COMPETITION HUNTING

On April 27th and 28th the Houston Archaeology and Recovery Club held its fifteenth open hunt and I was present as an observer only. The hunt was held at Juliff Texas South South/West of Houston. A good representation of the Treasure Hunters Association of Pasadena (THAP) were in entered in the hunt and I came to watch. It was a little too warm and humid but everyone was having fun while they waited for the next event. I noticed that Terry Humphries had buried a quarter and dime about six inches deep and quite a few folks were testing their detector on it. Some stood around with that disgusted look thinking (how am I going to explain to the wife that I need a new detector) while others seemed somewhat content because they passed the test. Terry had a Fisher Quicksilver CZ5 which he swung over the targets with a resounding beep. If you considered the not too happy folks that tried it, the CZ5 seemed impressive. It was time for the adult competition and everyone ran for their detector. It looked like about seventy-five to eighty-five hunters lined up all around the marked area. When time came to start the event a airhorn sounded while I watched with wonder as almost every kind of detector was used and in the strangest ways! It seems that everyone had his or her own way of swinging that loop. Some would swing it like a pendulum lifting a foot off the ground on each side, while others would keep it level with the ground although some kept the coil three or four inches off the ground. Everyone was soon digging with every manner of device you could imagine, from large shovels to knives,picks, and trowels.

Some charged into the center of the area fiercely slashing the coil from side to side like a windshield wiper gone mad, while others seemed content to circle around where they started. There were still some hunting when the airhorn sounded and it was time to stop and count up. I overheard someone laugh that somebody was still hunting after the horn had blown. All seemed to be having a lot of fun and finding targets everywhere from the youngest kids to the older folks.

The targets seemed to almost all be found in the first ten or fifteen minutes of the hunt but some continued to look for left-overs. The singular complaint that I heard was that there was too much interference from other detectors although first time hunters seemed pleased with the hunt. As an impartial observer I think that I would have liked to see a larger area to hunt in where it would have taken at least a half an hour to clear it and there would be less interference although I think everyone was exausted due to the oppressive heat and humidity and constantly getting down on their knees and back up. I believe that it would be worth the time to attend these club hunts and just watch for a while. The important thing seems to me to be rested and ready to hunt and retrieve quickly. Only five minutes into the hunt the majority of the targets are probably picked up and that five minutes makes the difference between the winner and losers. Digging targets also makes the difference, I would think that a box full of tools depending on the soil type and moisture content should be available because that tried and true blade that you always use may not dig as well under all circumstances. When it takes weight and leverage to lift the target to the surface a different tool should be used. Some people that plant the targets may scatter them in the grass but I overheard someone saying that several were six inches deep.

One more thing that I picked up certain key targets that are worth more may be surrounded with pennies or iron, so if you think that you are smart enough to notch out everything else but the target, remember that multiple targets in the area may shield the object that you are hunting for. I think the main thing is bring everything but the kitchen sink and come to have fun no matter what you win. Make some new friends and discuss the finer points of metal detecting. You may discover like I did that I didn't know near enough yet about competition hunting and I need all of the help that I can get.