Paid Hunts for Civil War Relics: Are They Worth The Money?

Wow where did the time go? I've been aiming to get back to my blog and post some updates on my adventures so here we go!


Its almost Thanksgiving and I just got back from a Civil War hunt down near Culpeper Virginia. The relics were far and few between but when you did stumble into them the ground usually gave up clusters of bullets. I managed to find a few bullets but nothing earth shattering. I found one round ball, one 3 ringer, 18 Sharps, buck and ball, 2 button backs, and 2 eagle cuff buttons. Not shown are 2 broken tent spikes. I would consider this amount of relics to be average for these type of hunts.

The metal detector I used was a borrowed Minelab GPX 4800 Pulse machine and this picture really captures why a pulse machine is needed in the mineralized dirt of the rust belt. In this picture (right) I have my pin-pointer down as deep as the bullet but there are several inches above the pin-pointer before you get to the leaf line of the dirt. Some of those bullets were down 12-14 inches. That is really deep for a VLF machine to pick up in hot dirt and even though the ground doesn't look that bad it was heavily mineralized.

But lets get back to the main question. Are these type of hunts worth the money? Its a loaded question really. It all depends on what you expect to get out of them. For instance, I've been on 2 of these hunts so far from 2 different groups. Each group I found to be very friendly and full of good folks. Everyone one was polite and helpful and the experience was delightful. Did I find a lot of relics? I don't think I did. In fact, if you think you are going to one of these hunts and expect the relics to jump in your bag...think again. These hunts are no joke. They usually consist of hundreds of acres of land with hills, creeks, rivers, rocks and so on. The hunts last all day for 3 days (usually) and you really have to prepare yourself and carry a lot of water and some food to munch on throughout the day. If you don't, plan on being miserable and you will pay the price of dehydration and more than likely won't make it through the 3 days. 

Are there good relics to be found? Absolutely! During both hunts that I was lucky enough to attend, I saw a lot of nice bullets, plates, buttons, etc. found. One guy found a U.S plate 10 feet from where I was standing. The relics are there to be found but they aren't in every square inch of the property. You will have to work to find them and work you will! I hunted all 3 days of each hunt until dark. There were times I wanted to just lay down and nap (and you can) but you only have 3 days to find the treasure so I never stopped searching but I was exhausted by the end of day 3.

So whats the cost to attend one of these hunts? Assuming you get picked to attend the hunt (that's another process I may write about later), both hunts I attended each cost $250 each, then you have to add in the cost of a hotel. My cost for 4 nights at a local hotel was around $60/night and it ended up costing me around $250. Plus, you need food for each day. I try to stay cheap and bring my lunch meat, bread, snacks etc. but I probably spent $50 on my own food. You will probably want to eat a nice meal each night so plan on adding in approximately $15/night or $60 for the 4 nights. At this point you are somewhere around $610. The price continues to rise if you add in your gas to get to and from the hunt sites and your drive to and from the hotel. If you are coming from California (and someone did) that really adds up. I guess the bottom line is that its pretty expensive and if you don't have the right metal detector or gear then add those expenses in as well. The $$$ can really get out of control.

However, you are getting away for 3 or 4 days to hang out with some really fun and interesting people who enjoy the hobby as much as you do. If you get lucky like I did, you might run into into some of the famous YouTubers who probably coaxed you into the hobby in the first place. I finally met the legend himself "Aquachigger". I had a fanboy moment but I had to get a picture with him. He was very gracious with his time and I appreciated that. I even got the chance to chat with him in the field 2 days later and watched him probe for huts. The man is a machine but really just a super nice guy. 

To sum things up, I find these hunts very enjoyable. Both of my experiences have been positive and I got to meet some really cool folks and made some lifelong friends. They are expensive but they only happen a couple times a year (usually fall and spring) so if you can find a way to stash some money aside and get picked to go, give one a chance and experience it for yourself. You probably won't regret it. -mm314