MONEY Caches Are Waiting To Be Found

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This Garrett Guide has one purpose. It is specifically designed to help treasure hunters find money ! What? You may ask. Arent all treasure hunting books designed to help me find money, one way or the othercoins in the parkjewelry at the beachvaluable relics? Yes, finding wealth of some type should be one of your goals whenever you turn on your metal detector, along with other equally valuable goals such as outdoor exercise and fresh air, the pleasure of relaxation and the thrill of discovery. This guidebook is designed to explain how you must think and act differently, however, when you turn on your detector to hunt for a cache. Always remember youll be looking for BIG money. True, youll need all the knowledge youve developed in other kinds of hunting. And, your basic scanning techniques may be the same as the ones youve always used. Its your overall manner of searching for a cache-from research to recovery-that must be quite differentif you are to be successful. The goal of this Garrett Guide , therefore, is to offer a little better ideal of what cache hunting is all about and to explain the fundamentals of this exciting pastime. Three questions will be answered: 1. How does cache hunting differ from other types of treasure hunting? 2. What equipment and basic techniques are used by successful cache hunters? 3. How are certain techniques and other Thing factors unique to this aspect of the hobby. First of all, cache hunting is different . Just remember thatno matter how successful youve been at finding coinsno matter how much jewelry youve dug out of the surf. Dont expect success in cache hunting unless you prepare yourself completely for a totally different type of treasure hunting. Money caches are truly the big prizes of our hobby. In fact, they are so big that they have become more than a hobby for a few Thers; caches provide a full-time livelihood! But, some metal detector hobbyists who search for caches never realize the vast differences between hunting for these big prizes and all other types of treasure. Thus, they are continually unsuccessful in their efforts to 'it the jackpot. They never seem to be able to recover caches or money, weapons or other valuable objects. And, they just cant seem to understand why. The experience of two nationally known treasure hunters comes to mind. They developed quite a reputation for their expertise with metal detectors. Through advertising and publicity they obtained a number of good treasure leads and information relating to cache sites. They generated considerable publicity about their proposed searches for caches and other really big prizes. They spent a great deal of their own and other peoples money to pursue some of the leads, and they were successful in recovering a few coins and shallow relics. At first, their limited recoveries received the same high-powered publicity as their search plans. Eventually, the publicity died out. As far as all of us can determine, the pair never recovered a substantial cache. Why? One reason is obvious: they were using general-purpose (eight-inch) searchcoils. Also, they were probably using the same techniques and procedures that had proven successful when they were recovering small items at relatively shallow depths. The experience of two nationally known treasure hunters comes to mind. They developed quite a reputation for their expertise with metal detectors. Through advertising and publicity they obtained a number of good treasure leads and information relating to cache sites. They generated considerable publicity about their proposed searches for caches and other really big prizes. They spent a great deal of their own and other peoples money to pursue some of the leads, and they were successful in recovering a few coins and shallow relics. At first, their limited recoveries received the same high-powered publicity as their search plans. Eventually, the publicity died out. As far as all of us can determine, the pair never recovered a substantial cache. Why? One reason is obvious: they were using general-purpose (eight-inch) searchcoils. Also, they were probably using the same techniques and procedures that had proven successful when they were recovering small items at relatively shallow depths. Many experienced cache hunters would have paid good money for some of the information and leads these two squandered. How many valuable caches did this pair scan right over without knowing it? What a waste! Some of the most pleasant hours Ive enjoyed in metal detecting have been spent with my good friend Roy Lagel in the beautiful Nez Pearce country of northern Idaho searching for caches. In the summer of 1877 the Nez Perce Indians were suddenly uprooted and forced to leave their ancestral homeland. They

