Milford Pa a nice place NOT to go detecting.

[b3y0nd3r]

So, a friend of mine lives a few towns away from Milford, so I decided to visit and take him detecting in Milford. As we arrived at the first spot, there was a policeman there, and we asked for permission, he gave with two exceptions: Fill in your holes and no detecting in the ball field. No problem. After we scoured the place, my friend found a 1918S merc I found a 1954 nickel. There wasn't much there. We head to another park and I can tell, that that place was hit real hard too.

After a while, a woman starts to approach me. I knew exactly what was going to happen and what her intentions were. I shut my machine off, took off my head phones and greeted her with a smile and said "Hello". Her tone was nasty and condescending from start to finish.

Her: What do you think you are doing! You can't do this here!
Me: I'm metal detecting. This is a public park correct?
Her: yes it is.
Me: There isn't any signs or an ordinance against metal detecting that I saw, Is there?
Her: No I don't think so. How deep does that thing go?
Me: It depends on the size of the object.
Her: So you are using it to find deep stuff?
Me: I am using it to find all kinds of stuff. Are you with the city council?
Her: Yes I am. I think you need a permit to dig.
(At this point I was confidant enough that there wasn't anything worth fighting for, but I needed one piece of information from her.)
Me: Well, if that is the way you feel we will leave, we don't want any trouble.
Her: Okay, thank you(very sarcastic).
Me: By the way, what is your name?
Her: Annette H**r.(A smart person can figure out what letters I blanked out)
Me: okay Annette have a nice day.
Her: What is your name?
Me: (I told her my first name)
Her: Do you have a last name(real nasty tone)
Me: (Laughing at her) Lady, I ain't giving you my last name you are throwing us out!
Her: I thought there wasn't any problem?
Me: There isn't, we are leaving.

No courtesy, didn't know local laws, and was rude and condescending the whole conversation.

I hope there are voters from Milford on here. If this type of person is on your town council, you may want to change that.

 

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[FreeBirdTim]

Someone on the town council has no authority to tell you not to do anything. If that was me, I'd tell her to take a hike. My stock reply to any jerk who harasses me is "If you don't like it, call a cop". If a cop shows up and tells me to leave, I'll leave. Town council members, baseball coaches or grounds keepers get the same exact answer from me.

It's a good idea to be decent, but you have to stand up for your rights or you'll lose them. Just my take on the situation...

 

[Kurios1]

I get so frustrated with puny minded control freaks thinking they have the "authority" of GOD to manipulate and harass the "common" folk. I am with Tim here. I would have probably been as cordial as possible to this rude woman and stated we had already asked for permission from the local police and went about my business. Giving in to bullies only encourages their immature and childish behavior. Sorry you had to experience this first hand. Thanks for the well laid out post of events.

 

[flinthunter]

Had almost the same problem in a city park in Dana, Illinois. This lady comes out of her house across the street literally screaming at my wife and I that we couldn't dig holes in their beautiful park. She said she was the mayors sister-in-law and she was going to call the cops if we didn't leave, so we left. This Podunk little town of maybe 150 people had a junk car setting in about every third driveway and she was worried about their little half block park. LOL

 

[Tom_in_CA]

And this is exactly why 99% of my manicured turf hunting is done at night. So peaceful. So serene. Presto: Problem solved.

 

[Kurios1]

And this is exactly why 99% of my manicured turf hunting is done at night. So peaceful. So serene. Presto: Problem solved.

Exactly! Getting Java'd up right now for a night on the town.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Streamlight...039441&hash=item33ccf776c8:g:TVwAAOSwkShY-Lgg

This is the Make & Model of headlamp I use. I prefer the Green LED as it is more inconspicuous and least battery draining and lasts for several hours of use.

 

[SteveOrygun]

And this is exactly why 99% of my manicured turf hunting is done at night. So peaceful. So serene. Presto: Problem solved.

Enlighten me/us on any light you use...

Rule 1, My personality is me, my attitude is you.
Rule 2, Introduce yourself before you start talking to me. A handshake does wonders to smooth over just about anything!!
Rule 3, Cant do 1 or 2? Your not going to enjoy our encounter..

 

[walnuttree]

People got nothing better to do than pick on us metal detectorists. They should be more concerned about their kids on drugs or property taxes and the like rather than go nurse ratched on us. Of course some lowlife narccasists could've been there before you and dug a bunch of holes without filling them and leaving the trash finds next to the unfilled hole. That'll ruin it for everyone.

 

[b3y0nd3r]

Well, here is the thing. I am not from anywhere near there. I know that there are fellow hobbyists that live there so i didnt want to push it.

 

[Kurios1]

Had almost the same problem in a city park in Dana, Illinois. This lady comes out of her house across the street literally screaming at my wife and I that we couldn't dig holes in their beautiful park. She said she was the mayors sister-in-law and she was going to call the cops if we didn't leave, so we left. This Podunk little town of maybe 150 people had a junk car setting in about every third driveway and she was worried about their little half block park. LOL

Not sure where Dana is? Maybe I'll have to make a special road trip to come meet this fine specimen of a lady who occupies the home across from the park.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....This is the Make & Model of headlamp I use. ....

