CEMETERY ETIQUETTE ??

Scott (Upstate NY)

Full Member
Mar 24, 2007
120
5
Upstate NY
Detector(s) used
Minelab E-trac, White's XLT, Classic III, Surf PI, Minelab Explorer XS
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Guidelines I use: 1. Get permission 2. Is it active or not? 3. Is the location going to attract a lot of curiosity or criticism-use tact when selecting prospective sites-only because, though you may have legal access, you may be offending others who don't understand your motives/hobby.
 

roswellborn

Hero Member
Jan 9, 2006
975
27
Washington state
Detector(s) used
Ace 250
Thing is, just because something looks abandoned, doesn't mean it is abandoned.

My great-grandfather's grave has a foot marker, the shape looks like the Iron Cross - and has the letters CSA - one letter to each "arm" of the cross. The foot of the cross is in the ground (that top 3 or 4 inches...). I'd be mighty uh - cranky to find that cross had gone missing. Actually, I'd be closer to downright surly.

This graveyard looked abandoned; it was overgrown with vines, some flowers, and we discovered after we'd cleared it out, it had poison ivy all over the place. There are also a couple of graves without headstones, one smack up against the iron fence around the graveyard.

I vote for "no" re detecting cemeteries. Just outside the fence, and with permission? Knock yerself out.
 

DFX-SE Gregg

Silver Member
Feb 6, 2007
2,865
251
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 SE and DFX
Do we not have enough places to hunt without having to go in cemetaries? ??? There seems to be enough ground elsewhere.
 

gallileo60

Hero Member
Apr 30, 2007
971
84
Gulf Coast, Texas
Detector(s) used
AT Pro, Bounty Hunter Land Star, Ace 250, Garrett 1350
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
lucky1777 said:
Yep, and since cemeteries are off limits, stay out of any battle sites, any skirmish sites, any parks where someone has died, any yard where someone has died, any carwreck, any plane crash since these are just as sacred as a cemetery. I don't see a problem is you do it respectably and get permission. If you get permission to detect then detect. Stay away from graves and detect the vacant areas and the road and walk ways. O, I almost forgot to mention any boat that has sunk or any beach where someone has drowned or died. ::)

Yep, gotta agree, if you can obtain permission go for it, the dead dont care..
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hunting cemeteries is despicable.
 

Jeffro

Silver Member
Dec 6, 2005
4,095
143
Eugene, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ5, White's GM VSat
I can think of maybe, ummmmmm, like 10,000 different sites that would be more productive without being distasteful? ;)
 

diggerfororo

Hero Member
Jul 29, 2007
709
4
Missouri
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ6-CZ20-Whites surf PI
Heres my 2 cents worth:
I say no,no. Forget about what anyone thinks about religion or whatever. What you need to worry about is PUBLIC OPINION! 99.9% of all the hunting places is either private or public land. You need to have permission to metal detect. If someone sees anyone detecting in a cemetary, it's his perception of what is right or wrong that counts, not yours. This is the person whom you will be asking if you can detect his yard or on his farm or wherever. We don't need to get the public up in arms about where we can hunt.

Les
 

lucky1777

Bronze Member
Aug 2, 2005
1,362
24
Illinois
Jeffro said:
I can think of maybe, ummmmmm, like 10,000 different sites that would be more productive without being distasteful? ;)
Sandman said:
Hunting cemeteries is despicable.
If done with permission and not hunting over graves, I don't think it is either distasteful or despicable. But we all have our own opinions on this.
 

Waco Kid

Jr. Member
Apr 21, 2005
62
6
Texas
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 250
detectordave said:
I hate these subjects too...but....I dont think the actual hunting is the problem. Its what people will think when they see you. Whether you agree with it or not. NOONE seeing you will understand. :O)

I agree. Most people who have no experience with metal detectors have no idea of what a detector can and can't do. For all the general public knows, you might be scoping out which coffin contains the most jewelry.
 

finderzzs

Bronze Member
May 2, 2007
1,538
343
Sunny South Florida
Detector(s) used
White's PI Pro Dual Field, Garrett Ace 350,
Waco Kid said:
detectordave said:
I hate these subjects too...but....I dont think the actual hunting is the problem. Its what people will think when they see you. Whether you agree with it or not. NOONE seeing you will understand. :O)

I aree. Most people who have no experience with metal detectors have no idea of what a detector can and can't do. For all the general public knows, you might be scoping out which coffin contains the most jewelry.
Really, do you think we dig down 6 feet????
 

Waco Kid

Jr. Member
Apr 21, 2005
62
6
Texas
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 250
No. I repeat my last sentence: "For all the general public knows, you might be scoping out which coffin contains the most jewelry."
 

shadow0966

Full Member
Sep 20, 2006
128
2
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX300,Tesoro Tejon
fastfingers said:
What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.
OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.
 

silverswede

Hero Member
Dec 12, 2005
791
7
Pinehurst. Idaho
Detector(s) used
Minelab SOVEREIGN XS-2a PRO
My experience is that the actual plots have been purchased by families and even have a kind of a "deed" recorded. This in itself would deter me and i'm not going to call someone for permission to go dig around on their mothers grave for old coins. However; if there is a public parking site seperate from the cemetary that would be a possibility and probably the most productive. Still I guess I would give it a Maybe. Wise words from all the posters here, consider them carefully.
 

1Arkie

Greenie
Oct 28, 2006
12
0
Arkansas
Detector(s) used
SE
I don't know what's OK in your part of the country, but in this part you better be planting flowers or somebody if your digging in a cemetery around here. Folks around here wouldn't see it anyway but just wrong. Good Luck
 

K

Kentucky Kache

Guest
1Arkie said:
I don't know what's OK in your part of the country, but in this part you better be planting flowers or somebody if your digging in a cemetery around here. Folks around here wouldn't see it anyway but just wrong. Good Luck
Even if you were an Archaeologist?
 

lucky1777

Bronze Member
Aug 2, 2005
1,362
24
Illinois
shadow0966 said:
fastfingers said:
What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.
OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.
I get tired of these same typical answers. A cemetery is no more sacred than a battle site, sunken ship or many other places where people have died. Just remember that there are most likely remains still in battle fields and sunken ships. But I guess if there isn't a stone saying there name, they do not deserve the same respect. If you have permission and do not hunt over graves then go for it. Also I could care less what someone thinks of me detecting there. Just as many people get pissed if you hunt a park, so maybe we should just hunt our own yards and no where else.....
 

diggerfororo

Hero Member
Jul 29, 2007
709
4
Missouri
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ6-CZ20-Whites surf PI
lucky1777 said:
shadow0966 said:
fastfingers said:
What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.
OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.
I get tired of these same typical answers. A cemetery is no more sacred than a battle site, sunken ship or many other places where people have died. Just remember that there are most likely remains still in battle fields and sunken ships. But I guess if there isn't a stone saying there name, they do not deserve the same respect. If you have permission and do not hunt over graves then go for it. Also I could care less what someone thinks of me detecting there. Just as many people get pissed if you hunt a park, so maybe we should just hunt our own yards and no where else.....

Like I said before!!! You had better care what other people think about where you hunt or the only place you will have left to hunt IS your own yard. Plus, it is not just you that the public is precieving, it is all detectorist in the hobby.

Les
 

John (Ma)

Silver Member
Jul 12, 2007
3,637
8
Western Massachusetts
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal 1000, Tesoro Silver Umax, Tiger Shark and Whites MXT.
I hunt outside of the main walls or fence of Cemetary's. Insinde I feel people are laid to rest and I respect that!
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top