HELP WITH FREDERICK MARYLAND DETECTING INFO PLEASE

[McClod]

Hi Everyone,

I hope this is the correct place to post this here!

I am going to be traveling to Frederick Maryland on Friday Sept 26th and staying for a week. We are visiting my wife's family as she is from there, I've been there numerous times but all BEFORE I ever started detecting. I live in Oregon and out here we do not have the history Maryland does, in fact Im lucky to find a silver coin.

I have a CTX 3030 and want to bring it with me, I know nothing of the laws and requirements or permits needed in the area but I hope to find out soon, I've thought of calling some local detecting shops in the area or a club and will probably do that but I sure would appreciate any information any of the local folks could provide, especially where it is legal to go detecting there without getting into trouble yet hopefully have a chance of finding something good. I love finding silver coins, out here my oldest is a 1914, not old at all, but civil war relics and old coins would be my main interest. Detecting in Maryland would be a DREAM hunt for me. I know many places are off limits due to the historical nature of them, I've been to a number of the civil war sites there because I love the history, but sure hope I get a chance to detect some while I am back there. Thanks to all for replying and any advice greatly appreciated! My name is Don and also I can be emailed at [email protected]

 

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[BigWaveDave]

My bro-in-law lives there, and with that being said.. I know where the bars are....beeping? cant help you

 

[louie41]

Marylands been hunted out. nothing left. j/k. I'm not to familiar with that far west. There is a club over in that area and baltimore area. I'm more familiar with eastern shore and around annapolis/baltimore. Obviously Federal parks are a no-no and Maryland DNR website has a little info. I found state parks can be dependent on the ranger there. I've searched a couple with permission as long as I followed a couple rules. Baltimore requires a permit (free last I heard). look up that county's website and search metal detecting for parks. Some parks may be allowed with permission slip (like my area). GL and HH!

 

[louie41]

MDHTALK - Maryland Metal Detecting Law & Regulations

looks like Baltimore area has $25 fee.

 

[McClod]

Thanks for the info and links Louie41!

 

[DFX DAVE in M.D.]

I wish I was closer to Frederick, I am about 90 minutes away. It has good Civil War History, being a crossroads town. It is a 30 minute car ride to Harpers Ferry, Antietam and Gettysburg. It is not in Baltimore City, I don't see you needing their permit. There are plenty of farmers fields, woods, and backroads in the area. I wish I knew where to go and could be of more help. Good luck, keep us posted if you make some finds.

 

[68K]

I detect the Frederick area pretty much every weekend, when family life allows. Stay away from National Battlefields, you could get arrested. Do some location research online prior to going out. I usually hit up public parks and schools. I have not been bothered with in Frederick. I went to a park in Boonsboro and got kicked out by the grounds keeper. There were no laws or rules posted. I occasionally get a permission or two. My best finds in the area are: a 1863 Indian Head Cent, Wheat Cents, and various silver jewelry. Baker Park is always a good place. There are always events there near the Amphitheater and Bell Tower that bring in hundreds, if not thousands, of people. I cleaned out under the bleachers at FHS in the spring. I probably raked in around $30. I still have not found a silver coin in the area The only silver coins I have found have been in NY or PA.

I plan on going to a couple of places Saturday or Sunday. I need to change my CV axle on my car this weekend as well, just not sure when.

My name is Mike.

 

[discoidal roller]

I live down in Clarksburg, about 15 miles south on 270. I've got 3 fishing kayaks that are good for getting in the rivers. If the weather is nice, there's no better way to spend the day. I've only detected once on the water (I usually fish), but we found a lot of interesting junk. Let me know if you want to try it.

 

[McClod]

Thanks everyone for the info!!! I'll be there late tomorrow, get settled and visit family then hit the dirt! I'll be back here after I arrive. Mike, I'm shocked to hear you haven't found silver coins! Out here they're hard as heck to come by, somehow I thought they would be easier to find, but still you got some nice old coins!

 

[68K]

Hopefully, this weekend will be the weekend that I find my first silver coin in the Frederick Area. My only two silver coins were found July 4th weekend. One in Upstate New York and the other in PA.

Maybe we will see each other out swinging coils.

 

[68K]

McClod, how did you make out? Here is my take for the weekend. Saturday I had a short 2 hour hunt in a small park. Sunday I hit up Memorial Park and got a lot of clad and a couple of Wheaties.

Happy Hunting!

