Negosentro|There are excellent opportunities metal detectorists miss out on by not taking their hobby into the woods or the river. You might not know when you will come across a famous river crossing where all kinds of important items can be found in Metal Detecting.
Wood and river detecting can be a challenging venture, though you will have to prepare yourself whether you are staying longer or for a couple of days.
Here are some tips you need to know before you begin your woods/river hunting:
Go with A Bag
Carry a bag with all the essential metal detecting tools you will need and make sure there is extra room for items you might want to add. Since you will be doing more of walking, especially if you are going into the woods, you have to carry more items than you would for a park hunt.
Carry A Bug Spray
Do not feel you are tough enough to go without a bug spray; you might be wrong in most cases. A bug spray can come in handy during forest digs because so many mosquitoes might swarm you within a minute.
Another excellent reason for carrying a bug spray is because it protects you against ticks. Ticks carry several diseases, including Lyme disease.
Don’t Forget Water
You’ll need to bring some drinking water along with you when you are out hunting in the woods. Carry extra water bottles in case you decide to stay longer than you planned on visiting. Remember, there won’t be water facets nearby.
Pack as Light as Possible
Watch how heavy the bag you carry is. You, Don, know how far into the woods you’ll go. It won’t be beneficial if you exhaust yourself by carrying a heavy bag for miles.
Carry A Cell Phone
Although the woods can be a beautiful place, it can be dangerous as well. You will have to stay alert and look out for animals. Yes, you might get lost, get an injury or something else that might require external help.
Bringing a cell phone to your hunting will help protect you in case there is an accident and you require help.
Also, you might need to call your friends to help you if you find a massive treasure.
Bring A Heavy-Duty Full-Size Shovel
You are going to encounter frustrating tree roots that will want to make you cry in the woods. You will need to cut through them to get the signals you find, so you need to bring a full-size shovel along. If you are hunting at the river, you will have to work through some significant amount of rocks and gravel, and you can’t do this without the right equipment.
Have Gloves with You
Gloves can be bulky while using them for metal detecting. Most detectors don’t fancy the idea of using them, but you need them for wood/river hunting.
You are going to come across some plants you won’t like to touch if you are hunting in the woods, plants like poison ivy. Also, gloves can be useful against insects like bugs and spiders.
Have A Reason for Being There?
In the United States, if you are going treasure hunting with a metal detector, you can spend time hunting without finding anything. In Europe, you have a better chance of finding prospects during a casual wood hunt because of their longer and richer history.
So, before you go into the woods to hunt, make sure you find a site that is worth your time.
Example of such sites are:
- Old settlements.
- Dumps.
- Campgrounds.
- Single homesteads.
- Old footpaths.
Have A Compass
A compass is always a good idea, depending on how deep you are going into the woods. You might want to go a little bit into the edge of the woods, but one thing leads to another, and you find yourself deep into the woods, unsure of how to get back. You had better have a compass handy if you didn’t leave a trail or you will have to call a search party.
Find Some Water
When you come across a body of water, a stream, lake or river, start looking for prospects there. People might have used such a place for either washing, swimming or drinking. If people where there, there’s a possibility that prospects would be found there. You can extend your search to the shoreline. If you have an underwater metal detector, check the area where people probably would have washed. They might have dropped things that would interest you.
Head for High Ground
Search any high ground you see in the woods you are in. To find older items you’ll have to think as people did back then. Some people who wanted to build a homestead sometimes preferred higher ground as it enables them to see people coming. The higher ground proved to be a useful vantage point, especially if they had enemies.
Look for Old Trees
Hunt around the most significant oldest trees you find. There’s a huge chance you might discover valuable prospects there as people have been using the trees as shades for a very long time. If people are standing or sitting under the tree for a long time, there’s a good chance they dropped something there.
Search for Old Foundations
Locate areas that looks like an old homestead. The houses might be long gone, but there may be foundation stones remaining. If you come across fruit trees gathered in a place, that’s a sign that a homestead may have existed there before,Metal Detecting
Get Ready to Fight Tree Roots
You are going to engage in lots of fights against tree roots. They will be everywhere, and you will have to cut through them. You might have challenges in reaching some targets, even when you have a good shovel on hand, Metal Detecting.
Look for Shallow Areas
When you get to a river or a waterway, look for shallower areas that might have served as a crossing at one point for people. If people crossed the river either on foot or in a wagon, chances are they might have dropped something on their journey, Metal Detecting.
Bring A Strong Magnet
It can be dirty work detecting metals in creeks and rivers. It can be hard to see what you’re digging up once you muddy the waters by digging. That’s when a high-powered magnet becomes very useful. If you drag the magnet across the area you’ve just dug, despite your lack of visibility, you can pick up prospects,Metal Detecting
Be Ready to Dig Trash
You are going to encounter lots of trash of you are hunting at the river edge. Things like scrap metal, fish hooks, cans and all kinds of debris. This is where you will have to make good use of your discrimination mode.Metal Detecting
