Messed up!

[bzbadger]

An event was offered to our club and others to be able to hunt in an area in Maryland that dated back to 1631 but it cost $40 per person but not only were we able to hunt "virgin" ground but receive a year long family membership to events of the place and its other sister places.
16 of our group including myself go to this place which is an hour and a half drive and when we get there we find out that this so called "virgin" first settlement ground has been detected on before several times. I even speak to one person who brought this to our attention and find out he himself has been there twice.
60 people are at this event on 510 acres and we hunt the crap out of it and not 1 freaking good coin or relic shows up N O T O N E! I made a comment that I think the place has been cherry picked and I get an attitude of sorts from one of the people sponsoring this who says how can I say that because id only been in a couple areas? I replied with nobody anywhere found anything so I feel I can and justifiably so.
To spend $40 to pick up trash, to drive 1.5 hours to pick up trash is messed up! To be told "virgin" ground and its been hunted till the only thing left was trash is messed up!
Only good thing is the sponsors may try to get us access to some other ground but who knows if its been picked over like a three day old Thanksgiving turkey. Buyer beware I guess.

 

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[Ahab8]

Bummer! I would always be skeptical of things like that. The chances of a site that big and that early being virgin....not too good. But I'm trusting like you and want to believe what im told

 

[Digger Max]

No telling how many hunts have been held there.
sounds like they are in it for the money. HH to all

 

[bzbadger]

Well this place which I don't want to name is private land but part if a wildlife refuge. They have tours etc and are part of a group of places that do this located on land that dates back to the earliest settlements of this country. With a reputation of being so very old and private you would assume when they make a bold statement that we're opening our doors to metal detectorists on untouched ground that they mean it, but no they meant detectorists coming in a club hunt manner which makes me believe they knew exactly what they were doing and I don't like deceptive practices. I'd have rather saved time and money and gone to one of my local spots that pays out religiously. Oh well you live and learn. If you get an invite to detect in Maryland and its a wildlife refuge turn away.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

bz-badger, I don't believe the claim by them that the spot was "virgin", was necessarily deceptive, purposeful, etc.... It could have been quite sincere on their end. Because in my nearly 40 yrs. of this, I've heard many entities claim things like ".... and no one's ever metal detected here before". They might be quite sincere in thinking/claiming that, but the reality is: they simply don't know.

Even when some landowner is adamant about it. And when you question them about how they know, it'll usually be something silly like "because I've never seen anyone detecting at this park before" Well duh, do they watch it 24 x7 everyday ?. Or "because I've never given anyone permission before" Well duh, how do they know that their kid brother, or the ranch-hand who works on the weekends, didn't invite their buddy ? Or how do they know someone didn't ... uh .... "help themselves" ? Or how do they know it wasn't detected before their current ownership ?

 

[bzbadger]

Totally agree with you. Unless they live smack dab in the middle of the field and sleep on their porch they wouldn't know 100%. I just don't like the deception used to bring about interest into the event. If they had said we have had a few ppl here before I could say I made an educated decision and the fault would then be on my shoulders if I didn't find anything..as of now its on them because they took money and only until minutes into the event was it said they had other ppl there several times. The one guy I know personally and he is one of the best detectorists I know and is like a bloodhound so with him being there its been gone over well. To me someone finding a dropped pocket knife, a cheap saint Christopher medallion and a 1962 silver quarter doesn't show well for a place settled in 1631

 

[Davers]

That Sux ..
60 people & not 1 good relic in a place that Old

Sounds like 95% of my hunting spots..LOL

Well in Hind Sight at least U got some Garbage out of the NP.

We live & We learn.

Thanks For the Info.
Davers

 

[Davers]

bz-badger, I don't believe the claim by them that the spot was "virgin", was necessarily deceptive, purposeful, etc.... It could have been quite sincere on their end. Because in my nearly 40 yrs. of this, I've heard many entities claim things like ".... and no one's ever metal detected here before". They might be quite sincere in thinking/claiming that, but the reality is: they simply don't know.

