where will your first spring hunt be...

Dgilbert

With spring just around the corner and the snow and frost disappearing you likely started planning the first hunt of the year. Where will it be. Maybe an old favorite site, or some new place you have been researching. Possibly that place you have been meaning to search for some time but never seem to get there. Share your plans.

Dgilbert

I'll start this... I will be detecting in a new site as I am brand new to the hobby and it will be my first hunt ever. I've decided to go to a local park that follows a stream/creek that has been used by settlers back into the early 1800s and now is a public park. It is located around a historic village within a large populated city. Its likely a popular spot for detecting but thought I would start there and see what happens. Could find some lost treasure from yesterday or 200 yrs ago.

Good luck to all..

Namvet69

@Dgilbert I'm excited for you. Have you been practicing on known items? Dig everything, leave little trace of your presence and have fun. Post pics when you can. Peace Roy

ricko

@Dgilbert... Best of luck on your first hunt... and it sounds like a promising site. Remember, no site is ever 'hunted out'... Be slow, listen carefully - sometimes signals are faint. Let us know how it goes. Cheers, RickO

Dgilbert

@Namvet69 said:
@Dgilbert I'm excited for you. Have you been practicing on known items? Dig everything, leave little trace of your presence and have fun. Post pics when you can. Peace Roy

I haven't been practicing yet as I am yet to purchase the detector lol. I've bin putting off buying the detectors and equipment as there is still a months worth of frozen ground where I am. I have though bin viewing lots of detecting videos on you tube and learning lots from them. I will be sure to purchase the gear in enough time to practice with it before I step out detecting.

I have a couple other parks in mind for hunting sites, looking mainly in old growth forested areas where the trees are about 175 to 200yrs old, areas have creeks and rivers. I think these areas have had very little if any disturbance/development, grade changes etc. Native Americans used these creeks/streams and I'm sure the early settlers also followed the waterways. Over time the city has developed around these areas that are now public park lands. Some noted historic sites are within the parks that I will have to avoid due to city by-laws but I'll get close.
Any tips for researching possible sites, would be helpful as well. What kinds of things/places to look for...

I will be sure to post any findings and report on how I make out after the hunt.

Dgilbert

@ricko said:
@Dgilbert... Best of luck on your first hunt... and it sounds like a promising site. Remember, no site is ever 'hunted out'... Be slow, listen carefully - sometimes signals are faint. Let us know how it goes. Cheers, RickO

..

Namvet69

Just lined up permission to do an old family farm that had George and the boys bivouaced while he planned troop movements n/o Trenton. It's snowing and sleeting today, it's sleeting and snowing but I'm a patient guy. Peace Roy

No Headlights

@Namvet69 said:
Just lined up permission to do an old family farm that had George and the boys bivouaced while he planned troop movements n/o Trenton. It's snowing and sleeting today, it's sleeting and snowing but I'm a patient guy. Peace Roy

Good luck Roy!! I hope you have some new treasures to show next time we get to meet up.

ricko

@Namvet69.... Best of luck when the weather clears.... Hope you find a Revolutionary War relic... Cheers, RickO

Dgilbert

@ricko said:
@Namvet69.... Best of luck when the weather clears.... Hope you find a Revolutionary War relic... Cheers, RickO

Just thought you might be interested in this. It was not a detecting treasure find, but a good treasure to find none the less. I found this in the bunk house rafters of an old cottage my parents had bought in 1998. I had it for a few years before I researched it and found out its very rare only 400 made.

LEE FIREARMS Co. Milwaukee Wisconsin. Pat 1865.
Manufactures for the Civil war, but they were never put into service due to a "Barrel discrepancy" (or the war was all but over).

ricko

@Dgilbert ... That is definitely found treasure.... Very nice. Cheers, RickO

streeter

Well here in AZ the snakes are coming out so we have to have the dogs with us. Getting towards 80°f too.

A couple of miles away, they were moving the old tailings from an old mine. What pops up? As big as your hand. A 40oz nugget. I did not see it in person but I know a couple of the guys who are working the mine. No nonsense individuals. We joked how that could have been missed. The tailings have a new sense of urgency, LOL.

Tremendous amount of prospecting and mining activity in AZ right now before it hits 130°f.

Dgilbert

@streeter said:
Well here in AZ the snakes are coming out so we have to have the dogs with us. Getting towards 80°f too.

A couple of miles away, they were moving the old tailings from an old mine. What pops up? As big as your hand. A 40oz nugget. I did not see it in person but I know a couple of the guys who are working the mine. No nonsense individuals. We joked how that could have been missed. The tailings have a new sense of urgency, LOL.

Tremendous amount of prospecting and mining activity in AZ right now before it hits 130°f.

I've herd stories about gold "dust" that has fallen between the old floor boards of gold rush era banks and weigh stations.

streeter

Dgilbert
Not too many old bank bldg's still standing.
But
We do have lunch occasionally at Kirkland Junction. Built 1863, Civil War Pony Express stop and stage coach overnight stop. Still serving lunch and open bar 160 years later. Same bldg.

Dgilbert

@streeter said:
Dgilbert

>
When I was a kid around 48yrs ago I was maybe 8yrs old, my father would take us to the beach where there was an old board walk with concession stands along the side. It was a very old part of the city with cobblestone roads. He was a contractor, and would always comment on wanting to get the contract to replace the rotten boards if the city was ever going to contract out the work. There was likely 1 to 2 feet of space between the sand and the boardwalk when it was originally constructed. When we went as kids it must have been 100+yrs old at that time and there was no space between the sand and boards anymore it all got filled in with sand falling between the boards and likely the odd coin or two got dropped around the concession stands. Dad never did get any kind of work from it. Someone at some time removed the old wooden boardwalk and its now hardscaped concrete, walking and bike paths.

About 6 yrs ago I was involved in excavating an old walking path that connected the road to the beach area. We air-spaded the area as to not damage the roots of the old growth trees. Under the surface about 3 inches we uncovered parts of the old cobblestone path and I did find a broken gold chain maybe 8 inches long.

ricko

I lived in AZ for eight years and did a little bit of gold panning. The old mines were off limits, but would love to have had access to the tailing piles. That nugget find is amazing. The major interest in the tailing piles at copper mines was the turquoise. Cheers, RickO