Need a digging refresher course 101.....

[mydejavooo]

Well, I did a little coinshooting today....RIGHT before our first snowfall!! Yeaaah!!! Will it be the last dig of the year? Doubtful! But as I was searching today at the local park, teaching my 10 and 9 year olds the "art" of digging up finds, it occurred to me that I think I need a refresher course myself!! As I was searching our VERY highly mineralized and hard-packed park, I was attempting to show my kids the correct method of probing for coins, but the stinkin' soil was very hard, and did not cooperate the way I had expected it to. So after some (IMO) failed attempts, I resorted to cutting a small flap of sod and folding it back as carefully as possible. I use a bandanna to catch the soil that I'm scooping out, as I want to leave the ground undamaged, or at least with the least amount of damage possible. The problem I have discovered, is that I have on occasion left what I personally felt was a mess! Maybe my "mess" is cleaner than a noobie's, but still. I have done my best to restore the looks of those spots as much as I can, but some just look UGLY! (You guys know what I mean....right?? )

So...in the interest of learning more, and being the very first to admit that I do NOT know everything.....can someone please chime in with some proper digging techniques, styles, or even sources to utilize in order to perfect my skills? I can't very well show my children the "proper" techniques if I can't even pull them off myself! Now I'm not saying that I leave every hole a mess....far from it....but I think we ALL have room for improvement. I've dug hundreds of targets, and found my fair share of coins, relics, jewelry, etc....so I DO know the difference between Charlie Sheen and Shinola.....LOL!!.......but I'm looking at this as a "Digging 101", back to basics post. I'm all ears . I just want to get better...dig faster...and leave the spot cleaner. Even expert military snipers take courses to hone their skills. LOL!! I am committed to ensuring that this great hobby and pastime lives on in a POSITIVE light.....especially considering the recent posts that I've seen where MD'ing is being banned. I do NOT want to be one of those that contributes to THEIR cause. Does this even make any sense?

Anyways, I have rambled on long enough. Please help me , and in turn I will be helping the next generation learn the PROPER way to git-r-done! Thanks in advance.

DeJa

 

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[sniffer]

you've got the right idea with the bandanna and trying to make it look untouched, however it depends on the soil your digging, clay versus sand versus black top soil. the only thing you can do is practice and get better each time you go out. good luck

 

[pennyfarmer]

I usually steer clear of soil that is too dry in the first place. The sod will yellow faster where it is dry and the dry ground does not lend well to finding deep targets.

 

[Sandman]

You are on the road to being neater in your recovery methods with the use of a cloth to put your dirt so it can go back in the hole and cutting a flap in the sod. An awful lot depends on your sod to. The use of a pinpointer is a help. I still rely on just a probe like a screw driver to touch the coin and then pop it out. If I can't locate the target with the screw driver I whip out the bayonet as it is wider and can wedge in a pull tab or ring for levering it out of the ground. In many cases if I can't locate it with the probe, I leave it instead of leaving a mess of the grass. In the woods now I still cover my holes so nobody can tell I was there. Practice and more practice.

 

[underarock]

You have a good technique. Do your best its all you can do.

 

[smcdmc]

I use a probe and also cut plugs when needed depending on the depth, but one thing you have to watch is cutting a plug after you've already probed. Sometimes if the soil is not damp enough cutting a plug after you have unsuccessfully probed will cause the plug to fall apart and make a mess.

Shane

 

[Coin Digger]

Been fortunate this year we've had plenty of rain.
When the ground is hard, what I try to do is probe for the coin, once found I turn my Lesche on edge cut a 3-4 inch long slit over the target, then insert the tip of the Lesche at the base of the slit under the target and pry up just enough pop the target out. When done just push down on the flaps of earth and you will never know there was a hole dug, actually it's not really a hole at all.
That works on shallow coins down to 3-4 inches.
Mostly though I avoid public places in dry weather and concentrate on construction sites and abandon places.

 

[mydejavooo]

I have a "poor-man's Lesche"....an older survival knife that I bought at a pawn shop for 5 bucks, and it's 420 stainless, so it's tough! Maybe not as long as the Lesche, but it's close, and does a great job of probing and cutting plugs. I too have encountered the same issue with the "probe then cut" method.....the plug just crumbles and falls apart...leaving a mess!

But I figured I'd show you some of my gear, so you can see that I do try and take this seriously, and want to be prepared for whatever I may encounter whilst digging. If you can see something that I am missing, or a MUST HAVE item that I DON'T HAVE...please, throw out your recommendations. As you will see, I pack a bit of kit with me, but I typically will have the camo waist pack on me at all times, including my make-shift "hunting" vest (actually it's a fishing vest, but I can pack a LOT of gear on me, without the need for the backpack. It all depends on where I'm hunting, and the conditions.)

Here's the digging knife. Not pretty, but it works!

An overall shot of ALL my gear....

My Harbor Freight Cen-Tech pinpointer just velcros through a loop on the waist pack, and the knife slides through a zippered opening in the pack as well.....

Coin value book, notebook, pens, and manuals.....

Extra batteries, a Leatherman and a small LED flashlight....

Gloves and knee pads....

Various brushes for removing dirt and debris on the less valuable stuff....

And since I don't have a CC license...I pack an equally effective but most likely unnecessary item....but .22 blank starter pistol. LOOKS real, SOUNDS real...and it's 100% legal to carry concealed. Deterrent for would-be bad guys (never encountered any, knock on wood) and if I ever get lost in woods I can signal for help or even start a fire if I had to keep warm.

I probably pack way more stuff with me, but I'd rather be over-prepared. Also, I have the various diggers, rock-pick, bandannas, cold weather caps, tape measure, etc.

DeJa

 

[deepskyal]

That hard pack is difficult to manage unless as others suggested, you just use the probe and poke method. I normally won't dig in areas that are like that. Just don't like to leave a mess. Wait for after some rainy weather and until then, find a less compact area other than a park where leaving a small mess won't be an eyesore.

Someone talked about making an "X" slit to get to the coin. Sounds possible but think you may still fight crumbling soil that won't bind back into it's original shape.

It's probably not you...just a bad time of year to hunt that spot.

Al

 

[mydejavooo]

That hard pack is difficult to manage unless as others suggested, you just use the probe and poke method. I normally won't dig in areas that are like that. Just don't like to leave a mess. Wait for after some rainy weather and until then, find a less compact area other than a park where leaving a small mess won't be an eyesore.

Someone talked about making an "X" slit to get to the coin. Sounds possible but think you may still fight crumbling soil that won't bind back into it's original shape.

It's probably not you...just a bad time of year to hunt that spot.

Al

I've encountered that lousy soil quite a bit in my area. The stuff reminds me of dried up worm-bedding that's been in my bait canteen for the last decade! What's "funny" is that I can drive 10 miles into a different town, and the soil is WAY different. I also seem to notice that it's the really hard, crumbly stuff that EATS the Zincoln pennies!! I just cleaned a batch that I've had sitting in my closet for 10 years, and they were ALL sorts of torn up from the acidic soil. So you may be on to something there......digging in THAT sort of soil is going to yield bupkiss! Thanks for the encouragement!

DeJa

 

[diggemall]

If I am digging in sod, I usually cut a nice round (6" or so) plug out of the top 3 inches of soil, scan it, and set it aside. After that, I can dig as deep as I want, setting the loose material on a square of poly I carry with me. When finished, all the loose stuff goes back in, gets packed down, and the sod plug replaced and packed down as well. Generally, you'd never know I was there.

Diggem'