were forced to leave behind them many valuable things. Among these were numerous caches of coins and other treasures-some which they meant to recover later; others, which they simply (put down for keeps, which was a Nez Pearce custom. Because they undertook their historic trek to Canada on such short notice, some of the caches were buried hastily. Incidentally, my novel, The Missing Nez Perce Gold , recounts the story of our search for the biggest of all their storehouses of hidden wealth. Over the years Roy and I have hunted for these caches with various kinds of detectors. It is truly amazing how much more effective todays modern instruments are than those with which we were so well satisfied just a few years back. The soil at most of these Rocky Mountain cache sites has a high content of mineralization, and the terrain is generally rugged and uneven. The first challenge for a cache-hunting detector is achieve precise ground balance that permits faint signals to be heard rather than background chatter. Secondly, searchcoils must be capable of operation at various heights above the ground because of rocks and other obstructions. A third problem we encountered at the Nez Perce locations concerned hot rocks, those geological freaks that cause even the finest modern detectors to signal metal falsely. Since modern detectors with discrimination enabled us to deal quite effectively with these little pests, we suggest that you employ such a detector in cache hunting-even though youll be hunting almost exclusively in your All-Metal mode. Additional problems may come with ground balancing and excessive operating heights, but your modern instrument can overcome these when handled properly. Plus, it is always good to have discriminationespecially when you need it.

CACHE HUNTING BASICS

Because cache hunting is different, the basic concepts governing it are also somewhat different from those of other forms of treasure hunting. Following are the primary rules that have proven successful for most of us cache hunters: -Hunt only with a cache hunting detector and the largest searchcoil available. -Conduct extensive research ; you can never know too much about your target and the individual (s) who hid it. -Be patient throughout your effort, from planning to scanning to recoveringand even after you dig up your prize. -Never assume that because your target may be big that it will be easy to find . Sure, some cache targets are quite large. But, they are generally deep as well and, thus, more difficult to locate. Certainly, we do not suggest that you forget or ignore any of the techniques you have already developed in the use of your metal detector. By all means, remember to use all those special tricks that have proved so successful for you and your instrument! As I continue to emphasize in all of my books and articles, basic techniques of metal detecting remain the same because the laws of physics do not change. Rules for ground balancing and audio tuning that were valid when you were hunting coins in the park will be just as accurate when youre seeking a cache in the mineralized soil of a deserted ghost town. Its the manner in which you apply the basic techniques that determines whether you can be successful in cache hunting. Lets consider some factors that will govern your application of all basic techniques of treasure hunting. Each of these factors can enter into successful recovery of deeply buried caches: -Geographic location of the treasure site; -Ground condition of the site and vegetation covering it; -Mineral content of the soil; -Physical size of the cache (generally overestimated!); -Depth of the cache; -Changes that might have occurred at the site since the cache was buried (generally not considered!) -Your detector and its searchcoil. Misjudgment of any one of the above can keep you from recovering the prize you seek. Lets consider the last factor first because this tumbling block-the detector itself-keeps more treasure hunters from discovering caches than any other reason. There is no doubt in my mind concerning this !

PROPER EQUIPMENT

So, you already have a detectorand its one with which youre quite happy. Its a modern instrument, and it has proven highly successful for you. Perhaps youre a little insulted or even outraged, at my suggestion that your detector wont do the job in cache hunting. Why, you may be asking, how can you criticize my reliable detector, Old Betsy? Its found all those coins for me. It located Roman relics when I took it to England. It even discovered a tiny gold nugget in the desert. So be it! Your Betsy sounds wonderful. But, there is a good chance that this reliable detector of yours may be almost worthless for locating a deep cache-especially, if you use a general-purpose searchcoil. To recover large, deep treasures you must use a large searchcoilthe largest available for your detector. Twelve-inch diameter searchcoils are designed to be especially effective in cache hunting situations. No matter what advertisements you have read or what stories you have heard, principles of electronics remain eternal. They are the same for EVERY metal detectorold and new. The larger searchcoil you use, the larger and deeper penetrating will be the electromagnetic field that your detector will generate. Its just this simple: the three-foot electromagnetic field generated by your smaller searchcoil will not reach that cache that is buried four feet deep; the six-foot-plus field of your 12-inch coil will reach it! As you may already know from coin hunting experiences, the longer a coin has been buried, the easier it is to detect. Depending upon soil characteristics and other factors, freshly buried metallic objects can be detected to about one-half the depth of the same objects when buried for a longer time. This same phenomenon holds true in the detection of buried caches. Does your detector have a true All Metal mode? It better! If you must use the Discriminate Modeeven set at zero-you have to be certain that your detector does not furnish any residual discrimination at this setting. Some detectors will supply you with some discrimination, even at a zero setting. Now, this little bit of discrimination may prevent nails and other small trash from being detected. But, it can also prevent an iron container filled with coins from being detected as well. Garretts calibrated detectors such as the Grand Master Hunter and its ADS models offer absolutely NO discrimination at the zero setting of their Discriminate Mode. When using the instruments of other manufacturers we urge that you test for yourself.

