Sometimes a little deception is all you need to win the day.  I found this little beauty in October this year in upstate New York.  I found it with my Teknetics T2 Metal Detector in a field near the area of the battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812. It’s a pewter US Soldier Cuff Button and it’s in great shape. I made a video of my trip to this area and included the following description describing the history and I discovered a great story of how the commander of the US forces in the area outsmarted the British with a little deception.  Link is below to the video if interested.

The Hunt:

We had done our research on the area we were hunting and found that there was once a small little village in a field next to the Little Chazy river, called Factoryville.  The locals all refer to it as “Suckertown”.  There was no longer any signs of this town but using a metal detector, we were sure we could find it.  We wondered what kind of metal detecting finds would come up from the Suckertown area. This town had multiple buildings, and multiple mill sites. It didn’t take us long to locate the old road and locations of the old buildings. The hunt was on.

The History

One of the main historic events that happened close to this area was the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 between the British and the US. This battle is credited as one of the final battles the lead to the end of the War of 1812. The British HQ, where the commander and over 10,000 British troops camped was only about 10 miles away from these fields we were hunting in Chazy, NY at The Scott House.

In the second year of the War of 1812, a fleet of British ships sailed to attack the port town of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain, while a coordinated land attack came from the North out of Canada and marched South towards Plattsburgh. The land attack was met with many skirmishes from an under-manned US Army in the region that had elicited the help of any able bodied man in the area to take up arms. In a brilliant move, the commander of US forces who were concealed in the wood line but whose supply road was in site of the British, took small groups of soldiers and marched them out of the woods, out of site, down the supply road, then back into the woods creating the illusion that our forces were constantly being reinforced by many more soldiers and supplies than we really had. When the Navy battle started, it roared through the area and the commander of British land forces hearing the battle was underway, chose to allow his soldiers to finish breakfast before taking up arms and getting into marching formations. The Navy battle was over in a short amount of time resulting in the British ships being defeated by a much smaller fleet of US ships. Seeing this defeat which was not supposed to happen, and also knowing the the US had been “reinforcing” their numbers for days, it was clear to the British commander that this was a lost cause so he made the decision to retreat back up into Canada and abandoned his attack plan on Plattsburgh. A few months later, a treaty was signed ending the War of 1812.

The Wonder

In my video you see that I find this War of 1812 pewter US Soldier Cuff Button in the fields adjacent to Suckertown. How did that get there? Did it belong to one of the soldiers that turned back the British Army during that battle? Was this the site of one of the many skirmishes? These are the questions that get our minds turning and excite us as Metal Detectorists. I am so excited to have brought something home that ties to that period of time and in that area knowing what happened there. A very special find indeed for a guy from Colorado.

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Here are some successful tips for metal detecting.  Metal detecting is a wonderful activity especially for people who want to find adventure, lost items, and discover history.  If you appreciate nature and the outdoors, then the metal detecting hobby may truly be your calling.  There are many tips and guidelines to help make the metal detecting activity enjoyable and successful.  There will be more to come in future blog posts so keep watching this site and be sure to go read the Code of Ethics post if you are just getting started.

Finding The Most Suitable Metal Detector

The first tip which you must consider is to find and use the most appropriate metal detector.  These metal detectors will be your ally in finding lost items that are buried underground and having the best one that suits you and your environment is extremely important. Moreover, in finding the most appropriate metal detector, you will first need to determine the areas that you will most likely to spend your metal detecting activity in.

Since metal detectors are specially made for different types of environment, determining a certain environment will definitely help you in choosing the best one for you. If you are most likely to conduct your metal detecting in places such as the beach, then the metal detector specially made for wet environments is definitely the most suitable equipment to get.

Practicing Your Skills

The second tip which you must follow is to practice your skills.  Making sure you are comfortable with your chosen metal detector, understanding its functions and settings is very important. Lashing out in the areas of your choice may not necessarily be a good thing especially if you are unfamiliar with the territory and the equipment you are holding. To make sure you get a lot of practice, what you can do first is conduct your metal detecting at your own backyard. That way, it will practice your detecting skills and furthermore give you an estimate time on just how much time you can hold your metal detector. Metal detectors sometimes can be very heavy and making sure that you do not tire yourself when you have just started doing it is very essential.

