Have Any of You Had Bad Experiences With People that See You Metal Detecting?

[coinman123]

I have not have many bad experience, most people are interested in my hobby and ask some questions like "Find anything cool?" Every now and then I have some bad experiences. I have had people call the cops on me even though I am metal detecting legally on public land. I was metal detecting in some public woods when a mom with two kids sees me metal detecting, the woman stands there staring at me for two minutes then pulls out her phone and dials a number. Ten mintues later a police officer rides by on his bike and stares at me as he rides by than turns around, he never said a word to me even though he noticed I was there, I was there for another hour before I left with no problems. I was metal detecting with a friend when I person walks by and asks, "Hello, How are you, are you metal detecting?" he seemed friendly so my friend relied and said, "Yes, we are, we are looking for old relics and such from the colonial times" He said, "There are some cellar holes over here, probably good stuff there" I said, "Cool, I will have to check there for old items" He was nice at that time then he said this, "If you find anything, even if it is a gold coin, just leave it where you found in and put it back in the hole, it would be very bad to take anything with you" he said in an aggravated tone of voice. The place where I was at was legal to metal detect at, I checked the laws for the town and it said that it was fine to metal detect in that kind of place. What was weird was that he gave me a great place and told me not to detect there? The most weird thing happened when I was alone, at a playground. A man walks up to me and reaches for my metal detector, I move it away. He asks, "Can I hold your metal detector". I said, "No thank you, I am using it right now" He reaches for it again. Than he says, "How much do you think your metal detector is worth" I say, you can get metal detectors pretty cheap, under one hundred dollars for some. Then he says, "Can I look at it for a second?" while reaching for it again. I say no thank you, I am running low on time and have to go. So I quickly go to the car, he is following me until I get in the parking lot. I have feeling he wanted to take my metal detector. When I once went to the beach have had people ask questions throw pennies to see if I can find them, I had one person say that it is very cool and took off his watch and said, "How deep can it find this so I did an air test on it for him" I have never had people be that persistent as that man was though and it made me suspicious, he was lurking around the outskirts of the playground at 6pm with no kids when he walked up to me.

On a more better note, the nice experiences I have had with people weigh out any bad ones, a police officer who stays at the playground to not let anything bad happened walked up and when I was expecting her to say, "you can't be here" she said, "Wow, That looks pretty fun, Hope you find a treasure chest!" I had a school teacher walk up to me and say, "Hello, I see your metal detecting, that is my favorite hobby, I'm part of the NH Metal detecting club and if you want, next year you could join, I once took my class for a metal detecting trip in the woods behind that school, my best find ever was a dateless KGII, look my name up in the phone book and call me for any info, if you want, I know some good places that you can hunt" That was right before the hunt in which I found my Solid silver monogrammed buckle in the woods below the school.


Coinman123,

 

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[mxh5891]

Sounds like you did the right thing and got the heck out of there when that guy approached you and wanted to hold your detector. I would have done the same thing, except I WOULD HAVE MADE SURE HE SAW THAT I WAS HOLDING MY LECSHE DIGGER. I have only had the cops called on me once, and it was in my town homes community tot lot. Cops came and said oh your just metal detecting, and left. They said they got a call about a suspicious person digging in the tot lot and the person though I must have been booby trapping the tot lot or something.

99% of the people I meet just ask me if I found anything cool, and my answer 100% of the time is "only some pennies and dimes and trash" Even if I just found a gold coin. They don't need to know what I really find.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

I've not had an overall bad experience, but I simply don't want to be bothered when detecting.
I've been approached by a cop, wanting my permit shown, which I immediately procured. I've been approached by a grounds keeper who thought I was poaching. I explained my actions and was granted permission by him, although I had previously obtained permission from his boss. I didn't rock the boat.
I've encountered another metal detectorist, deep in the woods, that I noticed was carrying a concealed weapon. I asked why, and was told, "ya never know". A favorable conversation ensued.
But no...
Hope I don't.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[DigIron2]

