Lighten the load

John Madill

Elite Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2020
Messages
1,431
Location
SW MI
Cut my load in half today. Had an idea to go to the hardware store today for some of those little flags used to mark underground utilities.

Went to a very small park and just took my detector, headphones, and a handful of the flags. Left the digging gear in the car.

Found four signals i liked and marked them with the flags, writing the depth and vdi numbers on the flags.

Then went back to the car, not far at all, and switched gear. Armed with a digger, pointer and ground cloth i went back to retrieve my loot. First three holes gave me two pennies and a dime. 4th hole had deepest signal, 10 inches. I dug and dug and at 10 inches with the pointer only hitting on the sidewall i decided to let it go.

All the signals were 24/26 so it was likely another penny. But it was an easy way to detect, given the small size of the park.
 
Great idea. Getting the flags in two colors could let you prioritize which ones you dig first if you're short on time, too.
 
Not really seeing the advantage of not carrying a hand trowel, over making 2 trips to vehicle. But, if it works for you, then that's great.
 
I like the idea. May have to try that myself. I'm always looking for a way to take the strain off hunting & digging.

Thanks!
 
I hunted a line away from the car and back to it. So at "switch" time i was at the car. Dug the same way, ending up at the car. Again, it was a very small park and at no time was i more than 100' from the car.
 
I hunted a line away from the car and back to it. So at "switch" time i was at the car. Dug the same way, ending up at the car. Again, it was a very small park and at no time was i more than 100' from the car.

People SHOULD do what works best for them. What works for one, doesn't work for all, that's what makes the world go 'round ;)

While I seldom hunt under time constraints, I prefer recovering as many targets in the time I have. Then again, I'm mostly a field hunter, and wander further from my truck.

You should always do what works best in your situation.
 
I also could not see how that is a time-saver,
However if you were comparison testing two or more detectors, or testing different settings on the same detector then your technique would be spot on.
 
It is not a time saver. Just lets me carry less stuff. No shovel, kneeling pad, finds bag, digger, pointer, etc when swinging the detector.

Worked great at a park where i could park right at the starting point.

If you have to park in a distant lot or across the street it would not work well.
 
It is not a time saver. Just lets me carry less stuff. No shovel, kneeling pad, finds bag, digger, pointer, etc when swinging the detector.

Worked great at a park where i could park right at the starting point.

If you have to park in a distant lot or across the street it would not work well.

In a park, I wouldn't be carrying a shovel anyway.

If you're "carrying" anything besides your detector, you should invest in a pouch and belt, as it will contain everything you need. Knee pads are cheap as well.
 
Used the flags again today. Marked 6 targets. Then dug a quarter, dime, and 2 pop tops. Heavy tree roots kept me from the other treasure.

Right now i am in Florida with only one detector. When i get back to Michigan it would be interesting to flag several targets with one detector and then come back with a 2nd detectot to compare signals.
 
I like this for comparing my Vanquish 440 and my X-Terra 305 on the same signals actually on site, I've been comparing them in my test garden, but seeing how they work in the real world on real targets would be interesting, I'll have to give it a try next Wednesday when I go back to the cellar hole I'm working.
 
I like this for comparing my Vanquish 440 and my X-Terra 305 on the same signals actually on site, I've been comparing them in my test garden, but seeing how they work in the real world on real targets would be interesting, I'll have to give it a try next Wednesday when I go back to the cellar hole I'm working.

I used this method too, when comparing the AT Max with the Equinox 600.

And yes, the Equinox 600 won.
 
I don’t do that either but can see how it may actually save time by not having to lay down the detector and then dig and pick up detector again for next target when you could just flag the spots really quickly and then go back and dig all the targets one after the other. The only problem I see is not being able to recheck the hole to be sure you got all the targets which may have been masked and off to the side of the hole by a couple inches or so. I actually bought those flags a long time ago thinking my wife could try detecting and just have her mark her good signals and then I’d go back and dig them for her but haven’t done that yet. Whatever works for you is the way to go. Good luck and HH!
 
Good thinking. Not carrying a 'shovel' will bring less attention to you too. I've done this on short hunts at a small park I've hunted to death. Very few targets to dig and no sense in carrying the rest. Also when comparing detectors. Dirt fishing does his comparisons this way too.
 
This thread has given me an idea. I have a small garden wagon. Plastic tub with pneumatic tires. Rolls really well, even over uneven ground. I think the next time I go out I will take my wagon, load all my digging stuff and maybe a small cooler for water and pull it behind me as I go. I won't have to wear my suspenders to keep my tool belt up with all the "stuff" I normally carry.
 
Back
Top Bottom