I  Pinpointing the target.

    You're hunting along, and get a good-sounding target that's deep, around 5" or more.  

    Pinpoint the target as best you can.  I prefer to the "X" method.  Imagine a line running from the 12 o'clock position to the 6 o'clock position on your coil.  When the detector sounds off over the target, imagine that line as being on the ground.  The target is somewhere on that line.  Take your coil, and turn it 90 degrees.  Run your coil from the top of the line to the bottom.  Where it beeps again, imagine another line crossing the first.  To paraphrase a common saying, "X marks the spot."  Your target should be where the two lines intersect.  I'll usually run a pass over the target at 45 degrees to verify that the target is indeed there.  I'll then run pinpoint over the target to get a depth reading.

II  Cutting the plug.

    Once I have an idea of where the target is, and the depth, I'll cut a plug.  For a 5" deep target, I'll usually cut a square plug, about 6" on a side, leaving the side away from me uncut, to act as a hinge (this is commonly called a "flap").  I cut at a 45 degree angle, with the tip pointed towards the center of the plug.  When I've cut the third side, I'll carefully loosen the plug, then lift it all and flip it over.  This will result in a roughly pyramid-shaped plug.

III  Target in the plug.

    Check the plug with the detector.  If the target is in the plug, the detector will sound off.

    If I've done everything right, I'll have this type of recovery.  I'll make sure that the plug is right next to the hole.  I'll use my Lesche digger to slowly scrape dirt off the plug and directly into the hole.  I've gotten fairly good at scraping just a small layer of dirt off at a time, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch.  Usually, I'll manage to see the target before I actually scrape it with my digger.

IV  Target in the hole.

    If the target isn't in the plug, it's still in the hole.

    I'm right handed, so I set up this way.  Lefties can reverse this easily.  I'll place a towel on the right side of the hole, with the detector on the right side of the towel.  I'll scoop out any loose dirt with my gloved hands, and pass the dirt over the coil with my right hand (I don't wear any jewelry or watches on my right hand.)  I'll continue this until the detector sounds off, or all the loose dirt in the hole is out.

    At this point, I'll activate my electronic pinpointer, and switch my detector to All-Metal to deal with the crosstalk.  In All-Metal, it sounds like chatter.  In 0 Discrimination, is sounds like chatter, in all 3 tones.  All-Metal is easier to tell the difference between "chatter" and a good target.

    I'll scan the sides of the hole.  Because of the way I dig my plugs, these sides are sloped.  Usually the target is within the bounds of the cuts I made, but deeper, and on the side, so they missed being in the plug.  If my pinpointer goes off, I'll insert the tip of my digger an inch or so away from the target, and pop out a chunk of dirt.  I'll double-check that piece by passing it over my coil.

    If I didn't find the target with my pinpointer, I'll start removing large pieces of dirt from the sides, and pass them over my detectors coil.  If it sounds off, I have the target in my hand.  If I remove all the loose dirt and still no target, I'll keep removing dirt, working downwards, and outwards from the original sides, so that the bottom is wider than the top.  It usually doesn't doesn't take long to find the target.

V  Things to look for.

    Keep in mind that silver coins are easier to spot than copper or Nickels/clad that have been in the dirt for awhile.  Sometimes, Nickels/Clad that have been in iron-rich, really moist ground for decades will turn a reddish-rusty color.

    There are many reasons to keep your eyes open while digging a target.  Many times, I'll "eyeball" the target after moving a little dirt.  Sometimes it's on the bottom of the plug, which, when up-ended, becomes the top.  Sometimes the coin just pops right up when I start removing dirt.  Many times, I just see the edge of the coin sticking out of the plug .  On other times, I'll see an impression of the coin in the dirt.  Usually when that happens, the coin is actually in the loose dirt in the hole.

    There are some non-metallic things to looks out for.  Usually it's glass.  This is why I wear gloves, as I find many pieces of broken pop bottles when I dig.  Sometimes, I'll find a marble.  If you're in a Colonial-era area, you could easily find some pipestems and/or bowls.  Colonial sites will also yeild up clam/oyster shells, as folks back then ate clams and oysters as an easily-gathered food.  Many old places will have potsherds on top of the ground, as well as in the dirt.