Causing trouble already

[Prov15:6]

I was staying in a small town for a few weeks and thought I would hit the parks since all the local beaches have been stolen from MDing by the Feds. Guess I can't go to the parks either.

 

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[releventchair]

Dressed as a treasure hunter no wonder. Maybe a pair of slippers and a paisley smoking jacket would blend better.
A demonstrated recovery and proper repair would take the negative away of thinking a city employee would need to do it.
Mower blade dulling trash or pet and barefoot cutting trash hopefully some hit by mower could be presented as well.
No ordinance against detecting mentioned,why? If there is not one quoted then detecting was legal so why stop?
This kind of publicity not helping the cause and whoever went to the media needs a proper counter by same media in reply once statutes examined to see if detecting was prohibited at the time,(this without attracting attention by city council ect. while researching) and if not illegal then an article explaining that proper detecting not destructive or illegal unless subject stopped was not repairing recovery site or something very unusual was going on.
When representing detectorists, which anyone swinging is doing, knowledge of law regarding sites quietly acquired by research without asking permission or causing parties who don,t need to be involved to say no are the defense ,politely, of hunting.

 

[CladGrabber]

What a croc of bs!

 

[dirtlooter]

one place says yes, another screams no! one place doesn't know and is indecisive. one cop says who cares, the next is a total jerk. sometimes its who you know, sometimes who you are. sometimes one never knows for sure but I try to stay on the good side of the law

 

[mrwilburino]

Never tell a police officer that you're "DIGGING for BURIED TREASURE."

 

[Prov15:6]

Never tell a police officer that you're "DIGGING for BURIED TREASURE."

Those were his words not mine.

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

"I'm a lost item recovery professional!"

 

[RJ55]

Tell them your looking for unexploded I E D's

 

[crnrst1]

Had the local town police officer stop me in SD last week. Asked how I did and then he told me about a lady losing a wedding ring and where to look. Of course, he expected me to turn it in if I found it, but I was welcome to hunt. Didn't find it, but did look for an hour. Area was HUGE to look. Back side of football field. I think I may ask him next time I go for more clues to places.

This was a weird news article poorly written.

 

[CladGrabber]

I always dress up like Indiana Jones when I hit the local park

 

[cudamark]

Never tell a police officer that you're "DIGGING for BURIED TREASURE."

I don't tell ANYONE that I'm digging for treasure. If asked by someone in authority, I say I'm trying to find a lost wedding ring....which I ALWAYS am!

 

[CladGrabber]

His mistake was made when he said "treasure" that seems to invoke visions of deep digs with non-tecter types.

 

[mrwilburino]

Those were his words not mine.

Yes......I didn't mean you, Prov.

 

[DigIron2]

I wonder if they gave him a mental evaluation.Dressed as a treasure hunter and told the cop he was looking for buried treasure w.t.h.What does a treasure hunter dress like anyway, a pirate,Indiana jones?

 

[Indian Steve]

I have found detecting in the nude seams to make me invisible! I just don't look good naked anymore!

 

[mikeraydj]

All I know is, I didn't pay all this money to just be able to detect my yard. I will stop detecting when they pry the machine from my cold dead hands.

 

[Jeremy S]

"treasure" and "dig" were the killer words there. The way that article reads, the general public is going to think that this goon was destroying the park while stealing valuable things from the ground. Now everyone else can watch out for one of these treasure hunters raping their public land for profit and report them to the police!

Dressed as a "treasure hunter"!? What the hell does that mean? Obviously this fellow was attracting attention somehow in a bad way.


Here are my personal rules for detecting parks to avoid situations like this:

1: Hunt during off hours (early morning, late afternoon, right after rain or bad weather).

2: Never hunt when there is an event or game going on. Never hunt near children playing or people eating/enjoying a picnic, etc. People are funny about their privacy and always respect their space.

3: Dress to blend in. If you are fully decked out in camo or dressed like a slob/bum, you will attract attention. When I dress to go detecting I wear a golf polo, shorts or jeans, walking shoes, and a small tool belt for trash and tools.

4: Never, never use the words "dig" or "looking for treasure". I RETRIEVE objects and refer to them as surface finds.

5: Use the least intrusive digging technique possible. An easy majority of my park finds are less than a few inches deep, I use a brass probe to push them out. Those that require more work I use a small digger to slit the ground and poke around with the probe until I find the object. Plugs = mess, dead grass, and are easy to get uprooted by animals or lawn equipment. Always keep a small towel or cloth to put loose dirt on, makes it easier to funnel back into the ground and leaves no mess.

6: Always remove all trash you find. I am beginning to wonder if I am the only one who hunts the parks around here that hauls away the pull tabs and other trash that I find. Some guys toss it back onto the ground and others leave it in the hole.

7: Keep a photograph of a ring in your tool belt or on your phone. A good backup plan if somebody hassles you. In that case tell them you are providing a lost item recovery service and can have some evidence to back it up (true or not). If on private property keep contact info for the owner who gave you permission handy.

8: Always use headphones. You may enjoy hearing the tones of your detector, but I can guarantee that most around you will find them annoying.

9: In a public area don't pack around a giant shovel, use small discrete digging tools . I recently saw a fool carrying around a full sized tile spade in a park, and digging giant holes for every target he went after.

10: If you do find a deeper item that you want to retrieve, don't go after it if you have an audience watching. In some cases if I am going to go after a deeper object and parks employees are nearby, I'll just remember the area and go back to it when everyone is gone.

11: Know the rules! If you are detecting in a park that has a clearly written rules that prohibits detecting, expect to get booted. Almost every park has a rules that prohibits "digging" or disturbing the grass. Hence why I use the probe and leave no trace at all.


These are just of a few things that I do. Nobody ever bothers me in parks other that curious onlookers and little kids.

 

[Auriemma]

Hnmmm. City employee must fill in the holes... Sounds like Union rules.

 

[Prov15:6]

"treasure" and "dig" were the killer words there. The way that article reads, the general public is going to think that this goon was destroying the park while stealing valuable things from the ground. Now everyone else can watch out for one of these treasure hunters raping their public land for profit and report them to the police! Dressed as a "treasure hunter"!? What the hell does that mean? Obviously this fellow was attracting attention somehow in a bad way. Here are my personal rules for detecting parks to avoid situations like this:

There have been quite a few comments about how I was dressed that I must have attracted attention in some way. The way the officer and the reporter described me as being "dressed like a treasure hunter" I can understand everyone's concern that I must have been attracting attention. Just to clarify...I was wearing a pair of cargo type shorts, a blue t-shirt, and sandals. I had a finds pouch on a belt with a pin-pointer and trowel on the same belt. No resemblance to Indiana Jones whatsoever. I do understand and follow proper MD etiquette. Hope this helps to clear up some confusion.

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

So I'm confused now, was this you or someone else? How did you get this quote otherwise? Also, in what state was this small town, that goes a long way to understanding this article. Thanks!