Good Ground, Bad Ground... Q- Did you find the mineralized soil here to be a challenge? The “hot” soil in parts of this region is legendary, but it is one reason so many relics remain in these sites. How people coped with the ground conditions led to varied answers. Many echoed that using a pulse induction detector made things much simpler and more effective. Doug Stokes noted, “[The soil] is a challenge, but is a great equalizer. It evens the playing field. I cope with it by trying to improve my pulse machine skills. Christy Wissinger said, “I hunt in all metal and dig every signal” and Joel Erickson advised, “Ground balance a lot.” But Skip Henning recommended a trick that many have discovered, no matter the detector: “Go to the woods.” The hot ground seems to be a problem only in the fields.
Kevin Baptiste says this Virginia staff officer’s cuff button with gilt, found with a White’s TDI, was his favorite find of the hunt.
Remember When... Q- What was your favorite moment at the hunt? Everyone has a special moment they will always remember from such events. Many involve family. Andy Kerr noted: “When my grandson started to find bullets;” Dennis Wissinger said, “My grandson with his Enfield [bullet] and son with his bit boss, plus my wife with her bayonet and Eagle button;” and longtime attendee Ed Wiggart, Jr. (who was at the first DIV event so many years ago) said, “Just hanging out with my dad and the [other] diggers Sunday at the BBQ.” Friends were also a big part of special moments. Dale Weaver wrote, “Seeing Bruce Barbour and Mike Murray dig relics after both were recently hospitalized;” and from Debby Magnin: “Seeing my friend Lisa Parrot Bilyj getting her first US plate.”
Ed Wiggart, Jr., teamed up with his father to dig these two buttons. Both use a Minelab GPX detector.
Alex Bilyj, shown with his first breastplate, said his favorite moments were “finding two plates with my wife.” Her box plate, found in a mud puddle, is shown above.
Nathan Long dug this Model 1850 Officer’s sword guard and bent spur. His funniest experience was “trying to get my [large posterior] in and out of the back seat of my ride.”
July-August,2012 2013 American AmericanDigger® Digger® Magazine July-August
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