MDing in the woods

[vibes]

MD'ing in the woods

For those of you who detect in the woods --how and why do you pick a particular area to hunt? Is it a particular tree grouping that looks appealing to you as ya drive by? OR is it more like map research? Google Earth?

I've always thought it would be one of those outings where ya search and search and *maybe* come home w/ a couple of nails and a Schlitz beer can (empty).

Thanks for your input, insight and insults.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[TORRERO]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

I've always thought it would be one of those outings where ya search and search and *maybe* come home w/ a couple of nails and a Schlitz beer can (empty).
**********************************

this sounds like me...
like what I find in the woods...

 

[lafatlife]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

LOL I once found 10 empty beer cans in a hole. Nothing else either. It was a bummer. For me, when I look in the woods it is usually because I see an old stone wall and perhaps a flat area that looks like it would have been a good spot for a house. Of course if you see part of a foundation, that is the big clue.

 

[savant365]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

A lot of old home sites around here are now overgrown. Research is key, talking to the old timers in the area is invalueable.

 

[vibes]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Thanks for the replies.

What would make ya pull over and say, "I MUST hunt those woods!" The drive-by vusual that sparks the desire to detect that area.

 

[savant365]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Thanks for the replies.

What would make ya pull over and say, "I MUST hunt those woods!" The drive-by vusual that sparks the desire to detect that area.

A leprechaun walking around scratching his head saying "Now where did I leave me pot o' gold?"

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Research is what tells me where to hunt. Most any drive-by I could do would just confirm what I already had found out through research.


In many cases, if you do drive-by's only (and don't use any other methods), you won't see any trace left of the oldest and most lucrative homesteads. So that is the problem with using only one method.


I think using deeds, land records, aerial photography, maps (if any exist), looking for signs (brick, pottery, cellar holes, foundation stones, glass), and talking to property owners are all ways to get a better picture of where you should be hunting.


People call this hobby "dirt fishing," but fishermen don't plan days or weeks before where they will cast the line each time. "Hunting" is more proactive, but there is likewise a lot of waiting involved to that, too. Yet there is nothing passive about metal detecting--the finds will not jump into your pouch.



Research, planning, and being open-minded and creative will snag you the finds.




For those who say "I'm waiting to find X,Y, or Z"--don't just wait. Go out there and Dig you one!




Best Wishes,



Buckles

 

[deepskyal]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

If I'm driving down some road and spot what appears to be a grown over road leading off into the woods...I'll stop and scout the area. A lot of my woods hunting are from historical research.

But around here, logging was prevalant, mining, and access roads were cut for gas and oil wells. Random camps were set up in the hills during work seasons where they lived, ate, drank, lounged...etc.
That's what I hope to find....someone getting boozed up, rolling around and losing his pay...or even burying it for safe keeping and forgetting where he left it. You just get a gut feeling that this flat spot coulda been a camp.

Al

 

[Shortstack]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

vibes,

I see by your avatar / signature that you're in northern Indiana so there surely must be many farm fields around. If you're ever driving past a farm field, even a plowed one with crops, and you spot a tight growth of trees and brush; take a closer look. Many times farmers will plow around an old house or foundation instead of cleaning it up. Thus, trees and bushes will naturally root there. Many places in the south tax buildings "under roof" and, therefore, the farmer will tear down the building and leave the chimney. Those spots will still have trees and bushes crop up. It wouldn't hurt to ask the farmer for permission to detect that clump of growth. If there is an old chimney.....well, little rainy-day caches have been hidden in and around chimneys and fireplace hearths throughout history. And, some of them were never recovered for one reason or another. You never know.....
Years ago, I read a story in one of the treasure mags, about this THer who would offer to teardown these old chimneys for the farmers in exchange for the bricks / field stones. He did not say how his luck had be running, but reselling the brick / field stones helped pay for his gas and he was still going about it. Of course this was back whens gas was 45 cents a gallon for premium.

 

[vibes]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

BuckleBoy, Deepskyal and shortstack...Thank you for the great info, tips and tricks...greatly appreciated!

I'm discovering that the internet is a fine research tool but it's just not enough! I'm heading to my library's local history section and see what I can discover and uncover!

Again, thanks for taking the time to share!

 

[sniffer]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

while I do look for groves of trees, I also look for certain kinds of trees. like cedar trees, the bigger the better. and the way they were planted. in a pattern or not. look for slow growing trees in your area and then research the area

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Other then looking For the Types of Bushes
Or Stone walls, Etc, Known to Exist at Home sites.

Early Maps

Example.

Early PA Dept. of Transportation Map


Area Now just woods On Tax Site Ariel


Checked it Out, no signs of former park,
Now Need to Contact Owner

 

[TerryC]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Vibes,
Here are some tips. Buy a PLATT map of an area you can concentrate on. They are relatively expensive so be picky. Learn the "code" set up..... NW half of SE corner of SW bla bla bla. Then go around looking for tree groves, lines, squares... rock fences, etc. Try to find trees or shrubs not native to the area... including apple orchards, grapes, etc. Then use the map to find the present owner. If he is not in the current house at that property, he will be listed at the same place taxes are collected. You may recognize the name in a local phone book. If all else fails, his/her name will have a mailing address listed. That is a good way to develop your hunting "expertise". There are many more things to know that you will learn by BUGGING the pros till they tell you. Keep at it! TTC

 

[Sniffy]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

I live in Connecticut in Litchfield county. I usually spot rock walls as I drive along back roads. Alot of the old homes are now merely depressions in the ground. (cellar hole) And chances are, not every square inch of these places have been looked over. A large percent hasn't even been detected. And then before ya know it, you'll have a green Large Cent peekin up at ya.


