Detecting at Night

[Detectorist]

I hunt mainly at night, often with 1968xt so we can look out for each other but I'd like to hear what other members experiences are with night hunts.

Any stories, frights, incidents, interesting sights, do you use head lamps or head phones, have you had the police called on you for a report of "a man with a weapon walking around the park at night", do you park your car close, do you try be discrete which might be seen as dodgy or make it known your there to detect, any good suggestions for safety or etiquette you say is different from day/night.

 

[Mackka]

Watch out for Drop Bears mate they hunt at night!
Mackka

 

[user 11578]

Never detected at night, but will be watching with Interest to see what others do and suggest...would like to try myself sometime.

 

[Mackka]

Too many weirdos out there I think.
Mackka

 

[Wally69]

Love it - not sure what others think of my 8 stainless steel digging knife as it picks up the hypnotic rays of moonlight and gives a nice, if not awkward, serrated edge smile at anyone daring to come close enough for a drunken chat.

Teens and the occasional DH have been my only cause of retreat, namely because I sometimes choose to avoid conversation. Most are curious and confrontation has only been evident with a couple of young show offs trying to impress.

Police and security guards have been polite and respectful of my hobby.

 

[Trash]

I look after my mum full time so Detecting for me is somewhat limited

I enjoy night hunting in suburbia . ( Vic. ) never tried it on the Goldfields , that be a bit creepy unless with others ..?

I try and avoid weekends , just to lessen the chance of facing drunks or crazies

Overall havent had any issues .

I wear a headlamp , but only turn it on if , I hear someone (s) nearby otherwise I just turn it on when retrieving a target ..!

I always wear headphones , but I still hear outside noise .

If its a well lit area , I may not wear a headlamp

On the rare occasion I need to go to a toilet , I will pack up & go to one in a more sensible place ( servo , shopping centre , pub )

 

[J Treasure]

Largely depends on the factors of location, time and even day of the week. Headlamp is generally adequate and only needs to be on when you have a target if you want to feel inconspicuous. Always more spiderwebs at night so still a good idea to wear a hat.

 

[Smoky bandit]

My hunts start around 2am..always alone..powerful headlamp and headphones...been stopped by police a few times but aloud to continue..never been haseled by anyone..but I'm also not a little boy..lol :Y:

 

[Tiezto]

Headlamp, way more mozzies and kung fu moves when walking into spiders webs lol, but lots of loot.

 

[Dron]

I've hunted on Port Kembla and Wollongong beach with the SDC2300 at night, saw some people fishing but not catching anything, and a couple fooling around under a blanket.
I have done some night detecting on the beach at Tomakin with a friend and his GP3500 and it was lots of fun and quite safe, much port was consumed and we found about $7.50!

I use a Zebralight H603FW, 1100 lumens floody beam, battery lasts for about an hour on the brightest mode so I carry at least 3 spare batteries, sometimes 5.

Advantages to night detecting

• Less EMI once the sun goes down[/*]
• Less wind (usually) so quieter [/*]
• Less distraction because you are more focused on the ground directly in front of you illuminated by the headlamp and not anything off in the distance [/*]
• At night you tend to wander randomly and put yourself in spots you wouldn't normally gravitate towards during the day [/*]

Disadvantages

• Moths that fly into your face, bugs that fly into your mouth, nose and ears.[/*]
• It's easier to get lost so I always carry my GPS and spare batteries.[/*]
• Changing your torch batteries in the dark.[/*]

I often come across possums when night detecting. I detect for gold at night, I think it's great, but has its risks.

I try to find a good spot in the day and scout it out a bit to make sure it's suitable for night detecting - you want a spot that doesn't have any hidden deep shafts or trip hazards and isn't too far from camp, but I never walk backwards and the Zebralight makes everything as bright as day so it's not really an issue. I'm a bit of a LED torch nut so I carry a backup headlamp and my 1000 lumen Dive torch as well which has a good spot beam with around 100m range. I have a range of safety gear in my backpack including first aid kit, PLB, mobile phone, walkie talkie, food, water and fire lighting equipment. In winter I bring a warm hoodie.

One time I was out in the middle of the bush detecting at night, when I felt fingertips brush against my shoulder.

