2008 minelab team

Henry Hoadley Team Captain

I’m a member of the Iron Brigade I have been on 3 N/S hunt this is my first GNRS.

I will be coming in force to the GNRS this year we have 7 members coming from the club that I belong too 6 are on the mine lab team. I have been metal detector for about 8 yr and I live in michigan

Buzz Caldwell

I live in Bluefield WV , am married and have 3 daughters. I have been using a metal detector since about 1974. I found my first CW relics at the age of 16 back in 1969 without a detector. I used the old “eyeball” method. Over the years, I started out as primarily a coin hunter, with some water, underwater, and beach hunting thrown in, as well as bottle digging. I have been collecting Indian artifacts since I was about 6 years old. Over the past several years, I have evolved into primarily a relic hunter, but I’ll still get out to search an old yard if the opportunity arises. My first Depot hunt was at Brandy Station VA, and I have lost count of how many hunts I have attended since that one. I haven’t missed very many. I have been fortunate to find several 'top finds' at some of the Depot hunts. At the first hunt at Fort Powhatan, I found the #6 best find which was a 'Lined block A' Confederate button. The next year I found the second place winning relic which was a fired but unexploded Confederate Raed Shell. I found out later that the shell had been fired from Fort Gregg, where one of my ancestors was killed as he planted the company flag on the fort as it was captured on April 2, 1865. And finally, last October, I found a fully capped and loaded Remington .44 Model 1861 cavalry pistol. Since this find was made at a GRD hunt, there was no prize awarded, but I personally consider this one of the best finds ever made from that spot. I look forward to seeing how well we as team Minelab can do this year..!!

Mike Walker

(Mike from MI)

Been on at least a dozen big relic hunts including several GNRS, North South, and GRD hunts. Served as team captain for Team Minelab, have made friends from almost every state, and Canada on these hunts.

I use the Minelab Explorer as my weapon of choice while relic hunting.

I am also the president of the SW MI Seek & Search Club. It is one of the biggest detecting clubs in the US.

I am a proud member of the famous Iron Brigade, and do my best to help organize taking as many guys from our club and the brigade to these hunts. I believe that there are Brigade members on almost every team and about half of team Minelab are IB members! So let's Git-R Done boys and win the trophy this year!

HOOO ZAAAAHHH!!!!

Ron Swenson

Been Metal Detecting and Relic Hunting since 1997. Started in Richmond, VA hunting the good stuff then moved to CA and have been hunting old Gold Camps and Coins Shooting since 2000.

I try to get to as many Depot hunts as possible and this will be my 7th Depot Hunt. This will be my 4th GNRS and 3rd Team Minelab showing. The Depot Hunts are great and the people that attend are top notch!!

Charlie Turner

I live in south west Mi. Member of the south west Mi. seek and search club and Iron Brigade.
My wife and I have been married 49 years, we have two married sons, three grand sons,one grand daughter and one great grand doughter.
This will be the second GNRS for me with three N/S hunts behind me. Great hunts

Ray Brewster

hey my name is ray brewster i live in stokesdale ,nc with my beautiful wife and four kids ,this will be my third gnrs im looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones

Ken Kyte

I'm a Chemical Engineer turning 63 on Nov 3. Been hunting since the family gave me a Radio Shack detector Christmas of 1999. Always liked to find things which probably comes from finding golf balls at a local course and reselling them to the golfers way back in the later 1950's. With the Radio Shack I Found a couple of musket balls in my own yard which turned out to be a Union camp site near New Bern, NC. That got me hunting CW sites including the Battle of New Bern site, which is being preserved with redans and redoubts still existing. Moved to North Augusta in 2005. Graduated to a Tesoro Conquistador which was vastly superior to the Radio Shack detector. A buddy kept smoking me on deep bullets with his Minelab Explorer so I knew I wanted one. Got one on eBay about 3 years ago. I was fortunate to be the last guy on the alternate list to make Powhatan One and have now been on 6 different TR hunts. A picture of my best find is attached. This was found on a North Carolina beach where they pumped in dredged sand from Bogue Inlet. I live with wife Connie and have a son Trevor in North Augusta, daughter Jill with husband Matt in Charlotte with new grandson Wesley born Sept 10th this year. Love to hunt CW sites, Colonial sites and the beach. Don't know how much I will help the team but I will be out there bell to bell.