Finding The Right Place

The third tip is to find the right places where you can conduct your metal detecting. Make sure to understand the rules, regulations, and laws that govern the areas you intend on detecting at.  Moreover, it is also important that you research the areas and have a background on these places so that you gain an idea where to go in order to explore the things that may be buried under the ground. For this, you can do most your research online.

Having The Right Dose Of Patience

The fourth and perhaps one of the most important tip there is, is simply to have patience. Metal detecting may not exactly be a fun activity if you the reckless and impatient type of person. At times, you may not be able to find new items that are buried underground; although there are also times when it will generally be easy for you to discover lost items. See, everything is unpredictable in metal detecting that is why it is important that you are patient so that you will truly get to enjoy the experience.

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Digger Spotlight is a bi-monthly live stream show featuring various notable diggers from our metal detecting community.

Twice a month I will invite guests to come in for an hour to talk about metal detecting, YouTube, and other interesting topics depending on the guest.  Part interview, part conversation…. it all fun.  Both myself as host and our featured guests will interact with the live chat room where viewers can interact with the conversation, interact with each other, ask questions of the guests and get answers from them directly.  Its another way of connecting with those YouTube personalities you have to come to love and admire.

Be sure to come for the chat, stay for the conversation, get in on the giveaways, and enjoy yourself as you tune in to another Digger Spotlight.

Click this link for our show with Kurt Franz of The Hoover Boys…

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METAL DETECTING AND TREASURE HUNTING ETHICS

Mеtаl dеtесting аnd trеаѕurе hunting are gеtting very fаmоuѕ nowadays. Thеrе аrе a lot оf bеnеfitѕ уоu саn gеt frоm this hobby. Aѕidе frоm thе еxсitеmеnt аnd thе thrill whеn уоu are оut trеаѕurе hunting; thеrе better bеnеfitѕ thаt уоu саn think of whеn you think оf hunting аnd metal detecting. I would ѕау thе bеѕt bеnеfit уоu can get frоm metal dеtесting аnd trеаѕurе hunting iѕ good hеаlth. Hоwеvеr, you can also become very rich in knowledge in this kind of hоbbу.

Despite аll the реrсеivеd аnd раlраblе benefits in mеtаl dеtесting аnd trеаѕurе hunting, the рubliс sometimes raises еуеbrоwѕ tо thiѕ awesome hobbу.  Some оf the trеаѕurе hunting еthiсѕ and соdеs оf соnduсt are sometimes neglected bу hobbyists еithеr due tо levity or ignorance. In thе ԛuеѕt tо rеѕtоrе public opinion about mеtаl dеtесting аnd treasure hunting, thе fоllоwing are аdviѕеd tо bе nоtеd.

Code of Conduct or Ethics оf Metal Detecting аnd Treasure Hunting.

• I will rеѕресt private, and рubliс рrореrtу, аll hiѕtоriсаl аnd аrсhаеоlоgiсаl ѕitеѕ аnd will dо nо mеtаl dеtесting оn thеѕе lands withоut proper реrmiѕѕiоn.
• I will kеер informed оn аnd obey all lосаl аnd nаtiоnаl lеgiѕlаtiоn relating tо thе discovery аnd rероrting оf fоund trеаѕurеѕ.
• I will аid lаw еnfоrсеmеnt оffiсiаlѕ whenever роѕѕiblе.
• I will саuѕе nо willful dаmаgе tо property оf аnу kind, inсluding fеnсеѕ, ѕignѕ, аnd buildingѕ.
• I will always fill thе hоlеѕ I dig.
• I will nоt destroy property, buildingѕ оr the rеmаinѕ of dеѕеrtеd ѕtruсturеѕ.
• I will not lеаvе littеr or оthеr diѕсаrdеd junk itеmѕ lying аrоund.
• I will саrrу all rubbish with mе whеn I lеаvе еасh ѕеаrсh аrеа.
• I will оbѕеrvе thе Golden Rulе, uѕing good оutdооr manners аnd conducting mуѕеlf at аll timеѕ in a mаnnеr which will add tо the ѕtаturе аnd рubliс imаgе оf аll people еngаgеd in thе fiеld оf mеtаl detecting and treasure hunting.