WHAT IS A CACHE
Caches come in all sizes, and theyre generally dreamed of as a Wells Fargo money box, a big trunk or a set of saddle bagsall stuffed with gold coins, old bills, and the like. I sincerely hope that this describes the cache that you locate some day. In the meantime, please remember that most caches are small. They consist of tobacco tin holding a few bills or a quart fruit jar filled with old coins. Not as exciting, perhaps, as the Wells Fargo box or those outlaws saddlebags, but valuable nonetheless. Regardless of the size cache you seek, you must not take a chance. So, use a large searchcoil. There is no doubt that even the best treasure hunters have left deep caches that were beyond the range of the finest detectors available in earlier years. These caches await you and other hunters with the 21 st century instruments capable of finding them. Perhaps it seems that this Guide is overstressing the importance of using the proper detector or the right-size coil. Many failures in cache hunting, however, can be attributed to the hobbyist who is thoroughly familiar with the techniques of coin hunting but is inexperienced in seeking the deeper and larger prizes. Because he has full confidence in his detector to locate deep coins, he may overestimate its abilities when he begins to cache hunt. He may believe that since the cache is large, he has all the power needed to locate it. So, he envisions himself a cache hunter and conducts proper research to develop a good lead at, say, an old church or mission site. It was used, as a hideout after a robbery and loot believed to have been buried there has never been recovered. A great deal of time is obviously required by this research, and reaching the site may call for considerably more time plus expenses, including perhaps the purchase of additional equipment. Finally, after this expenditure of time and money, the would-be cache hunter is on-site, ready to scan. Only, he uses his discriminating, coin-hunting detector and an eight-inch searchcoil that leaves him almost helplessand he doesnt even know it ! Perhaps our self-designated cache hunter will be able to salvage something from the trip by locating a few shallow relics or old coins! Occasionally, you can actually see the above scenario portrayed in treasure magazines. The article is all about an alleged cache-hunting expedition and is accompanied by a picture of the individual (s) on site. Look at the searchcoils on their detectors. If the searchcoils are small, this hunt may

have produced a few old coins or relics but probably not a cachecertainly, not one that was deeply buried in mineralized soil. Imagine scanning right over a valuable cache simply because your detector did not have the power or sensitivity to detect it. Of course, thats exactly what happened to the talented old-timers who used early-day detectors. They didnt even know when they were scanning right over the caches that still are waiting for our modern 21 st century instruments today!

DETECTORS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Now, I certainly wouldnt want anyone to think that my intention is to degrade any detector or manufacturer-of today or yesterday. Some instruments produced solely for coin hunting are highly satisfactory for that purpose-but I dont recommend them for cache hunting. And, some inexpensive instruments can be adapted with larger searchcoils, but they are generally so unstable and so poorly designed that they are virtually worthless in the field. Dealers may sometimes be faulted because they do not explain that a particular model does not possess deepseeking capabilities or that it lacks the versatility required for cache hunting. The popularity of certain instruments can become so widespread in an area that they are recommended for all types of treasure hunting. Limitations of such popular detectors are completely overlooked. Knowledgeable cache hunters certainly listen to the claims of manufacturers and dealers, but they depend primarily upon field test data-usually their own. Professionals who depend on treasure hunting for their livelihood demand the best quality instruments and usually own two or more detectors on which they can rely.

