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Let’s start off with the basics: How to use a metal detector! The first and most important thing is that you need a metal detector! (Who would have guessed!) Now if you don’t have a metal detector, there are many kinds of metal detectors at many different prices with many kinds of functions. But make sure you get the right metal detector for the right environment first, then choose the one that fits your budget.
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For example, if I mainly did my treasure hunting near the beach or in swampy areas, I would need to get one that is good at detecting items underwater. Or if I am doing a bulk of my treasure hunting in desert area, I would choose a metal detector that could withstand the high heat. So make sure you’re using the right metal detector for the right environment!
Next, RTFM (if you don’t know what that stands for, I’ll give you a hint: Read The ____ Manual)! All metal detectors work differently so make sure that you’ve read the manual from front to cover and know exactly how it works. You don’t want to miss out on a big treasure because you don’t know how to use your metal detector!
The next step that you should take is to research the spot you would like to go hunting for treasure! It’s fun taking the metal detector to the backyard and seeing what’s there, but the biggest finds will be in places where you’d expect to find treasure. Old mines, rivers and lakes, old battlefield grounds; these are all good examples of where to find your next treasure coin, nugget of gold, or Civil War medal! And if you have a beach near you, make sure that it’s one of the first places that you search! People lose many things at the beach and their loss is your gain!
When you’ve found the area you want to start searching, fire up your metal detector and start detecting! Make sure to move slowly, your metal detector needs time to search the area! Also make sure that you are keeping track of the areas you are searching. I talked to a lot of beginner treasure hunters and they always make this mistake. Make sure you’re not wasting your time by being extra careful not to search the same area twice! And listen carefully to your metal detector. That means no iPods while on the search!
The last step and most important step is to remember you started with nothing, so don’t be discouraged if you end with nothing! What I mean is that even if you don’t find anything, don’t look at it as a big loss! You started out with nothing but you and your metal detector and at the very least (if you don’t end up losing your metal detector to a grizzly bear sneak attack!), you’ll end with nothing but you and your metal detector. Sure you don’t won’t have any physical object, but you did get to enjoy the outdoors! Also, the information that you gained from your search will definitely help you when you go out on your next search! So if you feel discouraged that you couldn’t find any treasure, just chalk it up as experience and remember you’re *that* much closer to finding hidden treasure!
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start your next adventure! Oh and if you do find the next hidden fortune, send some my way!
What metal detector would you recommend for a beginner?
I’d recommend the Garret Ace 250. It’s the metal detector I’m currently using and it works great! It’s a little pricey, but I used it about a week ago and found some Confederate Civil War bullets and a pont-max medal. It’s simple to use and gets the job done!
The screen has 5 different metal detecting settings (All Metal, Jewelry, Custom, Relics and Coins), Sensitivity Adjuster (helps if you’re picking up a lot of garbage noise), Eliminator (to eliminate certain frequencies), Coin Depth Bar (estimates how deep the metal is) and Pinpoint (used to help pinpoint where to dig).
For a beginner, I’d recommend the custom setting and eliminate the first two bars (gets rid of Iron). That way you have a better chance of finding things worthwhile.
Also as a beginner, don’t be discouraged if all you find is cans and pull tabs. It’s a metal detector, so it does its job and detects metal. Two days ago the first thing I dug up in a sugarcane field was an old southern plantation token. After that, I dug up 15 or so beer cans and couldn’t find anything else. It’s easy to get frustrated and just think, “I found so many cans, this is probably another can.” You’ll never know until you dig it up.
Reading the manual, checking to see what areas are legal to metal detect in your area and covering the holes that you dig back up are the most important things you can do.
Make sure you keep an eye on my blog; I will write more about my experience with the Garret Ace 250 Metal Detector very soon. Thanks for asking and Good Hunting!