The Biggest Misconception In Metal Detecting

You Can't Find What Isn't There

If you're on land that is redundant of targets then you're not going to find anything, it doesn't matter what machine you're using. This seems to be a subject of major confusion, you're not going to find hammered coins if they're not in the ground you have permission to hunt, it doesn't matter if you're using someone else's "Hammy Program" on your machine. Metal detectors aren't wizards and they can't magic up good targets, people really need to understand this.

Because Nexus machines are deep I often get asked the question "why aren't I digging super deep targets", the answer is simple, I haven't walked over any, I've written a whole blog on this, most things I find with my machines you can find with any machine out there. But I know for a fact that if there are deep targets to be had then I'm using the best set of machines to alert me to their presence. Once again, if I'm on pasture land with an abundance of history that dates back centuries and centuries then the possibilities of deep targets being present increases significantly but there are still no guarantees. I've said it before that I believe most targets are between 3 to 8 inches down. 

Now with social media playing such a big part in everything we do you can get the wrong impression about most things rather quickly. Let us understand that some detectorists out there have an abundance of fantastic land steeped in history so it's common sense that they're going to find some great items. On the flips side many can't get their own permissions so they have to make do with group digs, others have land that isn't that productive so they're scratching for the good stuff. There are so many variables, I've explained that one of my farms is severely littered with trash so you've got to dig like crazy to find anything good, if you persevere you will be rewarded but on some days it can get really really tedious, you have to work so hard for the good finds.

Obviously I'd love to get on more productive land but many farmers around that specific area have said no - mainly because they allowed people to hunt their land in the past who successfully killed the grass and left a right mess. This is becoming a common problem, the more people that see an unrealistic representation of metal detecting on social media decide they want to do it themselves. Due to this, more farmers are getting more and more people knocking on their doors and if these people get a "Yes" and proceed to dig their holes incorrectly and disrespect the land. It makes it even harder for those responsible detectorists out there to get new permissions, thus making the prospect of securing more productive land near impossible.

Social media like Instagram and Facebook only offer bullet points, you see the end result, one Georgian coin looks the same as the next but how much time and effort went into finding these coins, the first one you see on your timeline could've been dug on the first hole. The next one that appears underneath could've been the 60th hole after digging trash for two hours. This is why it's a waste of time comparing what you find to others, the key is to get out there and hunt what's available to you and take everything as it comes.

Does It Make You An Expert In The Hobby If You're Continually Finding Great Stuff?

No it doesn't, it means you're lucky enough to have productive land, nothing more and nothing less, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you're hunting good ground any detector at all price points will find you treasure within it's capabilities. Do I believe the new tech high end machines will find much more than budget machines like the legend? no I don't, I believe the performance is very close. Some might find you more targets in heavy iron compared to another and there is a certain skill within that but I still believe the advantage is minimal. So to wrap up, it's the land you're on that determines the amount of treasure that you're going to find and all detectors out there will produce the goods to varying degrees on these types of locations.

You Cant Find What Isn't In The Ground