Research
Most cache hunter spends a major portion of their time in research, seldom mentioning their occupation except to another professional. Since proper research can require extensive travel, expenses necessary simply to determine the location of a single cache can be considerable-even before a detector is assembled or turned on. Sometimes, cache hunters are required to pay sizable sums to obtain information. Often, they agree to charge the cache on a percentage basis, a common practice for gaining permission to search on private property. Occasionally, a special detector must be purchased because of the nature of the ground where a cache is sought. Proper financing, as well as patience, is required. The cache hunter is willing to overcome all these obstacles because he or she is seeking real treasure-financial wealth-and a bundle of it. In fact the real pros perversely welcome the obstacles since they limit the number of hobbyists in the field searching for the same prizes. Real cache hunters are a dedicated breed but this dedication pays off in tangible rewards. Of course, not all are successful every time. The beginner should realize this and not become discouraged. We advise working on several projects simultaneously. Since research can be so expensive, it is good to double-up on the uses you can make of it. Always remember that there are literally millions of dollars stashed in the ground waiting to be found. If you persist, sooner or later you will hit a cache. It may be only a few hundred dollars tucked in a tobacco tin; then again, some treasure hunters have become wealthy from pursuing this fascinating occupation. Techniques necessary for successful cache hunting digger somewhat from those used in scanning for other types of treasure. In searching for coins, for example, you generally used the discriminate mode of your detector with occasional ventures into All Metal mode almost exclusively with no discrimination of any kind. Of course, your detector must be precisely ground balanced.

GROUND BALANCE
Ground balance is probably the most important feature of a metal detector, especially for cache hunters. Many would argue depth, but the simple fact remains that without precise ground balance cache hunting would not be possible in most soils. There would be too much mineralization. Beginning treasure hunters, accustomed to good automatic ground balance on modern detectors, may take this feature for granted. Please dont. Some of the old-timers are still in awe at h the ease with which todays modern detectors can be ground balanced. Take it from professionals, it is very important and as you progress in the hobby there will be times when extremely precise ground balance will be demanded if you are to achieve optimum

results. Learn how to ground balance your particular detector. It will probably be as important as anything you ever do after you turn on the instrument and set the audio. When searching for caches in extremely mineralized ground, it is recommended that you operate the searchcoil tow inches or more above the ground. You will not lose depth, but may actually detect deeper because irregular ground mineral influence is greatly reduced. Of course, you should always wear headphones when searching for deep caches (or anything else, for that matter). Signals from your cache may be weak, and you want to give yourself the extra advantage provided by headphones. Lets say you are searching for a covered iron pot that is filled with gold coins. In such a situation your detector must be adjusted to ignore ground mineralization so that it can signal to you with 100% effectiveness about the big pot. It wont even consider all those coins inside. If you are scanning with discrimination, your detector might reject the iron pot, and youd never dig the cache. What a disaster! So, use your All Metal mode with the detector precisely ground balanced. But, remember what youve heard from me and others so many times-if youre to be really successful, you must be prepared to dig lots of junk. Unless youre searching for a cache in a building-where you know that it cannot possibly be too far away-always use the largest searchcoil possible. Remember that larger searchcoils can detect larger objects deeper. Money caches have been found at all depths (arms length seems to be popular), but you want to be prepared for extremes. In some areas, where washing has occurred and drainage patterns have redesigned the landscape, caches have been found more deeply covered than when they were originally buried. All the more reason to use the larger searchcoils-even the Depth Multiplier Bloodhound!

