other person I have hunted with is my scout master. I was a teenager and in boyscouts when I started, he was the evil person that got me hooked.

We each have a garratt black pinpointer, when I first started there wasn't such a thing and I dont remember seeing anything about them in the mid 90's when I got my white's. In just the first day of hunting we've fallen in love with them. I remember pawing threw the dirt trying to find a coin, spending quite a while trying not to completely destroy the plug way back when.

A Lesche Digger may be the next purchase. The GF says I need to slow down on purchases until she finds out if the interest stays.

 

[guardez]

Hello Dan Who,
Good going. I had a farm tractor roll on me in Aug. 2015. Tried to hunt once, good luck but hurt like hell.
Hang in there and I"LL see you out in the field.

Guardez

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

That's awesome man! Congrats on putting in the effort to get back to detecting. Must feel good to overcome such an obstacle. Welcome back!

 

[K1DDO1979]

Glad your excited about getting out again. Can't wait to see some great posts and finds from you in the future.

 

[l2hunt]

good for you both and all the best in your future hunts!

 

[Scrappy]

Welcome back, no pun intended. Best of luck, and with an attitude like yours, I doubt you'll need luck!

Cheers

 

[DanWho]

Update: None of the schools from near by towns has called back on the bronze medal. I figure that it was brought to the park for a family reunion and lost. Maybe some one will see us hitting the park later and ask about it, probably the only way it will get back to the owner.