Is a Metal Detecting Site Ever Truly Hunted Out
If there is one myth in this hobby that needs to be debunked, it is that a metal detecting site is ever truly “hunted out” by a single detector running with a single coil. There is no such thing as far as I am concerned. In fact, I take it as a personal challenge to show the people making that statement just how wrong they are.
Let me guess, some of you are reading this and thinking that your $1000 - $2000 metal detector leaning in the corner can do it. For what you paid, it just HAS to be better than all the other detectors on the market. I am here to say that it still cannot hunt a location totally clean of good finds compared to a lesser priced detector with multiple coil options. I can go grab my $399 Omega 8500 or $399 Patriot and show you that you left something behind. Heck, I might even be tempted to go grab a $219 EuroTek Pro just to drive the point home even harder.
Why? Because they all accept different sizes AND different types of coils. Any wise metal detectorist knows that no area is truly hunted out, unless you grid it in north-south-east-west directions. Then diagonal as well…
Then with a different frequency detector…
Then with a larger coil...
Then with a smaller coil…
Then with a different type coil (concentric or DD)….
Now perhaps you are starting to understand what it really takes to label a site anywhere close to being hunted out, and why almost none of them ever truly are.
This is where First Texas metal detectors shine. They make such a wide variety of different frequency metal detectors at such amazingly low prices, that I can take the 3X detectors mentioned above at $1017 total - and find treasure that a single $1000 - $2000 detector missed entirely. Almost all of the Teknetics and Fisher detectors can take 3-4-5 different coils allowing you to work from very deep - to very trashy - to everything in between. The newer Pro series of Bounty Hunter detectors can be added to the list as well (Land Ranger Pro - Quick Draw Pro - Lone Star Pro).
The 11DD coil from First Texas. One of the greatest coils ever manufactured.
I have used my 7.7khz Omega 8500 with 3 separate search coils and followed a friend using a $2200 detector, finding silvers and coppers that it left behind. We both re-evaluated the importance of using more than one tool in the box.
Let’s take an example with that very Omega 8500. Running at 7.7khz it is great on deep high conductors like silver and copper coins. With its feature rich option set and sensitive all-metal mode - it can find just about anything under your feet if setup correctly. It is priced at $399 and comes with a 10 inch elliptical concentric coil included. It has good depth and separates trash quite well. For another $199 I can add the 11 inch DD coil, which is widely regarded as one of the best coils ever invented on any metal detector. It goes deeper than the stock coil by a good 2 inches. That can be the difference in finding the next layer of silver coins and such.
So $399 plus the $199 coil. We are at $598 and have a medium sized concentric and a large DD coil now. We are in a pretty good position to hit that "hunted out". But what if the site is one of those super trashy areas where people forget trash cans exist? Never fear...the 5in DD is here.
For a mere $158 the 5in DD can squeeze between the trashy spots and find those silvers and coppers that were being masked or having separation issues with the larger coils. We are now at $756 total and have 3 coils that can finally come closer to calling a site ready to be hunted out.
The 5in DD coil. Great for trashy areas and small objects such as gold nuggets and earrings.
Just for fun - we will add a 13khz Teknetics Patriot at $399. Just like the Omega - it is very deep and sensitive to mid-conductors like gold AND high conductors like silver and copper. However it runs at a different frequency so it responds differently to targets and each one can very likely pick something up the other happened to miss. This has pushed our price up to $1159. However - we now have 2 detectors and a friend or family member can come along for the fun.
Let’s add another medium to small coil for the $175 average and we are at $1334 and ready to call that site hunted out enough that we can move to a new site. Compare that to a SINGLE detector that costs $1000-2000 and has coils that are $300-400 in price. Obviously, I am just proving a point here with this blog. It can be taken with a grain of salt if need be. However, it is a valid point to make. No single detector, no matter the price, can ever truly hunt our a site or be the "best" at one single domain.
It is veritable a no-brainer why I call Fisher - Teknetics - Bounty Hunter the BEST price to performance metal detectors in the entire world. Almost every single model they produce are good for 7 to 8 inch deep coins - and some like the Omega, Patriot and T2 mentioned in this article are good to 10+ inches deep on larger coins like quarters and half dollars. All of them can accept various sizes of coils that are made by the manufacturer and do not rely on aftermarket companies to make the product better. With this combination of frequency changes and coil differences - you can come closer than you have ever been to calling a site hunted out.
Hope you enjoyed the blog. TheHunterGT signing off - I will see you on the next blog.