B.L.M. Lands in New Mexico and metal detecting.

[rootdigger]

Can someone give me some input on hunting with a metal detector and visual for windswept dunes as well, the laws on doing this or not doing, on B.L.M. Lands in New Mexico , most of which I am led to believe are leased out to ranchers. For say, meteorites and old west artifacts. And to make it even more interesting, around the Roswell area and south to the border, so, 2 counties.. minus the spaceships and aliens!!? Thanks!!

[Tom_in_CA]

I've detected on B.L.M. lands here in CA, and no one ever said anything to me But then again, maybe I didn't ask enough questions, far enough up the chain, of enough bored bureaucrats.

Probably the technical answer (which would be true of perhaps any public place you might "ask" questions, phrased in *just* the right way to get things morphed to apply to you), is "no". I mean, if you ask long enough and hard enough, with the right mental images portrayed, you can probably get a "no" for the most innocuous sandbox you come to.

Since BLM is federal, I'm sure ARPA would apply. But then again, is anyone really standing over your shoulder, with a calculator, determing if your coins are over 50 or 100 yrs. old or not? And in any case, just tell them you're looking for meteorites, which are not man-made (they're from outer space). Thus it won't fall under any cultural heritage wording. Or ...... of course ...... you're looking for that boyscout ring you lost there when you were a kid, right?

But seriously now, if the BLM land you have in mind, has some sort of obvious historic monument right there, and you plan on going right in the middle of an archaeologist convention on the site, then yeah, you'll probably get bothered. But if you're going to be out in the middle of nowhere .........

[rootdigger]

Well Tom, I like your answer, no archeological site there to my knowledge, meteorite's, possible, I seen a huge one flying across the sky many a year ago, but bet it landed in CA. But doesn't mean their not in New Mexico. The ranchers I met a few of them working the oil fields, are quiet friendly actually, just gotta close and gates you open up behind you and they are fine, so far, I'd say your answer is a good help! Thanks!

[Wild Boulder Bill]

Read my post in mining claims.

[a32deuce]

BLM does NOT own the land, they administr it. All designated BLM land belong to the citizens of the US. Ranchers that lease BLM lands do not own it, they use it and must provide/allow access to any legit US Citizen. Just my two cents worth.

[rootdigger]

Thems all good answers and advise! Planning on this summer if the gas prices don't hit 4.00-5.00 a gallon!! And have a nice digital camera as well! Thanks!!!

[homefires]

Why Guess?

Read the Laws.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations.html

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/reg...ng_claims.html


You also need to know about this one:

http://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/anti1906.htm

Oh, and the Federal Folks have laid claim to any Meteorites you find too!

http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...orite-law-usa/

[George (MN)]

I can ad an anecdote for BLM land in Nevada. Someone there found a silver Roosevelt dime, so they were fined $700-800(?) & got yelled at, being told even pulltabs should be left in the ground as they may be of interest to future generations of archaeologists! Best wishes, George (MN)

[Tom_in_CA]

Well George, I suppose anything is possible. I mean, so too does the newspaper have occasional accounts of some driver getting pulled over, and roughed up by an over-zealous cop, for nothing but a tail-light out. And sure, if you ask enough archies, OF COURSE they will tell you that pulltabs have information that should be left for future generations archie's to learn about the past from, and thus, should be left there under threat of breaking the law.

I mean to take an archie seriously on something like that, would be to do the following: Ask the president of PETA ("People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights activist group) the following question: "Is it ok to leave my pet bunny in the car, while I run into 7-11 to buy a slurpee?". What do you think they will say? They will SHREEK at you: "NOOOO, you are cruel and mean! How can you think of such a thing to furry little bunny rabbits? They will suffer cruelty in the sweltering sun! Of course you can't do that, or else you will be arrested for animal cruelty, and fined $600 to $700!!".

And heck, they might even have an actual citation (much like yours here) of someone who truly did get fined $600 to $700, right?

But go figure: you're asking a wacko animal rights weirdo, so what answer did you expect? The same is true for some purist activist archies. Thus their interpretations, and their case-examples of what they might pull from legal archives somewhere, don't have much meaning to me.

[homefires]

Yea, there was a guy here issued a $700.00 ticket for square nails he found in the forest. LOL!