TWO-BOX COILS
Just a word about the so-called RF (Radio Frequency) two-box searchcoils. Professional cache hunters swear by them because they will hunt deeper. Theres just no doubt about it. Unfortunately, some of the two-box models are difficult to adjust because of their radio frequency characteristic. Heres where the Depth Multiplier manufactured by Garrett and affectionately known as the Bloodhound excelsbecause it is very simple to adjust. Just attach it to your control housing; set your controls for All Metal and hunt deeper that you ever dreamed possible. Thats all there is to it! This two-box super-deepseeking searchcoil is manufactured for use with Garretts computerized Grand Master Hunter or the Master Hunter 5 or 7 models that have proved so successful over the years. The Depth Multiplier is designed to detect only large objects and offers the greatest possible detection depth with a metal detector. An important feature of the Depth Multiplier is that it will not detect small objects. In an old farmyard, for example, you wont be bothered by small trash littering the soil. You will dig only larger targets, approximately quart-sized and larger. For this reason, some cache hunters laughingly refer to an instrument equipped with the Bloodhound as the lazy mans detector ! The Depth Multiplier attachment is easy to use in the detectors All Metal mode. Do not use the Discriminate mode. No ground balancing is required. Always wear headphones and adjust the audio threshold for faint sound. Be sure you arent carrying a large metal object such as a shovel or large knife even though a few coins in your pocket may not matter. Hold the detector with your arm fully extended downward and walk at a normal pace across the area you wish to search. Listen carefully for an increase in the audio level. When you hear the louder sound, stop and scratch a mark on the ground. Just use your shoe. Continue walking without adjusting any of the detectors controls. When you have walked across the object you have just detected, the audio will return to its threshold level. Continue to walk a few more feet before turning around and taking a return path. At the point where the audio increases as you are walking from this different direction, make another mark on the ground. Your target will lie at the centerpoint between your two marks on the ground. Successful searching for caches requires considerable experienceand thinking. You must learn to put yourself right in the boots or moccasins of the person who hid the cache for which you are searching. You know that that person didnt just run out of his house or jump off his horse haphazardly and dig a hole to bury a box or can full of money. He behaved as you would if burying a cache; youd select a secret place and a secret time to bury itperhaps, at night during a thunderstorm. And, your secret place would be one that you could find in a hurry!

HIDE A CACHE!

Practice this yourself. Put some money (or something similar) in a glass jar. Now, cache away your treasure by burying it. First, you must ask yourself where you want to bury it. On your property? Near an identifying landmark that wont change over the months and years? Certainly, where you can find it. And, would you bury it in broad daylight? Would you just walk out into the yard and start digging? Probably not, because you wouldnt want anyone to see what you were doing. So, choose the right item and the right place to bury your cache. Thats right. Go ahead and bury it if only for a few minutes or hours. After youve done this, youll be able to ask yourself the questions that probably occurred to that person who hid any cache you may ever seek. Can I find it easily? Can it be found accidentally? Will it be safe? Many other questions will come into your mind as you recover your own cache and relocate it a time or two. This is good experience that will make you a better cache hunter. When you get a story or a treasure map about a cache that is buried high atop a mountain or in some other difficult-to-reach location, youll ask yourself such questions as Why there? Why, indeed, did someone climb a high mountain or scale a steep ravine to bury his cache? Youll also learn that hard-packed sol is generally an indication that no cache is located beneath it. Most people are lazy. They would rather dig in softer soil of just bury a cache in a pile of loose rocks. Try to learn the thinking of someone who is burying a cache, and youll have better luck finding it. It wont be just..luck, either! Whenever youre tempted to attribute the success of another cache hunter to luck, remember what the old football coach said when they accused his team of being lucky. We had to be here, here would point out, for the luck to happen.

BE PATIENT
Be especially careful not to hurry when searching for caches. Scan your searchcoil very slowly and walk slowly with the Depth Multiplier or whatever large searchcoil you are using. Do not be in a rush; you may cheat yourself out of a valuable find. The same advice concerning patience pertains to your research efforts. I know that it may be tempting for you to find just a clue or two before heading out with your detector and digging tools. Be patient, however; find out as much as you can about the cache in question and the person or people who buried it. Pay close attention to the description of where it was buried. And, when you reach the probable location of your cache, dont rule it out just because of its present-day appearance. Maybe it doesnt look like that description written decades or centuries ago. Remember that trees and shrubs grow taller or can be removed entirely. Plus, you should never underestimate the effects of both erosion and sedimentation. What was once a deep ditch might be just a depression todayand vice versa. Take your time. Be patient. And, reap the rewards.

