There’s riches all around us. Members of the Butler County Treasure Hunters club know where to look — up to 8 inches under the ground.

The club has 40 members and meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the Sons of Italy, 338 S. Main St., to compare recent finds, discuss the merits of various metal detectors and discuss upcoming group hunts.

Although the members tend to be of retirement age or older, the club president, Sheldon Deal, a Knoch High School student, is 17.

Deal said he got interested in metal-detecting treasure hunting when he was 10 when he got his Garrett Ace 360 for Christmas and later discovered the local group.

“I was at my brother’s baseball game, and I saw someone was metal-detecting. He told me about this club, and I went to the next meeting,” said Deal.

Deal and his fellow club members ply their hobby in yards, woods and beaches, slowly passing their detectors back and forth looking for hidden metal objects.

Joe Guerre, 72, of West Deer, club vice president, said he first started using a metal detector in 2005 and joined the group soon after.

Fellow club member Tom McCarthy of Allison Park, said he’s been metal-detecting for 21 years. But he got started in treasure hunting for a practical reason.

“I lost a part to my tractor. I went to Radio Shack for a detector. I couldn’t find a tractor with it, it was a piece of junk.” He’s since invested in a better model.

Metal detectors can range in price from $200 to $4,000, according to club members.

No matter the price, all metal detectors work on the same principle. The search coil transmits an electromagnetic field into the ground. Any metal objects within the electromagnetic field will become energized and retransmit an electromagnetic field of their own that will be picked up by the detector, which alerts the user with a noise.

Most detectors will pick up a metal object up to 8 inches in the ground.

Along with the different models of detectors, treasure hunters have different favored locations.

McCarthy said he prefers to work through woods looking for lost objects.

Guerre said he exclusively searches at old houses. And by old houses, Guerre explained, he means in the yards of old houses, not the buildings themselves. He said it’s important to always get the permission of the property owner first and to fill in any holes the hunter may have dug.

Whether woods, yards or beaches — another favored hunting ground — the metal detectors have uncovered a plethora of finds.

Guerre said one of his prized discoveries was a hand-painted memorial brooch. Another discovery was a solid silver match safe. He’s also found an oblong urn containing the ashes of a deceased person that was turned into a piece of jewelry.

He estimates he’s got 400 to 500 objects, such as bells, keys, cane heads, and old-style metal cars and soldier figures.

“I’ve never sold anything that I’ve found,” he said.

“If it’s metal I can find it,” Guerre said, adding there’s some metal he doesn’t want to find. He and his colleagues say too often their detectors signal nothing more than old pull tab from a beer or soda can.

Deal said he goes out with his metal detector at least three times a month preferring to scour the yards of old houses and hunting camps for discoveries.

Dan and Debbie Deal of Penn Township go out metal-detecting together.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” said Debbie Deal. “It’s just a hobby to pass the time. But you get a lot of fresh air and exercise, and you never know what you are going to find.”

Bob and Doris Smidl of Baden, formerly of Butler, said they also go treasure hunting as a couple.

“He’s into it a lot more than I am now. We’ve had a lot of fun with it,” Doris Smidl said.

Her husband added, “I wanted to get outside and do something outside.” Treasure-hunting seemed to fit the bill, and the Smidls have been doing it for 10 yeas.

He said, “I like to beach hunt. It’s so easy. You are not digging in soil and rocks.

He said they’ve amassed some 200 coins, as well as gold and silver rings, during their beachcombing.

He said they both enjoy coming to club meetings. “We like the people, and we like to see what everybody else has found,” he said.

In addition to sweeping fields, beaches and yards, club members band together to stage club hunts, where members will seed an area with coins and other metal objects to be uncovered.

At this month’s meeting, the club was selling raffle tickets to cover the cost of buying coins and other objects for an upcoming hunt June 12 on the property of club member Terry Taylor in Emlenton.

Paula Lastrades of Kittanning, who was attending the meeting with her husband, Andre, said, “We don’t go out as much as we used to. We mostly just do beach hunting.”

“You never know what you are going to find, the surprise of it,” said Lastrades. “And the exercise is nice. It makes me get up and move.”

She said she enjoys attending meetings with her fellow treasure hunters.

“This is a nice, fun group of people that are willing to share their experiences in the hobby,” she said.