There are some things that most, if not all Detectorist’s struggle with when starting out in this hobby. Whether you’re a newbie, or a seasoned vet, I’m sure you’ll relate to a few:
Phase 1: WANTING
You see some random guy on the beach metal detecting and the daydreaming begins… I’ve always wanted to do that… I should buy a metal detector… I could find treasure… I remember when Aunt Millie lost her wedding ring years back and a guy with one of those machines found it for her…
Disclosure: I have to start out with this, because whenever I write something negative or controversial, I get the “My feelings are hurt” emails and texts. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and this article should not reflect on the hunt itself. The organizers did a fantastic job. Getting sites to hunt these days is not an easy task, and I do appreciate the efforts. This is my personal feeling about a hunt site, it doesn’t mean it was a bad site. There were many who enjoyed it and found good stuff. Would I go to one of their hunts again…absolutely. It just was what it was that day. In other words, “It’s not you, it’s me”.
So get off my back. I write what I feel and experience, and not every Hunt is “the best hunt ever”. And if I wrote that every hunt I attended was “the best hunt ever”, well, you wouldn’t want to read that crap.
Technically the title should be Confessions of an expert ox shoe finder. Ox is singular, oxen is plural. I know that, but I like the way oxen shoe sounds over ox shoe, so if you’ve got a problem with that already, don’t continue, but if you can deal, then read on…
I’d like to write an entertaining story about a recent hunt, because folks always ask me for those. And granted I’ve had some strange, and humorous days out digging, which are always fun to write about afterwards. The problem with that though, is that I can’t just make up random stuff. It actually has to unfold in my experience to have any entertainment value afterwards.
I recently spent a few weeks in Germany, and yes, I did bring a metal detector with me. I opted to bring the XP Deus, because it’s a very lightweight machine, and collapses down to about 24”. Traveling in the US with a detector isn’t a problem—you just throw your gear in the car and go, but traveling overseas can present a challenge.
Years back, I went to Europe frequently, and learned early on to pack less than I thought I would need. I knew that upon arrival I would have to make use of public transportation, taking a cab to the train, a train to my destination, and might even have to walk from there. I didn’t want to be encumbered by a bunch of luggage in addition to detecting gear.
The Annual “Lost Treasure Weekend” hunt, at The Blackthorne Resort in the Catskills was held June 15th through 17th, 2018. Last year my review of this event wasn’t too positive, however, this year’s review is much more favorable because this year I had a better idea of what to expect, and I also felt the event had actually improved.
I procrastinated a bit over whether or not I was going to attend due to my previous experience. In the end though, I decided to go because 1.) They allow dogs, and 2.) I knew so many people who were attending that, regardless how I feel about seeded hunts, I knew I would have a good time.
Read More “A Recap of Blackthorne Resort’s Lost Treasure Weekend – 2018” »
I took my friend JoJo to Roxbury, CT to hunt what I’ve dubbed the button site. So named because I had dug 14 buttons there, along with a CT Copper, pewter spoon and other colonial miscellany the week before.
It’s a really cool site, and I had only hit a small part of it. There are acres of old farmland, now wooded, with rock walls everywhere, and after hitting this spot, I was anxious to explore more of the area, either then or at a later date.
Bears Bears Bears!!!
After a decade of trapsing around in the woods of New England, I finally saw my first Bear(s). I was hunting a spot up in Kent, CT with my friend Kevin D. Kevin went to go hunt down in the meadow, and I decided not to because it was too sunny. When he came back to the top of the meadow, we were talking, and he suddenly says “Hey, whats that? Is that a bear?” I looked down into the meadow, and sure enough it was a bear, not only that, but about 5 seconds later, another bear climbed down from a small tree right next to it. Kevin had just been detecting the area minutes before that. I don’t know that they would have bothered him, but still a little scary to see a bear (or two) at any time. They weren’t cubs, but they were young.
