When does it end for you????

I have been metal detecting for a lot longer than I may want to admit to. At first it was "beep" and then dig machines I then moved on to more information machines with screens that showed me what ''might" be below the coil,emphasis on what "might be" below. First finding clad coins,then silver coins then a focus on finding gold jewelry.Then I focused on hunting micro jewelry.
I'm an addicted metal detecting "Junky". I went metal detecting in a public park less than 2 hours after I got released from a hospital after I had a heart attack. Yes I found a silver coin(dime) and a small gold ring. My girlfriend at the time was having a fit over me stopping to detect on my way home. I did gave her the gold ring.
In South Dakota now and Montana where I lived previously I'd spend the winters in research of old towns,parks and other detecting sites
I have to have surgery on my right arm after an accident I was in(it was not my fault) and then I off to the east coast .After detecting on the Carolina/Georgia and Florida beaches I'm hooked!!!!!
Bill

It ends for me when I can no longer swing these amazing time machines--or they bury me!------I'm almost 79 yrs. old now & am as "nuts" about this great hobby as I was many, many yrs. ago when I first started.

I've been swinging now for 45 + years and can't envision metal detecting not being part of my life. In fact, since retiring, it shares even a bigger part. There are very few days throughout the year that I don't follow a detector around for a few hours. Detecting just never seems to get boring. HH jim tn

You make a lot of friends ..... it can be very social as we age. More about the chinning than the swinging i think. Get us out side..... where i love to be and can really gain you some years. Its certainly helping that machines and equipment is getting lighter. Digging .... and getting down on your knees gets to be a show for on lookers as they watch you get up lol. Not detecting after so many year......... its like no longer driving.

Dew

With newer light weight compact detectors, it doesn't have to end.

DeepTech Vista X with 3 search coils.
Works for me

Sooner then later. The physical pain leaves when I detect. Hell to pay afterwards. I started in 69. I can last no more then a few hours. But feel fortunate to live in an area were I can dig incredible things! Lighter equipment does help! As long as I stay on the "Right Side of the Grass" I will keep digging!

Down and dirty when one can't for most of us...unfortunately little by little see the oldtimers dropping out due to old age or death..

I'm diabetic so tend to get tired fast but that does not stop me.....will hunt until health puts an end to my hobby, hope not for awhile.

It is a bit odd was just thinking of this subject today...many of my friends in the hobby are gone and hard to replace them that's for sure. hh

I am not going to quit till get every pull tab out of the ground I can. I am only 66 , have a broken back, a metal plate in my nick, but I don't want to leave a tab out there if I can help it.

Im at 41 years swinging..Hope to get another 41 swinging but that ain't going to happen...


I have to realize more behind me than to come...But then again I have some great memories..

Detecting evolves alot like life...You start out know nothing (adolescent years in life 1-5 years in detecting))then learn some things and make some finds and think your the master (Teen Years 5-10 years in detecting) then a few more years go by (Early adulthood 10-15 years in detecting) and you realize YOU GOT A-LOT TO LEARN..and then you just keep on learning as in life .

Young you have all the energy in the world but no Knowledge....You get older and have more Knowledge but less energy...Not fair !!!

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:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Im at 41 years swinging..Hope to get another 41 sw
> inging but that ain't going to happen...
>
>
> I have to realize more behind me than to come...Bu
> t then again I have some great memories..
>
> Detecting evolves alot like life...You start out k
> now nothing (adolescent years in life 1-5 years in
> detecting))then learn some things and make some fi
> nds and think your the master (Teen Years 5-10 yea
> rs in detecting) then a few more years go by (Earl
> y adulthood 10-15 years in detecting) and you real
> ize YOU GOT A-LOT TO LEARN..and then you just keep
> on learning as in life .
>
> Young you have all the energy in the world but no
> Knowledge....You get older and have more Knowledge
> but less energy...Not fair !!!
>
> Keith


Great analogy Keith.----and----my ageing old body (and mind) can attest to that!-----Now where did I put that last detector I just used???-----------Del

Ain't that the truth Keith. In my case, I kinda gave up on the relic hunting thing around here and often found myself using the excuse of "there just ain't anywhere else to go around here". I've done a fair amount of research and such in this area and for me, I thought everything had been tapped into over the years.

Then all it takes is for one person or two, to turn your world upside down and bring life back into it.

In my case, it was this dude I stumbled onto in a post on Facebook. Found out he was from my area and started talking to him. He says hey man, go check out my YouTube channel, I have a fair amount of videos on there. Sure enough I did...and while I have been lazy and sleeping at the post, someone has been tearing the finds up around here. Not anything major or big but I can't say I wasn't a bit stunned and wishing that stuff was in my collection. It put a fire under me now to get back out there and do some hunting.

