how do you Detect without digging

[Tank69]

ok heres the deal ,I called the Yuma Parks an Rec here in Yuma Arizona to ask about what parks I could detect in an any limitations an was told by the person on the other end of the phone I "COULD" metal detect in any of the city parks but that I "COULD NOT" dig any holes.....(um ok scratches my head) I ask ok what about in the parks along the river on the sand beaches could I dig in the sand if I cover it back up ,an was told "oh ya thats ok " but when I asked about elsewhere in the park again was told again "no digging"


ok so how to you go out use your detector an find things an not be able to dig em up.ok so what are supposed to do ?just supposed to make a lil map so you know where stuff MIGHT BE ,lol ok I'll admit I am still new to the game but this one is a laugher.

what do you think or suggest?

 

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[Tank69]

lol no kidding huh ,probly wouldnt be able to use a hook tho only a line an a rod .

 

[MEinWV]

The first thing you need to do is have them state what they consider to be a hole. If they are talking about a plug that is removed and then replaced, then you can't use that method.

You will have to use the slit method. You must be good at pinpointing the object. I use a long thin screwdriver that I have ground to remove the sharp edges. Once I have pinpointed, I insert the screwdriver and move it back and forth to create a slit in the ground. I then get the screwdriver under the object and pry up to the surface. Then simply push the slit back together.

I hope you are not laughing too hard at this, but this method works great if you have the patience and practice. I have used it at places where they told me "No digging". They are amazed when I actually show them how it works. It is not easy to master, and can be difficult in various situations such as soil type(rocks,roots, etc.). It works best on manicured lawns and where there is not a lot of junk.

I hope this helps! Good luck! HH

 

[mlayers]

I guess you can only pick up the coins that is on top of the ground....Matt

 

[Tank69]

MEinWV thanks for the advice I'm going to be looking into this more cause these are some good grounds """or you'd think so"""I'm going to try your method here in the yard awhile before I try it out in the park .

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Tank, was there some reason you felt you needed to call the parks & rec. dept., to begin with, to ask if you could detect? I mean, was there some sign or prohibition forbidding it? The way to do it is this: if you are skittish that your city or county might have some rule, look it up yourself. Rules are usually posted on city hall websites, or code book sitting on the counter there. Do a word-search on "metal detecting", or whatever. If it is silent on the issue, then consider yourself no different than any other park user. Ie.: would you "ask" to fly a kite? stand on your head? etc....

Who mentioned "digging" first on the phone? You or them? Let's face it: can anyone, ANYWHERE, tell me ANY city official that will say "yes" if you ask them "gee mister, can I dig in the park?" The slit method that MEinWV talks about will not work with deeper coins (7" and more?) By the time you get down that deep, you will end up realizing you would've made a cleaner hole by merely cutting a plug, and replacing/stomping when done. If you're only anticipating going for shallower coins, then I'd just go and do it with that screwdriver/probe method. I doubt anyone will enter a semantics contest. In fact, I doubt that anyone there in parks and rec's really even cared or would've even noticed you! You merely got someone whose image is geeks with shovels, you merely precluded yourself. I hunt all the time, in scores of cities all over CA (even hunted Yuma area before), and never call city hall anywhere. Just be discreet, don't be in the middle of retreivals when busy-bodies are watching, go at off-hours, etc.....

 

[Tank69]

well Tom being new to the`area I have asked around about rules on detecting an havent really gotten an answer ,I never knew those things where posted on a county website ,guess thats my stupidity as a newbie,ya know ya learn as ya go,I wasnt looking to draw attention to myself or ruffle any feathers just was curious about the rules, an Parks an Rec brought up digging holes.being new to this I'm more than happy to take any advice or ideas given to me ,thanks for reading my post Tom

 

[coin finder]

Hi, Only Superman can detec he don't need no Metal Detector Need No Permit

 

[civil war hunter]

i was thinking of making the plunger 9,000. Its iffy but i think i could do it.
I was thinking of a pile one foot long. With another pipe a little smaller that goings into the other.
You get the pile with out the little one yet! And you get one of those plastic hammers and hammer the pipe in the ground. Then you get the small pipe and push the dirt out of the big pipe. Then you check the hole again if its not there i should be the same size as the pipe by the way which is the size of a dollar coin. If its not there " you need i pin pointer for this" you dig deeper or another hole closer.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I live a few miles from a NY state park and the rules are the same. Detecting is OK, but digging or removing objects is forbidden. So that rules out the screwdriver trick . . . which is just narrow digging anyway. I asked whether if I dropped a paper cup I'd be forbidden from picking it back up and they said: "that's different". I asked how that was different than retrieving a coin someone dropped but I didn't get very far with that approach. I guess a buried coin is considered "natural".

 

[Tank69]

thanks Charlie I thought I was hearing crazy things when she told me .