Jesse

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

BuckleBoy,  Deepskyal and shortstack...Thank you for the great info, tips and tricks...greatly appreciated!

I'm discovering that the internet is a fine research tool but it's just not enough!  I'm heading to my  library's local history section and see what I can discover and uncover!

Again, thanks for taking the time to share!

We're at the age now where the information on the internet has all been seen by someone else who detects.  In the early days of the net, it wasn't that way.  The library is much better than the net, because the good news is that fewer "armchair detectorists" will get off their duffs and go to the libraries.  In a couple hours at a library, you'll literally have 20-30 leads on new sites.  The question then is which ones to pursue, and how.   

Let us know how you do.  And I'm more than happy to field any research questions via PM.


Regards,



Buckles

 

[Shortstack]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Other then looking For the Types of Bushes
Or Stone walls, Etc, Known to Exist at Home sites.

Early Maps

Example.

Early PA Dept. of Transportation Map



Area Now just woods On Tax Site Ariel



Checked it Out, no signs of former park,
Now Need to Contact Owner

Hey Jeff.

Another thing to look for on old maps are the roadside rest areas. Up until about the mid 60s, all federal highways, such as US-80, US-51, US-50, etc.; those 2 lane "super highways" of the 40s, 50s, and 60s had regularly spaced rest areas for travelers to pull off and rest, picnic, pee-pee, or whatever. The old highway maps marked those places with the figure of a picnic table. Even in the early 90s, while truck driving, I saw many of those areas still in use on the roads we used to "cut through the woods" to shorten travel time.
My point is, I'll bet that 99% of those places have not seen a metal detector. Most of them will need some work to find because the states stopped maintaining them years ago and let them go "back to nature", but, they'd be worth finding. KVM wrote about these spots in a couple of his books and even told of a cache of silver dollars hidden in a section of capped pipe and stuck into the ground near one reststop.
One would need to look for the old "service station" maps for whichever state you're interested in because the maps since the 80s don't show these spots. With interstate highways running everywhere now, with superstops, the map makers don't bother showing these little stops on the side roads that may still exist.

 

[rsc]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Vibes.............. Nails and beer cans........... You must be dreaming of a Galveston surf hunt>>>>>>>.LOL



HH Gayle

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

not that we have the same type of woods as back east...when ever i find iris and rose bushes in the middle of no where...
i stop and look around..

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

Other then looking For the Types of Bushes
Or Stone walls, Etc, Known to Exist at Home sites.

Early Maps

Example.

Early PA Dept. of Transportation Map


Area Now just woods On Tax Site Ariel


Checked it Out, no signs of former park,
Now Need to Contact Owner

Hey Jeff.

Another thing to look for on old maps are the roadside rest areas. Up until about the mid 60s, all federal highways, such as US-80, US-51, US-50, etc.; those 2 lane "super highways" of the 40s, 50s, and 60s had regularly spaced rest areas for travelers to pull off and rest, picnic, pee-pee, or whatever. The old highway maps marked those places with the figure of a picnic table. Even in the early 90s, while truck driving, I saw many of those areas still in use on the roads we used to "cut through the woods" to shorten travel time.
My point is, I'll bet that 99% of those places have not seen a metal detector. Most of them will need some work to find because the states stopped maintaining them years ago and let them go "back to nature", but, they'd be worth finding. KVM wrote about these spots in a couple of his books and even told of a cache of silver dollars hidden in a section of capped pipe and stuck into the ground near one reststop.
One would need to look for the old "service station" maps for whichever state you're interested in because the maps since the 80s don't show these spots. With interstate highways running everywhere now, with superstops, the map makers don't bother showing these little stops on the side roads that may still exist.

Yep I Remember them well & Know where a few are (were)

They also Existed at the Base & Peak of Every Steep Mountain,
To Get water from Creeks, Or Just to let The cars cool Off.

Those Old Model T's Etc. Didn't Fare Well on the Mountain
Without a rest.

Not to Mention the Horses & Walkers Before cars

 

[vibes]

Re: MD'ing in the woods

TerryC...If I don't get no satisfaction from my library jaunt, then I'll be all over the PLATT idea! OR maybe I'll discover an area I'd like to explore in depth, yeah, that's it! I'm starting to formulate a plan, I love it when that happens!!!!! Which then leads me to.....

...BuckleBoy...thank you for the offer! If I get stuck, you'll be the first I contact!

Shortstack...rest stops and farm fields. Does life get any better than that? I think not And a huge thanks to you...I enjoyed the tips! And ya better believe it when I say they'll be put to good use!
Same goes to Jeff, sniffer, sniffy and pippinwhitepaws...thank you!

Vibes.............. Nails and beer cans........... You must be dreaming of a Galveston surf hunt>>>>>>>.LOL



HH Gayle

Hahaha...rsc...ya know me well! The numerous contributions I've made to the Galveston Surf Gods in my youth...sigh...what fun memories!

Thanks