Become a Good Treasure Hunter in Ten Steps

Good treasure hunters do not simply go into the wilderness hoping for luck. They know where to go, how to get there and who to go with. It takes time and patience to become an experienced treasure hunter and I am here to help. Following is a list of ten easy steps for your treasure hunting education. Please note that each step builds from the previous one so make sure to read them in order.

1. The best metal detector is the one suitable for you. This depends on a number of different factors such as your budget, experience and time. Before buying a metal detector, you must consider each one of these variables and based on the output, decide. At Parxy.com, we have written a great article to Help you Choose the Best Metal Detector. I also suggest that you ask an experienced local treasure hunter for additional help.

 

2. When you finally have a brand new (or used!) metal detector, you should learn how to use it. New metal detectors are extremely simple to use, but you must know some basic concepts though. Here are the Basic Metal Detection Instructions to help you learn to use your new metal detector properly.

 

3. The third step to become a good treasure hunter is to follow the law. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. You must always ask permission before treasure hunting in private property as not doing it might bring serious legal action against you. I do not recommend to "Night Hawk" as this is obviously against the law. Also make sure to check your country's and State's law to make sure you don't get into any sort of legal trouble. In the United States, it is legal to treasure hunt in your private property and some national parks. However, treasure hunting in a known Civil War battlefield is strictly prohibited without explicit permission! There are many other places where you cannot treasure hunt such as near monuments, etc. In some European countries such as Sweden, it is totally illegal to treasure hunt. Check the law, it will be worth it.

 

4. Even though it is widely believed that treasure hunting is 100% luck, I know otherwise. To have a successful treasure hunt, you must research and I can almost guarantee success. A good treasure hunter has MANY maps of the intended treasure hunting location. This means that you should buy a handful of maps so you may have a good treasure hunting strategy. Make sure to include the places which you think may have already been treasure hunted, the places you WANT to treasure hunt and whether any historical events took place in that given place. If a small army slept for just ONE night in a field, you'd be surprised of how many treasures you may find in that place. You should also consider looking in a known army's path. For example, when Napoleon sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers to Moscow and only a few thousand returned, can you imagine how many belongings were left on the way?

   Planning should be an essential part of your main treasure hunting strategy. If you are thinking about going to the middle of the desert, then you will probably find nothing at all. Ask yourself the questions:

   • Who inhabited the place?
   • Who passed through here?
   • Did any battles take place here?
   • Is this land habitable?
   • What's the story of this place?
   • What have other people found around?
   • Is this place frequently treasure hunted?
   
   Based on those questions, you should be able to deduce whether treasure hunting in that given place is worthy of your time or not. For additional planning, I suggest you join a club, though that will be fully discussed in step nine.

   You have one thing to your advantage. Most people are lazy! When you are planning you should try to treasure hunt in a remote place (if it's hardly accessible, better!) this will almost guarantee that nobody has treasure hunted before. If you find such a place WITH a known history, then you have found your dream treasure hunting spot. In this case, I don't recommend sharing it with anyone!

    

5. Always bring proper equipment and attire. Metal detectors have many Extra Accessories designed to help you. They may be expensive, but purchasing them is well worth your time and money for security and enjoyment purposes. Make sure to wear proper which will depend mostly on the weather and landscape. For additional information about this, read the Treasure Hunting Risks article.

 

6. Most successful treasure hunters don't treasure hunt alone. Out in the wilderness, there is an immense array of dangers awaiting (animals, health problems) which may become deadly if you are alone. Whether it is your wife, a friend you know since High School, etc., I recommend to always treasure hunt with more people. It is also much more fun to do it as you may share your findings at the end of the day, talk through a walkie-talkie, etc. I say this through experience for I have treasure hunted countless times alone and even though I have no health problems, it has been a much better experience when I have hunted with friends or family overall. If you have a hermit-like personality, I recommend to always take a cellular phone with you just in case.

 

7. Something you must really consider is to always bring a first-aid kit with you. If you are going to treasure hunt with friends, it is important. However, if you are going to treasure hunt alone it is a requirement. If you have health issues, ALWAYS consult a doctor before treasure hunting.

 

8. Always take plenty of food and water to wherever you are going! Also make sure to have a very nutritional breakfast before treasure hunting as this may save you from a very unpleasant experience. It is extremely important that you take as much water as you can - more water = better, always. If you can, avoid to eat junk or fast food before treasure hunting and take with you extra nutritional food. This is something very important which I have learnt from experience.

 

9. Join a treasure hunting club. Almost every major city has a formal treasure hunting club which you may join. These clubs have many advantages and will frequently reveal you key information to supplement your research (mentioned in step four). Joining a club also has the advantage that you will find plenty of people who share your interests and may be willing to treasure hunt with you. As I mentioned in step 6, treasure hunting with friends is much more rewarding (and safe!) than treasure hunting alone. Additionally, most of these clubs have websites with forums where you may post your findings and have a much better overall treasure hunting experience. To find a good club, you should start by doing a simple Google search since, as I mentioned above, most of these clubs have a website. You should try typing "treasure hunt" (with quotes) + your city (with state and country) + group, guild or club (vary if you can't find).

 

10. The last step is to have fun! A good treasure hunter knows that while finding buried treasures is rewarding, the excitement of the unknown is far better. To supplement this step, once again, I recommend to treasure hunt with friends! Try it, it's fun! You may also consider to make your own personal website about treasure hunting where you post your findings (get a good digital camera!) and share experience with others. Forums are a very fun place, too. Make sure that if you are serious about treasure hunting, you enjoy it!