And here I thought I was going to have to accept hunting the beaches for easy coins and lost jewelry if I wanted to keep enjoying metal detecting.

It's hard to believe but in less then two years I will have 50 years detecting! Ouch!

76 yo and been detecting 44 years---I don't count sheep,but from cannon positions I figure their arc of fire and recount where shells may be lurking.Works every time.ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

One of the local old timers died a few years ago...he started in the 50s on a mine sweeper guess he had close to 70 years in as he swung up till he died..He took alot of info to the grave with him..never evolved past the Garrett ADS deepseeker.He could still hunt with anybody!!


I was lucky enough when I was just a kid to get to hunt with the Pioneers in this area....Those guys taught me alot....I mean spent real time with me...I guess I Wasn't a threat to them...I just went along and kept my mouth shut and listened and watched and learned...it was back in the early 80s...they just called me Boy mostly...well that's what I was about 15...we would be out in the woods in some camps now long gone and Id hear..Hey Boy come hear --------Check this target...can you hear it???Thats a deep bullet...Give me that sheen------ tune it like this you can't hear that Bullet set up like that.--------Now listen---- hear it??? Now go on and get out of my spot and find your own....LOL!!


It went on like that constantly...Id go from one guy to the next out in the woods on their BOY call..Sometimes I just couldn't hear the deep stuff then they would say we got to chip in and get BOY a real sheen..

Crazy times back then and Great times..you could be in the woods and there was so many people Hunting relics you would run into other people out in the middle of nowhere..It was a hobby like fishing in this area...everyone was doing it..saturdays and sundays a patch of woods might have 25 people in it and some of them were enemies to each other..

The Relics that came out of the ground was Jaw dropping...and I didn't know it wasn't to last....It was a magical time to detect...

Those old guys (to me ) then were old WW2 vets and Korean war vets couple younger Nam vets and they were tough as nails type...and very cautious about who they hunted with and who they told what...Luckily I was along for the ride and kept my mouth shut and listened and paid attention to where all the camps were at....most of those guys were hardcore and knew every little detail about a relic and how to track the soldiers..It taught me stuff I could never read in a book or learn from simply studying..

Most of them quit hunting in the 90s said nothing left!!They had done hunted close to 40 years and they were old and had old ideas....they wouldn't hunt in thick iron for too long or hunt in planted pines too long ...I made a career since the mid 90s or so hunting thick iron and planted pines..and its paid off..everywhere else those old guys did some damage..


Keith

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

Great story, Keith.

After having found an old slim bronce axe about some 3500 years old I would go for - never....
trond

Well, I realized several years ago while detecting at some great virgin sites while leaving my wife and young kids at home while doing it to satisfy my need to detect, that in fact they, my wife and kids, were truly the biggest treasures I could ever wish for and have in my life..,so I stopped and haven’t looked back too many times. Strangely to me at the time, I started to rush my hunt at sites to get back home to them and I stopped caring about what I found, no matter how good. I should have listened to my gut at the time and some other signs to make this realization earlier but hindsight is 20/20. I truly loved the hobby in my heyday as we were living in our first house, an 1894 virgin to detecting farmhouse along with all my neighbors with old houses...and I detected them all! I truly have my regrets now as to how I spent my free time back then since my kids are now 18 and 20..,and I have started feeling the pain of life as they slowly leave our house to make their own lives in college and beyond. I have only one detector left, a hot CTX 3030, that I have never even used outside of indoor bench testing lol. I have been saving it to hunt a very early for Ohio homesite that I grew up next to that I used to dig old bottles from in my teenage years. I always wanted to hunt it thoroughly just once to see what was there but I don’t think I have the will to do it anymore so I will probably.sell it soon while I still can.

Well, I realized quite a few years ago while detecting at some great virgin sites while leaving my wife and young kids at the time at home while doing it to satisfy my need to detect, that in fact they, my wife and kids, were truly the biggest treasures I could ever wish for and have hin my life..,so I stopped and haven’t looked back too many times. Strangely to me at the time, I started to rush my hunt at sites to get back home to them and I stopped caring about what I found, no matter how good. I should have listened to my gut at the time and some other signs to make this realization earlier but hindsight is 20/20. I truly loved the hobby in my heyday as we were living in our first house, an 1894 virgin to detecting farmhouse along with all my neighbors with old houses...and I detected them all! I truly have my regrets now as to how I spent my free time back then since my kids are now 18 and 20..,and I have started feeling the pain of life as they slowly leave our house to make their own lives in college and beyond. I have only one detector left, a hot CTX 3030, that I have never even used outside of indoor bench testing lol. I have been saving it to hunt a very early for Ohio homesite that I grew up next to that I used to dig old bottles from in my teenage years. I always wanted to hunt it thoroughly just once to see what was there but I don’t think I have the will to do it anymore so I will probably sell it soon while I still can. I have even sold all my special hot CZ’s which I thought I would never do. Most everyone on this detecting website including of course Tom Dankowski and so many members have been so awesome over the years. I thank you all for your friendship, kindness, generosity and so much more. And I wish all of you the best in your detecting interests and life’s journeys.