 

[davew0710]

Reminds me of a story my detecting buddy told me. He asked an old lady for permission to hunt her yard. The house dated to about 1870. the old lady was more than gracious in giving permission and even sat on the front t porch to watch. When my buddy got a target and started to dig, the lady asked what he was doing and he told her recovering a target. At which point the old lady said "O no! you can detect all you want but you can't dig in the yard."
I guess it's not just the government that has strange ideas on when you can dig.

 

[UncleVinnys]

My 2-cents . . .

1. There's digging, then there's real digging.
If you are content with digging just the coins in the top few
inches, you can get around the "digging" ban by using a good
pin-pointer and a screw-driver, or weeder that only leaves a small
(almost unnoticeable) hole. The probe I use can usually
find the coin even before I dig, so the hole is tiny.

2. Look at it from the home-owner perspective.
He might object to a 9-inch deep, 5-inch wide hole,
but he'd prolly be OK with a 1-inch wide hole.

3. As for parks, the people who explain the law to you
are not the ones enforcing it. If you look like you're making
some park all chewed up like a beach at Normandy, then
the grounds-keeper will have a fit. But if you are making
the smaller holes, they may not interfere no matter what
the law says.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

UncleVinnys, you say:

" But if you are making the smaller holes, they may not interfere no matter what the law says." [emphasis mine]

This is exactly right! In fact, I would extend this to actual plugs too! (as long as you're not leaving holes, being indiscreet, etc....). A lot of people ask questions of bureaucrats, city/county personell, etc... thinking they are supposed to "ask", right? But truth be told, it's exactly as you say: the person fielding those type questions ("making the laws") are not the ones that enforce it. And also, there may not actually be any rule to begin with, except that you get someone who simply says "no", simply because they think you're a geek with a shovel. But odds are, in the field, you'd probably be ignored!

In towns I come to where I help myself to parks and schools (I never ask), it's not unusual to have cops drive by, or park or school personell see me, and pay me no mind whatsover. But how much you wanna make a bet that if I showed up in their office with a shovel in my hand that they'd say "no"? So why ask? It's like asking "can I pick my nose?" If you ask that of enough people, you will no doubt find people to tell you "no". But if you just picked your nose discreetly, odds are, no one cares or notices.

 

[civil war hunter]

Ow trust me they notice. I went to a park and the state park troopers told us to stop. " It's history of this park' Well here is your F***ing pull tab trooper and the 1992 penny i found!.

UncleVinnys, you say:

" But if you are making the smaller holes, they may not interfere no matter what the law says." [emphasis mine]

This is exactly right! In fact, I would extend this to actual plugs too! (as long as you're not leaving holes, being indiscreet, etc....). A lot of people ask questions of bureaucrats, city/county personell, etc... thinking they are supposed to "ask", right? But truth be told, it's exactly as you say: the person fielding those type questions ("making the laws") are not the ones that enforce it. And also, there may not actually be any rule to begin with, except that you get someone who simply says "no", simply because they think you're a geek with a shovel. But odds are, in the field, you'd probably be ignored!

In towns I come to where I help myself to parks and schools (I never ask), it's not unusual to have cops drive by, or park or school personell see me, and pay me no mind whatsover. But how much you wanna make a bet that if I showed up in their office with a shovel in my hand that they'd say "no"? So why ask? It's like asking "can I pick my nose?" If you ask that of enough people, you will no doubt find people to tell you "no". But if you just picked your nose discreetly, odds are, no one cares or notices.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

C.W.H.: notice I gave, as my examples, "city and county" parks, schools, etc... I left out state and federal sites, just to avoid going into greater detail. Yes, at some state & federal sites, ...... sure, you will get shooed away. If you waltz on to the white house lawn for example, my stance goes out the window. I grant you that.

It also depends on what states, what type of state sites, and what type of federal sites. I know of state and federal sites here in CA that I, or anyone, can hunt till they're blue in the face, in front of anyone and everyone, and never have a problem! Is that to say that if I asked enough state or federal personell "can I?" that they'd say "yes"? probably not And there are other federal and state sites (like ... historical monuments for instance) that, yes, you'll get shooed away from. You gotta use common sense Here's a link to a thread I started on the subject:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,249049.0.html

 

[oldfireguy]

I just heard this for the first time a couple of days ago. Metal detecting but no digging. It's nicer than saying no I guess.

 

[Seamuss]

Ask for a written copy of the rules. I know that Arizona state workers know how to read and write. After all, this is the twenty first century.

Don't take no for an answer on the written rules. It's just like taking the drivers test. They have to give it to you in writting or give their "No" in writting. It is the law in the USA to put it in writting.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Seamus, you say: "Ask for a written copy of the rules." Do you mean: 1) walk into city hall (or park's dept, or county office, or whatever), and ask for the rules to know whether or not you can detect, to begin with? or do you mean: 2) to ask for this if you are getting booted? Sorry, I lost ya.

 

[Seamuss]

If you go into the parks deparment or where every their saying, you can detect but you cannot dig, their suppose to have rules in writting as to how you can or cannont detect.

I would walk in and politily ask for a copy the rules so i will be in coherence with the law. If they say they don't have these rules then ask where you can find them. They can not regulate you without regulations which are in writting some where.