How would you have responded to this?

[thrillathahunt]

So this morning I was out hunting the local soccer field. I had been there for about 45 minutes, finding some clad and was kneeling down about to recover a dime when this macho looking grounds keeper comes up on me and says, "If you dig one more hole in MY grass I'm gonna call the police on ya!"

Well, I stood up and told him, "do you see any holes that I am digging?" He looked around and didn't say anything. "I am being careful not to leave any trace of my digging" I said. To that he replied, "I'm tellin ya, if you continue to dig in MY field I'm gonna call the police!"

So, not being in the mood to call his bluff, I left. I have hunted this field many times without a problem, and now I am wondering if I should go back.

The field is not locked and there are no signs that disallow metal detecting. So, what would you have done?

 

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[BuckleBoy]

I don't know what I would've done. I never hunt soccer fields or parks because they bore me to tears.

 

[John (Ma)]

If it is a public school, I do not see a problem or you can ask someone that works there. If you know that he is employed there, then you may want to check with someone else and have their name in your pocket.

 

[thrillathahunt]

I don't know what I would've done. I never hunt soccer fields or parks because they bore me to tears.

I hear you, but chances are you will never find a 14k diamond wedding ring, or tennis bracelet, or other piece of fine jewelry in a plowed field. I want to experience it all!

 

[BuffaloBob]

Sometimes it is better to hunt another day. Trust your instincts. But if you are threatened call the cops. That's assault. If you are touched in any way, that's Battery.

I have been known to open-carry my .45acp auto when gold panning, on a legitimate club claim, where an adjoining claimholder tries to bully people away. The Sheriff was called once and since then I am always armed. No problems that I have seen.

But you never know what will set a butthead off. Argument with his wife or boss or lousy drive to work or the stupid Colo Rockies lost AGAIN. Whatever.

 

[extractor]

I always meet the person in charge of the area before I MD hunt. This saves me a lot grief. I've never been turned down yet.

 

[jeff of pa]

Only problem I see is his use of "My Field"

Was it "His" Field that He allows to Be used ?

If not Go over his head.
if it's a School Field School Taxes Pay for it.

You Did the Right thing Under the Circumstances.

 

[deepskyal]

Some groundskeepers take a lot of pride in THEIR fields...thats just how they feel about it. If they spend years tending it, they take pride in it.

I was asked not to detect a nice baseball field by a caretaker...but his reasoning was good. Md'ers had punctured the sprinkler system lines....on more than one occasion. They're plastic...don't know they are there til too late. But, seeings how his grandkids were quite interested in what I was doing, he pointed to another area I COULD do.
Nicely manicured soccer fields probably have sprinklers in them too.

Just two weeks ago while myself and another fellow were detecting a park, the grass cutter came along. We talked, he took pride in the small park. He fertilized it, mowed it weekly, etc...and it is a nice looking lawn area. It also had a train station and bandstand back in the 1800's, which is why we wanted to detect it.
After talking a good while, he offered to mow an area for us so we would be out of the way of him cutting.

Diplomacy....being nice...that's the ticket. In the first instance where the man was rude at first, he simmered down after some small talk of the area history. I had apologized and explained I wasn't aware of any rules about detecting...which led to small talk, calming him....and even gave me a hint of a lost wedding band in the infield where there were no sprinklers...or grass...lol.

I think you missed an opportunity and should just chalk it up as a loss, unless it's the only field in town. If you make waves, they'll make rules.
Also take into consideration that theres that possibility some not so good person with a detector left some gopher holes and now the guys ticked....or he was constipated.

Al

 

[thrillathahunt]

Some groundskeepers take a lot of pride in THEIR fields...thats just how they feel about it. If they spend years tending it, they take pride in it.

I was asked not to detect a nice baseball field by a caretaker...but his reasoning was good. Md'ers had punctured the sprinkler system lines....on more than one occasion. They're plastic...don't know they are there til too late. But, seeings how his grandkids were quite interested in what I was doing, he pointed to another area I COULD do.
Nicely manicured soccer fields probably have sprinklers in them too.

Just two weeks ago while myself and another fellow were detecting a park, the grass cutter came along. We talked, he took pride in the small park. He fertilized it, mowed it weekly, etc...and it is a nice looking lawn area. It also had a train station and bandstand back in the 1800's, which is why we wanted to detect it.
After talking a good while, he offered to mow an area for us so we would be out of the way of him cutting.

Diplomacy....being nice...that's the ticket. In the first instance where the man was rude at first, he simmered down after some small talk of the area history. I had apologized and explained I wasn't aware of any rules about detecting...which led to small talk, calming him....and even gave me a hint of a lost wedding band in the infield where there were no sprinklers...or grass...lol.

I think you missed an opportunity and should just chalk it up as a loss, unless it's the only field in town. If you make waves, they'll make rules.
Also take into consideration that theres that possibility some not so good person with a detector left some gopher holes and now the guys ticked....or he was constipated.

Al

You have some good points there Al. I think this was the head groundskeeper, but the situation was just not right for me to try to have a conversation with a man who is a bull-headed Texan.

 

[Finman]

I don't know what I would've done. I never hunt soccer fields or parks because they bore me to tears.

I have to agree with BB, just move on to something better. (Older) But I think you did the right thing!

