Possible great metal detecting area??

[hunting for Wheaties]

Hey there guys me and my dad are taking a trip up the uwharrie national forest in nc to look for places to metal detect because ive heard sometimes u might walk up on graves or stone foundations and old houses and i am just wondering if anybody else has done the same thing and actually found things

 

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[SusanMN]

Never been there, but strongly suggest you check to,see if they have any rules forbidding metal detecting before you go.

 

[hunting for Wheaties]

Never been there, but strongly suggest you check to,see if they have any rules forbidding metal detecting before you go.

There is no rules but its just hard do belive out of all that land there isnt a historic site because that wasnt a national park in the 1800s u know

 

[markp]

I don't think your allowed to did in National Forest, I may be wrong, but I don't think so.

 

[hunting for Wheaties]

I don't think your allowed to did in National Forest, I may be wrong, but I don't think so.

We have seen people doing it and also gold dredging but they may be doing it illegal though

 

[SusanMN]

Here is a link to the regs. Reads to me that old houses or buildings might be off limits.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5261774.pdf

 

[surf]

Uh, Wheaties,

You may wanna read this closely: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5379632.pdf. You may be okay in the sand.

Sorry Susan, I was dawdling and fiddling with other gizmos, while you were going right to the point.

 

[luvsdux]

I don''t know all the details, but there's an "antiquities act" that applies to anything dug/found that's over 100 years old (I believe) although I don't think it applies to coins, at least US ones. Out here in the Northwest, the chances of running into a Forest Archaeologist or other employee that may care are pretty slim unless you're along a main road or other obvious area. And then what transpires, if anything, depends a great deal on the mind set of the employee. For the most part a person is probably never going to have a problem.
luvsdux

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I don't know why that ...... whenever this subject of federal land (of various types) comes up, that someone is sure to come on and say "you can't detect federal land". As if that is some all-encompassing rule or law.

It is simply not true that you can "never detect federal land". Perhaps there's certain TYPES of federal land, but you have to remember that not all federal land is the same TYPE. Not all federal (or state) land is federal (or state) "park" land. There are other levels of land that is federally owned. Road right of way is an example, etc.... Federal land can have many many variations of use. Military bases, BLM, eminent domain in-lieu of some form of future construction, libaries, post offices, etc... that are all not "parks", for which you may have found some sort of dire wording.

Here's a link to national parks with an express ALLOWANCE for md'ing. Beats the heck out of simple silence on the subject, or forever wondering if you're running afoul of some ancillary verbage, eh? I mean, you can't argue with an express allowance, can you? Yet lo & behold, it will continue to float on any such thread: "all federal land is off-limits". Why? I don't know.

National Forest Camping Rules

As far as the suffix to that allowance, that you can do it insofar as you collect "nothing of historic value"...... well ... gee, I don't particularly think that seated dimes and quarters are "historic". Do you? I mean, c'mon, seriously folks, do you really think someone is following you around with a calculator doing the math on the age of items you find the second you pull it out of the hole? For pete's sake put "those" items in your "other" pocket.

I mean, sure: Use common sense and don't tromp on sacred historic monuments, or go during an archie convention. But for run-of-the-mill middle-of-nowhere forests? Let's get realistic here.