Enlighten me/us on any light you use.......

Uhhh, no, bad idea (IMHO). With lights, you'll just become a magnet beacon for curious passerbys from afar. Instead: Wait for a full-moon night. And let your eyes adjust to the moon and star light. Make sure it's not a cloudy night (which obscures the moon and stars). And make sure to watch the moon-rise and moon-set charts too. As there's some nights where the moon "sets" at 9pm, or doesn't "rise" till after mid-night, etc...

And just take a penlight on a lanyard to look at the dates on coins.

Another reason for head-lamps being a bad idea, is that your pupils become adjusted to *Just* that beam of light. And you become blind to everything else around you. Trust me: Once your eyes become adjusted to the full-moon, there's plenty of light to see bushes, rocks, obstructions, etc....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

People got nothing better to do than pick on us metal detectorists. They should be more concerned about their kids on drugs or property taxes and the like rather than go nurse ratched on us. ....

You know what the difference is between those kids doing drugs is? The kids who sneak off to smoke a joint do so with a little ... uh ... discreetness. They don't go out at high noon in a park like some md'rs who think red-carpets ought to be rolled out for them. And the property tax scofflaw doesn't waive flags, ask permission to skip out on his taxes, etc... Shame on those teenage kids and tax-scofflaws, eh ?

.... some lowlife narccasists could've been there before you and dug a bunch of holes without filling them and leaving the trash finds next to the unfilled hole. .....

That might be the reason for SOME scrams and/or rules. However, keep in mind that the MERE SIGHT of a "man with a detector" can conjur up images of "holes" to a busy-body. EVEN IF THEY NEVER SAW A HOLE. Oh sure , if you object and say "... but why?", they will of course say "holes". As the "go-to" excuse to justify the "no" or "scram" they just gave you.

So the md'r mutters under his breath "durned that md'r who must've left holes". But I'm not so sure there was ever necessarily cases of "holes" in those cases. More often than not it's just the go-to reason.

The mere fact they saw an md'r the week before, could cause the jump in their minds. They just ASSUME that prior md'rs "left holes". So don't be so sure that when you hear of someone who 'saw holes' or "no because of holes", that there was necessarily ever a case of that. It's often just the knee-jerk connotation on their part.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You should have been detecting by yourself. No bulky headphones,no finds pouch and only a hand digger without a handle in your back pocket. When will you people learn ? I'm guessing never.

The context of the OP does seem to indicate 2 persons, rather than 1. But in my experience, this "eye-sore" effect to which you allude to (multiple md'rs eliciting a "what's going on?" effect) is not usually pronounced till you add the 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc... hunter. Because yes, by then, someone's bound to ask "gee, what are they doing?". Whereas a single hunter is ignored. But two hunters are still off the radar, IMHO, provided they have a polite distance apart.

As far as the size of headphones, not sure what that has to do with it. I suppose if the ear-muffs are old-fashioned large (versus walk-man style teensy) that it has less of a science-fiction-movie image of "geiger-counter-ing" ? If so, good point. The less noticeable the headphones, the less of a curiosity-draw it is, eh ?

As for the size/type of digger, the OP never said what his digger was.

 

[jeff of pa]

I don't hide what I do. I'm not breaking any Laws .

 

[b3y0nd3r]

The key is to be low-key as you never really know what pushes a person's button. One person is lower key than two. Looking low key can be very helpful. If the OP did not detect there with a digger with a cut-off handle in his back pocket it means he didn't do something that could have been helpful.

my pin-pointer and digger were both in my back pocket! But anyway, I did nothing wrong, broke no rules, but it wasn't worth fighting for in a town far away with not even quarters to find.

 

[jeff of pa]

my pin-pointer and digger were both in my back pocket! But anyway, I did nothing wrong, broke no rules, but it wasn't worth fighting for in a town far away with not even quarters to find.

yep. Sometimes it's just not worth the fight.
Normally I just say OK , nod, agree, and Kill them with Kindness, apologies, understanding & hope they leave first so I can go on hunting.

If they don't bow out first, i move on.

but it's so rare for it to happen here , I'd have to think hard to describe actual Examples in detail.

one thing I remember hearing from cops [local & state] is the New Rule, I have to share the Gold with Them I've also received Leads from Police.

 

[MUDSLINGER]

sometimes a bit of a ruse can work; My wife lost her grandmother's wedding ring and she so wants me to find it; plays to the emotions of a female busybody. Or we are volunteers trying to rid this park of dropped drug needles so that kids can play safely; works on both genders. Have some sharp and dangerous objects in your pouch to show them busybodies.

 

[Obsessive]

Got a nice high-tone right here... lemme check the plug first.

 

[jeff of pa]

Got a nice high-tone right here... lemme check the plug first.

View attachment 1482738

I bet it was a 3 Cent silver, Half Dime or coke can

 

[flinthunter]

Not sure where Dana is? Maybe I'll have to make a special road trip to come meet this fine specimen of a lady who occupies the home across from the park.

LOL Kurios1. Dana is down Rt. 39 maybe 25 miles South of LaSalle, and then East 5 or 10 miles. I won't put her actual last name on here, but it sounds a lot like Off-Her-Rocker.