About 40 years ago, I killed an 8-point buck, as the old time guys would say: "a pretty far piece" from where I was parked.

Long story, but I figured since I was already up high on the mountain, I'd just put the deer in a spot easy to find. And ease on back to the truck, it was all downhill. (I was driving a Jeep, CJ-5 at the time.)

On the way back to the road, there is a small pond. Figured I'd stop and wash my knife and hands. It was after dark and I'll tell you when the sun went down the bottom dropped out, it was chilly.

So, I didn't really lose my knife, I just walked away and forgot.

The property has changed hands, 2 or 3 times since.

Long story short, my buddy Moe and I have permission to metal detect the property. We were planning on going up today, both of us were busy and didn't have time. As of now, we're on for Wednesday morning.

It's a straight-blade, Buck knife, with a 6 or 7 inch blade. One of the narrow blade models, with a plastic handle.

After 40 years, you know that I don't need it, but I'd just love to find that knife. I walked away from the knife in either, 1982 or 83 or 84?

I'll put the odds at 50/50 of finding it. 40 years is a long time!

So did you go?

I did go. My buddy Moe had "Two very important phone calls" that he had to make. So, he didn't go.

I'll tell you after 40 years, it took me a while to get my bearings.

The grass is up over knee deep, and the weeds are waist high. With a detector, it's hard to get to the ground. Walking up the road, I was hitting a target every other step.

I knew that it wasn't my knife, it's on up another 300 yards or so?

I searched around for a little bit, kind of got my bearings. I did dig up a zinc jar lid, couple of other pieces of junk and that's about it.

I'll revise my 50/50 prediction, down a lot. I'll split the difference, of my best guess, I'll put it at 2.5%, now.

That property has changed, so very much! It was a pasture 40 years ago, the pond was nothing but a mud pit today.

With the grass so tall, there's not much a feller can do. But the dog did have a good run. Too hot to metal detect anyway.

40 years is a long time. It would have been something if you would have found it. But the something would have been a good story, as the knife has probably seen better years.

You never know? You see the knife is Buck, stainless steel blade. As well as I remember, that's a Nickle tang at the front of the handle, which is a hard black plastic. With an aluminum knob thing on the bottom.

I have another one very similar that Moe keeps at his house. The only time I ever see it is when we're skinning.

When I walked away from the knife, it was right at the first of December, now it's June. Six months difference and 40 years later.

What really botched me up yesterday, there are so many locust trees growing in that hollow. Hundreds and hundreds of them, I mean growing 2 or 3 feet apart. Some from the size of a shovel handle, on up to the size of a good fence post.

But I can almost promise, I walked within 100 feet of the knife. Maybe 50 feet.

Another thing that botched me up, the pond has washed out. With the grass and weeds so tall, it's hard to tell where the water line would have been.

If you're out detecting places like I do, you have a very short season. Once the weed and junk gets up, 12 or 15 inches tall, you're pretty much wasting time.

The other week my buddy Chris and I were out detecting, in a different spot, 15 miles away. I did find a British flat button. Junk. But according to the www, it dates back to between 1800 - 1890.

Rumor has it that there were 2 houses on that property, before 1900. We might be getting close? That's the type of places I like to detect. You won't find much, but if you do, it'll be good junk.

Well, my buddy Chris and I went out detecting last evening, didn't have much time. I took him to a place where I've never detected, first time for him on the property.

There is an old log house, with the top part stick built. 3 walls are still standing, pretty much. The grass and weeds are about the same, too tall to detect. We tinkered around for a little bit, found some junk. Rifle brass, bullets and other junk.

I told Chris about the deal with my knife. The only thing I can do, is wait till next spring, and try it early. Maybe in Feburary or early March.

Anyway, Chris and I moved to a new spot. There is an old river camp, no electric service, but it's a nice camp. There is a water well, 25 yards from the camp, with a handpump. Chris is young, 35 I think? Anyway, he said that was only the second well pump that he'd ever seen in person.

The pump was working good, I'd guess I was getting about a pint per stroke. Never thought about it yesterday, but I'll oil it up, next time.

I told Chris before we got to the camp, we'd find stuff, but it'll probably be new. I found a Penny, Dime and a Quarter. I think Chris found 2 Dimes and Quarter. All new coins. My Quater is a 1968, worth 25 cents.

Our machines are working good, we were just in the wrong spot.

Long story short, about 5 years ago I was hunting in a new spot. New to me. I found a little tar-paper shanty, it's like 8 feet by 12, give or take?

I've mentioned the little building before, I think in the "Bigfoot" thread.

Since then, I've talked to my buddy Doug, he knew exactly, what and where I was talking about. Doug grew up a mile away, and hunted that area for years, and knew the property as well as anyone.

Doug and I were talking one day, and he told me there was a spring in that hollow. I thought that he meant just a little spring seep. And he said they had a little "dipper" hanging there, so you could get a drink.

Longer story short, I found a hand-dug well in the hollow last winter. It was December 1st, I was deer hunting. The water well has some kind of pre-made tiles, they are some type of clay? On the high side it almost flush with the ground.

The other morning I went out to shoot some groundhogs, and figured while I was there, I'd walk up to the well with my metal detector, and find the "dipper".

The way I walked in, it's a half mile. I dug up a couple pop cans, had several signals that I'd guess were rifle brass. You never know about stuff, but you can't dig every signal.

The more I've been thinking about it, there is a good, well fair chance the dipper is down the well. I tried to push the detectors coil down past the leaves and all, and couldn't. It's a small well casing, I'd guess about 20 inches wide?

The dipper isn't worth squat, money wise. But to me, it would be a good find. Doug died about a year ago, I knew the family that owned the property years ago. It would be, just a super cool find.

I'll go back again.