Bad experiences while detecting in rough neighborhoods?

[Jay of MS]

Just wanted to hear stories of what you did when you had to deal with bad folks from these areas. Some of the best places to detect are right smack dab in the middle of gangland hoods .

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[kai_gold]

You could tear a strip of rag and wrap it around your detector housing then add a few wraps of duct tape to kind of make the detector look less desirable and get less attention from the questionable crowd. Usually if a rough group enters the park, I pack up and leave. Not worth risking my safety over a hobby. I also start searching these areas as early as possible and try not to create a pattern, i.e. detecting same day of the week... Avoiding conflict is better than dealing with it in these areas.

[boris]

You need a Rambo digging tool and perhaps a phone for to call 911.

[Tom_in_CA]

One time I was hunting an oldtown demolition site, in a very blighted ghetto district area . There were drug deals going down on the block , and hookers plying their trade . After awhile, I noticed a pimp and a hooker eyeing me off in the corner of the lot. I could overhear them sizing me up for a mugging or something ! (I guess they thought I couldn't hear them with my headphones on).

Needless to say I made my way to a more well-lit part of the lot lot!

[pokeropie]

get a permit carry a gun

[TheOldMan]

+++++

[greydigger]

Only bad thing I have experienced are folks who let their dogs run loose where leash laws are posted.
Yelling their dogs name 500 times as the dog explores everything.
"My dog has never bitten anyone before" is a lame excuse.
Don't get me wrong - I am a dog guy not a cat person. But owners should control their animals.
Some dogs just don't like people and it scares me to see a large dog running at me.
I don't know it's intentions so I react defensivley. (Sorry I Tased/shot your dog but why don't you have a leash).
That makes owners angry.
I have not done that yet but come close.
As far as bad people, never had a scare.
I carry a .45 and my hunting partner does too.
Concealed and Legal.
We watch each others backs but so far no problems.
I won't hunt without a partner.
Grey

[herb n surf]

I only hunt w/ others in those type areas . Also packing .

[kai_gold]

Only bad thing I have experienced are folks who let their dogs run loose where leash laws are posted.
Yelling their dogs name 500 times as the dog explores everything.
"My dog has never bitten anyone before" is a lame excuse.
Don't get me wrong - I am a dog guy not a cat person. But owners should control their animals.
Some dogs just don't like people and it scares me to see a large dog running at me.
Grey

I totally agree. Other day my 4 year old boy was getting scared and I was nervous myself as these kids had a pitbull without a leash that they brought to the totlot. The dog kept coming towards us and they had to keep calling the dog back. The kids said, "Don't worry she's friendly". Maybe to people the dog knows, but I still get nervous around some dogs as when I was younger a "Don't worry he's friendly" doberman attacked me on the arm for no reason. End of story, I took my boy and left.

[Cubfan64]

Lots of good advice. One thing I've also done in the past is carry a "dummy" wallet with a few 1$'s and some "fake" credit cards like the ones you get in the mail in applications now and then - maybe also carry along an old worthless cell phone (maybe some piece of crap you've found out hunting) and if someone approaches demanding my wallet or something, I just give them that and say it's all I have. Also - never wear jewelry when detecting (including wedding ring) in rough neighborhoods.

[Carolina Jack]

Good advice, I like the dummy wallet idea. But I still carry my S&W .40 cal

[kai_gold]

Good advice, I like the dummy wallet idea.

I second that.

[Bigcypresshunter]

Avoiding conflict is the best way of dealing with it. Calling 911 will only help you get an ambulance as they will not arrive in time.

The best advice is not to hunt alone. I think Sunday morning is best as there will be church goers out and about.

[Caprock_1964]

Hunt w/pards and early. All the no goods have usually passed out by then.

[boris]

Lots of good advice. One thing I've also done in the past is carry a "dummy" wallet with a few 1$'s and some "fake" credit cards like the ones you get in the mail in applications now and then - maybe also carry along an old worthless cell phone (maybe some piece of crap you've found out hunting) and if someone approaches demanding my wallet or something, I just give them that and say it's all I have. Also - never wear jewelry when detecting (including wedding ring) in rough neighborhoods.

well they could come back at you when they realize they were snookered. find a nice Rambo digging tool, it also digs. mine says SOG on it, nice find, looks Ranger type.

[boris]

Avoiding conflict is the best way of dealing with it. Calling 911 will only help you get an ambulance as they will not arrive in time.

The best advice is not to hunt alone. I think Sunday morning is best as there will be church goers out and about.

The ambulance would be for the pimp!

[Gunrunner61]

With a permit If you let the grip Or the Holster been seen at just the right time most see that the reward is just not worth the risk, no problems so far,
but who's to say.....best advice is to go in a group, or just not go into those places. LMHO.....HH

[Aztec Gold]

I was hunting in one of those areas not to long ago it was about noon during a weekday, so there wasn't any kids around just a couple of younger ladies with their toddlers, everything was going OK just finding trash but i wanted to hunt there bcuz its an old park then the ladies passed next to me and I heard one asking the other "what was I doing?" then the other said that I was looking for gold jewelry or something so they laughed and commented "In this park how dumb", so I felt stupid and embarrassed so I just left to another little park in a different area. I know that I shouldn't of care and just went on with my business but has anything like this happened to anyone?

[Treasure Hunter Gal]

I was hunting in one of those areas not to long ago it was about noon during a weekday, so there wasn't any kids around just a couple of younger ladies with their toddlers, everything was going OK just finding trash but i wanted to hunt there bcuz its an old park then the ladies passed next to me and I heard one asking the other "what was I doing?" then the other said that I was looking for gold jewelry or something so they laughed and commented "In this park how dumb", so I felt stupid and embarrassed so I just left to another little park in a different area. I know that I shouldn't of care and just went on with my business but has anything like this happened to anyone?

About a month ago, I had just arrived at a playground, and started hunting around the swings. The kids were in the other areas, and a mother walked up to me, with her son, about 10 yrs old, and said that her son needed to apologize to me. I was kind of dumbfounded, and had no idea what she was talking about. She went on to say that although I did not hear what he said, he made a disrespectful comment about me, and he needed to apologize for it. I was kind of speechless, and the boy said he should not have said what he did, because it was disrespectful, and he was sorry. I said, okay, and cothat I appreciated his apology, and that one day, he would appreciate his mother making him do that. She went on to say that she had 5 kids, and that she tries her best to raise them to be respectful, and that was not a comment that should have been made. I never knew what he said, but I figured it was something along the same lines as what you heard that day. I figure he saw me with my detector and said I was stupid to think I would find anything out there. lol...As always, my detector was a magnet to the kids, who eventually ended up following me around to help dig coins, and he was right in the middle of them. lol That was when I used to give them all the coins I found. I finally quit doing that, and only part with a coin or two now. I felt kind of guilty about that at first, but, I don't have to deal with it too much now that I have headphones. That boy that apologized, decided he was going to save up for a detector after digging and finding several quarters that day. lol

[panhandler]

Good advice, I like the dummy wallet idea. But I still carry my S&W .40 cal

if ya miss with that you will scare them to death!