IN THE WALL
When searching for a cache behind or inside a wall in a house, some discrimination is acceptable to reject nails. Even when using it, however, we recommend that you turn the discrimination controls to the lowest setting possible. In either the All Metal Discriminate mode youll have more than enough sensitivity to detect almost any size cache in all walls, despite their thickness or type of construction. When your treasure map leads you to a stucco wall containing a wire mesh, here are some tips to help you detect through that mesh. With you detector at minimum discrimination, place its searchcoil against the wall. Carefully slide the searchcoil against the wall, which will lessen interference from the mesh. You may hear a jumbled mass of sound, but listen for significant changes that could indicate you have located your cache. Some prefer to search walls that are built with a mesh by holding the searchcoil several inches or even a foot away. Getting the searchcoil this far away should take care of the jumbled sound yet still let you detect large masses of metal such as a cache. Professional cache hunters always make allowances for the condition of the search area and the fact that their cache may be deeper or smaller than anticipated. They take every precaution they can begin, of course, with the use of a deepseeking detector with the largest coil possible. When you are using the All-Metal mode of a detector, excessively magnetic mineralized rocks can cause a problem. This is especially true when they are located near your target or near where you expect to find it. Known as hot rocks to electronic prospectors, these little pests are geological freaks-rocks that have somehow become

gotten themselves in the wrong location. Because they are unlike the soil and rocks in which they are found, they upset the ground balance of your detector and give a false positive money-like signal. Electronic prospectors have learned to use the features of modern detectors to deal quickly with these problem rocks, and so can you. When you suspect a hot rock, merely switch to your discriminate mode (using minimum discrimination). Check the target again, exactly where you got the positive signal before. If the audio decreases slightly or stops completely, youve encountered only a mineralized rock. If you continue to get a positive response, you should investigate this target. Speaking of discrimination ability when cache huntingtrying to identify gold coins concealed inside a metal container is an impossible feat. Remember that your detector is responding to the container in which the cache s contained, and it is usually made of some ferrous (iron) substance. In special situations when you are looking for coins or precious metal in a non-metal container such as a glass jar or leather bag, you can increase discrimination until you are convinced the target is not iron. This situation seldom occurs, however, and we recommend that you investigate all positive signals. In using discrimination, your primary purpose is to determine only whether your target is metalnot what type of metal. Never pass a suspected treasure site because you have been told that it has been worked before. No matter how often a site may have been searched over the years, Im convinced that more treasures were missed than were recovered. In researching my novel, The Secrets of John Murrells Vault , my editor, Hal Dawson, and I had returned to a location where-just like Gar Starrett in the novel-I once found only a deep and empty hole instead of the treasure I expected. As I re-inspected this hole, it occurred to us that maybe the real treasure had been buried even deeper, with only a sampling of items left in a container above to satisfy anyone who might accidentally stumble upon this site! Never, never pass over a site simply because someone tells you that the area has already been searched with a metal detector. You dont know who searched or when or what kind of instrument was used. Consider the old parks where coins continue to be found year after year after year..and, not all new coins, either! These parks never seem to be completely hunted out! Now, consider the rugged, highly mineralized terrain where most caches are found and the eternal question of how deeply they were actually buried. These caches are far harder to find than coins. Remember, also, that anyone who searched a site in past years probably did so with a detector whose capabilities are far exceeded by your newer, modern instrument. I sincerely believe that even a relatively inexperienced treasure hunter with one of our new computerized detectors such as the Grand Master Hunter can search an area more effectively that the most experienced cache hunter using an old BFO or TR instrument. Never forget that modern detectors give you a tremendous advantage over the old pros.

RECOVERY TOOLS
I recommend a long steel probe that you can use to save time where soil conditions permit. If you believe that your detectors response indicates a target large and deep enough to conform to the cache for which you are searching, you can probe the spot before digging. Length of your probe will determine how deep you can search. Experienced operators recommend one at least 40 inches long. They have learned to probe carefully to determine just what kind of target they have discovered. Of course, before you even stick a probe in the ground, you already have a good idea of what you are looking for. That helps ! Youll know easily if your probe hits a glass jar, or if it hits a junk piece of metal your probe can easily penetrate. If you find a tin can, the probe may penetrate it to let you know if something is inside. Depth at which the object is found can give you some idea when it was buried. Many cache hunters who use probes become so proficient with them that they can feel a newspaper when the probe passes through it. The real old-timers even claim to be able to read the newspaper with their probe! We recommend that you build your own special probe that has a steel ball bearing actually welded at the point of the shaft. A one-half-inch bearing welded onto a three-eighths-inch steel rod permits your probe to move up and down easily with nor restrictions and lets you determine more easily just what you may have found.

