Hello again, everyone. Got a question: what brand/type of metal detector would be best to locate snow-covered snares and traps? I have a bank den beaver set on a west-facing hillside. A big blizzard came through. Completely covered up the hillside. I normally put a willow about 20 feet straight out from the set on the ice to at least give me some idea, but I didn't this time. I've been wanting to get a metal detector anyway, for lost hatchets, ice spuds, etc. Has anyone used a metal detector to search for lost snares/traps under 2-5 feet of snow before? Do they work for traps under the ice as well? I have no clue about metal detectors, so any help would be appreciated.

I spent a chunk on a White's Goldbug as a gift for my wife a while back. She lost interest pretty quick after finding tinfoil and cartridge cases, but it works wonders to find traps buried in the snow, and errant arrows. I don't know how many feet of snow or ice it could go through, but I figure it can get deeper through those mediums than soil.

White's is supposed to be a good one, different models are geared for different things, and can be set for different depths for different mediums. It sounds like you want one geared towards steel, some are geared more for gold. I don't understand how they can tell the difference, Youtube helped with my selection of it for her stated purposes.

I bought a Treasure Hunter at a yard sale years ago. Very cheap one and it works great. A trap is a pretty big piece of metal.

I found my wedding ring years ago in 8 inches of mud with a cheap one.

A friend of mine got one of those wand type detectors they use at airports and said it works great for finding traps.

I have a Fisher Goldbug that I use in my mining and have used it to find wolf traps buried in overflow. The Fisher is overkill for what you need. Any low cost VLF detector
will work for finding traps in the snow. The key is once you get a detector, test it out by burying a trap under a couple feet of snow and then LISTEN to the sound it makes
when you pass the detector coil over it. Now you will know what to listen for.

I have used them but kind of a chore to pack around and keep batteries going if its cold but they do work. I mostly use a landscaping rake, its like a normal rake but 3 feet wide and made of aluminum so its light. I also find it handy at times for other uses on the trap line and cheaper. It works well if it is light snow if it is wind driven hard snow it will be hard to use.