Trying not to get discouraged

[P47RCFlyer]

A friend and I went out today to an old homesite with permission. Hunted and hunted, nothing but junk. Went to the local park/baseball field, found nothing. Went to the bleachers at the local high school, found $.46.

Not sure what i'm doing wrong, LOL.

 

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[WHADIFIND]

If the river had washed up that far then why did it not wash the nails downstream as well? We are finding these nails approx. 3-4 inches down.

That's why I mentioned doing a bit of research on flooding. Might be able to find the levels anyway. How far up did it flood, etc.

As far as nails go, I wouldn't expect them to be carried along with the current as well as coins. Coins are flat and usually lighter plus the nails are long and streamlined. Still, I would move out from where everything is "supposed" to be. See if anything shows further out or downstream. As far as upgrading to a better detector, that's fine. But, don't just expect finds to appear where you want to believe they are because you can look deeper.

Now, I'm unfamiliar with the BH but I KNOW for a fact that one can tell a lot about a target just by the sound on the Groundhog. I've had one for about 40 years. If you run different types of targets under the BH, is there absolutely no difference in the sound?

Keep at it but try different places as well.

HH!

 

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[HISPAN]

it seems that in your area there are high levels of metal detecting or maybe the soil is sterile because it was removed a few years ago to fill with new sand, then it is barren of relics .... I advise you change to area few kilometers or miles, you are not to blame because he is doing well, only has to change the area .... or search you ancient sites as old mines or abandoned villages by utilizing google satellite maps hearch and etc ... my advice is to out of the best known places such as Parks, crowded beaches and highly visited sites today and locate hang places already ceased to be visited but much activity in the past .... but these places have to be known only by you or find and get lucky .... sure when you least expect gold find.

 

[P47RCFlyer]

Thanks guys. I'm planning to go back and when i do i will approach the site from a completely different angle. How and where do i find maps dating back to the 1830's showing the river levels? I've never attempted a research project like that before.

 

[WHADIFIND]

Thanks guys. I'm planning to go back and when i do i will approach the site from a completely different angle. How and where do i find maps dating back to the 1830's showing the river levels? I've never attempted a research project like that before.

Well, I've never actually searched for flood info but I would think that any heavy flood or maybe flash flooding would make news headlines. Maybe, start with that, newspapers? Also, I figure any flood would be recorded amongst geological surveys? At least it's a start.

HH!

 

[P47RCFlyer]

Well, I've never actually searched for flood info but I would think that any heavy flood or maybe flash flooding would make news headlines. Maybe, start with that, newspapers? Also, I figure any flood would be recorded amongst geological surveys? At least it's a start.

HH!

Will do, thanks for the tip.

 

[wainzoid]

USGS has water levels for my local river. I keep an eye on it during kayak season. They have records for my local gage back a hundred yrs.

 

[Fishermanjuice]

I would recommend:

1) look at the trees. The locals used different trees to demarcate areas in the day. Osage orange for instance was popular around cemeteries. Also, are trees in a conspicuous line in some area? Probably marked a boundary of a yard or property. The biggest trees are the oldest and best for climbing, and stuff falling out of pockets.

2) look for glass. You found a couple old pop bottles, that's a sign that goes up through about mid 1980s if my memory serves. It might be ok to hunt, but might not. Look for more glass on the surface because it tends not to sink into the earth as fast as metals do. Old greenish hue or light blue hue glass, square shapes are common, is usually the older stuff. If you find the glass, metal is likely hiding underneath.

3) look for foundations. I have found some really really old foundations in my work. They don't disappear too quick, and even after no visible signs of the structure are there, the level flat area where a foundation sat still is easy to distinguish.

4) get upslope. Not only are floods possible, they are probable, and not only do they wash things away, but they deposit them too. Get permission and dig a deep 3'-4' hole to see what the soil profile looks like. Are there multiple layers? See any thin bands laid by individual floods? How deep are they? Read up on geoarchaeology to learn more. The good stuff might be hiding under a foot or more of deposited sediments, out of your detectors range. If that is the case, get a detector that can use a 15" WOT coil and you might have more depth and luck. If you don't have the $$$, focus on areas upslope slightly where sediments are not as thick.

Cheers
Fishermanjuice

 

[gypsybandit]

some days I never find anything ... but I am still happy... it's exercise too ya know!