Winter Activities

[devros]

Those of you that live in the northern part of the country, probably ask the same question every winter. “What can I do when there’s a foot of snow on the ground, and the ground is frozen solid for ever one foot.

Well you could pack up and go to Florida and metal detect the beaches all winter, but this is not what this is about, and besides, those of you who live in the south also have a problem. Although not serious, there are lots of cold winds and low wind chill factors, and instead of snow, you have those rains, that seem almost constant, and digging in endless mud or red clay is a thing that one does not desire to do.

Rather than hibernation until the snow and rains have gone, try some of the following activities; they will help you with your metal detecting when the spring come.
1. Clean all of your equipment and store it in a warm dray place, with the batteries removed.
2. Sharpen all of your digging tools, and make new ones if you need them. Make a carrying case that attaches to your belt to carry them in.
3. Build new equipment, such as a box or container that you can place in your vehicle for carrying all of your equipment.
4. Make up a first aid kit, or check your present one.
5. Decide on what equipment you would like to buy. Send for literature, and compare prices and features. Many times you will be able to buy at a discount during the winter months.
6. Re-read all of your old treasure magazines, compile a notebook of ideas that you find interesting.
7. Subscribe to a treasure magazine that you are not now receiving. You might also want to order back issues.
8. Look into other areas of the hobby, such as, gold panning, rock hounding, bottle collecting, jewelry making, etc.
9. Join your local historical or archeological society.
10. Join a local treasure hunting club, or if you don’t have one, you might want to consider forming one.
11. Get a good coin book and catalog your finds, and figure their value. You might want to compare them with previous years to see how much they have increased in value.
12. Research any of your unusual finds, and take photographs of them.
13. Spend some time at the local library to research future sites to search. After you find them , plan your trips.
14. Search for Topo maps on the internet, aerial photos of the area you wish to search. Pinpoint the areas you wish to search.
15. Call or write the owners of the property you are interested in searching, and obtain their permission ahead of time.
16. Write articles about your previous finds, experiences and equipment. Submit them to your favorite treasure magazine.
17. Get outside and see what others are doing, such as hills where children are sledding. Then go back in the spring.
18. You can metal detect even if the ground ifs frozen, to see if there is anything there. If you find a promising area, you can come back in the spring and recover the items that you found in the frozen ground.
19. Sit around on the Friendly Metal Detecting Forum with the other snowed in going crazy can't metal detect to save their lives users, and whine about not being able to metal detect. LOL.

The winter is a good time to spot area, for there will be no-one around to interrupt you. There will also be no weeds, snakes or small biting insects. The list of things to do is endless. Let your imagination go WILD and enjoy a few months without those pesky headphones.

[Carol K]

Great list devros.... but you forgot #19 !!!

19. Sit around on the forum with all the rest of us with cabin fever.

[devros]

will add at later date. LOL



How' that Carol is that better, LOL I know for sure I will be on here the first to whine about not being able to MD!!!

[Ferrous]

20. Or in my case, wait for the phone to ring, get dressed go to work at 1:00 am Get in plow truck ,plow for 12 hours, fix equipment, go home, eat, shower, sleep, and start all over.

[Carol K]

Hahaha Devros! That's perfect!


Here's #21.

21. Research, research, research! Find old postcards of your area online. There are many sites out there with old postcards. eBay's a good place too. Here's some examples:

Images of Rhode Island

Coney Island Postcards

Connecticut History Online

Vintage Views of New York

[ohiochris]

For me the detector will go into the closet soon and I will be getting the shanty, auger and other fishing gear ready for thick ice !

[stangthang]

I think I need to read one of the detecting books, such as the one about the "MXT Edge". I would rather be detecting right now, not reading!!! But I need to learn my machine better.

[Cfmct-PI]

Devros... winter is the start of our waterhunting season here in connecticut... I don't hunt much during the summer...

[RickO]

Great list Devros, something for everyone. RickO

[DigDog]

Great advice! And don't forget what Carol K said!!!!

[devros]

YUP!!! I am so with you, I already have my stuff out and cleaned and organized. I can't wait until we get some ice so we can go fishing. I even have the auger sharpened and everything.

[ohiochris]

Originally Posted by devros

YUP!!! I am so with you, I already have my stuff out and cleaned and organized. I can't wait until we get some ice so we can go fishing. I even have the auger sharpened and everything.

You are up in some really good ice fishing up that way. I am originally from Oscoda ( before I moved down south for 20+ years ) and I have family in Alpena. I have to settle with our local reservoirs here in Ohio now but atleast it deals with the cabin fever experienced through the winter.

[Audiz]

For me as long as the ground is not frozen and not below 32 as it has been on several mornings already, I will detect. I have ordered some books from Research Unlimited the other day can't wait until they arrive, love reading about the hobby, and reading the posts here on this Great forum. Plan to also give Geocaching a try (need to buy a GPS first), possibly easier to do when there is snow And also to get back into my art.
HH,
~Audiz~

[devros]

I fish on long lake here in Hale, we have some huge walleye in this lake. The pike are another thing my son at age five caught a pike that was 32 inches so far his largest one. We have killed the perch, gills, and walleye on many occasions. We love to ice fish it is our favorite time of year other than fly fishing, again my son at nine can toss a fly pretty much where he wants it.

[devros]

Let me know how you do on the books, and what you ordered. He has a nice selection on books for sure. I hope you are happy with them.

Thanks guys for the response to my little article that I wrote, maybe I will post a couple of more that I have written for my site on here. Again thanks HH!!

[Audiz]

Originally Posted by devros

Let me know how you do on the books, and what you ordered. He has a nice selection on books for sure. I hope you are happy with them.

Thanks guys for the response to my little article that I wrote, maybe I will post a couple of more that I have written for my site on here. Again thanks HH!!

Hi, got my order of books today I am very pleased with my order.
1. Where Did Grandpa Hide His Money, by Bill Taylor (for fun reading)
2. Search!, By James R. Warnke
3. The Urban treasure hunter, by Michael Chaplan
4. The Essential Guide to Geocaching, by Mike Dyer

Also, found my first silver 1964 Washington quarter this morning at a local park, going back there tomorrow.
HH,
~Audiz~

[PhilB]

If the ground is frozen and there is a foot of snow here, I grab my Compadre and go detecting all the local sledding hills. You can also hunt the snow piles where the plows have cleaned off parking lots (with permission of course). The killer for me is when the ground is frozen hard and there is no snow to hunt in.

[DWtexas]

If you can find them, you can detect in root cellars, barns, basements, crawl spaces or just about any place with a dirt floor. I know, finding a basement with a dirt floor is like finding a Spanish reale, but it can be done. There are several stories about treasure recovered from these locations. Here's just one example:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/200...ollection-sapp

The good thing about these locations is they are free of snow and ice...usually.

[shagdue]

Originally Posted by RickO

Great list Devros, something for everyone. RickO

Yep! What Ricko said!