Indiana Jones would have freaked out

bearbqd

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Jan 12, 2006
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Shenandoah Valley
Got out to a little area today that has produced a few good CW finds in the past. I came upon a large uprooted tree with several feet of dirt stuck to the bottom of the roots. I was hopeful with anticipation as scenarios like that are always good in a civil war area. I had previously found a nice dropped Sharps here the same way; I visually saw it sticking out of the dirt around the roots.

Well, I walked around to the back side of these roots and sure enough, there’s the bottom of a dropped three ringer staring at me. Sweet! I got a few shots of it before I plucked it out and then did an air test over it with my detector. Doing so confirmed what I had suspected but hoped against, my detector ain’t working too well anymore. I couldn’t get it to ring out clearly at more than about 5 inches, and it only rang correctly one way. The other way produced iron tone. I can usually get about a foot out on air tests with bullets. So, that sucks and explains why I haven’t found much in my last several times out. Time to save up for the Equinox I suppose.

So, I figured there might be more bullets hiding in there, especially since my detector could barely make them out. I start spading out large chunks of dirt and spreading it out below. I did manage one more three ringer, but then one of my shovel plunges gave me a shock......I almost cut into a black snake! I think I actually grazed the poor thing but didn’t cut into him. I messed with him for a minute and got some shots. He came out the front of the roots in the front, but then backed up again into a space I couldn’t see.

I worked my way around to the front of the roots continuing to excavate dirt. Suddenly I see a second large black snake fall out, AND THERE’S A THIRD BEHIND THAT ONE! Holy smokes, never dug into a den before. It’s funny cuz I had just told my mother yesterday, who is deathly afraid of snakes, that I had only run into two snakes my whole 13 years of detecting. And today I run into three at once, pretty ironic. Oh well, glad I got me some lead and glad I didn’t chop into the snakes, I like snakes.

Oh yeah, the second bullet turned out to be a star base Washington Arsenal, so that was cool. I have only found a handful of those over the years, including one in my own back yard where I grew up.

Also, see if you can make out the three ringer as I saw it in the full root picture.
 

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I like most animals even snakes. Is that the name of that kind(black snake)?

In north America 'Black Snake' is a generic name that applies to a variety of snakes that are black. Id'ing exactly which one is difficult so this name is commonly used.

Those pictured in this thread appear to be 'black racers' and fairly common through the Appalachian area. These are harmless and very useful pest control.
 
Scales look like a Racer to me but without seeing the head or belly they are very hard to tell apart. Which is why we just call them black snakes.
So could be either and both are harmless, beneficial snakes.
 
Very cool hunt! Finding a 3 ringer just sticking out like that, pretty cool. I can speak to how well the nox finds 3 ringers but I love it for coin shooting and freshwater hunting! Congrats on digging your first snake den, got that on my bucket list now! :laughing:
 
Looked the same as this stock eastern rat snake photo
 

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Sweet finds! Hell to the nah on the snake. 5" on a minnie ball is about average for a vlf machine in the hot ground around the valley. If you're hunting good ground, you should be getting considerably more. HH
 
Sweet finds! Hell to the nah on the snake. 5" on a minnie ball is about average for a vlf machine in the hot ground around the valley. If you're hunting good ground, you should be getting considerably more. HH

I’ve hunted culpepper area which is super hot ground. The ground around Harpers Ferry is nothing like that. Really decent soil around me most of the time and yeah, I normally hit on Minnie balls easily at 9”.
 
A very cool bullet

I’ve hunted culpepper area which is super hot ground. The ground around Harpers Ferry is nothing like that. Really decent soil around me most of the time and yeah, I normally hit on Minnie balls easily at 9”.

I've hunted Brandy Station/Culpepper too and you're right about H-O-T ground, worst I've ever tried to hunt in.
 
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