Suggestions on where to hunt??

[Big Diggin]

I am a newbie to this site and to treasure hunting. I have been hunting for 1 month (probably 8-9 total hours) at a modern high school, 2 recreational baseball parks & a couple of old houses. So far I have found 1 bullet (not civil war era), $1.24 in clad change, thousands of pull tabs & various other "trash" items. I would appreciate any suggestions from fellow TH'ers on areas to hunt for clad coins, old coins, or relics. Thanks in advance.

 

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[ringfinder]

Wow, Virginia, your in a good area to hunt for Civil War items, that's for sure. I'd see if there isn't
a local club nearby and join it. Those guys can really help you out.

A good place to start finding places to hunt is your local library. Look at the old maps from the early years from your area. I look at Old county maps, they may be in book forum and they would include all the townships from that county. I have 5 county maps and all the townships in each county in a folder. All
these county maps are from the 1860's. Then you get a new plate map of the counties and townships
and compare them. Ask old timers about old picnic area's in your area. Old one room school houses will
also show up on those old County maps. A one room school house should be located every two miles.

Another good source of great hunting sites is The Wester & Eastern Treasure Magazine that you
can purchase at your local bookstore. There are a lot of great ideas in this magazine.

Good Luck and hope some of my tips help, I'm sure you will get lots more from the guys and gals
on this forum.

HH, Ringfinder

 

[TreasureTales]

Big Diggin this may sound like a simplistic answer, but whereever there is dirt there is bound to be stuff.

Are there any lakes nearby where people go swimming or fishing in the summer? Try the lake shore.

Go to the gravel parking lots of business and ask to detect the parking areas.

Get some topographic maps of your area and study them for homesites. The topo maps from the 1950s are good, and common. The buildings will be designated with little symbols.

Campgrounds, both old and current.

Church yards, get permission.

Ask your neighbors or friends if you can detect their yards.

Do your own yard, if you have one. That's always a good place to begin.

Read the posts from the members of TNet and you'll learn about the places other people go. The variety is only limited by your imagination.


Good luck, have fun, and post your finds often. We enjoy seeing what others find.

 

[sparkymaster]

Both TreasureTales and ringfinder have excellent suggestions for you.

My suggestion for you is:

Where to find treasure by Dick Stout.

This is the only book you'll need to get all the ideas you can handle in the beginning. This book is fairly cheap and it's filled with a wealth of information. Just reading it gives you a bad case of TH fever.

Please get it, you'll never regret doing so.

If for some reason you can't afford to buy one, personal message me with your address and I'll send you mine for free.

HH to all.

sparkymaster

 

[Brink23]

hey, i live in Va also, and id say that i was a seasoned detectorist. i have found many many relics and coins throughout va. where abouts are you? i would certainly be willing to give you a boost on where to go maybe even a co-effort.

good luck

 

[Kiros32]

I would start in your own yard. You never know what's there. I started in my parents yard, the house was built in 1987 on a lot in what used to be an orchard. I found a CW minie ball not 10 ft from our back deck, gold and silver charms, etc. You just never know. Also, you can perfect your digging techniques...you dig a big hole and kill the grass, it's your own yard. There is a relic hunting club in VA called The Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association (NVRHA). I went to a meeting, not my cup of tea as I prefer to hunt alone, but they have some very knowledgeable and skilled members and you could learn a lot.

With that said, I am in Bethesda, MD but work in Arlington, VA. I am by no means an expert but I have been detecting for over a year now and know my way around a metal detector. Maybe we could get together sometime, somewhere.

 

[Born2Dtect]

The first thing that popped out at me was the name of a road near you. Old Stage Coach Road. Look for any old places along this route, houses, farms, stops, churches. This was probably on of the first routes through the area. Use maps and methods described in previous posts. Try looking at your library, most local Historical Societies are helpfull. Virginia is getting funny on civil war sires so if you find one keep quiet. I hunt on the Eastern shore of Virginia (Delmarva) 3-5 times a year and usually do well. Older coins, jewelry, silver, buttons. No civil was stuff yet, but others with me have found, buckles, plates, buttons and bullets. It is only a matter of time for me.

Ed D.