Playing in the Desert in the middle of the summer

OK, so Tom and I went on another recon trip to the desert, in August....ok, not the brightest idea I confess

I ran into an issue on my Impact that cost me quite a few targets (can read about it on FM if interested), but still managed to make some period finds (old stage stops/ghost towns).

In nearly 100F degree weather, we ventured into this dry, parsed, snake infested desert floor, with wall to wall sagebrush, I mean sagebrush so thick you darn near needed a machete to make your way through it, I'd say that at least 80%-90% of the site was taken over by sagebrush. So much so, that to my chagrin we detected it anyhow....I did encounter a snake, we each went our own way, but sure makes you uneasy, and it was hot as hell, wowzers! Note to self: stop trouncing around the desert in the middle of the summer!!

Without further ado ... ...snake infested desert floor with wall to wall sagebrush, OK who's with me!?!?!



In no particular order:



Anyone recognize the item slightly down and to the left of the primer cap? It has a little ring on the outside, as to have had a small chain [with a cap at the end??], I suspect it was a black powder dispenser? Any rate very nice Civil War era eagle button, couple of Henry's rim fires, pistol ball drop, and a few other items.





hh,
Cal

Nice button Cal

the unknown item looks like part of a powder spout to me (could be wrong) but it looks like one.

Love the henry rimfire shells Never get tired of them.

Here's my finds from our trip:

Cool stirrups Tom

Nice digs guys!

So Tom, Brain didn't leave you in a shallow grave out there in the desert?!?

IMHO, you did better with your Racer on prior trips. The Impact is not keeping up. But perhaps this last trip was not a fair technology comparison. Because you were unknowingly going around with a loose connection coupling, till the last day of hunting. But even then, the Impact did not seem to be sniffing out finds as fast as your Racer had on prior trips. That could be explained by the fatigue we were both feeling by then. The heat & snakes issue was getting you down more than me.

One the few targets we did sample comparisons on (once you got your coupler tightened) the Impact seemed to be doing its job. Guess we'll have to get back out there for further hunts to know for sure.

My stuff was about 50/50 between the Explorer II with 11" pro coil, and Tesoro Bandido with 7" coil. I'd pull out the Bandido for heavy iron. And for regular open space hunting (where perhaps needed depth was more of an issue), I'd switch to the Explorer. The seated dime and barber quarter were found with the explorer. One spur was found with Explorer, and the other spur with the Bandido. Gold ring found with Bandido (an odd find for stage stops relicky site).

Anyone to venture a date range on the spurs ? I've looked at some google images for CW spurs, and it appears to be a match. Eh ? If so, then it would fit the date of the site they came from, as it was a site used as far back as the early 1860s.

SeabeeRon Wrote:
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> Nice digs guys!
>
> So Tom, Brain didn't leave you in a shallow grave
> out there in the desert?!?


Ron, I tried my durndest to find another gold coin. So that I could defy Brian's threat to make me disappear into a shallow grave But alas, only silver coins. Brian almost needed a grave at one point. He was about to get heat stroke. We'd run out of water, so I made the mile hike back to the truck to get more water. Attempted to find dirt roads leading back in, that would allow me to get closer to our spot. But .... failed to find any closer parking spot . By the time I finally got back to him with water, he was about to keel over . Ouch.

Hey Ron, there was some south swells that hit Santa Cruz in mid June. A fellow we both know got over 300 coins per day, for a 2-day stretch. A couple of gold rings too. Did you get in on that southern hemi swell that apparently reached all the way up to your south facing beaches ? And I think a modest southern swell has been going on the last few days as well. Any action ?

Wow, must have been an awesome adventure and quite a challenge. How is it to dig there? Is the surface hard? How deep were the finds?

x2000 Wrote:
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> Wow, must have been an awesome adventure and quite
> a challenge. How is it to dig there? Is the surfac
> e hard? How deep were the finds?


