Digging tools in general...

But would advise you to use one made for the hobby. Lesche has some fine products and still have my old 3 in 1 knife(the original) copies just break and so will regular garden tools.
The other day in our local park saw a fellow carrying a shorthandled shovel and uses one as he saw one used in a video and it makes quick work of deep targets. I guess shovels have their place in isolated relic areas or perhaps a beach but in a local park its a No-No and feel thats why fences go up along with no detecting signs.
Honestly reported this fellow to the ground crew and he was asked to either not use or leave and he left in a huff but our local 100 year old park is still huntable so do use common sense on what tools to use depending where you are hunting..Videos do provide valuable info but can also influence the judgement of the viewers.

If a short handled shovel is used properly, it can be better than any short handled digger.
Last year a there was a few amateurs that kept coming into the park making shallow holes that they left shallow plugs where the grass had quickly died. If the plug is dug deep enough the roots have a lot better chance to be preserved, and that is something that most detectorist are not doing with their short diggers, mostly because their too lazy to put the effort in to cut the hole deep enough.
I see it all the time in all the parks.

I agree 100% if I am in the woods I use a samson shovel. But if I am in a park or such I use a hand trowel. I have heard the argument a thousand times about how you can cut a neater plug with a shovel and maybe you can,But it just looks bad. That's what all the newbee yuppies hunting these Chicago parks use and it is just a matter of time before they are all shut down to Metal detecting! It seems like all they care about is how much silver they get in a year. They even keep track of it on another forum.

Ive always used a butcher knife and a good digger. I can make a deep flap quickly which leaves very little to the digger except removing the dirt. Even in hard dirt it thin, tuff, and does a good clean very thin cut. I have a cloth nail pouch with a hammer holder that the digger fits nicely in. I attach a EARTH magnet to the top of the blade and the knife just snaps on and off quickly. Ive just found simple is best. As far as a shovel.... they tend to make a wide obvious cut when the flap is replaced. I have a home made one from a spade that is no wider than a normal garden tool which i used for the pattern with a 24 inch handle. Its great for field or relic hunting.... but in a park you tend to push back to push up the deep plug..... make a wide gap so i dont use it. BUT..... otherwise its as good as a garden trowel and much quicker especially in hard dirt. Ive hunted with some good hunters that make nasty holes with or without a shovel.

Dew

Knifes are not allowed in the parks here as well as shovels. No digging tool wider than 2 inches may be used. I finally upgraded to a lesche as I kept breaking tools. The offset handle is a little awkward but I will get used to it. Its not any faster then the diggers I normally use but does seem allot tougher.

Dan-Pa. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But would advise you to use one made for the
> hobby. Lesche has some fine products and still
> have my old 3 in 1 knife(the original) copies just
> break and so will regular garden tools.
> The other day in our local park saw a fellow
> carrying a shorthandled shovel and uses one as he
> saw one used in a video and it makes quick work of
> deep targets. I guess shovels have their place in
> isolated relic areas or perhaps a beach but in a
> local park its a No-No and feel thats why fences
> go up along with no detecting signs.
> Honestly reported this fellow to the ground crew
> and he was asked to either not use or leave and he
> left in a huff but our local 100 year old park is
> still huntable so do use common sense on what
> tools to use depending where you are
> hunting..Videos do provide valuable info but can
> also influence the judgement of the viewers.


dan!.you have done a valuable service to the detecting community!
you should be commended!..thanks for your effort,and concern!
more guys like this need to be "singled" out,and "ratted" on!
it's the ONLY way to preserve the hobby for others to enjoy!
"whistle blowers" are always welcome in this hobby!..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

While a shovel certainly looks bad in parks, it definately does a better job of digging deep plugs to where you wont kill the grass. Unless you take your time, and dig deep holes with a hand digging tool such as the lesche as not to disturb the roots as stated before, the grass will die. If you are hunting a place that doesn't get much rain or irrigation, the grass in the plug will die no matter what.

I have met MANY hunters who are experienced that have no clue about digging a plug. One guy even tried to tell me I was doing it wrong, yet two weeks later all of his plugs were yellow, while most of mine were undisturbed.

I see both perspectives.

I don't like carrying around a shovel in a park. I mean it looks pretty big and the detector attracts enough attention as it is BUT I can dig much better holes with a shovel than I can with my Lesche. The shovel cuts smoother and goes deeper (generally). There is probably not a big difference if you know what you are doing, I mean it's just a hole - so most of us here know what we are doing. But using a knife means you are down low and not quite as viewable. If I do hunt parks again, I will put my knife in my junk holder on the belt and not directly on the belt as a Lesche is a pretty ornery looking knife.

I was out on a field the other day and came across a hole my neighbor dug. The "plug" was about 3" lower than the surrounding ground with the dirt spread around. He uses a garden trowel which is very hard to use. Now, people go for walks there and probably wouldn't pay it a lot of attention, but still, just terrible. I called him up and gave him a nice present. I gave him a backpack, a nice folding shovel, a nice digger and a decent pinpointer (that latter two I got free with my first detector 8 years ago.) He was really happy to get it. Next is for me to give him advice on how to dig a hole.

Swiss military shovel.

For me I use a modified 6" x 8" garden spade with added "D" handle. Forty inches total. I keep it sharp with a file and touch it up when needed.
I also believe it makes for a better finish and the D handle is used for tamping.
Tamping is important so as to get the roots back in contact with the earth and push out air pockets.
You can not tell I was there.

Strictly a Predator/Lesche digger guy. It's the attention thing? No amount of explaining in the world is going to convince a non-detectorist that a properly used shovel is less damaging than a hand tool. Been there......done that.

Most people here in Pa mind there own business, as it should be. I stay away from busy parks where many people are enjoying themselves, for the most part. Never had a problem. The Rangers will ocasionally stop to see if I have a permit, or to say hello and chat a while. They never said anything about the shovel. Hope I'm not jinxing myself.

No digging tool wider than 2 inches may be used.

The rules are made by people that have no idea. The shovel I use from Predator tools is twice as wide s my Lesche. It digs a much better plug with my weight on it. In my opinion the Lesche is one tough blade, but it is terrible for removing dirt.