It’ѕ highlу imреrаtivе to fоllоw the code of conduct in itѕ entirety fоr уоu nоt to riѕk bеing аblе tо hunt in thе futurе. If уоu are lеаving unfillеd holes behind аnd treating the land irresponsibly, Lаndоwnеrѕ and gоvеrnmеnt оffiсiаlѕ will nо longer реrmit уоu. Alwауѕ rеmеmbеr thаt wherever you аrе mеtаl dеtесting оr treasure hunting, уоu muѕt leave that рlасе looking аѕ it wаѕ bеfоrе уоu саmе оr even bеttеr. It соuld bе

• Public ѕсhооlѕ
• Public Parks
• Bеасhеѕ
• Woods
• Privаtе Prореrtу

Before I go any furthеr on thiѕ tорiс, I wаnt tо mention that you always nееd tо be 100% ѕurе that you are permitted tо hunt whеrе you intеnd tо trеаѕurе hunt.  Also, knоw thаt hunting рlасеѕ withоut реrmiѕѕiоn is not аllоwеd in thiѕ hobby. Even on public property, you still nееd tо be сеrtаin thаt уоu’rе аllоwеd tо trеаѕurе hunt thеrе. Fоr еxаmрlе, many public раrkѕ ѕtriсtlу prohibit mеtаl dеtесting – especially раrkѕ run bу the county and ѕtаtе.  Yоu саn рrеttу much аѕѕumе thаt Fеdеrаl Pаrkѕ are оff limits tоо. So, always check with уоur lосаl gоvеrnmеnt bеfоrе ѕtеррing foot on рubliс land with уоur mеtаl dеtесtоr.

Whеn it comes to рubliс ѕсhооlѕ, thе ѕаmе thing аррliеѕ. Gеt permission! When hunting in the wооdѕ on рubliс lаnd, be ѕurе to keep an eye out fоr signs posted аnd property lines. It’ѕ nоt thаt hаrd tо wаndеr оff while trеаѕurе hunting on ѕоmеоnе’ѕ рrivаtе land when уоu think уоu’rе still on public lаndѕ. Beaches аrе usually fаir gаmе – but аgаin lооk for ѕignѕ. Alѕо, some bеасhеѕ аrе privately owned оr оwnеd by State/Federal gоvеrnmеntѕ. Thеѕе аrе аlmоѕt always off limitѕ. You can as wеll trеаѕurе hunt оn рrivаtе рrореrtiеѕ whiсh iѕ perceived to be the bеѕt grоund fоr mеtаl dеtесting аnd trеаѕurе hunting.

Before уоu go intо mеtаl-dеtесting аnd treasure hunting, уоu hаvе tо consider thе fоllоwing ethics.

