Woods Hunting

I'm a Florida guy and I don't have nearly the amount of hardwood areas to investigate that many others do. I'm typically faced with sandy soil, scrub and pine flatwoods and some small oak hammocks. The bottom line is often there is a minimal leaf canopy overhead which means few leaves on the ground when they shed. But in heavily treed areas that leaf canopy drops inches of organic material on the ground every year. I often see folks post their hunts on YouTube in the thick of a heavily wooded area. I'd like to hear your comments about depth of older items even though so much leaf coverage takes place every year. It would seem that you face a losing battle but the videos prove otherwise. Anxious to hear your reasoning and beliefs on Hunting the Woods....good or bad.

FB

Ive hunted a lot of wooded areas. That material breaks down fairly quickly. Also, the ground has movement with freeze and thaw, root movement and their sink rate is almost not happening unlike in Fla. Its surprising i dont find a lot of coins nearly as deep in the woods as i do in other areas. This is possibly due because in parks, fields, and around home sites we move more soil than mother nature does. If you have ever made a compost area youd be surprised how quickly and how much is left at the end of a year. Moisture, bacteria, wind, salt and minerals real keeps it cleaner than you think. Its especially obvious in a rolling hill area where most of the hill tops there might not even be any leaves.

Dew

What we seem to forget is especially around old parks and such as the much used section of the park can be a
woodlot not used in many years..As far as depth tree roots can be a help or hinderance as in many instances they push the coins up and others make them tough to retrieve under the layer of roots. Point in question found a seated dime right on top in a woodlot next to the field of the 1901 braves baseball team and in other cases spent time to burrow under a large root to get an old indian head or wheatie or silver coin and yes even a bottlecap.Personally feel they are not subject to the elements of coins in an open field and roots contribute to them to being not as deep as the surrounding open fields..

Do you find coins to be in better, worse or same shape under the trees vs non-tree dirt?

TD id have to say id rather find the coins in the woods they do seem less affected by our actions.... like fertilizer and scratches. The ground seems a little more porous and easier digging in general. You do catch your coil.... especially a Pro coin... on objects, but to me the targets arent nearly as hard to TID. Obviously winter and spring are the best times to detect there.

Dew

I love hunting the woods. In my part of Tn woods hunting is best done during late fall and the winter months do to tics, heavy vegetation and crawling creatures. As far as depth, I find most woods targets to be shallower then those of the same period found in turf. And, decaying vegetation doesn't seem to hurt coins and typical relics any more then normal. HH jim tn

I was never hot on hunting the woods at all (hated it honestly) before hooking up with my current detecting pals. However, I learned from them the value of wooded areas. First, many hunters will NOT venture to hunt there due to the tougher conditions (stickers, leaves, bugs, etc.). So, right off the bat you're at an advantage. Second, most people ASSUME that woods were always just woods. Not so. 100, 150 or even 200 years ago it might've been an open area for picnics, church revivals, dances, state fair activity, etc. Bottom line, woods hunting has been VERY good to me

In terms of the fallen leaves & other debris being a hinderance...YES, they most certainly are. However, only slightly compared to the TREMENDOUS benefits of hunting these locales. Best time for woods hunting is in the fall & spring for obvious reasons. If there is a thick layer of leaves, that normally tends to be one of the biggest pains due to the loss of depth. However, we just look for patches of space without leaves, clear small areas to detect or just barrel right over the leaves without a care in the world - all viable options. Bramble & overgrown trees are problematic as well.

By far the BIGGEST problem with woods hunting IMHO is bugs. Specifically gnats, flies & mosquitoes. Not only are their bites painful & their welts itchy beyond belief, but, you also run the risk of diseases like west nile, etc. Ticks are another threat. I don't hunt in bear country myself, however, if you do that's another major concern along with other wild country animals.

In short, woods hunting can be VERY rewarding. However, just like anything else, learn the correct & SAFE way to go about things and you'll prosper