When I was a kid, I had some nucklehead approach me asking me if I was supposed to be there,pretty much trying to run me off.I was on state property, and maybe I wasn't supposed to be there,but I mean it was right off the road,and no one said anything to me all the times I went there."But what was it to him anyway?"He had nothing to do with the place.Just some jealous busy body that just didn't like the fact that I was there finding stuff,I mean It was a good spot and a historical place.I wish that guy would come at me like that now!Now you got me upset coinman

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I have had my share of good meetings with strangers, and bad run-ins with strangers. It's inevitable, in a hobby like ours with "connotations", that .... eventually, someone going to say something like "you can't do that here" blah blah blah.

Which is why most of my hunting is done at night nowadays. So peaceful. So serene

 

[Slingshot]

Back in the early 80's I had a traveling job, and was working at Oak Ridge TN. During a nighttime working period, I had days off so I would do some detecting around town. I was working some tree yards by some old WWII era apartments, which had turned into a seedy part of town, and had a guy run at me screaming, stopping right in front of me screaming at the top of his lungs about how I shouldn't be doing what I was. I stood my ground and was ready to put him into the middle of next week, as I'm no small guy, grew up in a seedy part of Atlanta and am well versed in defending myself. Finally he stopped and went away. I continued my dig, and hit 2 mercs and a silver spoon immediately after the encounter.
On another occasion shortly after that I was on a job in Miami, and nighttime work again permitted me to hunt during the day, so I headed to Miami Beach and had done pretty well for several days when I was approached by what looked to be a Haitian. He produced a 8" butcher knife, pointed it at me and then offered to sell it to me for $10. I paid the guy, and that was the end of my detecting at Miami Beach. You gotta know when to hold em, and when to fold em. Cheers!!
P.S. I still have the knife, an Old Hickory, and have used it digging as it works great cutting plugs in wet turf, but I think I paid too much for it, but hey, peace of mind...

 

[coinman123]

Sounds like you did the right thing and got the heck out of there when that guy approached you and wanted to hold your detector. I would have done the same thing, except I WOULD HAVE MADE SURE HE SAW THAT I WAS HOLDING MY LECSHE DIGGER. I have only had the cops called on me once, and it was in my town homes community tot lot. Cops came and said oh your just metal detecting, and left. They said they got a call about a suspicious person digging in the tot lot and the person though I must have been booby trapping the tot lot or something.

99% of the people I meet just ask me if I found anything cool, and my answer 100% of the time is "only some pennies and dimes and trash" Even if I just found a gold coin. They don't need to know what I really find.

I always say, "Oh just a rusty nail and couple of pennies" I agree with you.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I find the males fear me too much
the females give the most trouble, wanting hugs all the time

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

He reaches for it again. Than he says, "How much do you think your metal detector is worth?"

You should have replied "about twice what my .45 Auto pistol cost - but not as easy to carry."

 

[cw0909]

yea a pervert, was watching one time from across the river, on a bluff
i take the headphones off to tell him he is a sick @#$^ and hes' yelling
i got the gems jewels for ya,while he was doing the deed, completely nude

 

[Nitric]

My detecting experiences have been good!

I was told to leave a state park by a ranger when I first started detecting. It wasn't a bad experience though.

I'm usually off the beaten path or would go to playgrounds later in the evening when there wasn't many people around.

I did detect a yard when I first started, the home owner stood right beside me and as soon as I started digging he would reach in and grab whatever it was that we found. At the time it annoyed me because I was new to the hobby and I wanted to see what I found first!!

I can't remember anything bad or scary at the moment...

I had a funny experience.....A guy gave me permission to a historical site, he gave me his name and said if I have any problems just to tell them he said it was ok. Later on(week or so) while I was detecting a man and a lady walked up looking kind of confused, asking me what the heck I was doing! I told her this man gave me permission and gave her the name. The name was from the original owner of the site and had been dead for about 100 years. They thought it was funny, after I told them he was mowing the yard and I asked for permission. It was just some guy that worked there that had a sense of humor! I was a little embarrassed after I read the plaque in front of the building and the name was on it in the description! lol

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I guess my most unnerving encounter was the shot gun toting guy walking across the park toward me to see what I was up to, seems they have drug dealing problems there. Never been back there, and did not tell hubby! Lol!