We decided it was best to move on, but Kevin was so nice to point out that he did not have to run faster than the bears, just faster than me–thanks Kev.
So I got this package delivered a few weeks back, and it said Made in France on the box. A friend said that perhaps there was a little French man inside, so I checked. Nope, no French dude, but there was a new XP Deus–WooHoo!!!
I’ve been wanting to get this machine for a while, but I’ve always been in love with my E-trac. Seriously, I love my E-trac. I think it’s an awesome machine, but my age is starting to catch up with me. After a few hours swinging, my arm starts to hurt (a lot). Against my better judgment, I just keep on swinging anyway. I tell myself lies like “You’re building muscle”, and “It’s still early in the season, you’re just not used to it yet”, but the reality is they are just lies I’m telling myself.
Read More “My New Machine: A Hard Decision with a Happy Ending” »
It’s been a cold winter, and I don’t think I need to rehash my feelings about cold weather, but for a while, I was pretty miserable waiting for the thaw. I know a lot of you feel the same way, and then there are those of you that have that the weather ain’t gonna keep me from hunting attitude, and the only response I can offer you is “No, the frostbite didn’t disfigure you at all, you look fantastic—that Barber dime you found was definitely worth it”.
Read More “Treasure Hunting with Oma plus Hunts and Events Updates” »
I haven’t posted much lately because I had an article published in the NOV/DEC issue of American Digger Magazine, and I figured that pretty much covered me in the writing department for most of the winter.
Another reason, is because its winter. I hate winter. I hate being cold, and I don’t like to detect in the cold, so there’s not much to write about while I’m avoiding the cold. But…
A good friend and detecting buddy of mine, JoJo, was kind enough to share the story of his most epic detecting day ever. Thank you for sharing JoJo.
THE PUMPKIN PATCH
By JoJo Lantiegne
I received an invite to go hunt some pumpkin fields from Matt, a fellow member of my metal detecting club, The Yankee Territory Coinshooters out of Wethersfield, CT. I had hunted with him the week prior with much success, but that was nothing compared to what we were to find this time out.
Read More “Smashing Pumpkins: A Coin Bonanza in the Pumpkin Patch!” »
Wow—I’ve heard said before that “you can’t top your best times”, but that really doesn’t make a lot of sense, because there are always more “best times” that come along, so I guess in essence that statement is really kind of silly.
Yesterday was one of those new “best times”—I attended the hunt at The Norton Farm in Cheshire, CT, hosted by Nor’easters Metal Detecting club. The weather was superb, the people were awesome, and the attitude all day long was one of fun and the kind of excitement that only a fellow detectorist can really comprehend.
I’ve been approached by many people complimenting me on my blog, and what I hear most often is “more hunt stories please, more hunt stories“. I’m always surprised and flattered by this, because if you log onto social media these days, you’d likely be convinced that all people care about is seeing photos of finds or links to YouTube videos.
But I have my niche. Despite all the hoopla on social media, the constant barrage of videos, and “lookie what I found” posts, there are still some folks out there who remember what the hobby was before Facebook & YouTube… in the days before reading became passé.
My buddy Jo Jo and I took a drive out to an old cellar hole site last weekend. I had hunted the site a few years back, and even though I knew it had probably been hit by all the cellar hole junkies a few times since, I still wanted to check it out again.
We spent a few hours there, and except for Jo Jo starting off with an old spoon, we really had to work for our finds. The iron and junk infestation was epic, and if not for my mad detecting skills, I would not have been able to locate every bottle cap, shot gun shell, and pull tab in the area 🙂
Ah, so it’s January, my least favorite month of the year, and February comes in a close second. What makes these months worse, is that during the week, the weather gets mild and I get my hopes up. I begin to think it might hold out until the weekend when I have the time to hunt, but nope, with the weekend comes another cold front or snow storm. I’ve lived in New England long enough that I should be used to that by now, but I’m not. I’m still easily fooled by my delusion that Mother Nature won’t change her mind last minute.
