Why is so difficult to find a hunting buddy?

RNSpeed

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
250
Location
San German, Puerto Rico
I first started detecting back in 2007 when I bought a Tesoro Silver Umax. Then in 2008 I joined the forum and met a wonderful online forum community who shared my newfound passion for metal detecting.

I was lucky to met another person that at the time was very active in another forum and on which at the time used to live in PR. Went on multiple occasions to do metal detecting at the Beach. A great person indeed but unfortunately I've lost contact with him back in 2012 :(

After that I remember once I gave a metal detector to my uncle but I failed on trying to wake up his interest in metal detecting

So all this years 90% of the time I have been hunting alone no been able to find a hunting buddy. That's one of the reasons I took a long 6yrs break from MD.

Recently I've tried to contact some locals who I had seen FB posts about metal detecting but either the message gets ignored or if I receive a reply is either a reluctant reply or simply the person says its to busy to go MD with me.

Moving forward in time I had dust off my metal detectors and have started MD again. I have a family now and my kids still young but some day I hope that they can tell me Dad lets go Metal Detecting :D
 
I can tell you why I like hunting alone. And I hunt the beach only...

Freedom, come and go as I want.



Now..
I have to go back to having a hunting partner, seems I may need one to save me if I have a issue in the water. Not that I dislike it, I just like the freedom.
 
Its always nice when someone shares an interest with you that few people do. I liked and admired my last hunting buddy...but often couldn't stand working with him! If that makes sense.... He was such a spaz and I am Mr. Calm when it comes to hunting. He had plenty to show for his approach but also had a better detector than me, although we both had Whites machines.

Personally I enjoy hunting alone, with most kinds of "hunting". I might like a partner now and then, but now and then I might also NOT want a partner...and I think probably more the latter than the former. However, that's not always set in granite...

Indeed, safety is an issue where having a biddy really counts. There, it might be good to look for someone with the same sentiments as you...the same balance of social vs anti-social. I dont blame anyone for wanting to be solitary and incognito with this hobby. I actually understand that much more than making it into a social occasion.

About 14 years ago I was detecting with a friend. We hit up a farmer's field near the NY/NJ border and found some coins. My friend, the spaz, was wigging out. I continued swinging, raising an eyebrow like Mr. Spock (the usual but not the only side to my character). The he had an "episode" that was what started to drive a wedge between us as hunting buddies. We were swinging maybe 50 feet or so apart in the field. So he starts jumping up and down, yelling "Get over here! This is a major find! I want you over here right by my side like my BROTHER, !!!!!!!!!". So I'm like, "No, you find some and I'll find some and in a few minutes we'll break and compare notes!" Like I said, I'm Mr. Calm usually.

It might be that it's hard to find a hunting buddy because of this duality, of Mr. Calm vs Mr. Excitable...Mr. Social vs. the Hermit. Seems to me these polarities have to fit together in order for hunting together to work harmoniously.
 
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In my case I'm pretty busy with family related stuff and it is hard for me to know exactly when I'm going to get an opportunity to hunt . Also my areas seem to be void of sites that produce a whole lot and it would take someone with a lot of dedication to hunt them .
Nowadays , I do like the peace and quiet of hunting by myself though . I had a few good partners over the years but most have went to that " Big metal detecting field in the sky " . Others I have lost contact with , some quit the hobby , some moved away .

Good luck with your search .
 
Maybe just not that many md'r hobbyists in your corridor ? Because I have the exact opposite effect: So many friends in this hobby that it's hard to keep track of.

One thing that will cause "friends to come out of the woodwork", is if you post cool show & tell. Because if there's one thing that causes us md'rs to "perk up and take notice", is if we see folks in our vicinity who are knocking it out of the ballpark. Then ... sure enough ... people are curious what machine you're using, type sites you're hunting, etc.... I guess it's that "competitive nature" among us.
 
I much prefer hunting with my buddy. It's a lot more fun when two of us are having a great day. We also compare notes on what we're hearing and digging and that's why both of us dig a lot of jewelry at the beach.

There is another guy who wants to hunt with us but he doesn't follow hunting etiquette. He will cut in front of you. Walk right next to you and won't always wear a finds bag and will leave the trash in the hole so he doesn't have to carry it. It's annoying. So my buddy and I just hunt together and keep it that way.
 
Maybe just not that many md'r hobbyists in your corridor ? Because I have the exact opposite effect: So many friends in this hobby that it's hard to keep track of.

One thing that will cause "friends to come out of the woodwork", is if you post cool show & tell. Because if there's one thing that causes us md'rs to "perk up and take notice", is if we see folks in our vicinity who are knocking it out of the ballpark. Then ... sure enough ... people are curious what machine you're using, type sites you're hunting, etc.... I guess it's that "competitive nature" among us.

The only good thing about Covid has been I never get these any more..
My favorite has to be a hunter from Ohio who offered to fly out for a few days, I only know the guy thru Facebook. Another one from the woodwork.
 

