My First Hunt...A True Story

[Black Jack]

MY FIRST HUNT: A True story.
I was so excited I felt like Elmer Fudd hunting for the elusive Bugs Bunny for the FIRST TIME. I was completely equiped. There I was with my new Exploree SE, my new digging tools, my new pin pointer, my new bright Red MINELAB POUCH. I was as ready as I could be. I had been waiting all my life for this moment. I felt like a little 7 year old boy on christmas morning... all decked out with my cowboy hat on and my toy six guns buckled on. I was proud! As I walked out of my house I heard my bride mumble something to me. I turned to ask what she had said. I saw my bride and my 13 year old choloate Lab Molly both staring at me and I swear they both were grinning and laughing at me. My wife told me that she was happy that I had a new toy to play with, pointed out to me that my zipper needed to be zipped up and told me not to come back tracking dirt back into the house. Molly just came over and wished me luck. She is such a good dog.
I walked from my house, standing staright and tall iwith the afternoon sun on my back.... carrying my tools proudly because I knew that I was going to find treasure. I walked one block away to the now empty house and office of one of my neighbors. He gave me permission to hunt anytime I wanted. I turned on my SE and left it set on the factory settings, put on my head phones and started the hunt. Well I walked toward an old oak tree and the SE started to make a noise....the closer I got the louder the noise and the higher the pitch. Man I was excited. I stopped directly over the spot that gave the high pitch. I looked around and no one was watching me. You know just as I started digging there were three (old men) of my fellow neighbors standing there making bets on what I was wasting my time digging for. I laughed with them and suggested that if they couldn't be encouraging they needed to consider going back home and taking their afternoon naps and leaving me alone. Didn't work....they just continued on with their comments. My SE showed me that this was a deep target and I knew I had found something really good. Then I hit metal and my three amigos all hushed and looked on with big wide eyes and open mouths. I continued to dig and retrived the metal object. It was an old rusty hatchet head. Well to me it was a real keeper. The boys got a big laugh out of my find. They decided that this was all the humor they could take aside from seeing me on my knees digging like a little kid in the dirt. As they left I told them I was glad to make them laugh and appreciated their help. I checked the hole again for another target but the SE was silent. I back filled the hole and smoothed the soil back as it was. I pocketed my Hatchet Head.
I got up and continued checking around the tree. Got another hit dug about 12 inches, it turned out to be a rusty square headed nail and next to it was a bottle cap. Pocketed both and back filled. Got up and about three feet away I got my third hit. I dug about 10 inches and found my first money a 1960 penny. Backfilled and moved on to my next hit. That was when another neighbour and his wife stopped by just to check on what I was finding. Well at that spot I dug up a few lead weights used to balance tires. I brightened their afternoon, because they both laughed all the way back to their home. Now my next find really got me excited. I was in the back yard of the house when I got the loudest highest pitched sound yet. The SE showed me that it was super deep. I dug 12 inches down...saw nothing. I looked up just in time to see Sam my neighbor's 2 year old yellow lab charging toward me like a freight train. Sam liked me because I would always play with him. So naturally Sam wanted to help me dig in my treasure hole. That wasn't working out to well. I moved Sam out of the hole then he jumped on me knocking me over onto my side and started licking my face like I was his long lost buddy. Sam is a good puppy (90 lbs) but sometimes a little to affectionate. I made him sit whille I continued my excavation 6 more inches. Then I saw it. A bright blue circular metal object it was the top of what I thought to be a large can. Hey I tought I had just discovered a can full of old coins....WOW!! I slowly and carefully removed the blue top. It was hiding something alright ... a broken glass bottle. I thought that maybe there could be something beneath the broken glass. NOPE!! I removed all the glass and the lid sat back on the grass enjoyed the afternoon sun and that great big blue sky. Sam wanted to see what I had been digging so hard for. He stuck his head in the hole and I swear I heard him laugh a few times also. That was Ok. I heard someone laughing behind me and it Sam's owner standing there with a cold glass of tea for me. She told me that I reminded her of a little boy playing in the dirt and boy was my bride get me good comming home so dirty. Yeah you are right I said maybe I just need to strip off all my dirty clothes outside the house and just burst in and surprise her. She laughed at me some more and suggested that maybe I should just ease on into the house with my clothes still on. I did as she suggested. Oh well so much for excitement.
Once in the house my bride (The Fair and Lovely Janet or TF&LJ) wanted to see all the LOOT I had found. Soooooooooooo I put down some news paper on the floor so both she and Molly could get a better view of my treasures. I pulled out the rusty old hatchet head from the long lost tribe of the Little Pee Dee Indians. Molly was impressed as she came over to sniff it. She looked up at the bride and said YEP that is what it is alright. Molly and I are best buds. My wife just shook her head in disbelief. Then I pulled out the rusty square headed nail and the rusty bottle cap. I explained to them both the importance of the square headed nail and that this was a very old nail dating the site back to the mid 1800's to early 1900's. Molly sniffed the nail with real interest and layed down next to me on the floor. My wife wanted to know how I explained the bottle cap. I told her that the carpenter was thirsty and had a drink after he removed the cap. Next I pulled out the blue lid and told her my story that it was hiding burried coins. Man she got excited and then I pulled out the broken bottle pieces. I told her that it was just hiding the broken bottle. Molly didn't think that was so cool so she just got up and walked away and sat down a few feet away from me. When I asked Moly why she did that she looked solefully at me and said she wanted to be out of the way just in case my bride were to hit me. I laughed at them both. I told them that I did find money. I found an old 1960 penny!! My wife leaned over with her hand out and said let me hold it. Molly got up, came over looked at it ,sniffed it and licked my face in deep approval. My bride just patted me on my head... mumbled something that sounded like,"Well you had a good time playing in the dirt and you found some treasure." Then she jumped on me Molly jumped on me and we all three played and loved each other.
Man this metal detecting ain't for old men is it? Ha Ha

This exactly what happened.I wouldn't tell you an untruth. Suggestions are welcome. Let me know what you think.
Rodney

[MinelabMan]

Great story Urb, I enjoyed reading it, and congratulations on your first hunt. Sounds like you gave your neighbors and your family some entertainment, don't worry, some people will never understand. Be sure to show them the good finds you're going to make!

You're off to a good start and by the age of where you were hunting there has to be some good stuff there, you just have to get your coil over it.

[Buster]

Good hunt URB...glad you got the good nod when you got home..that's a treasure in it's self...Not bad on your first hunt..The goodies will come for sure....Buster...

[echostar61]

Good Hunt Rodney and Great story, I truly enjoyed reading about your adventure. Cant wait for your next episode

Terri

[EBCIII]

Hey URB I think you did well! You were out digging and learning your machine. Good luck with the future hunting, Beale.

[schoser]

great story...looking forward to your next!

[Ric-san]

Good story...beats mine. I dug heading to China, found one 1996 penny, and then backfilled the 1 cubic foot of dirt into the hole...sound fun? No old guys/dogs to deal with (yet...)

[grasshopper]

very nice story!! i hate it when people i don't know see me hunting...idk why...

[Digging Fool]

You can't say that adventure was boring. You had an experience that will stay with you.

[rip]

good story Rodney,told ya they would like it !