Can't find anything here in North Carolina

Nuggetnoggin from YouTube is from that state and mike finds places to hunt all the time. I'd suggest going to the local library getting hold of the 1877 or 1887 atlas of that area and photo copy as much as you can then start matching stuff up on google earth then cold call on some of the houses or just drive around till you see some old property and cold call on them. Only thing they can do is say no and you move on. Also I hope you've adopted a southern tone in your voice,some may not take too kindly to northerners. Have you looked to see if there are any clubs in your area, im sure that would help out a lot.

What part of NC are we talking about? Sounds like you have other detectorists in the area. The machines now are very good. A guy can wipe out a public place. You have to be willing to go the extra mile and knock doors. In general NC is gonna have far les silver than up north.

Well , here's the reason . In NYS , you can only hunt 6 or 7 months a year because of all the snow . Down here , we can hunt all year , even with the little snow we get , the ground is never frozen below an inch . Just my theory for what it's worth . But , more detectorist , and kids on the pre-paid lunch programs , there not carrying money anymore . Just another one of my therories , for what it's worth . , Welcome to the state and good luck .

a water hunting story

joecatch said:

I just moved from NYS where I had no problems metal detecting in parks and school fields.

But here in North Carolina I can't find anything. I have been to a dozen schools and soccer fields and I found a grand total of $8! Today I went to 2 schools and found 13 cents! What is going on here? In New York I could easily find $5 in one field. Here, there doesn't seem to be anything in the ground.

I don't know if my AT Pro just doesn't like the dirt here or if everything here has all been hunted out or if my detector somehow got damaged in the move. This is really bad. I would love to talk to anyone else living near Apex, NC, about this area!

JC

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I have wondered the same thing sometimes, except I'm in Wisconsin. I had an Ace 350 last year, and now I have an AT Pro. I go to the beaches and all I seem to find is fishing gear and bottlecaps. The only really "good finds" I've found have been in the water. At the playgrounds, all I find is clad and kiddy jewelry. The only "not junk" ring I've ever found was copper, and it was in the middle of a grass field.

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the places I hunt have been picked over. If it's not there, the best detector in the world isn't going to find it. I know for a fact I'm not the only detectorist in town, in fact I've met a couple of them. One time I was hunting a beach and a lady walking by remarked, "I saw a guy with one of those here yesterday" and I was like .
I think one of the reasons I haven't found a lot of "really good" finds is that a) the places I've hunted aren't overly historical, and b) I know they have been picked over before.
I guess the secret is finding places that have a LOT of traffic or places that other detectorists are less likely to have hunted (private property, in the water). For some reason, it seems like a lot of detectorists don't like to go in the water? Maybe they don't have the right machine for it. You have an advantage over them right there with the AT Pro. Plus, the current/tide of the water/people swimming is constantly stirring up new stuff and bringing it to the surface.

To give you an example of water vs. land, I'll tell you about a place I was at near my grandparents' house. At a public park that is well trafficked, there used to be a swimming area, but the parks people dumped a bunch of concrete chunks in there many years ago because they don't want people swimming there I guess? It worked somewhat but people still swim there occasionally, and there is still a small "beach" along the shoreline (this is along the Wisconsin River). Well, last summer I hunted that beach with my Ace 350 and didn't find a thing but bottlecaps, nails, trash, and some modern clad (less than a dollar's worth). Obviously discouraged, I decided to try the water, where I had found some wheat pennies in the past. BAM! A good signal less than a foot off the shoreline. It was an authentic Chinese coin like people often wear as jewelry, found out later it's from around the 1850s. Kept hunting, there were some "ghost" signals and trash and then another "good" signal. I must have been digging forever (this was before my sand scoop, sieve, or Pro Pointer which means I had to keep going over the hole to see if the object was still there). The water was about waist deep so my hole kept collapsing in on itself, and the water was too cloudy to see from all the dirt I was stirring up. Finally I found my quarry. It was a nice, arrowhead-shaped pendant with a stone in the center! Not gold or silver, but still really cool. Well I was floating on clouds after those finds, so I was disappointed when my next find was a penny... until I rinsed it off. An 1868 Indian Head penny! Not in good shape but a piece of history in my hands nevertheless. Hunted until dark that day without finding anything else really nice but it just goes to show you how the water often holds more secrets than the sand. It just takes a little more effort to find them.

