Digging Everything, or Not?

[WOOD GUY]

Greetings Cash.......it Depends Where Im Hunting And How Much Time I Have. Sports Field Area I Start At The Fringe And Nab A Few Coins To Get My Fix And Then I Will Go Out In The Middle Where The Physical Activity Takes Place And Dig Just About Everything For Jewelry. Old Park Thats Been Gone Over A Thousand Times Ill Concentrate On Deep Targets That My Detector Usually Cant Id And If No Good Results Or Tired Of Digging Deep (soil Conditions Ect....) Ill Go To Digging Mostly Everything For Awhile And See What Comes Up. If I Dont Dig Alot Of Trash I Hardly Ever Find Jewelry And Neat Stuff.

[DougsGraphics]

My $0.02 worth on the subject:

1. Get to know your machine and what it tells you
2. Dig everything until you are comfortable that you've got 1 down
3. Remember that gold and aluminum register close together/overlap, so probability of digging gold is low if you ignore aluminum signals
4. Remember that geometry, position, and ground conditions change 1, so go back to number 2
5. Go back to the same spots until there's nothing left to dig!

When I'm tired or don't have much time, I ignore a lot of possible gold, likely pull-/pry-tab signals and search out silver and high-value coins. If I'm in areas with little trash, I dig everything all the time. A lot of times, I make a game of "ID what I'm going to dig before I dig" to keep me sharp and just for fun.

Like I said, that's about $0.02 worth!

[bill(de)]

I often wonder when someone says to dig everything they actually mean Everything because at many sites if we dug everything we would never hunt another site. Do we dig everything above our discrimination setpoint or everything set at 0 disc or all metal. Are we going to dig all the squirrely signals which seem to be the most promising or just the obvious. Are we going to dig all the shallow targets or concentrate on the deeper hits.

Making good finds is the objective and knowing your site plus having the proper detector and coil combination and using appropriate settings is the most important factor besides experience which is hard to describe in a post.

I love to hunt older trashy public sites with lots of target masking because there are so many confusing signals that seem to go overlooked for various reasons and there is No Way to dig everything all the time so it's necessary to adapt to the situation with the right equipment and frame of mind.

There ain't nuthin easy or there wouldn't be anything left to dig, so be creative in your thinking. I like going back to sites where i think there's a chance to find something Good. Just a thought. HH Bill

[Steve in PR]

A lot of different philosophies on the subject. That's good.

I have been hunting hte same beaches for 3 years now and I have changed my idea about digging everything. So, while my approach works for me, it may not be for you.

At first, the finds were plentiful so I went for quality and not quantity. I dug only those signals that I was certain were going to "pay-0ff" and lef tthe rest behind. Now that the finds are less, I am digging more trash to get it out of the way. My theory is that if I get rid of the trash, the new drops will be easier to find. I also feel like I am paying back for all that I have taken.

[colbyc28]

It depends on location for me. I have a few "sweet spots" that I plan on working for months.... because of easy access and so forth. I want to clean these places completely out.... so I dig it all. If it is somewhere that may be a one time hunt.... I will discriminate what I dig due to lack of time. I am sure I am missing stuff, but I hate wasting effort on junk. (Upon after thought, I still dig junk when discriminating....)

[portraitartist]

OK, I've had a lot of coffee this morning, and I have little to do here at work, so I'll go ahead and expound on this subject...

My approach is somewhat like yours, Steve - I do use disc., but I will and do dig "iffy" or "funky" signals when there's nothing better to dig... and I kinda keep letting up on the disc. to allow more "good" signals in as I keep coming back to the same area... (I back up the disc. at least to iron, but not below - meaning I'll back up to everything BUT iron, as I'm really not a relic guy, and there's too much iron in the ground anyways)...

Gold, in its many different carats, shapes, and sizes, will hit differently, so it is a good idea to dig all repeatable signals in gold range... I say repeatable, but sometimes even non-repeating signals turn out to be good targets - it's never 100% consistent.

The very last time I hunted, y'all may remember, I hit a gold ring on the VERY FIRST target I got after turning the machine on... and it sounded (to me at least) like every pull-tab or hunk of can-slaw I've every dug - but since I was concentrating on rings, it was not even a choice to dig it...

So, depending on what you're hunting for, yes, digging everything is the best option for finding the most stuff - you just have to find the tolerance level for digging trash that you're comfortable with.

[Cash1977]

I just wanted to thank you all for the advice.
Many different opinions on the matter, all of which will help.

Thanks Again!

[Jazdo]

Cash.. 1. if I am going to hit this spot regularly,then I will clean it out. 2.If it's a two hour hunt and will not be back then I will cherry pick it somewhat.

Examples for
1.private property,houses,fields,beaches.

2.While traveling,parks,manicured lawns,area where time is limited.

Hope this helps

[coreyb529]

I dig anything nickel and up usually. I have a White's XLT and have some programs specifically for silver which I use sometimes so I miss a lot of jewelry when I do that.

2008 Finds

1 gold necklace
1 silver bracelet
5 silver rings
TONS of CLAD

3 Wheaties

Corey B. Abilene, TX

[getndusty]

Jazdo"s got the right approch i think,,but i can't let go of my curiosity, , i gotta find out whats down there LOL i digg everything,,and got alot of "Stuff" to show for it,,lol