It's relatively easy digging, it's desert floor, usually sandy soil. Once and a while you encounter a spot where more effort is required, especially if it has that crabgrass style of rooted swamp grass, but mostly easy digging. Finds are typically in the 1" to 6" range, but some sites are deeper for various reasons.

hh,
Cal

Tom nice finds and some nice silver to go along with it all. You did like I did, missed by one year. I also found a nice cond 1900S Barber quarter ........but had it been the 1901S....but ya know, it's still just as exciting to find and an 1854 Dime as well. Makes for a really nice outing

Brian, from reading your posts I think I have detected a pattern You go to the desert, detect and find stuff. You go to the desert w/Tom, detect, the machine fails ...hmmm. LOL

Brian doesn't know it, but I taped a zinc Penny to the bottom of his coil. Sshhh, don't tell him.

Our snakes mostly keep out of the way in the daytime heat - still bushwacking where you can't see your feet is always problematic.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

A great variety of finds--Congrats.
As a side note on the rim fire hulls in gold country the old timers would sometimes use them for gold dust/fragments and would seal the hull by smashing the end. I know a fellow who found such a hull in the White Hills south of Gold Basin. So any hulls you find with the end smashed shut shake them--may have more than dirt in them.

Oregongregg Wrote:
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> Brian, from reading your posts I think I have dete
> cted a pattern You go to the desert, detect an
> d find stuff. You go to the desert w/Tom, detect
> , the machine fails ...hmmm. LOL


Maybe Tom unscrewed my coil connector....

doc holiday Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A great variety of finds--Congrats.
> As a side note on the rim fire hulls in gold coun
> try the old timers would sometimes use them for go
> ld dust/fragments and would seal the hull by smash
> ing the end. I know a fellow who found such a hull
> in the White Hills south of Gold Basin. So any hul
> ls you find with the end smashed shut shake them--
> may have more than dirt in them.


I've always heard that, when I find ones look intentionally crimped shut I open them, so far, all dirt....but one of these days it would be awesome to see the glint of gold while pouring out the contents

PS - I've also heard they crimped them so the injuns couldn't reuse them, think I've read that in a historical reading or two as well...but still.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2017 10:34PM by Cal_cobra.

Nice Spurs!!! WOOOW..is there anything written on those spurs on the inside???they sure do look like rebel spurs....

Nice quarter...

Like that Batwing and Epaulette scale too!!

Good cavalry site

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2017 01:49AM by Keith Southern.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oregongregg Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Brian, from reading your posts I think I have de
> te
> > cted a pattern You go to the desert, detect
> an
> > d find stuff. You go to the desert w/Tom, dete
> ct
> > , the machine fails ...hmmm. LOL
>
>
> Maybe Tom unscrewed my coil connector....


NOOOWWW you're gettin it figured out!!!!

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
.....
>
> Like that Batwing and Epaulette scale too!!
>
> Good cavalry site
>
> Keith

Keith, Brian and I are not as "up" on CW artifacts as some of you southern guys are Can you shed light on which item is a "batwing". And which item is an "Epaulette scale" ?

thanx

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice Spurs!!! WOOOW..is there anything written on
> those spurs on the inside???they sure do look like
> rebel spurs....
>

Nope. Nothing written anywhere on them. And yes: They match up perfectly to google images when I've typed in "CW spurs". Of course that's not to say that a similar design couldn't have extended for years following ..........

That's why I asked most to all reb spurs are unmarked..

I wonder if there Oakes....

They had a design that looked like that too...Yankees and Rebs used them during the war...

If there Oakes they will say on outside right on side of the body behind the strap slots...

I've seen some Oakes dug but rarely,, seems they turn up out west more I think but may be wrong the Oakes were pre war manufacture like 1850's....Most of the Union by time they got here 1864 were using the model 59's standard issue and the Rebs had a few varieties...one that was like your design...

See if they say Oakes on them..Ill see if I can find a Oakes pair like yours on Google..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...........
>
> If there Oakes they will say on outside right on s
> ide of the body behind the strap slots...
>
.......

Nope. No inscription anywhere on them.

And Can you shed light on which item is a "batwing". And which item is an "Epaulette scale" ?

Tom Here's a pair of Oakes

cvwarearcavspursoakesobv by Keith Southern, on Flickr

Here's a Batwing...Its the pieces on the end of a Carbine sling belt...the belt was what a Mounted trooper wore across his body..the big hook held his carbine dangling to his side..there's also a large brass buckle that's probably laying at the site you dug the batwing at...and maybe that large hook...((Note those hooks are high carbon spring steel not really going to sound good everyone I've ever dug was dug in all metal mode disc mode rejects them very easily))..the BATWING was on end of the leather as you can see to keep it from becoming disfigured...

