What's The Definition Of A Good Hunt? Realistic Expectations

One thing I've always maintained when out metal detecting is to keep my expectations realistic, I never go out expecting to find any real treasure. If I do end up finding some then that's just a bonus, metal detecting can be a strange pass time, the clue's in the name "Metal Detecting". Let's think about that for a moment, it's not called "Treasure Detecting" some people seem to think it is, it's the same with Carp Fishing here in the UK, the clue is also in the name, it's not called "Carp Catching". Nowadays there seems to be this sense of entitlement and people expect instant results in a very short space of time. I'm sorry but real life just doesn't work that way, obviously in the world of social media, lives are edited and cropped in such a manor that the mundane can be made to look like the incredible. When we see the incorporation of A.I technology, 'which is happening' now, reality and fiction will merge to a point where we won't know what's real. I believe this is the intended goal, a warped reality needs to be constructed so when the human brain is fused with technology then people will except it without question. At that point it won't matter what's real and what isn't - where pretty much there right now. 

The Merging Of Man & Machine

I believe for anything to have a lasting effect then you need to enter into it with the right intentions, what exactly do I mean by this? Let's take being a musician as an example, if you're picking up an instrument with the sole purpose of being a rich and famous rockstar then you're going to burn out pretty quick. The chance of that happening is so small,  it's like winning the lottery twice. If, however, you're picking up an instrument for the love of making music with a desire to be the best you can be. That's a realistic outlook which is obtainable, if you reach a good level then, with a lot of hard work and a shitload of luck you might be able to make a living out of it. If this happens then you've done pretty dam well and that's something to be proud of.

Let's take a look at metal detecting, if you enter into it because you expect to find treasures and riches, which in turn could give you a celebrity status, then you're wasting your time. If you're getting into it to make money selling your finds then you're also wasting your time. The same can be said for those getting into it solely to create social media platforms to use as leverage to obtain free machines and products, that's also a road to nowhere. Because eventually you're going to get fed up with digging metal out the ground, how do I know this? easy, there's loads of old YouTube channels that haven't posted videos for years of people who clearly set themselves up as a "Tester" and got fed up. If you love detecting then that love keeps you in the game however ridiculous the amount of trash you dig.

From careful observation quite a few number of these types of channels seem to get to the point where they play the "The Hobby Is Getting Me Down" card. This is usually followed by a tragic video of "I'm Thinking Of Closing My Channel Down" where they lament about losing the passion for the hobby they once loved. This in turn leads to loads of messages begging them to continue and once the ego is stroked they somehow find the strength to carry on. 

In my eyes this strange theatre has zero to do with real metal detecting and serious metal detectorists, it's all just attention seeking bullshit. What has a tendency to then happen, to try to maintain their audience, the videos become more and more sensational which in turn warps the reality and expectations of the hobby. This can have a tendency to create an influx of people who want to achieve the same thing as the channels they follow, and the cycle continues until the hobby is oversaturated with unrealistic examples of what metal detecting really is. Everything I've explained above is a universe away from why I first picked up a metal detector. I actually stated in a recent video that I don't look upon myself as a treasure hunter, I'm a metal detectorists, I enjoy digging metal out the ground and if I'm lucky, and I dig up enough, then I might find something interesting. 

As we all know, there's so many variables, the biggest being the land you're hunting, this alone is a huge challenge because land isn't easier to obtain and if you do get a few permissions, there's no guarantee there's any real history in the ground. But if you're a metal detectorist then this shouldn't really bother you because your goal is to find metal and most ground contains metal objects of some kind. If you're a "Treasure Hunter" then this could pose a problem because there's just no guarantees treasure will be found. 

The other element that merges in with all of this is the machine that you use, my Nexus machines aren't straightforward to run but the performance they provide once mastered is exceptional. So a huge part of the drive for me is to understand every single element involved in operating my machines to the best of their abilities. You can pull off some crazy feats in regards to depth and unmasking so learning what deep and masked signals sound like is a must and an art within itself. I just didn't get this kind of buzz when I was using my Equinox 800, the machine was soulless and very limited in its performance compared to what I'm using now. If I'm swinging a machine that I love using then that alone keeps my enthusiasm to maximum.  

So What's A Good Hunt?

For me a good hunt is connecting with my machine and getting everything right in regards to what it's telling me. Understanding when I've got a small shallow target or a small deep target, getting the depth of the plugs correct depending on what the audio is communicating to me. Making sure my plugs are nice and tidy and dug well so they just slot back in. Knowing when I've got a deep target and I'm able to locate it efficiently. If "all the above" comes together then if I'm really really lucky I might find a little fragment of history, but that alone just isn't my motivation. Other points that aren't my motivation are YouTube views, likes and subscribers, none of this enters my head. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I post my videos up but I couldn't care less about views and interactions, it's peoples choice if they decide to watch any of it. So to conclude, I enjoy digging metal, that's why I love METAL detecting.