Even when some landowner is adamant about it. And when you question them about how they know, it'll usually be something silly like "because I've never seen anyone detecting at this park before" Well duh, do they watch it 24 x7 everyday ?. Or "because I've never given anyone permission before" Well duh, how do they know that their kid brother, or the ranch-hand who works on the weekends, didn't invite their buddy ? Or how do they know someone didn't ... uh .... "help themselves" ? Or how do they know it wasn't detected before their current ownership ?

IMO 95% of all Early American sites, Colonial - CW Even Nat , Parks have been Detected, Unless on the Sea floor or Under many Meters of fill Dirt.

That said sometimes folk do Stumble upon Virgin Spots but it's much less likely these days.

As to " How Hard " said places have been detected is another Question.

 

[Davers]

Totally agree with you. Unless they live smack dab in the middle of the field and sleep on their porch they wouldn't know 100%. I just don't like the deception used to bring about interest into the event. If they had said we have had a few ppl here before I could say I made an educated decision and the fault would then be on my shoulders if I didn't find anything..as of now its on them because they took money and only until minutes into the event was it said they had other ppl there several times. The one guy I know personally and he is one of the best detectorists I know and is like a bloodhound so with him being there its been gone over well. To me someone finding a dropped pocket knife, a cheap saint Christopher medallion and a 1962 silver quarter doesn't show well for a place settled in 1631

Was that 1962 Quarter & Silver ' I suppose' Silver St, Christopher Medallion The best things Dug?
If not What were the Best Finds? If you don't mind..
Davers

 

[Davers]

Also Hopefully the Year long Membership to it & it;s sister Sites will be helpful to you & your family. ( if close enough by)
I'd take my Detector to these Sister Sites , maybe they will let you hunt them as well?
My opinion Only.
Davers

 

[Ahab8]

IMO 95% of all Early American sites, Colonial - CW Even Nat , Parks have been Detected, Unless on the Sea floor or Under many Meters of fill Dirt.

That said sometimes folk do Stumble upon Virgin Spots but it's much less likely these days.

I intentionally look for spots that have no recorded history. There's certain characteristics to the land that were conducive to colonial settlement. Sometimes I strike out but once in awhile it pays off. That's a great feeling!

 

[bzbadger]

Was that 1962 Quarter & Silver ' I suppose' Silver St, Christopher Medallion The best things Dug?
If not What were the Best Finds? If you don't mind..
Davers

Those were the best finds of the day sadly. The enjoyable part was being out there with friends doing something I like that's the good thing I can take away from this. Also there was a raffle for a new bounty hunter tracker 4 and there wad a 9 year old boy there, the only person without a detector, who was helping his dad dig..that boy won the detector which made me happy. Any time a kid involves themselves into an outside activity and not glued to a TV and Xbox im happy. Good did come of this and I hope more will come, a little prayer to God always helps.

 

[lookindown]

They shouldn't have called it virgin ground unless they knew it for sure...with random people saying they had already been there twice, seems like they should have known...they should know the history of the place before they call it virgin...the only way they would get a pass is if the people that said they had hunted there did it without permission...I don't think someone would of told you they had hunted there before if they did it without permission.

 

[ryaan21]

Keep looking man. I never thought I would find a true virgin spot and found 2 of them this past season, only got to hunt one of them for like a month before the snow fell.

 

[bzbadger]

Oh believe me I have virgin ground or was until the badger got hold of it muhahaha. Seriously I do have several spots nobody has touched and have a lot of history going back to revolutionary war and civil war. My main thing about this site was to have two respected fellow hunters come to a club meeting and announce this exhibition hunt, say it dates back to 1600's say it's untouched blah blah blah, they read off the information sheet given by the place and 16 of us buy into it at $40 per. One of the two guys that told us shows up and he happens to be the one who states he has been there twice himself and as I said he is a bloodhound and that ticks me off. I feel I wad not only deceived by the place but by him especially because he passed the info along, he helped set this up, he had three tables there set up showing finds and items to sell. Why wasn't he out hunting with us I wondered and I got my answer, he had been there and had no need. When 60 ppl hunt a place for 3 hours and come up empty handed on a place that should be like Eldorado some funny Bull crap is going on. I'm the VP of the club and I got an earful of unhappy members and I will sit down with the president to see if any action can and will take place. $40 at 60 ppl =s $2400 so a nice hall for fooling a group of honest ppl that want to enjoy their sport. Sorry guys im still ticked off by this.