a hole cutting device for rapidly and accurately recovering metal targets discovered with a metal detector , without the grass damage commonly produced by presently available target recovery techniques . the hole cutting device includes a cylindrical cutting tube for cutting and capturing a plug of grass and soil according to the detected depth of a target , a handle for driving the cylindrical cutting tube into the ground , thereby creating a cylindrical hole in the ground centered about the target , a depth indicator for providing an instantaneous reading of the depth of the tube cutting edge as it is rotatably driven into the ground , and a hand actuated ejection mechanism for freeing the cylindrical tube from the hole after target recovery and the reinsertion of the plug therein .