Big Boys Hobbies

How do you park hunters do it?

Walrus350

Walrus350

Elite Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
697
Location
Southern California
I've been detecting for about 7 months now and 99% has been beach hunting.
The other .9% is tot lots with sand or bark.
I've done some park/dirt digging, but not for an extended period, until tonight.
I gave up after an hour and just scouted for targets for when I go back.
I use a Garrett digger and it does ok but it's so tiring! The grass at the park was the flat, matted type with some straight grass in the mix.
Do most of you use hand diggers or shovels?
I couldn't cut a round plug easily so I just made a half circle and wedged it up.
My coin popping technique need medical attention too!
I have a new respect for you all that hunt in the dirt.
 
When I hunt for deep old coins, I use a lesche digger to dig flaps which are about 4-5in in diameter. Works quite well for me, but it's important to pinpoint using the detector, it saves you time and reduces damage to the grass.

When I hunt for shallow coins, I use a sharpened tent peg to pry the coins out of the ground. I don't pinpoint those with the detector, I wave my pinpointer over the ground until it sounds. Hope this helps :)
 
Walrus350 said:
I've been detecting for about 7 months now and 99% has been beach hunting.
The other .9% is tot lots with sand or bark.
I've done some park/dirt digging, but not for an extended period, until tonight.
I gave up after an hour and just scouted for targets for when I go back.
I use a Garrett digger and it does ok but it's so tiring! The grass at the park was the flat, matted type with some straight grass in the mix.
Do most of you use hand diggers or shovels?
I couldn't cut a round plug easily so I just made a half circle and wedged it up.
My coin popping technique need medical attention too!
I have a new respect for you all that hunt in the dirt.
Click to expand...

As a dirt hunter, I have to say I am impressed with the wet sand guys who have to dig out large scoops of wet sand all day. I guess it is all relative. Fortunately for me almost all of my targets are under 4-6 inches so I can get them out with ease. If I had to dig to 6-8 inches for every dirt target, I wouldn't do it. Georgia red clay is too hard for that.

BCD
 
Need a good digging tool for sure like the Predator Model 31C or one of the Lesche tools. A large flat bladed screwdriver works great for them shallow coins and a pinpointer is a must have. I also use a coin prob from time to time, mine is a home made one but works wonder.
 
Kansas dirt can vary but in most cases it's like concrete. I actually carry a hammer to use my screwdriver as a chisel to hammer out coins. Dirt and rocks for the most part. Very deep stuff I use either a Lesche, if I can, or the hammer and chisel. For shallower stuff I coin pop with a flathead screwdriver.

 
Detector said:
Kansas dirt can vary but in most cases it's like concrete. I actually carry a hammer to use my screwdriver as a chisel to hammer out coins. Dirt and rocks for the most part. Very deep stuff I use either a Lesche, if I can, or the hammer and chisel. For shallower stuff I coin pop with a flathead screwdriver.

Click to expand...

This is how I coin pop as well. I have a thinner garden knife that I use for deeper targets and a small screw driver for the shallow stuff. Very good demonstration.

BCD
 
Walrus350 said:
....
Do most of you use hand diggers or shovels?
.....
Click to expand...

Get a sampson 31" digger. Its like a long-handled hand digger but you can use your foot. I have used one for years and when my first one finally broke a couple weeks ago, I went back to a regular hand digger and THAT SUCKS. :lol:

Honestly, if I had a beach near me, thats probably the only thing I would hunt.
 
Just thought I'd mention it, it's best not to use the longer (i.e the 36in) shovels in a public park...it doesn't make a good impression on passers-by (especially on council workers) and a small lesche will do the trick as well. But if you're hunting a permission (where the owners don't mind you being around) or an old vacant house site, by all means use the long shovel.
 
I agree with Sandgroper and long-handled diggers in public parks. I save it for Farm fields. Our soil/sod in the parks here is not hard to cut with a hand digger like a Wilcox #102
 
The more you do it the easier it will get. Your arms will be sore at first but will get used to the digging. I have never used the Garrett digger but the Lesche does a great job.
 
In my experience, it doesn't matter WHAT your digging with in public just the fact that you are DIGGING places a bullseye on you. Ive used a long handle digger exclusively for every season I've detected. 95% of my hunting is done in public ballfields and parks. Not once has anyone said anything about my shovels. Ive only been asked to leave a ballfield once, and that was because he referred to the field as "HIS" field :laughing: Honestly , I say use whatever tool makes it the most comfortable to retrieve targets with. My back thanks me for using long handles shovels though That's for sure. I have a couple hand diggers that don't even see the dirt anymore. Good luck and happy hunting!
 
I couldn't justify the expense of a lesche shovel so I ordered a lil' digger from feebay.

Anyone use it?
 

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Depending on the grass/dryness sometimes I don’t hunt certain types. One soccer field has this area of really tight knit grass, nearly impossible to neatly get through, so the unfun factor makes me move on. I much prefer scooping nice clean sand from a high mountain lake :) but they are a short season for me.
 
sandgroper said:
Just thought I'd mention it, it's best not to use the longer (i.e the 36in) shovels in a public park...it doesn't make a good impression on passers-by (especially on council workers) and a small lesche will do the trick as well. But if you're hunting a permission (where the owners don't mind you being around) or an old vacant house site, by all means use the long shovel.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree. I have the 31" Sampson and love it. I have the mini Sampson and the handheld regular Lesche. You can hold or hang the mini Sampson along your leg and it's inconspicuous. But......we really should stick to the handheld diggers in Parks and schools. I try to keep a profile but that's me. Some do disagree.
 
My dirt here in my area isn't too bad to dig plugs. I use a hand held smaller digger but do also have a longer shovel. As stated here in this post, the larger shovel is rarely used as it tends to bring a lot of eyes watching. This is another reason I hunt early in the morning on a week day. I like small neat plugs. I always use my carrot pin pointer to get the exact spot before digging the plug. Works for me !!!
Bubbaron Nox 600, AT PRO, AT PRO CARROT PIN POINTER
 
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