HH Joe

 

[texan connection]

well done rick but if you wanna get tough and its legal go for it. I got called by someone saying I was digging in the ball field once. I wasent I was under the bleachers, the cops showed up and I told them there are no Laws in cameron agienst what i was doing and I knew better than going in the field. he said cool, asked what kinda stuff i find, I gave him my card, and he left me alone.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Well, assuming this groundskeeper has the authority over that field, then you can see "asking" would do you absolutely no good. I mean, he's already said "scram", and now someone's suggesting you should ask him for permission (as if it was even needed to begin with). It just doesn't make sense. So I suppose you could go "over his head" to the head of park's dept, the mayor, etc... But then you risk this psychology: someone who simply has an image of geeks with shovels, takes the easy way out, and says "no" (I mean, why should he be bothered?). And before you know it, you get rules written where none previously (specifically) existed before. I've actually seen this happen, where a hunter gets an isolated "scram", and thinks he should take it to the highest levels, petition, etc.... and the next thing he knows, he gets told "no" from the highest levels, even for other parks he'd never been bothered at.

So my advice is, in the absence of any real rules, and seeing as how you weren't leaving any marks, I would give him lip service, and just avoid him in the future. Ie.: go at his off-times (park workers usually cut out after 5pm, don't work Sunday's etc...). Or just avoid that one park, etc....

I too had a similar situation, where a lady cop came up to us and said "you can't do that". Nevermind that we'd worked this park for years, whenever passing through that town, and never even heard "boo". I related the incident to a local hunter in that town, that was rather surprised, because he too had never had a problem. He snooped around at the city's website, and no rule existed. So it was probably just a cop having a bad day, or just a single cop with an image of geeks with shovels, etc... A year later, I was passing through this town again, and stopped to detect. No problem. That was 7 or 8 years ago, and I have never again had any busy-bodies in all the times I've returned.

 

[BIG61AL]

Unless he had some id on him and proven authority I'd leave...if he didn't I tell I am calling to the cops for harassing me in a "PUBLIC" park.

 

[DPBOB]

Go back !!! If it's public....

If your not breaking the law... I'd call them ..I'll wait right here for them....

Done 2 times and I'd do it again.....

 

[thrillathahunt]

Tom I agree, the more I think about it, this really is a complex situation. Let's say I stood my ground and said, "Go ahead call the cops, this is a public field, I am not leaving any holes and not breaking any laws here and I am not going to leave!" What do you think the groundskeeper would have done? Would he have called the cops?... AND what would the cops have done when they got there? Would they have told me to leave also? Can of worms!

Well, assuming this groundskeeper has the authority over that field, then you can see "asking" would do you absolutely no good. I mean, he's already said "scram", and now someone's suggesting you should ask him for permission (as if it was even needed to begin with). It just doesn't make sense. So I suppose you could go "over his head" to the head of park's dept, the mayor, etc... But then you risk this psychology: someone who simply has an image of geeks with shovels, takes the easy way out, and says "no" (I mean, why should he be bothered?). And before you know it, you get rules written where none previously (specifically) existed before. I've actually seen this happen, where a hunter gets an isolated "scram", and thinks he should take it to the highest levels, petition, etc.... and the next thing he knows, he gets told "no" from the highest levels, even for other parks he'd never been bothered at.

So my advice is, in the absence of any real rules, and seeing as how you weren't leaving any marks, I would give him lip service, and just avoid him in the future. Ie.: go at his off-times (park workers usually cut out after 5pm, don't work Sunday's etc...). Or just avoid that one park, etc....

I too had a similar situation, where a lady cop came up to us and said "you can't do that". Nevermind that we'd worked this park for years, whenever passing through that town, and never even heard "boo". I related the incident to a local hunter in that town, that was rather surprised, because he too had never had a problem. He snooped around at the city's website, and no rule existed. So it was probably just a cop having a bad day, or just a single cop with an image of geeks with shovels, etc... A year later, I was passing through this town again, and stopped to detect. No problem. That was 7 or 8 years ago, and I have never again had any busy-bodies in all the times I've returned.

 

[UTcoinshootR]

If i knew the property to be public, I would have said: "The cops usually don't care about people NOT breaking the law, but hey bug em anyway. I'll be here digging holes in YOUR lawn."

 

[Lowbatts]

No problem with the guysaround here, the cops are no problem either but will tend to side with other muni employees if called. Good call on your part. Meet his boss and make friends. Show him some of the canslaw and other hazardous material you have removed on their behalf.

 

[Treasure finder]

I had a similar incident in a local park many years ago. I don't remember the whole conversation, but I do remember
complaining about all the trash that families with kids were leaving behind and all the junk I had to pick up because he
wasn't keeping up the place. He said I was ruining the grass and I pointed at the baseball diamond as to how they had
scuffed all the grass off in a diamond shaped pattern and they were allowed to do that. He replied they are enjoying
the park, whereupon I answered so am I! Then I went back to complaining about all the trash I had to pick up and he
got disgusted and left. I continued to hunt and that was that. It may not always be the right thing to do, but my
arguments are valid.
There was a nice grade school nearby (productive) that is posted no trespassing after hours with a locked gate, lots
of paranoia about the kids. I had previously found some nice silver there in 1974-75, now I just wonder how much
money has been reseeded. I leave that one alone. Neighborhood Watch signs everywhere.
Another Day in Paradise

 

[MD Dog]

You got two options, raise a stink in which case you'll probably loose in the end and maybe cost everybody the ability to hunt that field. Or you can swallow some pride and let the but head throw his little weight around and relax in the knowledge he's a joke, I mean really a grounds keeper at a park is lower than school custodian. Then just go back another day and avoid the idiot. If your right and not leaving any visible proof then he'll never know unless someone tells him and then all he has to do is show the police all the damage you didn't do while filling out the police report.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Good points MD Dog!