POLL: The Hunt or the Treasure?

[Michigan Badger]

Greetings fellow badgers.

I've often asked myself which I like most, the hunt or the finds hanging on the wall?

I would say the finds are most important to me but the hunt runs a close 2nd.

How's it with you?

 

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[cryptodave]

Re: The Hunt or the Treasure?

Its two fold for me... Especially if it is a hunt that I did alot of research on. Its always good to see it all come to fruitation.

 

[PostFatal]

Greetings fellow badgers.

I've often asked myself which I like most, the hunt or the finds hanging on the wall?

I would say the finds are most important to me but the hunt runs a close 2nd.

How's it with you?

Choice #5 TN Forums

 

[Antny]

"Everyone must have an end to journey to, but in the end, the joy is in the journey". I think it's all good. Can't have one with out the other. I think it's the hard work we put in that make the "treasures" we find more meaningfull. I enjoy the hours of research, talking to oldtimers, learning my machine. Reading through Treasurenet & trying out new tips & tricks I have read about, & everything that builds up to seeing that first glint of silver on the side of a hole or in the plug. That metallic sound when a coin or jewelry taps inside my sand scoop. That relic I dig up when my xlt reads OVERLOAD.
I saw a twilight zone last weekend, where the guy was a gambler & won every time at every game. He thought he was in heaven...NOT!!!
Good questions, Thanks,
Antny

 

[jeff of pa]

I said Both Hunt & Treasure.

I enjoy Looking, But I also Enjoy the Finds.

I'v gotten a Little Spoiled there for awhile &
of course, when My Finds Don't
Satisfy me I'm a Little Disappointed.
But Next chance I get I'm Back at the Hunt

 

[Jeffro]

Both equally- If I don't find much, I still have a good time. If I hit it, I'm OK with that ,too....

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

The hunt.

 

[gollum]

No way the Hunt! If I didn't think there was a possibility of a big payoff at the end of the line, I would never spend as much time as I do wandering through 125 degree deserts! I can think of much better ways to spend my time.

As far as Spanish Treasure goes, though, the hunt is exciting as well. But it still all boils down to the possibility of a stack of gold, or a sack of coins.

Mike

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

gollum,

"the possibility", is the hunt.

 

[EDDE]

undecided here...

 

[Rusted_Iron]

It has to be about equal for me, treasure and hunt. A coin is nice to have, but digging a coin is even nicer.

I could go to a coin shop and buy a common date Roosevelt silver dime for maybe $1.00, but seeing one of those pop out of a soil plug is just priceless to me.

 

[Nana40]

When I first started I couldn't wait to find something....anything! Started out with the bullets and horseshoes. Then I found my first wheat! Wow! Loved it! Then I found silver and then gold and of course the relics inbetween. Finding the keepers was/is lots of fun. Finding the sites that would have these keepers was/is fun as well. Now I do really like the stuff I have found but knowing there is more out there to be found keeps my interest. Might have to lean towards the hunt! I don't know! Maybe.....undecided! That's a hard question Badger! Cause without the hunt there's no fun...but having a hunt with no success isn't much fun either.....well except for maybe the view...depending on where you are! :P

It must be getting late!

 

[gollum]

gollum,

"the possibility", is the hunt.

For you, maybe. To me, the possibility makes the hunt worthwhile. The hunt is the act of getting my a$$ up at three AM to start the 175 mile drive every week. 30-40 degrees when I get there at about 6AM, and 125 degrees four hours later! The hunt is seeing what looks like a monument rock 800 feet above my trail up a steep sloped ridgeline. I have to climb over boulders, cactus, loose crap slipping out from under my feet to get to it.

If I find out after an hour of climbing that the monument is man made, mark it on the GPS, take pictures, and look around for others. When I get back home, I have to start researching whether there are any written accounts about caches, mines, treasure stories in that area that would go with the monuments found.

To me, the hunt sucks (kind of). If it weren't for the possible payoff at the end, I wouldn't do it. Some people would do all that chasing around for the history alone. Not me.

