The Best Places to Search With a Metal Detector
Searching for treasures with a metal detector is a fun and sometimes-prosperous hobby. Treasure hunting can be done alone or with a group and is a great way to spend time outdoors in the fresh air. Most of what you will find is trash, but the hope of finding a treasure can turn even the most taciturn hobbyist into an avid treasure hunter. The key is to know what places are the most likely to produce buried treasures.
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Beach Hunting
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Starting your treasure hunting experience on a beach is a good place for a novice to learn to differentiate between the different signals your metal detector gives off. Most metal detection units come with a built-in system that ignores rusty old nails or wads of aluminum foil or pull tabs from carbonated beverage cans. They usually have settings that you can use to discriminate even more as you get used to your detector.
However, having your metal detector ignore things like nails can also mean that you miss nickels or some tiny gold items, so discriminate with caution, you don't want to miss small treasures by overdoing it.
Be a good citizen and remember to fill the holes in where you have dug. This will prevent people who are strolling or jogging from accidentally breaking something or twisting an ankle.
Old Business Locations
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Research the history of your own town or other towns nearby. Just because it is an empty field now doesn't mean it wasn't once the town center, bustling with activity. Towns generally start out around a trading post and/or general store and then over time the town spreads and businesses relocate to what become better locations.
By reading the history of your town on the Internet or at the local library, you can get a good idea of where people congregated, either conducting business or attending church or at the site of a local festival. You will find information on all sorts of places to treasure hunt.
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Your Own Backyard
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Metal detecting is a fun project to do in your own backyard, or better yet, the old family homestead where your ancestors lived. First make certain that you are not trespassing, and then hunt for a few hours. Treasures abound and they are probably covered by just a few inches of soil. Try metal detecting after a good hard rainstorm, this loosens the soil and the wet ground has more conductivity.
Previous Locations
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Just because you have hunted unsuccessfully at a location in the past does not mean you should never try that area again, according to the gometaldetecting.com website. After a harsh winter, the ground will shift once it thaws and this may unearth treasures closer to the surface that you can now detect. Check these old areas after a particularly rainy week or local flooding.
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