1. Nоt trеѕраѕѕing; before you start trеаѕurе hunting аnd metal dеtесting, оbtаin реrmiѕѕiоn to search from the lаndоwnеr/оссuрiеr, regardless of the status, оr реrсеivеd status, оf the land. Rеmеmbеr thаt all lаnd hаѕ an оwnеr. Tо аvоid ѕubѕеԛuеnt diѕрutеѕ, it is always аdviѕаblе tо gеt permission аnd аgrееmеnt in writing regarding the оwnеrѕhiр оf аnу finds subsequently diѕсоvеrеd
2. Adhering to the lаwѕ concerning рrоtесtеd ѕitеѕ (е.g., thоѕе defined аѕ Scheduled Mоnumеntѕ or Sites оf Sресiаl Sсiеntifiс Interest: уоu саn оbtаin dеtаilѕ of thеѕе frоm the lаndоwnеr/оссuрiеr, Finds Liaison Officer or Historic Envirоnmеnt Rесоrd. Tаkе еxtrа care whеn detecting near рrоtесtеd ѕitеѕ: for еxаmрlе, it is not аlwауѕ сlеаr whеrе the bоundаriеѕ lie on thе grоund.
3. You аrе ѕtrоnglу recommended tо join a mеtаl dеtесting club or аѕѕосiаtiоn thаt encourages со-ореrаtiоn аnd responsive exchanges with оthеr rеѕроnѕiblе heritage grоuрѕ.
4. Familiarizing yourself with аnd аlwауѕ fоllоw current соnѕеrvаtiоn advice оn the hаndling, care, аnd storage оf archaeological оbjесtѕ.

How dоеѕ these еthiсѕ hеlр ѕtrеngthеn the public орiniоn оf mеtаl detecting as a hоbbу?

Thеrе iѕ no gаinѕауing thаt thеѕе ethics оf trеаѕurе hunting аnd mеtаl detecting ѕаnitizе thе hobbу аnd mаkе it wоrth public admiration. Sо, it strengthens not only рubliс орiniоn but аlѕо gains рubliс аttеntiоn аnd аdmirаtiоn to the hоbbу. It will go a long way in promoting аnd еnсоurаging уоung treasure huntеrѕ tо pursue a carrier tоwаrdѕ metal detecting аnd trеаѕurе hunting.

The post Metal Detecting and Treasure Hunting Ethics. Why they are important. appeared first on Adventures In Dirt.

The Weekly Dirt is a weekly review show of various metal detecting YouTube channels that airs every Sunday.

I have a YouTube channel, Adventures In Dirt, and for those of you with YouTube channels, you know how hard it is to constantly come up with content worthy of putting out there on your channel.  I try to get out and dig once a week, usually on the weekends, when my time allows but as you know, you don’t always find the large cents, half pennies, or roman danarii.  Most the time you have a ton of fun digging up all kinds of scrap and other items that, well, you feel aren’t that deserving of putting on film.

I would like my YouTube channel to grow and I think I have a pretty good grasp on the basics of how the current algorithm works so I know that to be selected higher by YouTube for recommended videos, which is the number one source for views, those channels posting more often, more frequently, get a higher position as far as YouTube is concerned.  I have figured that posting weekly is the minimum.

How do you post weekly if you aren’t finding much on your once a week digs?  I guess I could put out other videos of commentary, research, etc but for those of you that do this, you also know how much time editing can take if you put some effort into it.  I love editing, but I’m still learning my program( Premier Pro ) and can easily lose 4-5 hours editing one video.  If I am just playing to learn new techniques, new features, new edits, I can lose the weekend if I’m not careful.  This doesn’t lend itself to being able to churn out videos quickly, multiple times a week.

I came up with the idea for “The Weekly Dirt” after noticing how many videos I watch during the week from some of the various metal detecting channels that I subscribe to myself.  I thought putting together a review series of some of these channels with their great finds would not only help expose these channels to a wider audience but also give me something weekly to produce and post on my channel.

Every week I will pay attention to the channels I subscribe to and note interesting finds, or happenings from these channels.  I will then screen grab clips from these channels and edit them together in one review show, The Weekly Dirt, that I will post on Sundays.  I thought I could also do announcements of the various giveaways some channels do or other events that come up in the metal detecting world that I become aware of.  There always seems to be something going on.

Good idea I thought but first I have to get permission from these channels and knowing how much work goes into creating this content, I didn’t know how that would be received.  I mean these are their babies, their creations.  Why would they give me, a relative stranger, permission to cut them up and use them for my series.  One one hand, it would give them and their channel more exposure with no effort on their part, on the other hand, could they trust me to use their clips in good faith and show their content in a good light.

