On the fence clubs

I wish I had your problem lol. Around here there are no clubs to join without driving 60 miles. Give it a try. If you don't like it no one says you have to stay. You might just make some friends.

blacktoe

Kyle, how old are you? When you hit a certain age, you realize that what other people think about you just doesn't matter anymore.

My guess is that if you join the club, a few will be quite friendly and the rest will ignore you. Go for it! And get over that shyness, too - it's just holding you back. Remind yourself that you deserve better than that.

As for club hunts, often coins are buried, but so are tokens with numbers on them, and the numbers determine the special prizes. Or coins may be painted different colors for different prizes, or mounted in a paper coin holder with writing on it that tells you what you've won.

And yes, I've seen hunts where the field was too small or the participants too many, and people were running into each other. Some detector companies make special "competition detectors" where you can vary the detector's operating frequency if another nearby detector is causing you false signals. (And often, they don't have to be all that much "nearby," either!)

at my club alot of people dont even come to the seeded hunts. they figure they have a chance of going out to a private home and finding a copper rather than the seeded coins. i think joining my local club was one of my best md'ing decisions.

I attended a meeting at my local south jersey club and was very put off... Though there were a few very friendly members, most I the club was very clique'y and kept to their little groups almost seeming upset that there was another new guy on their turf. Also I guess it didn't help that I showed up with a freshly dug that day jersey copper LOL. Plus they were all super secretive about where they hunt. Not just particular sites, but most wouldn't even say what town they were from, it was a bit reduculous. I understand u want to keep your spots a secret but they all take it a step further. They also seemed quick to start drilling me on where my copper came from LOL. So I can give up my secrets but u won't give yours??? The whole thing seemed like a contest of who was better and had better finds..... Really gave me a bad taste for mding in my area, knowing the kind of people I may run into. Good luck wit yours though, I'm sure they aren't all like that. I hope it works out for ya! And if not, remember you're a member of the best ms club in the world..... This one!!!!

fir469 said:

Not just particular sites, but most wouldn't even say what town they were from!

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Yep, tell me your town and I'll clean out all your good spots.

fir469 said:

.......I attended a meeting at my local south jersey club and was very put off... Though there were a few very friendly members, most I the club was very clique'y and kept to their little groups almost seeming upset that there was another new guy on their turf. Also I guess it didn't help that I showed up with a freshly dug that day jersey copper LOL. Plus they were all super secretive about where they hunt. Not just particular sites, but most wouldn't even say what town they were from, it was a bit riduculous. ............

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It's much the same with any detecting club, although some are worse than others. Every club (well most) have characters similar to those you mention. I know my club has.
I enjoy being in a club, although I realize it can be daunting when you first join. You'll soon find people to talk to, and sort out the good from the bad.
It is a great way of learning about the hobby and getting ID's on finds, from those more experienced than yourself.

I`m pretty sure the seeded hunt is by points for coins as in each coin has a value. sort of like an adult Easter egg hunt but clubs can do it anyway they choose so it can be a quantity as well and most clubs have several hunts including pee wee hunts for the kids.
But that's just the way one I know operates, or at least operated.
I`m acquainted or know a few guys in a local club. After more then a decade of hunting I`v seen a few lone wolfs turn into club members, kinda like invasion of the body snatchers next time you see them they are wearing the cap.
There are some that have cool prizes and i`m shure there is something to learn even if your an old hand at it.
I cant see you benifiting from it if your just a fly on the wall. The most to learn is from others in the club.

clubs

Kyle, I'm part of a club and it's not bad. There are different sub groups of people mostly due to age, (older guys hang out together cause they all got the same health limitations, etc..) younger guys hang together cause they want to hunt all day long Water guys hang together cause they have something in common. These are generalizations, but you get the idea. They aren't trying to ignore you, they are just enjoying similar company. With that said, there will always be some members that are a pain in the.....neck. I ignore them, as they usually don't stay very long. Good information is exchanged there, but some people do try and steal your spots, so just be you and keep somethings to yourself. Overall it is worth a visit. As far as seeded hunts go? They usually sprinkle lots of clad and some silver for you to find. Everyone wins, since you get to keep what you find. When there are big prizes involved, tokens are planted (colored or numbered) and you find out later what prize matches your token. There is no overall #1 winner in a hunt (unless you find all the tokens). Good luck at it. At our club, you get to vsit a couple of times before they ask you to join.