Paul Williams

I'm Paul Williams from Warren, Ohio. I have been metal detecting and attending Treasure Depot events since 2000.

I have been to about a dozen Depot Hunts including GNRS, North/South and GRD camp out events.
I hunt with the Explorer II. I've hunted several times with my good friend the Mountain Man, Greg Heath, along the retreat route as well as with other friends near Fredericksburg, Falmouth and Chancellorsville.

My favorite find is a soldier-marked and identified U.S. Box Plate that once belonged to Private Alexander Binks, an infantryman of the 68th PVI at the Battle of Fredericksburg. He later served with the 4th New York independent artillery battery at Gettysburg. Binks survived the war (mainly by deserting following the battle of Gettysburg) )and died in Brooklyn in 1897.
I am very jealous of those of you who get to do this sort of thing all the time. If I lived in Virginia, I'd probably lose my job due to recurring absences!! HH Paul

John Assenmacher

Hi! I'm John Assenmacher, one of 6 members of the Southwest MI Seek and Search Club on the 2008 GNRS Minelab Team. I've very excited to be on Team Minelab, and promise to work my tail off. This is my 2nd GNRS and I will be using the Minelab Explorer. I've been actively detecting for 4 years, mainly old homesites in southwest MI. I also water hunt in summer. Safe travels to everyone in January and looking forward to some South Carolina relics.

Gray Flatt

Hello, I’m Gary Flatt, and I've lived in the Sunshine State for most of my 50 odd years. This this will be my 3rd trip to the GNRS but I've been involved in detecting on and off since the 70s. I've tried almost every type of detecting along with quite a few different types and models of machines, but my primary machine has been a Sovereign GT since they came out. My backup is an Elite. Primarily beach hunter due to convenience, but digging the old stuff is by far my favorite type of hunting. Since CW relics are hard to come by down here in Florida, we Florida boys really looking forward to heading north and meeting the forum gang, finding a few keepers and diggin' till we drop. Looking forward to meeting everyone and hunting with you in January!

Pat Boyle

I have been metal detecting for almost 30 years and have found many goodies in that time. I mostly enjoy looking for coins, but I have a great appreciation for preserving history. This is probably my 6th GNRS and I have enjoyed participating in many N/S hunts as well. In fact, I was on the White's team when we took first place one year at the GNRS. In my book, it is all about the camaraderie...seeing old friends and making new acquaintances! I look forward to this hunt!

I live in the Chicago area with my wife and one of my four kids.

Alan James

My name is Alan James & have been an avid hunter for over ten years. I use an Explorer II or my Excalibur most of the time. I collect relics of all kinds, but usually consentrate on button collecting as far as my relic hunting goes.

One of my favorite finds is a Masonic Compass award about 6" tall which has Dec. 12th, 1859 date and all the personal information of the original owner.

Some of the time I hunt local home sites or spend time at Daytona Beach collecting jewelry & coins.

This GNRS will make my third Depot hunt & I'm really looking forward to January in SC.

Keith Rericha

My name is Keith Rericha and I have been metal detecting for 15 years. I am married with 3 kids currently living in Ohio, but in the process of moving to North Carolina. I have had the pleasure of being on some of the Treasure Depot's hunts for 10 years! This will be my 4th GNRS and looking forward to help elevate Minelab's standing to the top! My best relic at a previous GNRS was a Virginia coat button. I hope to better that find this time! Above all the new friends I have had the opportunity to make through these hunts have been my best finds!