I turned around and saw a hideous old woman with her scaly hand reached out towards me!

I freaked out and my heart started pounding in my chest!

Then I realised it was just a branch from a gum tree that had brushed against my shoulder and the old woman was just a shadow cast by the gum leaves in front of my head torch, lol!

 

[Ramjet]

I have done a bit of night detecting. No bad experiences apart from one drunk on a push bike yelling for me to fill my holes in as he wobbled past. I have had encounters with police and security guards on several occasions but all very friendly and positive. They either fairly interested orr show no interest at all once they see what I am doing.

 

[tailormarc]

I head out Wednesday after work to break the week up, i dont use any lights at all, pinpointer light is all i need. I dont go detecting areas im not allowed, i just dont want to be spotted by dodgy pricks. No issues yet but my small shovel is always sharp and ready if needs be

 

[Biggest Kev]

Hey Marc watch out for Cougars mate, they have been seen prowling out your way.

Cheers
Kev

 

[AngerManagement]

I like the peace and quite of late even / early morning.

Had a few run in's with drunks / young hoons ( usually one DH that wants to show off), but the hard part is knowing if your car is safe...

So now unless with some one else, 2am for beaches and then that has to suit tides.

Out bush, it depends on 101 other variables..

 

[Flowerpot]

I've night detected once by myself so far.
I had a torch because I couldn't find the headlamp at the time.
I live in a tiny country town and I drove around to the local footy oval only 1km away.
It was a really warm still night and the bloody bugs and moths drove me nuts in minutes and I had trouble juggling the torch, screwdriver, spade and pinpointer.
No one was around but I got spooked by my own imagination...

I will have another go though now it's a bit cooler, not so many bugs and hopefully no panters or loons.

 

[HarryHoudini]

Tried night detecting for gold once. (when I first got my SDC)
Not a good idea, so many mines, holes and not to mention the spiders that drop out of trees as the night begins.
Plus the added thrill of people shooting at night.
Harry

 

[Trash]

In regards to headlamps I have a few , but this one I like the most

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2018-Ne...m=141652201661&_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226

Its rechargeable ( batteries are 18650 lithium ) , 3 brightness settings

 

[Smoky bandit]

In regards to headlamps I have a few , but this one I like the most

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2018-Ne...m=141652201661&_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226

Its rechargeable ( batteries are 18650 lithium ) , 3 brightness settings

That's the one I use..lasts for at least 4hrs on full..has wide been.. mines the 15000 lumins :Y: :Y:

 

[GemQ]

Its good fun at night because you are tuned into the signals and dont have the distractions. Had a couple of awkward meetings and amazing the wildlife that comes out at night. If you are a bit iffy on a spot just do it with a mate and keep an eye out for one another

 

[Goldpick]

Been doing night detecting for a fair while now, usually carried out in complete darkness with no lighting - my night vision is pretty good. The only light source is my Mi-6 pinpointer, I don't need the screen as I detect predominantly by ear. The light of the pinpointer is enough to ensure any excavations are cleaned up and topsoil is returned to the hole. Had a couple of meet ups with police, all have been of a positive nature, you do get the odd drunk though they are usually curious more than anything. Don't have any issue with detector beeps and pinpointer going off attracting attention as the Mi-6 audio goes through the headphones.

For me night detecting is much more relaxing without unwanted distractions - all I need to concentrate on are the tones. Yes it can be a bit daunting for newbies, though once you get over being so self aware, it can be a lot of fun.

If you aren't 100% confident on excavating targets without leaving a mess or digging large plugs, then I would stick to daytime detecting until you are satisfied you have that skill set in order. I tend to do small flaps, and most of the time can extract the target without removing a ton of dirt - that's where your pinpointer is your friend. The other advantage of detecting at night is due to the higher level of soil moisture and damp grass vs drier conditions during the day.

The only exception on using a headlamp is for the beach, otherwise it just attracts unwanted attention, not to mention ruining your night vision (unless red lighting).

Had more trouble detecting during the day from ignorant onlookers, most never approach you and just call up the council complaining about their local park being turned over. My local councils are pretty good in that respect, they usually have no issue with detecting if you clean up after yourself - best course is to leave the shovels at home and stick to hand tools.