Here in the South S.F. Bay area of California, we're blessed with a great club. Yes, there are some shy folks and some outgoing types mixed together...guess which category I'm in.

However, the club is a fantastic way to learn a lot from folks that really know what they're doing. Heck, I'm 62 and have hunted with a guy I met at the club who started smoking the year I was born!!! He is tough and really teaches me a lot.

Our "seeded" hunts are held twice a year and are a blast. Pennies are spray painted green and some have numbers stamped on them. The goal is to find as many as possible and "get lucky" enough to find one with a number that corresponds to a prize. Just to mess us up, the contest coordinator will throw in a bunch of worthless zincolns too.

The real idea is not so much the prizes, it's the cookout/potluck and opportunity to mix with other MD'ers and learn about their machines, etc.

Our club has a nice library of treasure hunting books and is an excellent place to hone your skills. We have a monthly "show and tell" that is really interesting too.

Go do it...you won't be sorry.

I would like to be in a club but the nearest one to me is about 200 mi. from me those that are able to be in a club are fournate. Howard

There's a club in Lancaster, Pa that had a weekend MD course at our community college a few years back. Guys (and ladies) were VERY nice!! I wish I was closer, I'd join. These guys had a great sense of humor, lots of experience, were very helpful, and were just outright nice. Curt

dan said:

Kyle, how old are you? When you hit a certain age, you realize that what other people think about you just doesn't matter anymore.

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Yep you just got to go for it. Take a friend with you and check it out.

I have never been a member of a club but I am considering it. From what Ive read, most of them you dont have to attend every meeting or group hunt if you dont want and nobody cares. But Ive also read accounts of the seeded hunts where brand new metal detectors, pinpointers, and accessories were the prizes ..... definately worth getting out and socializing with the club for. Plus, you will eventually be tipped off to places to hunt on your own or someone may invite you to hunt with them somewhere loaded with goodies, ya just never know.

Wow, I appreciate all the feedback. I havent had much time to get back on here but I wanted to thank everyone who replied with their input.

Im 22 for those who asked, and its not that I care too much of what people think of me, its just in a social situation I like to know if people are being genuinely nice or if its an act. Either way, you just cant please everyone, and theres always gonna be someone who is out to ruin a good time.

A few of you mentioned that you were put off by your personal club experiences and thats basically what I was wondering, and if most of the clubs were like that. It sounds like the positive and negative experiences are varied enough, that its all gonna depend on actually giving it a shot myself. I guess Im so used to everyone being so nice in this forum that I would only hope the rest of the metal detecting world could be similar. Of course the "friendly MDF" part is the dead give away

I guess the best way to figure it all out is to just give it a try, maybe bring a friend and sit in on a meeting or two, and get a feel for the atmosphere of the club scene.

The thing Im trying to accomplish is to start getting out and hunting with some other people instead of by myself. Not that hunting alone isnt nice but every now and then it gets a bit monotonous. I wanna meet some people with the same interest in the hobby that I have. My girlfriend certainly tolerates the whole process of my addiction, but she begins to tune me out if I try getting too in-depth with details. Cant blame her at all but you get the point, it would be nice to be able to get out once a week and hang out with some other fellow detectorists.

Also, thanks for clearing up the seeded hunts for me Now I undertstand the main concept of how they work. It makes a lot more sense that you dig up tokens or something with a number on it or something relating to points or a certain prize. I was trying to picture a person going around in a park sticking old silver coins and other valuables into the ground and then trying to remember where they put them after the hunt is over so they don’t leave anything behind.
Although its funny cause someone even mentioned they hunted a park and found some random painted tokens with letters or symbols on them, which were probably left over from previous a seeded hunt.
It also seems kinda humorous when someone ends up finding a non-seeded old coin or something during a seeded hunt.

Well that’s it, thanks for all the opinions and stories, I will certainly follow up on the club thing and let ya know!

-Kyle