LOW PROFILE
Most cache hunters try to avoid calling attention to themselves. One way to do this is by carrying detectors and all other equipment into the field inside a backpack. You then appear just to be another

hiker. A large backpack will usually accommodate a 12-inch searchcoil as well as a Depth Multiplier attachment along with small shovels, your detectors housing and the other tools necessary for an average recovery. There are numerous reasons for not calling attention to yourself or your search for caches. First of all, youre looking for money. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who would think nothing of taking it away from you. Plus, youll be busy and wont need the attention of even honest curiosityseekers. And, if work ever gets out about recovery of a cache, youll be amazed at the number of people who will try to take it away from you legally by claiming rights to all or part of it! Never put your trust in a verbal agreement with a landowner and never leave an open hole after you have recovered something. The first admonition is self-evident. It a wise man who once said, A verbal agreement isnt worth the paper its written on! concerning the second, my friend Roy Lagal knows of an experience with an empty hole he likes to tell about. After executing a written agreement with a landowner, a cache hunter found just what he was seeking, removed the treasure expeditiously and whisked it away. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of leaving a deep hole, which was discovered by the landowner. Thoughts of that deep hole filled with gold probably flooded the landowners mind, and he contacted his lawyer immediately, neglecting to mention the written agreement. The lawyer advised a quick civil suit for recovery and damages, and the cache hunter faced time in court and legal expenses even though he believed himself protected with the written agreement. To avoid trouble, he transferred ownership of his real property to a relative and let the lawyer fume since there was nothing on which he could file an attachment in court. The landowner gave up fighting a lost cause, and the issue was forgotten-by all except us cache hunters who learned a valuable lesson we wont forget! When you are working with partners, make certain that all arrangements are made in writing before you start spending money on research and equipment and, certainly, before a cache is discovered Many of us have had unpleasant experiences, particularly in working with non-professional treasure hunters, such as landowners. Generally, you can trust a cache hunter who makes hiss living in the business. He cannot afford to have his reputation clouded by a squabble over property rights. Plus, he had handled found money before and does not tend to get as excited about it as a non-professional. Its the amateur you need be concerned about. Perhaps he simply supplied the tip that began a long search. Once the prize is recovered, youll be amazed a t how possessive this beginner can get about his treasure. Why, he may even offer to pay you a little something for your time and efforts in helping find it for him! dont let this ever happen to you. Get everything in writing long before you search. Taxes must also be subject of concern for any successful cache hunter . The Federal Government demands its percentage of income you derive from treasure just like that from an investment or salary. Similarly, states and municipalities that tax income arent satisfied until they get their proportionate share. Wholl know what you recovered out in the wilderness and what it was ultimately worth? Thats a good question. Always remember, however, that evading taxes is a crime punishable both by fine and imprisonment. In addition, rewards are given to any individual whose tip leads to discovery of tax evasion. Its always been my advice, therefore, to pay all taxes that are due and to pay them when they are due. If you can prove youre in the treasure hunting business, proper expenses can be deducted. Requirements differ from state to state. So, study them, but pay not one cent more than your owe! Again, may advice to you as a cache hunter is to keep a low profile, dont call attention to yourself, pay your legitimate taxes and insist on all your rights. Because the new computerized detectors will search deeper and with more precise ground balance, we urge that you give them a chance to help you find the big money prizes that have long been waiting for cache hunters. The opportunities have never been better no matter how much skill an old timer had, he didnt possess the scientific abilities of our modern metal detectors. Use the new Garrett Grand Master Hunter with a Bloodhound searchcoil. Youll discover caches that others left behind !

Reprinted with permission By Charles Garrett