DE8D01319E27481A9468AFFBBEB2BA50Carbine Sling by Keith Southern, on Flickr


The epaulette scale you have is part of a series of interlinked ones that went on top of an Officers shoulder...more decorative than anything but the premise was when in a battle it protected the top of the shoulders from a sword slash...But to be more realistic it was ornamental at this period...sort of left over from the old days of wearing armour.. Cavalrymen held to the old days of Chivalry and the epaulettes were like how should I say a Knight in Armour on his steed..

77-1 by Keith Southern, on Flickr

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Nice digs guy's!

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tom Here's a pair of Oakes
>
> cvwarearc
> avspursoakesobv by [url=https://www.flickr.c
> om/photos/153250074@N07/]Keith Southern[/url], on
> Flickr
>
> Here's a Batwing...Its the pieces on the end of a
> Carbine sling belt...the belt was what a Mounted t
> rooper wore across his body..the big hook held his
> carbine dangling to his side..there's also a large
> brass buckle that's probably laying at the site yo
> u dug the batwing at...and maybe that large hook..
> .((Note those hooks are high carbon spring steel n
> ot really going to sound good everyone I've ever d
> ug was dug in all metal mode disc mode rejects the
> m very easily))..the BATWING was on end of the le
> ather as you can see to keep it from becoming disf
> igured...
>
> [url=https://flic.kr/p/XaW85G][img]https://farm5.s
> taticflickr.com/4339/36212030572_61c4f1bc0c_z.jpg[
> /img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/XaW85G]DE8D01319
> E27481A9468AFFBBEB2BA50Carbine Sling[/url] by [url
> =https://www.flickr.com/photos/153250074@N07/]Keit
> h Southern[/url], on Flickr
>
>
> The epaulette scale you have is part of a series o
> f interlinked ones that went on top of an Officers
> shoulder...more decorative than anything but the p
> remise was when in a battle it protected the top o
> f the shoulders from a sword slash...But to be mor
> e realistic it was ornamental at this period...so
> rt of left over from the old days of wearing armou
> r.. Cavalrymen held to the old days of Chivalry an
> d the epaulettes were like how should I say a Knig
> ht in Armour on his steed..
>
> [url=https://flic.kr/p/XaWakJ][img]https://farm5.s
> taticflickr.com/4388/36212038172_0ea612972d.jpg[/i
> mg][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/XaWakJ]77-1[/url]
> by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/153250074@N0
> 7/]Keith Southern[/url], on Flickr
>
> Keith

Splendid Keith ! It sheds great light on dating the artifacts of our sites. And yes, it fits the 1860s date ranges that are sites are supposedly dated to. Thanx !

Yeah, you Bay area guys melt in the heat, lol. Cool finds, dig the spurs.

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, you Bay area guys melt in the heat, lol. Coo
> l finds, dig the spurs.


Yeah, you central valley guys might be used to temp's in the 90* or 100*. But where I'm at in Salinas, CA (the valley conduits ocean breezes inland direction), we rarely get into the 90*s. And if it reached 100*, that would be BIG news. But in the valley (Stockton, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Redding, etc...) : The 90s is common.

So Brian and I have a handicap in the desert. We've toyed with the idea of switching to the cool-of night hunting. But Brian fears snakes (are they more likely to be out at night ??). For some reason fear of snakes doesn't bug me as much. So we're planning on simply continuing our hunt in the winter. Hopefully then the foilage thins out anyhow. One of our sites (that's given up 2 seated dimes and the barber quarter) has oodles more real estate that we haven't even begun to exploit

The spurs look great in a shadow box profiling that site. They invoke images straight out of a Spaghetti western !