Chris

The answer is obviously when I can't walk, bend over and dig.

I am sure there will be other reasons for folks quitting.

Some folks may quit because their finds drop off to virtually nothing.

When I started detecting it was more about volume of coin finds.

And I see where folks report the # of silver finds to date for calendar year.

I don't exactly know why they do this.

I can draw my own conclusions as to the why behind.

Does a high number necessarily reflect the skill involved ???
IMO nope.

Do some folks feel pressured by others with their quantities of finds, hence they feel compelled to get out and hunt, find say silver coins and report??
Maybe.

Well,
I like to detect, I don't like to drive around looking constantly for new sites.

Sure I can go to virgin sites and find coins, even silver coins.
Lots of folks I think can do this.

I do think certain detector models have spoiled some folks, namely fbs detectrors, some other models too.
And this spoiling, has allowed these folks using the detector models to leave some nice finds in the ground.
This think they cleaned out a site.

Newby looking to get into hobby, and newer detectorist.

All I can say is don't get lured or hung up on depth too much.
Definitely consider where you live, and try to talk, and read what folks are saying about different models detectors, and detecting in general as far as your area, your ground minerlaliztion.

A fair statement for me to make here.
My detecting skills were hindered a bit at the onset.
Why?
Because I was putting too much stock in depth.

Also newbies will see in reading internet detecting forums how folks report how well when using some models detectors their targets (lots of times coins) are reporting ID wise.
And this can be construed too by newbies how easy maybe these supposed coins are to find.

As as newby progresses with their detecting endeavors, I think it is safe to say, your tolerance/parameters for digging will become lower and lower.
And by doing, one will hit the jackpot on a few nice finds at least.
Then after this, game on for sure.

I am a bit unusual as a detectorist.
Stubborn maybe.
I don't think many here have likely hunted the same sites over and over mostly for over 6 years.
Glad I have done what I have.
Very telling for me when it comes to detecting, how equipment can differ, its strengths and weaknesses.

With time detecting, I do think folks will develop their own style, will hopefully have their OWN goals.

What will the hobby look like say in 50 years?

I won't be alive.
Can't say for sure if I will be able to see how the hobby looks, and the equipment used performs in 50 years from now,

All I know is sites will be fewer overall.
I am sure of this.

I don't have nearly the years some of you other members do. I can honestly say, I don't think it should ever end. I started researching and logging most of my research to be passed on when I am unable to hit the trail.Even if I am unable to sawing the detector, I hoping just being there while someone confirms my discoveries of old towns or log homes is enough to satisfy me. So much of history is "lost" or better yet "forgotten". I really believe it is up to people like us to write it down and pass it along. A lot of us envy the detectorists across the pond for having such a long history, but someday our history will be there, and it is up to us to make sure it is not forgotten. And in honor of Thanksgiving, thank you to all who pioneered this great sport. Without your knowledge and help, a lot of us younger folks would be lost.

diggin since 1977 @ 14 yrs old = now 54 yrs old

but won't stop till laying beneath headstone that reads "Here lies Wayne - he loved his hobby so profoundly that they found the SOB face down in dirt with a metal detector in hand"

MichiganRelicHunter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> diggin since 1977 @ 14 yrs old = now 54 yrs old
>
> but won't stop till laying beneath headstone that
> reads "Here lies Wayne - he loved his hobby so pro
> foundly that they found the SOB face down in dirt
> with a metal detector in hand"


Wayne-----You put things in such a way that it just brings tears to my eyes!!!

I’ll be 40 next Friday, got my first detector at 10 “ whites 2500” been hooked ever since. hope to live a long life and plan on detecting till I just can’t do it anymore. I love getting out and seeing what finds I’ll make next. Also enjoy trying all the different machines and seeing the technologies advance. I really appreciate this forum and all the great hunters on it and the knowledge I’ve gained from it. Thanks

John

I am 77 and have been detecting since I built my first detector (that worked), a HeathKit, in 1969. This last Labor Day, I found one of my "Holy Grails", an 1851 sword belt plate, Never give up! I live out West and took my kids to the hills with me. One has a degree in Geology, the other in Archaeology so I like to think I did something right.. As some have alluded to, age can be largely a state of mind. The fun of research and treasure hunting will keep me going until I drop!

"You're young and useful at any age,if you're still planning for tomorrow". Rev. Charles Stanley

One of my favorite TV preachers.