Lessons Learned

Yesterday, I went out metal detecting it was my first ”real” try at it. If you want to watch me fail miserably check out my video here.
If you want to learn from my mistakes, keep on reading. Experience is the schoolmistress of the fool, right?

I have been wanting to go metal detecting since 2012 when a buddy of mine from, the fire department, pawned his USMC boot camp ring for a metal detector. I couldn't believe that for my entire life I never really even thought about it. It's the perfect hobby for me. Out in the woods, preferably alone, and the chance to find buried treasure. Seems like I would have discovered it sooner.

Anyway, as life would have it, it took until this Christmas when Mrs. Badger got me what I have been waiting for. My very first Metal detector. It's by no means a high-end machine, but it my opinion its a smart move to try it out before you break the bank on a hobby. You can check out my metal detector here.

After my failure yesterday, I thought for sure my wife had gifted me some Amazon rip off that couldn't find a gold bar if it was sticking out of the ground. I mean I was already an expert at metal detecting. I read the manual, I watched a few youtube videos, I even found a Rusty metal sheet in my backyard after waving the thing around for a few minutes. Obviously, the machine had defected.

Well, turns out it was all user error. Last night I went online again and began to do some more YouTube video watching and blog article reading. Wow, was I off in my attempt to strike it rich on my first outing.

Armed with new knowledge and a little patience, I went out in the garden again this morning to give it a full-hearted go. Turns out I found quite a bit of metal out there! All junk, but I was excited to see the equipment working properly. I was a little hopeful to find something cool as our house was built in 1847, but it was mostly rusted old bits of metal.

If you are interested in metal detecting let me offer you some beginners tips.

Start in Your Own Backyard

Believe it or not your first time out, it is a really weird feeling. Here you are with all this equipment, digging up the ground, you feel way out of place like your breaking the law and everyone's watching. By getting used to your set up in your own back yard you can limit some of that anxiety and focus on what you are there to do, find loot!

Dig Everything

My first try I was like pfft I'm setting this sucker to find gold, why waste time on anything else? That is so wrong. When starting out you need to learn your machine, and when you dig everything you start to recognize how deep the beep was and maybe even have an idea at what it is.

Practice With Your Own Treasures

Someone even mentioned this on one of my earlier posts. I think it's a great idea for those who want to do it. I did not. I learn best by doing. I know that seems counter I intuitive (given the quote I shared at the start of this post) but I need to be out there learning as I go.

For Every Part Of Your Scanning Sweep, Keep That Sucker Close To The Ground

If at the end of each swing you are lifting your metal detector in the air like a golf club, that's valuable real estate you could be scanning instead of missing.

When You Find Something, Check the Hole Again Before You Fill it in.

If you find a coin, who knows there might be more in there! Before you move along just do one last sweep to make sure you didn't miss anything.

Enjoy the View

If you're out there in the woods, a park, on a beach wherever; enjoy nature. If you dig up trash take it away. If you dig a hole, fill it in. Respect the law and if you see a great landscape snap a picture and upload it to Steemit for everyone to enjoy! (and your loot too)

Well, I hope this helps someone out there, please feel free to add anything (this was just a few things I wanted to mention). Most importantly get out there!

Please follow my page I will be doing another hunt next week out in the German woods and will be posting a video on @dtube.

Happy hunting!
-@balticbadger

Posted using Partiko iOS