re: Any treasure hunters or metal detectors here?

I'm an electronic archeologist. I've found a ton of stuff from Louisiana's colonial period, civil war, etc on up to modern times. Baton Rouge is a great spot for detecting and New Orleans is too, naturally.

If you want more info, go to the Treasurenet forums and read up on recommendations for beginners. Look for a local club and join up. Read a few issues of Western & Eastern Treasures magazine.

Buy a decent detector to start to avoid frustration. You might even be able to buy a used detector locally from a hobby store. Once you put on your headset and start detecting, you forget about onlookers. To be honest, most people want to stop and ask if you've found anything, not ridicule you.