In conclusion, I think that it isn't the machine, but the location. Find a couple of "gold mine" virgin or seldom-hunted sites and you'll be finding the good stuff in no time.

Mountain Mike said:

What part of NC are we talking about? Sounds like you have other detectorists in the area. The machines now are very good. A guy can wipe out a public place. You have to be willing to go the extra mile and knock doors. In general NC is gonna have far les silver than up north.

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Have to agree. In Michigan, I could go to any park and find trinkets. Here in Florida, I'm lucky to hunt for a half day and walk a way with fifty-cents. The guys with basic machines are always at the parks because they can't deal with salt-water. Meanwhile, many of the guys with good machines can't find anything at the beaches because it is sanded-in and ultimately go back to parks where they deplete the remaining targets the basic machines couldn't find.

At some point, we have to realize this is the age of technology. The internet is just a touch screen away from discovering (new-to-us) historical sites and google will give us step-by-step directions to get there. Urban sprawl means private homeowners are often on historical land. Knocking door to door, and perhaps incentifying your offer, may be the only way to hunt some locations.

Eventually you will find something.....just remember "loose lips sink ships". So keep the location and pictures from your hunt vague.

DnD said:

Have to agree. In Michigan, I could go to any park and find trinkets. Here in Florida, I'm lucky to hunt for a half day and walk a way with fifty-cents. The guys with basic machines are always at the parks because they can't deal with salt-water. Meanwhile, many of the guys with good machines can't find anything at the beaches because it is sanded-in and ultimately go back to parks where they deplete the remaining targets the basic machines couldn't find.

At some point, we have to realize this is the age of technology. The internet is just a touch screen away from discovering (new-to-us) historical sites and google will give us step-by-step directions to get there. Urban sprawl means private homeowners are often on historical land. Knocking door to door, and perhaps incentifying your offer, may be the only way to hunt some locations.

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Yeah, I remember someone on this forum (don't remember who) saying that you can't walk 15 feet without running into another detectorist in Florida. This hobby is getting more popular and like you said, information on prospective sites is right there at your fingertips. If it's a public place chances are someone has hit it before you did.

Its not just there, I've gone to parks and got 11¢ , and twist off bottle caps, tabs and foil.
All while holding and wearing over 1k worth of gear.
Gone to a park found one clad dime! Was a big park. Tried another area and just hit a spot maybe 25' along the edge. 4 - $5 in an 1.5 hrs. Sometimes you just change up your game a bit, think outa the box.
Tin

I live in rural NC and there are very few goodies in the area. These folks were poor. You don't even see a lot of nice jewelry NOW much less in the past. We have very few parks that people up north are used to. We have tons of wide of land and mountains to play in. I never see anybody at the parks. A neighboring county is 90% park land (seriously). Find old fair grounds or go to historic houses and knock.

Well, this is sad. I had high hopes moving to NC that I could find the same amount as in New York. I am not talking about silver or old stuff. I am talking about just finding regular clad money. You know, the stuff you can use to buy food and the like. I am out of work and was hoping to find some clad to at least buy a loaf of bread!

Down here almost all the school fields are fenced in and locked. In NYS, almost all are open. In NYS there are alot of soccer fields, down here I have found only a few. Most of the parks I have found so far here are mostly trees with little grass.

As I know no one down here, I have no friends to ask if I could hunt their property or where are all the parks and fields.

Oh, well, I need to go back to Google maps and keep on looking...

joecatch said:

Well, this is sad. I had high hopes moving to NC that I could find the same amount as in New York. I am not talking about silver or old stuff. I am talking about just finding regular clad money. You know, the stuff you can use to buy food and the like. I am out of work and was hoping to find some clad to at least buy a loaf of bread!

Down here almost all the school fields are fenced in and locked. In NYS, almost all are open. In NYS there are alot of soccer fields, down here I have found only a few. Most of the parks I have found so far here are mostly trees with little grass.

As I know no one down here, I have no friends to ask if I could hunt their property or where are all the parks and fields.