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> deathray Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Yeah, you Bay area guys melt in the heat, lol. C
> oo
> > l finds, dig the spurs.
>
>
> Yeah, you central valley guys might be used to tem
> p's in the 90* or 100*. But where I'm at in Sali
> nas, CA (the valley conduits ocean breezes inland
> direction), we rarely get into the 90*s. And if i
> t reached 100*, that would be BIG news. But in th
> e valley (Stockton, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Reddi
> ng, etc...) : The 90s is common.
>
> So Brian and I have a handicap in the desert. We
> 've toyed with the idea of switching to the cool-o
> f night hunting. But Brian fears snakes (are they
> more likely to be out at night ??). For some rea
> son fear of snakes doesn't bug me as much. So we'
> re planning on simply continuing our hunt in the
> winter. Hopefully then the foilage thins out anyh
> ow. One of our sites (that's given up 2 seated d
> imes and the barber quarter) has oodles more real
> estate that we haven't even begun to exploit
>
> The spurs look great in a shadow box profiling tha
> t site. They invoke images straight out of a Spa
> ghetti western !


Yeah, rattle snakes are out at night Tom (when it's warm enough--like now.-------I knew a couple that hunted them (with dogs) at night in AZ years ago.-----Not for me--I want to be able to at least try to see 'em in the daytime.----My hearing has gotten bad enough these days that I can't hear them---put h.p.'s on & forget it!----In the old days, my father-in-law used to catch them & milk the venom out of them---he sold the venom to hospitals.-------He used to always say "move slow & make some noise".------An encounter with a rattlesnake has been a fairly rare occurrence for us.------Keep that coil swinging in front of you & move slowly.----They (usually) don't want an encounter with us anymore than we do with them.------I have more trouble with bull snakes--those hot headed buggars apparently DO NO like me. ---They're always letting my wife go & going after me--thank goodness they are not poisonous!-----They have scared the "bee jeebers" out of me at times though.------------Del

D&P-OR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Yeah, rattle snakes are out at night Tom (when it'
> s warm enough--like now.------

Doggone it D&P-OR, why'd ya have to go do that ? Now if Brian reads this, it will reinforce his distaste/fear of snakes even more . Aaargghh.

It was hard enough to get him to trudge onwards @ 90* after he'd seen a shed snake-skin. But now after reading such dire-things like this, I'll have to prod him with a pitchfork through the underbrush. Any got quaaludes so I can slip one in his drink before desert hunting ? I have an extremely low caution level and risk threshold. So .... I just don't even register or worry about them (guess I'll die young, haha)

Hey, and isn't there "chaps" that cover from the knees down ? The average stake strike will be @ the lower legs, which chaps would protect against.

Oh I already knew full well they come out at night. Actually, they're out more at night then during the daytime, when it's hot as Hades they seek shade (they're smarter then us!!!). They also have full FLIR vision capabilities at night.

BTW - I've encountered a rattlesnake species that purposely sits coiled and ready to strike anything that comes within striking distance....nasty buggers. I encountered one on another desert trip, that had slithered up under one of our vehicles while out in the desert, and was just waiting for a passerby to strike. Luckily it was spotted, put in a bucket and moved. I'd terminated it had it been my choice, but it wasn't. When I was hiking in New Mexico, we encountered a green rattler, it was a very large snake. Also once while river rafting, we pulled up on a beach to check it out as an overnight site, and found a rock formation in the middle of the beach, that had apparently been the hatching grounds for rattlers, as it was heavily infested with them.

I respect them, and realize that typically their just as anxious to get away from you, as you are from them, but still I carry the knowledge that it doesn't always go down like that, and although rare, yes they can kill you.

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> D&P-OR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Yeah, rattle snakes are out at night Tom (when i
> t'
> > s warm enough--like now.------
>
> Doggone it D&P-OR, why'd ya have to go do that ?
> Now if Brian reads this, it will reinforce his dis
> taste/fear of snakes even more . Aaargghh.
>
> It was hard enough to get him to trudge onwards @
> 90* after he'd seen a shed snake-skin. But now af
> ter reading such dire-things like this, I'll have
> to prod him with a pitchfork through the underbrus
> h. Any got quaaludes so I can slip one in his dr
> ink before desert hunting ? I have an extremely l
> ow caution level and risk threshold. So .... I ju
> st don't even register or worry about them (guess
> I'll die young, haha)
>
> Hey, and isn't there "chaps" that cover from the k
> nees down ? The average stake strike will be @ th
> e lower legs, which chaps would protect against.