Not many comments/post about latest DIV hunt....

Would like to hear from some of the hunters.
Any trends, equipment used.
And of course some of the finds......

This was my first , but Im told it wasnt the greatest from a finds standpoint. Went with 2 friends, we each dug about 20 bullets and some misc brass like eagle buttons, J hooks, and a scabbard tip. This was pretty much a Yankee only site, and it's been hit. I ran a loaner TDI that I didn't get the time in the saddle with prior to the hunt like I'd liked due to being so busy, and excessive rainydays.. There were a few plates dug but nothing crazy that I saw.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2015 12:23AM by deadlift.

Hey deadlift you use your Nauty at the Hunt? Anyone else still swingin' a Nauty at the Div?

From what I've been seeing on Facebook DIV group it was the best I've seen in 3 years and better than any I've attended. Unfortunately I could not get off work to make this one even though I made the hunt!

The Nauty stayed home on that one Harold lol. Did see a few deus, but everybody pretty much has a PI now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2015 01:17AM by deadlift.

Mostly TDI because of better discrimination? Or mostly Minelabs for more depth?

At first it was Infiniums because of cost. Nobody really wanted a lot of money tied up in a machine they would only use 1 or 2 times a yr. Then a few got the TDI, and started finding literally cases full of relics out of the boot prints of Infinium users. Next thing you know, more are upgrading to TDIs. Then a couple fellas brought the GP and GPX...and would fill an entire display case of relics per day with it and that didn't go un noticed. Since everybody had a TDI or Infinium, you had to have something different to gain an edge. For a while, the cost of a GPX kept things in favor of those that could afford them. Not so anymore. I dare say that over half the hunters now have a GPX. You can still find a few things without a GPX but you severely handicap yourself by not bringing one. Especially at the sites where 4 or more hunts have been held...which is about every one of them now. What needs to happen IMO...is if they keep having them on the same properties, to reduce the number of hunters per hunt. Instead of 400...cut it in half. Less people would get to go, but those people that are on the hunt could have elbow room and actually work an area pretty good. When you have 50 people hunting a spot the size of a football field and everybody has a GPX...the EMI is gonna ensure you miss a lot. This is why IMO, most of the good things are found on the last day after lunch. Half of the people go home after the BBQ and often times, the 4 or 5 hrs after lunch are the best of the 3 days because you can actually hunt and not have people walking all over you.

50 people hunting the size of a football field?? That's all the area was?

No the sites are hundreds of acres in size...but there are lots of those acres that are unproductive. Each property has its own hot spots...and usually, a hot spot is just that...a spot. And it might only be the size of a football field. Some guys will wander about and try to find new spots. Sometimes they do and it pays off...but more often than not...3/4 of the hunters are going to concentrate on the known hot spots.

Thanks Daniel, no surprises there. Just like nugget detecting, it is an arms race and the weapons are detectors.

It is also a game of strategy, and knowledge. Not everybody with a GPX is digging piles of relics either. Having the right tool for the job is part of the battle but knowing how to use it is more important. With my knowledge of the red dirt...I think I could probably still take a F75 or some other VLF all metal machine and find more than a lot of the guys with a GPX. Think of it like the FBS machines. Everyone knows that clear high tone of silver. That's easy to get. But a lot of coins...even silver ones... aren't gonna always give that silver flutey tone. That's where people currently are with the GPX and even the TDI. They know the sound of the essy gimme targets...but are still passing up a lot that don't give the signature sounds of what they are listening for. I dug a lot of strange sounding signals at Brandy Rock farm in the spring hunt and was rewarded multiple times with relics. Especially those gilty Eagle A artillery buttons.

It was a pretty successful hunt......probably a full 85% of the folks are using a GPX platform either bought, loaned, rented. The new area of 200 acres produced a lot of cavalry lead. I saw only a few CS buttons that were dug. Bigger items like plates were few in number. Although I did dig a breast plate with my Garrett ATX. Some nice trash pits produced some nice glass. One guy dug a trash pit with 20+ bottles and an iron cooking kettle. He said it was a massive signal. So even though this particular ground has seen at least 3 DIVs.....stuff is being dug. Just like someone else said, knowledge of the hunt area as well as the machine produced large numbers of bullets. I saw several display cases with over 100 dropped bullets. Some of the folks who were new to the GPX or DIV didn't do as well as most of the old timers. I can personally say that my Deus was not useful in scanning dirt piles from three trash pits I dug. This usually isn't the case at other DIVs.

Stumpr,

Overall, how did your ATX do IYO??? And how deep was your plate???? And have you run other PIs before in this area or similar areas????

Congrats on your plate BTW.
Would it be a fair statement to say, anyone who digs a plate at DIV---definitely gets their money's worth??
I've never been to a DIV hunt, would like to go someday-----would be a treat for me even as a spectator!!!!

I have had the Garrett ATX since they came out. Before that, I had a TDI. Have used the Garrett ATX at 4 DIVs so far. I find the ATX is more stable than the TDI and requires less continual ground balancing. I think depth wise, the ATX is deeper than the TDI but not a GPX platform. I like the fact I can take the GPX to the beach and get in the salt water. Most of the GPX users at DIV get very paranoid (and rightly so) if bad weather is in the forcast. Performance wise, the ATX makes me dig just about every target. Like the TDI, small iron and mini balls make the same signal (or at least to my hearing). That plate I dug was about 10" deep and sounded just like the typical nail. The GPX platform has a better capability to tell the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous targets. Certainly not to the standard of a top brand VLF, but in this bad ground, the pulse is the only way to go. If all you do is relic hunt, the GPX platform is the way to go if money is not an issue. Even so, there is about $1K difference in cost between both platforms. Since I am a glass lover, I am looking for that deep iron that are in trash pits and huts so I am not as interested in ensuring that I can tell the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous targets. At a DIV, you only have three days to hunt so digging just about every target can be a liability to some hunters. In regards to digging a plate making my hunt, that would be an accurate statement. However, DIVs can be costly. Entry fee, hotel accomodations, gas, food, etc. will just about guarantee that you won't dig your monie's worth of relics from purely a materialistic point of view. But if you are seeking a unique metal detecting experience, meeting some great like minded people, and also digging some neat relics, DIVs are a great experience.

Sorry about that....I take the ATX to the beach NOT the GPX!

Hey stumpr, great to see another ATX fan! It is one of my favorite all around PI detectors, and I say that as a hardcore Minelab user. Congratulations on you finds!

Thanks for the info stumpr. I've used my ATX some. And in the sites I used it. Seemed as smooth/stable as any of my high dollar VLF detectors. I need to use it some more. Granted the mimeral level where I have used mine is not DIV level dirt. But it seems I could tell sometimes the nails by the space/time factor taking place between the 2 tones produced. And also seemed like a faster sweep would alter the signal moreso on a nail vs nonferrous. But I need more time on the unit. I love the pinpoint on the machine---spot on.
And it not being such a battery hog is nice too.

I did run it south of here a little while with Tom 41 at a pounded site. I found the smallest of grommets at around 8-9"..with a good signal.

Sounds like you had a great time. Maybe someday I can take part in one.