Kicked out of Park

[BosnMate]

Went up to a local park and camp ground on the Umpqua River in Douglas County, Oregon. Up until now there have never been any rules on detecting or panning gold, and I have detected there many times. The park is open all year but the camp ground is closed off in the winter and it's a long hike down to where I like to hunt, so I usually let it go in the winter and when the camp ground opens in the spring I hustle up there and do a little metal detecting. The park is called "Whistlers Bend," and there is a sweeping bend in the river which makes a good gold catcher along the park side of the river, and I have a friend with a 4 inch dredge that has recovered at today's market price, a bit better than wages in gold dust, with an occasional picker, but nothing outstanding, just a fun place to dredge and pan, and a good place to detect around the pop tabs, and trust me, there are lots of them. Anyhow, I unlimbered my MXT, ground balanced, found a pop tab, and the very next find was a pocket spill of all zinclons. I was digging my sixth penny out of the same hole, less than 5 minutes into the hunt when the park manager pulled up and gave me this paper. He said he was sorry, but these are the new rules this year.
The line that counts is outlined in yellow. The manager couldn't give me a reason, and I didn't get nasty, just packed up and left.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[bigfoot1]

ya gotta love the liberals who make these rules.Sitting around a table and deciding what is best,"for us"....horrible.Oregon has its share of em too.

 

[Native Floridian]

All the campsites that i know of have rules banning metal detecting. Shame it came to your park as well.

I believe it is a mistake to politicize this. Liberals aren't against metal detecting. More likely, it's about insurance liability, complaints from fellow campers, or that park management has wised up and decided that it's not so smart to give up for free what could be valuable resource. Regardless, in my experience, what has happened at this park is more the norm than the exception.

 

[vpnavy]

I would just like to personally thank those MD'rs that left a mess and ruined it for all of us!

 

[ret-detector]

I would just like to personally thank those MD'rs that left a mess and ruined it for all of us!

WHAT? No 'Thank You' for the liberal/progressive politicians who make these rules...I'm disappointed...

 

[bigfoot1]

so as not to hijack this thread...I started a new one...youll know it when you see it

 

[vpnavy]

WHAT? No 'Thank You' for the liberal/progressive politicians who make these rules...I'm disappointed...

Sorry ret-detector - forgot to thank those idiot's as well!

 

[Keppy]

I would just like to personally thank those MD'rs that left a mess and ruined it for all of us!

.. I will have to say again that i have hunted for over 40 years ... And never saw any were that i hunted................That was left a mess or holes left open ....... By ones detecting....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... The manager couldn't give me a reason .....

Hmm, I bet I know the reason this came on decision-makers radar as something that needed to be addressed.

Not sure about the "gold panning" part. That would seem to VERY innocuous. Doesn't stir up sediments like gas-powered dredging, and only finds naturally occuring elements (rather than something with "cultural heritage" potential to rile archies). But as for the Metal detecting part, the knee-jerk reaction will be "someone must've left holes". In fact, if you were to ask high enough up the chain-of-command, "holes" may even be the answer you are given, as the reason for the rule. And then all us md'rs say to ourselves "durn those people who left holes".

However, I'm of the opinion that that's only the "go-to" reason, to justify the rule they just made. I mean, let's face it: what is some people connotations and mental image of metal detectors? HOLES! So when someone says "because of holes", I am a firm believer that a lot of times, there never was such an actual case. Or even if there had been, it's not always the impetus to make a formal rule. Instead, what brings it to the burner, to enact a rule, is people that go in asking "can I metal detect?". And stumped rangers and desk-bound bureaucrats stumble to find an answer (again, with the mental impression of "holes"). So given enough inquiries, they must "address this pressing issue".

For example: there was actually a case that the city thinking of enacting a rule, ACTUALLY SPELLED IT OUT that THAT, in fact, was their rationale. That someone(s) had called and written in, asking "Are there any rules for detecting?" And clear inference of the inquiries was inescapable to the person fielding the question: The inference being "be prepared to show me chapter and verse if you answer 'no' ". So guess what's brought up at the next city counsel meeting? "Whether or not we should enact a no-detecting rule". True story! And that was just a case where the steps were in-escapable and written up as such. I have no doubt that many more are like that. But, like your case, the rank-&-file telling you, doesn't know, or just says "because of holes" etc.. In other words, NO govt. official ever says "the reason we're telling you no is because you asked" or "the reason we made this rule, is because people asked". No. Of course not. They will just say "no because of holes" or "no because of cultural heritage". Or simply .... No one knows the evolution. But I bet you this "squeeky wheel" pyschology is the genesis of a lot of cr*p.

 

[vpnavy]

.. I will have to say again that i have hunted for over 40 years ... And never saw any were that i hunted................That was left a mess or holes left open ....... By ones detecting....

Unfortunately, on numerous ocassions - I have come up to open holes and holes that weren't fully filled...