 

[McClod]

Hi 68k, wow that's a beautiful old buckle!! I haven't even got to hunt yet, visited her family QST day, now we're in Virginia Beach Virginia where I was told by the parks and recreation people I could detect but couldn't dig more than a half inch to an inch deep and can't disturb the top soil.... I said ok then I can't hunt. That's rediculous lol, saw a guy on the beach this am, I don't have a scoop so will see what I do. I'll keep lookin I guess, we'll be back in Frederick Maryland Tuesday evening. So maybe Wednesday and Thursday morning I'll get to hunt. Looks like you had a great time 68k! Does Baker park have any silly restrictions like Virginia Beach does? I'd just go hunt the parks but because of the sensitive historical nature of them I don't want to risk my equipment or freedom lol.

 

[McClod]

Hi DFX Dave,

I bet you make plenty of great finds in your area! Hopefully we can stop at some small town city parks on our way back to Frederick Maryland from Virginia Beach VA. It's about 4 hours away so I think I'll stop in some small towns along the way and ask at the visitor centers if they have one.

 

[68K]

Hi 68k, wow that's a beautiful old buckle!! I haven't even got to hunt yet, visited her family QST day, now we're in Virginia Beach Virginia where I was told by the parks and recreation people I could detect but couldn't dig more than a half inch to an inch deep and can't disturb the top soil.... I said ok then I can't hunt. That's rediculous lol, saw a guy on the beach this am, I don't have a scoop so will see what I do. I'll keep lookin I guess, we'll be back in Frederick Maryland Tuesday evening. So maybe Wednesday and Thursday morning I'll get to hunt. Looks like you had a great time 68k! Does Baker park have any silly restrictions like Virginia Beach does? I'd just go hunt the parks but because of the sensitive historical nature of them I don't want to risk my equipment or freedom lol.

I don't think that thing is a buckle. It looks like it has two holes for screws. I think it is some kind of ornate decoration for something. There are no limitations at Baker Park. I have seen where someone did a poor job at fixing their hole. Hopefully they will not ruin it for everyone.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[DFX DAVE in M.D.]

Hi McClod good luck on east coast hunting, I mentioned Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg and Antietam because of their crossraods history to Frederick, but as someone else mentioned do not detect at those National Parks, you see signs telling you not do. They would be great places to visit for you, beeing you live so far away. My local hot spot Elk Neck State Park Swiiming Beach is off limits here, I was informed by a Park Employee 2 weeks ago that the Park Ranger banned detecting because someone was detecting on the other side of the penninsula, which is off limits to detecting and leaving huge holes, I was bummed out.

 

[McClod]

Sorry to hear about your hunting spot getting banned thanks to someone going off limits DFX DAVE! That sucks.
And 68k whatever that ornate piece of metal that you found is, it is a very cool find!

So We got back last Friday. I did end up hunting for 3-4 hours in Baker park in Frederick, beautiful place, didn't find any silver coins but did find a 44 wheat penny, and clad. I did find this little bell like thing that I have no idea what it is. I will have to get some pictures of it posted, maybe some of you might know what it is. I basically had 2 days to hunt while I was there, Wednesday I hunted Baker Park, then Thursday I hunted a park along the Monocacy river, near a walmart off Monocacy blvd, I can't think of the name at the moment but it has a path that winds through the woods for a mile or so, I ended up coming to a creek so I crossed it and found paths that followed the river to various fishing holes so hunted through the woods on this path for less than a mile. I made 2 finds other than fishing weights lol, the first was a bullet and when I first saw it I thought oh man, maybe I've found an old silver war pistol bullet unfired, until i turned it over and saw it was a .45 cal center fire. The 2nd item I found was deep, turned out to be about a foot deep, I was about to give up on digging it, but it turned out to be a good sized very old and rusted wedge, like the type that would be used to split logs. Looked very old.

Not having a lot of time to dedicate to metal detecting in the area its hard to come up with the type of finds that people love to make, but I love the area, it is so beautiful, any day I can be out side with a detector in my hand there is a good day! Thanks for all of the info and help you guys have provided me with! I appreciate it very much. I plan on going back and hunting there more in the future, I'd like to take a dedicated two week trip for detecting sometime. But for now I have a much better idea of where I can go in the future.

 

[68K]

Not too bad, McClod. It is always a win if you find a wheatie there. I wonder if the bell thing you found is a crotal bell.

I am looking forward to a full weekend of hunting. I will be hitting the dirt hard.

 

[McClod]

It's not a crotal bell. My wife has an entire set of them including the leather strap that the horse wore that has been passed down by her family and it does not look like that. Just bell shapped, but small. I'll try to get a photo up soon. Sorry I've been slow about that, been kinda busy after the trip.

 

[68K]

Is it really heavy? I found something similar at Memorial Park, near Baker Park. I don't remember if I saved it though.

 

[68K]

It's a bummer, I got rained out today