Possible Why for the new DNR rule

[Bum Luck]

For what it's worth:

I just got off the phone with a MD friend, and she said that she heard that the DNR and State Historical Society have pushed for this law as a result of seeing copper artifacts for sale on eBay.

 

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[Slipperyjack47]

Well I can see how that might raise a few eyebrows, but I have to say that Wisconsin isn't the only state that copper artifacts are available for detectorist. I would never want to see a detectorist find a burial ground and proceed to take any artifacts from it and think most of us are of high enough morals that that isn't a concern. I must say that I don't believe that the state of Wisconsin or the DNR has the right to say that if I was out detecting and found a copper artifact that I am not entitled to keep it or sell it. People all over the United States find stone arrowheads an are allowed to keep them and we are not? These are stupid laws made by greedy archeologist! I for one will continue to fight this subject and I will tell you for certain that I will keep any and all my finds and to heck with the DNR and their ridiculus regulations which I think are unconstitutional!


HH
Slipperyjack47

 

[Bum Luck]

I must say that I don't believe that the state of Wisconsin or the DNR has the right to say that if I was out detecting and found a copper artifact that I am not entitled to keep it or sell it.

On public lands and waters they do, as of November, 2008.

 

[Gettintoknowsomethin]

I am new to detecting and I am looking forward to finding many coins. I too am sorry I am restricted as to where I can look for the coins. But as I think about it I have come to a understanding as to where the DNR is coming from. The copper culture artifacts shouldn't belong to just one person but to everyone in the state because they represent the history of the state of Wisconsin. They should never be in a private collection in someones home but should be in museum's for everyone to study and learn about the history of the state. And putting them on E Bay is just greed!. I own land here, and there are Copper culture items that have been found on my own land. The neighbor that found the items left them in place and we contacted the state about the find. The state came here and studyed the location and the finds then removed them for us and placed them at the Madison University for study. This is my opinion and there may be other opinions.

 

[watercolor]

I am new to detecting and I am looking forward to finding many coins. I too am sorry I am restricted as to where I can look for the coins. But as I think about it I have come to a understanding as to where the DNR is coming from. The copper culture artifacts shouldn't belong to just one person but to everyone in the state because they represent the history of the state of Wisconsin. They should never be in a private collection in someones home but should be in museum's for everyone to study and learn about the history of the state. And putting them on E Bay is just greed!. I own land here, and there are Copper culture items that have been found on my own land. The neighbor that found the items left them in place and we contacted the state about the find. The state came here and studyed the location and the finds then removed them for us and placed them at the Madison University for study. This is my opinion and there may be other opinions.

I hear where you're coming from and it is important for everyone to be able to see these important parts of Wisconsin history. Last year I personally found a Copper Culture celt in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (I made the TNet Banner with this find). I contacted the State Archeologist, met with him at the site per his request, and donated it to the State (my decision, not his). In retrospect, I wish this piece would have been forwarded to the Museum at the DNR Southern Unit headquarters near Eagle so that it could be displayed THERE (near the site where I recovered it) instead of being stored in some drawer in Madison. . . where no one can see it.

watercolor

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Maybe it's just me, but if it goes to a museum it will just sit in a dark basement in a dusty box to never be seen again and only by a select few suck up, so called archeologist, if even that. It has a better chance of being able to be seen if the people them selves have it. If they stop the people from being able to get out there and look nothing new will ever be discovered.
Have to face it, they will never stop people from looking. Should have set it up that you turn it in, they study it and the such, then if it's not anything major you can get it back.

 

[Bum Luck]

While I understand the need for archeology, the sad fact is that the vast majority of the stuff the archies find goes into a box in storage never to be seen again, except to be pilfered as happened in the great Wisconsin State Historical Society thefts some time ago. The found items in a box are actually a public burden, since they have to be stored forever.

Not only that, there is only so much knowledge you can get out of a site, most of it not exclusive. Well, someone lived here, and here's what he ate, and he lost a 1889 dime. Yawn. It just cost the public $60,000 to find that out.

Even when they do salvage archeology, only a small fraction of the site is recovered, and they delude themselves into thinking that they can infer something from the 1% they dig up, the rest remaining in the ground, or worse, destroyed by construction.

Bottom line: Greed is greed, whether ours or theirs. It's just that they can enforce theirs.

 

[Gettintoknowsomethin]

I just sent this letter to the guy responsible for the no detecting law! I am sure you have your reasons for restricting my hobby of metal detecting here in Wisconsin, I enjoy the hobby very much all I look for is lost coins. I have no interest in historic relics. I understand some in my hobby here in Wisconsin have abused the hobby by removing artifacts related to the history of our state but I am sure those people are few in number compared to others like myself. I own land in Wisconsin and have found many artifacts from our distant past. When I do find such a item I do not remove it from its resting place I re bury the item. I even have a Civil War muster sight on my property with many fine items from that period on it. I believe your total ban on detecting land that my taxes pay for is unfair to responsible hobbyist like myself!. In the UK for example the government permits detecting on historical sights the detector est is required to report all finds to a government official in his area. The item then goes to a historical study location and if the government determines the item is of value to the people the items finder gets a cash reward for finding it . Remember if we didn't find the item it simply rots away in the ground and no one benefits from the study of the item!. I have great respect for the work you do with history but dont you think you might have gone a little too far?.