 

[herb n surf]

I would guess the fault goes back to the current administration ..Ban everything for your own good....

 

[Keppy]

I would guess the fault goes back to the current administration ..Ban everything for your own good....

Your right it is getting so bad...... That if you go out of your house.... You will get a fine or tossed in jail for you are not safe..... And our current administration wants to keep you safe....So they can make slaves of all of us..... They tell us what to eat now what to drink , ect.,ect .... They want complete control of our lives.........

 

[GMD52]

If it's becoming the Govt's purpose to protect us from ourselves, whose job is it to protect them from themselves?

 

[BrianB]

It's getting to the point where the detector companies need to start lobbying for us, after all, it's their livelyhood that's at stake to.
If we can not go anywhere to do our hobby, they aren't going to be sell many new units in the near future.
I'm also into flying RC aircraft, and we have the AMA watching our back on the state and federal levels. gun owners have the NRA, golfers have the PGA, and USGA.
Then why is it, we the detectorist have no one watching our back, even if we have to pay a fee to join a national org. like the AMA, because this is the way the hobby is heading.
We could call it the, American Metal Detector Association, (AMDA), and Whites, Garrett, and the others could put this together to at least give us a fighting chance to save the hobby from going down the bowel.
Just my nuggett of wisdom for the day.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

It's getting to the point where the detector companies need to start lobbying for us, after all, it's their livelyhood that's at stake to.
If we can not go anywhere to do our hobby, they aren't going to be sell many new units in the near future.

Brian, it's already been done. It's called the "FMDAC". But the sad reality is, that unlike the NRA and other such special interest groups, there's simply not enough metal detector hobbyists out there. You need much more users/hobbyists to generate the type finances and support needed to have an impact like you have in mind. I mean, when you think of the NRA for example, there's TONS of gun and hunting enthusiasts out there everywhere, in every city, right? But when it comes to detectors, there's only a few hard-core guys in a city of 100,000 (not counting those who stick it in the closet and never use it). So we just don't have the #'s in our ranks.

You could counter-argue that the hobby of RC airplanes also has a small following of # of hobbyists, yet does have a lobbying group, that has "kept places open", and so forth. However, I wish our hobby was as "innocuous" as RC plane flying. When someone sits down to dream up a list of reasons to "deny access to RC planes", I can think of very few (perhaps I just don't know the hobby well enough though?). But when the subject of md'ing comes up, .... let's face it ..... it's full of connotations that you'd endlessly have to quell

 

[digging440yrs]

NO SMOKING, COOKING OR PETS IN YURTS ----WHAT THE HECK ARE YURTS

 

[bigfoot1]

a semi permanent tent=yurts

 

[Jason in Enid]

NO SMOKING, COOKING OR PETS IN YURTS ----WHAT THE HECK ARE YURTS

Well, I'm all for banning people from cooking their (or others) pets anyplace.

 

[BosnMate]

A yurt is a round platform tent in parks that are rented to campers. Not as fancy as a cabin, but better than a small dome tent. They also rent for a bit less than a cabin.

 

[Backbacon]

Went up to a local park and camp ground on the Umpqua River in Douglas County, Oregon. Up until now there have never been any rules on detecting or panning gold, and I have detected there many times. The park is open all year but the camp ground is closed off in the winter and it's a long hike down to where I like to hunt, so I usually let it go in the winter and when the camp ground opens in the spring I hustle up there and do a little metal detecting. The park is called "Whistlers Bend," and there is a sweeping bend in the river which makes a good gold catcher along the park side of the river, and I have a friend with a 4 inch dredge that has recovered at today's market price, a bit better than wages in gold dust, with an occasional picker, but nothing outstanding, just a fun place to dredge and pan, and a good place to detect around the pop tabs, and trust me, there are lots of them. Anyhow, I unlimbered my MXT, ground balanced, found a pop tab, and the very next find was a pocket spill of all zinclons. I was digging my sixth penny out of the same hole, less than 5 minutes into the hunt when the park manager pulled up and gave me this paper. He said he was sorry, but these are the new rules this year.
View attachment 776930 The line that counts is outlined in yellow. The manager couldn't give me a reason, and I didn't get nasty, just packed up and left.

You did the right thing by not getting nasty with the park manager. I wish that everyone that has found themselves in the same position would show the same maturity and restraint that you have done so. It is truly a sad day when any type of a ban regarding our hobby is implemented anywhere. I feel that the new ban may have resulted from excessive noise that occurred from any dredge operators in the area? The noise may have had an impact on everyone trying to enjoy a quiet natural setting? Personally, I would not want to hear any generators or any type of gas powered machinery if myself and the family were out for a nice afternoon. Metal detecting and panning would not leave a proverbial footprint like a dredge does. I'm not trying to yank your chain with this post as I know we have had some issues in the past with our respected views. I hope that this Bull clears and that you will eventually regain that area to detect again. Sincerely

Backbacon