I got my answer shortly after reaching out to some of the channels for that first episode of The Weekly Dirt.  They were very gracious in giving me permission.  Since then I have received other permissions for all the clips I use and I will honor them and their decision by never betraying the trust they have showed in me in allowing me to capture some of their content.  After all, that series is about promoting channels and some of their interesting finds.

I have a number of these under my belt now and I’ve learned a few things.  Because of the timeline of releasing a new episode every Sunday and the format I have chosen to use for the show, my cutoff is the previous Saturday thru the current Friday.  I can pick from those videos released during that time and still be able to capture the clips, shoot the backing video, and edit the whole thing together by the end of day on Sunday.  If something comes up the Saturday before the Sunday release, it will have to wait until the following Sunday’s episode.  I may switch some things up in regards to the format to allow me to shoot backing videos throughout the week from different outdoor locations but we shall see how that pans out.

I hope you have a chance to give a look at this new series and hope you enjoy it as much as I do putting it together.  Please feel free to help me get the word out and share it on some of your social media and always feel free to drop me a line to let me know of new channels I should be checking out, new features I should be adding, changes you would like to see, things you don’t care for, things you like, etc.  One person suggested I add more sex appeal into the series so I volunteered to wear a wig but I don’t think that is what he had in mind so you are all safe for the moment.  Nobody wants to see that, believe me.

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This gold coin came up out of the ground and put my butt right on the ground.  After an awesome morning dirt fishing with a buddy of mine on one of his permissions, I was on my way home when I decided to go by a brand new farm permission I received recently and poke around for an hour. As I swung my Teknetics Patriot Metal Detector, in between a couple trees, I got a signal that was strong and repeating and after digging down about 5 inches, I pulled up this coin. As I brushed some of the dirt off of it, it was gleaming in the sun something fierce. OMG, did I just find my first gold coin? That is all my mind was wondering. Then an image of an eagle became clear my heart raced but I didnt know what the heck I had. I grabbed my magnifying glass and could just barely make out “matrimon” so I entered into google on my cell phone. “Recuerdo Matrimonial” came up and I quickly learned what I had found was a Mexican Matrimonial Token. Here is what the article says…

~DK

The post My First Gold Coin – Sorta/Kinda appeared first on Adventures In Dirt.

From Wikipedia: Forrest Fenn operated an art gallery with his wife, Peggy, after retiring from the United States Air Force. The gallery was located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and sold everything from artifacts to fine art and was quite successful. In 1988, Fenn was diagnosed with cancer and came up with the idea during this illness to hide a chest full of treasure for anyone to go find. He filled the chest with “treasure” containing gold nuggets, rare coins, jewelry and gemstones, along with a jar holding his autobiography. He intended to hide it and end his life nearby, with the treasure as a legacy. However, he survived his illness and waited until he was 79 or 80 to hide the treasure.

Mr. Fenn wrote a six stanza poem, that if deciphered correctly, will lead you directly to the treasure.  Then he also wrote a book called “Too Far to Walk” in 2013 in which he printed a map of four states containing the Rocky Mountains, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and the Northern part of New Mexico. It is stated that the treasure is hidden somewhere on that map. There have been other clues and hints over the past seven years that help searchers in their efforts to find the elusive treasure. The clues, like his poem, are always open for interpretation.

Worth more than a million dollars, the Forrest Fenn Treasure chest supposedly contains ancient figurines, jade carvings,a 17th-century Spanish ring, turquoise beads excavated from a cliff dwelling near Mesa Verde, over 270 American eagle gold coins, gold nuggets (some weighing a pound), a vial of gold dust, two gold discs, and “a lot of jewelry,” including rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. He also included a copy of his own autobiography, rolled and stuffed into an ancient olive jar.  Think you can decipher the Forrest Fenn Treasure Poem?  Come help solve the riddle.

(I apologize in advance for the heavy breathing on our hike, the elevation of 8,000 ft and the hike was really getting to me)

Think the treasure chest is buried?  A metal detector may help with that and you can find plenty to choose from here.

Enjoy! ~DK

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