To me, an adventure is in parts:

1. Initial Hunt/Story/Find
2. Research
3. Hunt
4. Payola

Don't get me wrong. If I think there is some validity to a story, and go through all the motions, and get there only to find somebody was already there before me, I wouldn't be disappointed. If I find a monument, and research shows that somebody already picked the cache clean, I would stop there and move on to the next one.

That's my two cents-Mike

 

[stoney56]

The hunt itself is good. The treasure is just the payoff for a job well done.

 

[ferrouser]

Hunting for hunting is an excerise in futility. If finding is not important, why go out.
And use the cheapest detector you can find-no need for a high $$$ unit. It is a poor economy of time, money, learning the unit, and a practicle goal. You do better playing the lotto.

 

[jeff of pa]

If you hit the Lottery for $200,000,000.00
Would you Still Detect Beaches,Groves, Schools, Etc. ?

I would. (Only I'd do it all over the world.)

Therefore, I feel I must like the Hunt

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HOLA: Interesting question which I have often asked myself.

In the case of Tayopa, I originally started with a hint from an old Indian. This sparked my interest and I eventually found that an alter bell with the words "Guadalupe de Tayopa" cast in it was nearby. When I went to investigate, I found that the Bell was again lost or it's location unknown. However, this semi-verified that perhaps Tayopa did exist, so I commenced to go at the investigation more enthusiastically, conditions permitting.

Later I read F.Dobies account of Tayopa, which I eventually found to have a high amount of literary license, however, this accelerated the investigation for a while, then it slowed down for a few years.

Eventually I went at it full time both with foot/mule field explorations and with countless hrs in Documentary research and perhaps 1000 bottles of aspirin.

The end result was that I have found and own the Tayopa mine complex., known as the "King solomon Mines of the Americas"

I felt quite an ego boost in that I had accomplished what no one else had been able to do for almost 400 years. Something for which many many had died in the search, and for which expeditions are still being made up to look for it - since, except for postings in here, I have never actually gone public.

K the payoff---sheeesh, When, and IF it comes, could be fantastic. But, many problems have developed because of the sheer size of the deposits. There is the distinct possibility that I may never touch a single bar because of this, and among other things, the lack of sufficient capital to finish the job. My bout with Cancer took most of the funds set aside for this, but I am slowly rebuilding the pot.

Sooo, end point, which is the most important? To me the solving of the puzzle is enough by itself, even if I never see expenses returned.

The solving of the Tayopa riddle, the accompanying Jesuit involvements/intrigues along with other explorations was helpful in allowing me to be voted in as a full member of the Elite Explorers Club, the culmination of a boyhood dream.

This made the entire effort worth while.

Tropical Tramp

 

[lumbercamp]

The hunt. After detecting for more than 35 years, the find comes in 2nd. I have a topo map that shows the location of 13 camps in a run that is 8 miles long. I have found 7 of them. Digging up the once in a lifetime item is very exciting. Also exciting is finding a camp that I have a photo of from 110-125 years ago. I have done that 3 times so far.

 

[Jerxs]

If you hit the Lottery for $200,000,000.00
Would you Still Detect Beaches,Groves, Schools, Etc. ?

I believe I would still enjoy both the hunt and the treasure. I dont normally look at the things I find on a monetary scale. I like the mistique that surround allot of the objects that I un-earth.

Jer

 

[Rusted_Iron]

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward the hunt. Maybe 60% relative to the treasure... if I won the lottery, I guarantee you I'd still be out there swinging a detector looking to unearth a few silver dimes. Or wheats. Or corroded handfuls of clad. Can't beat the joy of finding things! A $10 silver ring, so I could go buy one at the mall... I'd rather find it with a metal detector. If you plan to buy a metal detector thinking it's only worthwhile if you're going to find something that'll pay for it ten times over (or whatever), I just don't see the sense in that. Not everything has to have a dollar value attached.

Great topic though. Really gets me thinking about it.

I'm also big on the history. That's partially why I like iron relics so much.