Oh, well, I need to go back to Google maps and keep on looking...

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If you have time on your hands, here are a few suggestions...

• Sign up on "ringfinders.com" or something similar.
• Post an ad on your cities craigslist saying you help find lost keys, jewelry, or water lines.
• Once you have done that, you will probably get a few referrals. Referrals may make it easier to knock door-to-door.

Also, you might ask your local sheriff's office if you need a permit. In Florida, people that go door to door need a $10 pedalers license. It is about the size of your drivers license and people clip them to their shirt or wear it around their neck. Basically, it gives homeowners peace of mind.

hawgdawg said:

Well , here's the reason . In NYS , you can only hunt 6 or 7 months a year because of all the snow . Down here , we can hunt all year , even with the little snow we get , the ground is never frozen below an inch . Just my theory for what it's worth . But , more detectorist , and kids on the pre-paid lunch programs , there not carrying money anymore . Just another one of my therories , for what it's worth . , Welcome to the state and good luck .

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I hear that a lot, that kids don't carry coins to school due to prepaid lunch programs, but in my neck of the woods, we have the prepaid lunches (as do most schools everywhere nowdays) and I still find lots of coins at school playgrounds. Kids still like to show off their money to other kids, just like we did. And middle and high school yards are full of coins, especially in the sports fields and grandstands.

I think it may have to do more with the economic level of the people in a given area. Some of my schools are loaded, and some, I find very little.

In the more rural parts of America, the amount of money was generally less. A lot of transactions were actually done with very little money exchanging hands on a daily basis, many times yearly. A lot of detectorists have put huge pressure on the old schools and churches. And the machine you're using can also be a factor as well. I think you'll have to get off the beaten path to be successful or do some out of the box thinking. Relic hunting vs coin hunting may be a better choice for success in your area. You may consider trying to locate other detectorists in your area. Some detectorist though are very secretive and wish not not volunteer information. I, myself, I'm not one of those. I'll hunt behind or with anyone with any machine. Your may try to see if your county has a historical society. Join!!! Make friends, contacts. I have given prize finds to landowner just because they let me hunt. That's how much I like to hunt. I wish you luck.

joecatch, did you get my PM?.....

Seems like people with money don't lose coins or jewelry and the folks with no money buy gold and lose it.

CTCurt said:

joecatch, did you get my PM?.....

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Hi. Just saw it and responded.

Joe

I'm in the holly springs area and I will tell you there really isn't much competition around here, but I have been to some apex parks and someone is out there, but I did manage to pull a 64' silver out of a hunted out old park by a pool.

GLASSHOPPER1955 said:

I hear that a lot, that kids don't carry coins to school due to prepaid lunch programs, but in my neck of the woods, we have the prepaid lunches (as do most schools everywhere nowdays) and I still find lots of coins at school playgrounds. Kids still like to show off their money to other kids, just like we did. And middle and high school yards are full of coins, especially in the sports fields and grandstands.

I think it may have to do more with the economic level of the people in a given area. Some of my schools are loaded, and some, I find very little.

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I have been to middle schools and they are no good, I go to a high school and decided to detect there and the high schools are where the change is, especially in areas where the kids eat outside. I managed about 7 dollars and a nice 14k ring

Tesorodetector said:

I have been to middle schools and they are no good, I go to a high school and decided to detect there and the high schools are where the change is, especially in areas where the kids eat outside. I managed about 7 dollars and a nice 14k ring

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The highschools around that I have been to all some to have locked fences around the fields. Back home in NYS most didn't and I had easy access to them. I am not sure what I should do with these. One thing I may try is to go outside of the Cary/Apex area and look for parks and schools there.

joecatch said:

The highschools around that I have been to all some to have locked fences around the fields. Back home in NYS most didn't and I had easy access to them. I am not sure what I should do with these. One thing I may try is to go outside of the Cary/Apex area and look for parks and schools there.

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joecatch, if there is any grass on the outside of the fences and the sidewalks/parking lots detect those. Or along walkways or grassy areas leading to the doors. I do real well at those. Also by any refreshment stands or bleachers, or grassy islands in parking lots. Think outside the box, so to speak.