I have been told I can't detect a State Park by a park ranger, I left.

I have also had a city police car come to a skidding halt in front of me at a beach park and tell me "you can metal detect all you want but you cannot dig on city property" as I see over his shoulder a boy and his dog digging shells, and 4 people digging up clams. But I was the "bad" one with the metal detector! Lol, I wanted to give him back all the trash I dug but I didn't.

Then there have been all the people who ask questions, or ask if I've found their gold- ring/necklace etc.

And the penny throwers, and a guy that was asking questions about detecting and laughing at me the whole time, that was annoying.

Most people have been nice, the police, the maintenance guy, even a lady that thought I was needy because I was digging change and gave me a quarter and insisted I keep it. Sometimes it's quicker to just say thanks and keep detecting.
When people start coming around that make me uncomfortable I leave.

 

[Auriemma]

I have also had a city police car come to a skidding halt in front of me at a beach park and tell me "you can metal detect all you want but you cannot dig on city property" as I see over his shoulder a boy and his dog digging shells, and 4 people digging up clams. But I was the "bad" one with the metal detector! Lol, I wanted to give him back all the trash I dug but I didn't.

No, but I would have mentioned the child and the clam digger... The law applies to all, not just MDers.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

No, but I would have mentioned the child and the clam digger... The law applies to all, not just MDers.

Auriemma, this oddity has come up much on md'ing forums. The notion that someone can say "no" to md'ing, while citing "holes" as their rationale. Yet, oddly, there can be other activities like cleets and sporting, or dogs pooping, etc... that can be more of a nuisance than ANY md'r ever was ! And .... like in ms-beep-beeps example, such an odd reason can even come ON THE BEACH for pete's sake.

But: Do you know what the difference is, between us, and all those other users of the beach and park ?

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I'm the one carting the "evil" magic thing...a metal detector! Lol!
I just deal with it and move on, get more detecting done.

Two people can pick up a 1964 dime off the sand but the one holding a metal detector will get more scrutiny, guaranteed !

 

[Slingshot]

I'm the one carting the "evil" magic thing...a metal detector! Lol!
I just deal with it and move on, get more detecting done.

Two people can pick up a 1964 dime off the sand but the one holding a metal detector will get more scrutiny, guaranteed !

They fear us.

 

[bzbadger]

I went to a new site and had some guy come up and start telling me I wouldn't find anything there, I asked why? This nut started telling me because I had a piece of junk detector and gear and that he with hid expensive detector had gotten it all. Now im standing there with a Garrett AT pro, Nel hunter coil, grey ghost headphones, my own personal stainless steel shovels that we professionally make and sell, Garrett pro pin pointer while he has in hand a bounty hunter QD2, a pair of no name ear buds, a hand digger from WalMart. I busted out laughing at him.
As far as scary run ins with people im usually very friendly and if I notice someone looking at me I smile ask how they're doing but if they have attitude I turn mine on real quick because most ppl are cowards and back down easily. I've had too many years chasing the worst if our population, dealing with them listening to their lies to just back down if they get loud or threaten to use their cellphone. Of course size helps

 

[chirper97]

99.9% no problems. 1 snooty lady exclaiming that the garbage I had removed from a sidewalk curb strip had to be worth big bucks. I felt like dumping it and saying "Lady, it's all yours!"

I moved on.

 

[bzbadger]

99.9% no problems. 1 snooty lady exclaiming that the garbage I had removed from a sidewalk curb strip had to be worth big bucks. I felt like dumping it and saying "Lady, it's all yours!"

I moved on.

And then she would have called the cops and got u for littering.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

They fear us.

As well they should Slingshot, I even scare me sometimes! Lol!