"No Metal Detectors" Sign...

[bergie]

Met a nice ranger at the Olustee Battlefield site in Florida. He was telling me about a guy busted there about two weeks ago - facing 10 years, though probably get much less. Have to say pretty dumb to use a flashlight, right, how about some night vision goggles?! Just sayin; dumb no matter what of course, but that's super dumb...why not just light off a flare. I think they first got him with motion sensors anyway. He was telling me about 1994 - a detectorist took a shot at him and missed (gun, not a punch). He said that guy only got a year in the pen. He also told me about a guy he's buddies with who was out there before the 1979 law (maybe state law?) about detecting these types of sites. He said the guy had amazing finds and nobody at the battle site seemed to care at that time. He also showed me a photo of a fat rattlesnake that had eaten a squirrel. I wanted to go check it out, but he asked me to leave it along (was just going to look from a ways away). Anyway, good guy. Here's the sign! (Should really be no detectorists!)

 

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[against the wind]

There are lots of public spaces where you can metal detector legally in Florida. If you're serious about staying on the right side of the law,, it is up to each and every one of us to learn about the restrictions that are imposed by municipalities. You really did good in having this conversation with the ranger. I do it all the time.
All National Parks, all National Battle Sites are off limits. State parks and local municipalities will make all restrictions available upon request. A simple Email request will usually get you a yes or no or a list of restrictions. I have gained permission to hunt thousands of acres using the internet. Tnet and other forums have additional information on metal detecting across the U.S.A.

 

[Eastcoasthunter21]

This sign was in my honor.

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

 

[b3y0nd3r]

yea let those relics rot in the ground. don't dig it up and save it!

 

[treblehunter]

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

Way to go Charlie!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It is a state park and against the law to hunt state parks in Florida with out prior rangers approval.

 

[P.ALLEN]

My friend had an uncle in Tunica who got wasted and backed up his truck to a cannon rig at Shiloh and took off with it, pretty sure he got 15 years for that. I don't remember what the sentence was but he went to the fed pen

 

[against the wind]

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

Thanks for the post,, I appreciate your sharing this story. Too bad you didn't get the individual's name and official title. Maybe he had the authority to create Town policy without anyone else's input. Maybe he didn't.
I think after hearing his comments and the fact that he pointed that sign out, he is a real Smart A$$.
That sign is on public property and should be marked with the town/city department that is responsible for replacement and enforcement.
I definitely think the so called official overstepped his authority. I would have written a few letters accompanied by pictures of both him and the sign.
It wouldn't be the first time I came across a so called "Official" who was full of soup.
The park wasn't productive, but that's not the point.
While working in a civil service position for 26 years,, I was taught to make sure, my house was clean before complaining about someone else's. This guy may have some faults that just may put a damper on HIS recreational activities.

 

[bilder]

No metal detecting, yet your dogs can crap all over the place and the homeless can live there no problem.......

 

[peruna]

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

Sadly, there are folks in the world that demand others "respect mah au-thor-itay", when in fact they are broken people just like the rest of us. His moment of triumph was short-lived, and ECH 21, you get the joy of doing something fun and productive elsewhere. That poor soul gains nothing but bringing misery to others, and living in that misery himself every day. Glad you are not him.

You handled yourself well, ECH21...he did not. Nicely done.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Please keep political statements out of all forums but our politics forum.

 

[peruna]

Please keep political statements out of all forums but our politics forum.

Understood.

Not intended to demonstrate any affiliation or opinion pro or con re. politics...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Understood.

Not intended to demonstrate any affiliation or opinion pro or con re. politics...

Peruna,my post wasn't directed at your post , the post in question and the quote of it were deleted.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Please keep political statements out of all forums but our politics forum.

I like your Avatar.

 

[b3y0nd3r]

So anyway, watch out for those bums!

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

So anyway, watch out for those bums!

Wait, does that mean it was MY post that was deleted? A 'political' post?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

WTG b3y0nd3r!
That is freaking Hilarious.

 

[Kurios1]

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

What a buttmuncher. Give a jerk a "title" and they think they are the GOD of the old testament. Can't wait to rain hail and brimstone down on some innocent citizen just looking to enjoy life. @#& that !*?% !!!

 

[Kurios1]

My friend had an uncle in Tunica who got wasted and backed up his truck to a cannon rig at Shiloh and took off with it, pretty sure he got 15 years for that. I don't remember what the sentence was but he went to the fed pen

A friend and I got wasted way back in our youth and pulled down an outhouse with his 4 x 4 on an abandoned farm. Thanks for reminding me of that.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I was in fla last year (I winter there ) I was hunting this park
Now I called the county and was told no rule says I can not hunt in the park
Well I hunted it for a week ( found nothing) of any significance each day I saw this guy having lunch
We chatted he asked what i was Doing digging up the park ,I told him I called asked and what I was told ,he said OK that was that. I parked in the same spot each time.
On the 4th day I pull up. Park the car. Gear up ,I see the guy he says hey did you see the sign ?
Right in front of my car was this still wet new shinny sign.

Ooh he was a town official. He said he had the sign made "just for me".
Hh gl

gl, yours is a very TELLING post. It puts a beam of light on several issues:

A) you got permission (although many of us don't think you needed to do that, if there were no specific rule against it). But your permission didn't do you diddly squat good, if someone higher up, or competing, doesn't like it. Ie.: You're permission is promptly revoked.

Well GEE, so much for thinking "permission solves all potential problems", eh ? Yet for some reason, despite stories like yours, many md'rs continue to go grovelling around city halls , thinking a "yes" is solve-all. [Not to mention they risked a whimsical "no" from possibly someone who'd never have noticed them or given the matter a moment's thought ].

B) You were (presumably) making no mess. You were presumably leaving no trace, covering your spots, etc... So the mantra of "someone left holes" (as the go-to reason people think parks become off-limits) did NOT apply in this case. THE MERE PRESENCE of a man with a detector , simply carries the connotation. WHETHER OR NOT it was true.

C) And I'm assuming this was turfed park, right ? If so, yours is the perfect example of the reason why 90% of my turfed park hunting is done at night nowadays. So peaceful. So serene. What someone doesn't see doesn't hurt them. Problem solved.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... Have to say pretty dumb to use a flashlight, right, ...

bergie, I have read the accounts of various tickets, confiscations, etc... for people who got caught at obvious historic sensitive monuments (places where the md'r knew better). And some times I have to groan at the story leading up to the "bust" : It's silly things that .... a numb-nuts md'r makes himself a giant bullseye . With utterly no discretion in using lights, leaving marks. Which lead rangers to surmise "someone must be coming in here at night", etc...

Numb-nuts md'rs deserve it