Kicked out

[Rylflush]

Git kicked out of a local park yesterday, even though I said I wasn't digging and just surface hunting the ranger (teen ager) said I had to go and if I didn't he'd take my equipment and write me a ticket. He was a small kid, try and take my equipment away! But I figured I'd just walk away.

 

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[Steveo]

Not cool at all man.Ya did the right thing to just walk away without making a mess of it.Just between you & me the only way that kid would get my detector is if it was sticking out his.........well ya know where I'm going with that ..................

Good luck

 

[snakeyes]

I always carry a lot of the crap I find with me, I would show it to him and ask should I put it back ?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

is this a city level park? county level? state level? fed. level? etc..... Are there any actual rules which *specifically* say "no metal detecting" in that cities (or counties, or state, or whatever) laws/rules? If not, then the fellow had no reason to boot you. Unless, of course, he says "he was making a mess" (even if it's not true, if you had even so much as a PROBE/SCREWDRIVER to poke around with), and you'll "loose the debate". So sometimes it's just better to steer clear of these persons, give lip service, move on, and just return when they're not on -shift. Ie.: low-traffic off-times.

It's actually gotten to where I simply do most of my park -hunting at dusk, or early AM's, or any other odd-ball times, JUST to avoid busy-bodies. Not because there's necessarily any "rules" (there rarely is), but to avoid any connotations, which, admittedly, this hobby has.

 

[ticm]

I always carry a lot of the crap I find with me, I would show it to him and ask should I put it back ?

LOL

 

[Paulsj]

I always carry a lot of the crap I find with me, I would show it to him and ask should I put it back ?

That's pretty funny!

 

[silversnacher]

Haha you should do it next time

 

[coincollector13948]

You really should

 

[Kimber]

A teenage Ranger? Was he armed? What agency did he represent that would issue tickets? Confiscate personal property? Did you get his name? Badge number? Are signs posted? Did you check with the powers to be to see if he was within his rights? If he wasn't did you report him and his actions? Was it a good park? DId you find anything? Just exactly where is this park located?

 

[kayden]

Git kicked out of a local park yesterday, even though I said I wasn't digging and just surface hunting the ranger (teen ager) said I had to go and if I didn't he'd take my equipment and write me a ticket. He was a small kid, try and take my equipment away! But I figured I'd just walk away.

You probably should have said.."Boom....Baby" & bought him a candybar & just maybe he would have turned his head!

 

[gleaner1]

If the little teen park ranger dude was enforcing local park rules, tip of the cap to him. If there is no regulation against digging the lawns and metal detecting in the park, you still did the right thing. Hat's off to you sir. Now go find a good spot.

 

[Kimber]

If he was "just enforcing local park rules" then what were you doing there in the first place?

 

[Sandman]

State parks employ rangers at young ages too, but they aren't CO's but carry as much weight as a badged one. He might not have a firearm, but his radio is hooked up to ranger station, and local police, state police, etc. Tom of CA is right again.

 

[Monty]

I would have locked my gear up and called the police to check out the little dude obviously impersonating an officer. In most states you have to be at least 21 to enforce the law. They would need a search warrant to confiscate your gear once it was secured. Monty

 

[Tom_in_CA]

gleaner, you say: "If there is no regulation against digging the lawns .... " Be assured gleaner, there is verbage to that effect, in EVERY park, and every inch of public land, at every level (barring perhaps the beach, where you're allowed to dig sand castles).

Even if it doesn't use the word "digging", there'll always be something forbidding "alteration" or "defacement" or "vandalism" or something to that effect, each of which is easily "morphed" to apply to the person who shows up with even-so-much as a screwdriver to poke around with. To search for and find such clauses (or things that can be morphed to say essentially the same thing), and you might as well give it up now, and find another hobby

But think of it: All such phrases all distinctly apply to the end result. Ie.: if you leave the area exactly as you found it, then technically, you have not defaced or altered anything, now have you? Sure someone can take issue with our semantics, because of the temporary interim evil of the target extraction. You're just going to have to steer clear of such lookie-lous. But to technically and literally apply what you're saying, every park in the entire USA would be off-limits tomorrow.

 

[slag]

I'm in the Lawrence Kansas area and there are no rules on the books about metal detecting, digging, etc in the parks around here. I made a couple phone calls recently to the lawrence parks and rec department and the best answer I got from someone (Mark Hecker, parks and rec supt.)was that while there are no written rules about metal detecting, they said it is ok to go out there and poke around with a screwdriver but they didn't want any holes dug because it can be a hazard for people.

What that means to me is, free reign. I'll go out there with my little pack shovel and detect, while keeping a smallish plug and filling in the holes and if a LEO or park ranger stops me, he or she will have to show me the law where it states I cannot detect there. Just because someone doesn't want it done does not make it illegal or wrong. Just be smart about it, pick up the trash, fill in the holes, and be a good citizen.

 

[Ism]

Some "Barney Fife's" are always ready to blanketly enforce detecting but when it comes to dog piles, littering, defacing of park property, alcohol, fireworks...well you get the idea, they never prohibit park activities after those rules are violated. They take their anger on the only people that they can easily identify. Sadly it's not that they are booting someone they caught violating rules, they are preempting what they think will happen without evidence. While few detector users are irresponsible, most of us are respectful to the parks.

On a side note...The only place I've been told I couldn't detect is a couple soccer fields, they were very nice and I could understand the rational. I did put up a lame fight because the finds to trash ratio was unbelievable. I wasn't prohibited from detecting other areas of the park. Anyhow, sometimes we have to roll with the punches. In the end even if you are right, it can cost us a lot for the same outcome. Choose wisely.

 

[dholland02]

Just hit those places at night

 

[Monty]

Be wary of going in at night as many if not most parks have a curfew. Here at home it is 11:00PM. Monty

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Be wary of going in at night as many if not most parks have a curfew. Here at home it is 11:00PM. Monty

Monte, I have no doubt that a lot of parks have "hours" (ie.: "closes at sunset" or whatever). However, *realistically* speaking, most of them are for purposes of booting after-hours partyers, or people thinking they can camp out there.