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The only good thing about Covid has been I never get these any more..
My favorite has to be a hunter from Ohio who offered to fly out for a few days, I only know the guy thru Facebook. Another one from the woodwork.

Well that will teach you to stop posting whopper show & tells ! :laughing:
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. Reading at your replies most of you like to hunt alone, so I shouldn't feel bad then. I think hunting alone has its privileges.

Maybe in a few more years when my kids grow older maybe they'll like metal detecting.
 
Some "hunting buddies" you meet on the forums are just trying to gain an advantage. They want access to your good sites/permissions but may not have any or want to share theirs. So, its meet at a hunted out park, and then go from there, but someone has to be first, and if you share a good site, there is the stress of whether they will reciprocate. That is human nature, but I just don't enjoy that horse trading aspect.

I have enjoyed hunting with friends, tho, so I would put it this way -- better to try to turn a friend into a hunting buddy than turn a hunting buddy into a friend.
 
Look online for local metal detecting clubs. I rejoined "Shasta Miners and Prospectors" cant wait to go to the next meeting. Another thing is buy a second metal detector and invite friends and family to give it a try. I recently bought a Vanquish 540 "demo unit" from a local dealer for a discount, surprised it detects pretty well similar to my Equinox 800.. hoping my 16 year old son can detach from his computer umbilical cord and join me, else my neice or nephew, heck even my older uncle.. metal detecting alone can sometimes be a blessing and other times a bit creepy.

Good luck finding a hunting buddy. local metal detecting clubs are the way to go.

As a sad side note, I tried recently to look up two old hunting buddies.. one nicknamed "Hoss" went to the nugget patch in heaven :( the other has Alzheimer's and doesn't know me nor anything about metal detecting anymore. Enjoy life while you're living and can remember your family and friends :(
 
I don’t want the competition or the loss of freedom to wander where I want without having to babysit.
On the other hand when my wife wants to go with me, I have a great time because we are out together enjoying the sunshine.
 
I started Metal Detecting back in 1978. 43 years ago. I have hunted with a partner.... once. And in that 43 years, I have seen other detectorists out and hunting... never.

In all that time, in all my hunts, I have never seen another living soul, doing the same thing. I have never encountered evidence of other detectorists. If it were not for this forum, and YouTube, I would be convinced (as I was prior to around 1998) that I was the ONLY person in the entire world who even had a detector!

The sad thing for me is that... unless I can physically walk to a place to hunt... I cannot go. Period. So for the last four decades, I have been limited to curb strips and sometimes parks and totlots. I cannot just "hop in the car" and drive around. Never.

So, even if you who read this are entirely alone... count yourselves lucky. Most of you can drive around, finding cool places to go.
Sage(But I still have a perfect driving record!)Grouse
 
Detecting buddy

I first started detecting back in 2007 when I bought a Tesoro Silver Umax. Then in 2008 I joined the forum and met a wonderful online forum community who shared my newfound passion for metal detecting.

I was lucky to met another person that at the time was very active in another forum and on which at the time used to live in PR. Went on multiple occasions to do metal detecting at the Beach. A great person indeed but unfortunately I've lost contact with him back in 2012 :(

After that I remember once I gave a metal detector to my uncle but I failed on trying to wake up his interest in metal detecting

So all this years 90% of the time I have been hunting alone no been able to find a hunting buddy. That's one of the reasons I took a long 6yrs break from MD.

Recently I've tried to contact some locals who I had seen FB posts about metal detecting but either the message gets ignored or if I receive a reply is either a reluctant reply or simply the person says its to busy to go MD with me.

Moving forward in time I had dust off my metal detectors and have started MD again. I have a family now and my kids still young but some day I hope that they can tell me Dad lets go Metal Detecting :D
If I was in your neighbor hood I'd meet up with you. Most do not want to share their sites.
 
I usually hunt alone. My wife used my nox a couple weeks ago on the beach and dug her first target. (I lost my nox) but she now loves it
 
I usually hunt alone. I've had some bad experiences in the past. I've had hunting "Buddies" ruin premium permission hunts. Had them disclosed prime hunting grounds and volunteer my finds for show and or sale.
 
Some "hunting buddies" you meet on the forums are just trying to gain an advantage. They want access to your good sites/permissions but may not have any or want to share theirs. So, its meet at a hunted out park, and then go from there, but someone has to be first, and if you share a good site, there is the stress of whether they will reciprocate. That is human nature, but I just don't enjoy that horse trading aspect.

I have enjoyed hunting with friends, tho, so I would put it this way -- better to try to turn a friend into a hunting buddy than turn a hunting buddy into a friend.

I really liked your last paragraph, better to try to turn a friend into a hunting buddy than turn a hunting buddy into a friend indeed that's what I'm looking for. Don't want someone to see me as a competition but instead to see me as a friend.
 
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