kobo
Greenie
- Nov 25, 2007
- 11
- 5
- Detector(s) used
- Excal 1000, Sovereign GT, Sand Shark, Garrett GTI 1500
t I have been Metal detecting for over 15 years. I live on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. So I have done a lot of Beach detecting. One of my favorite places is an Island 20 minutes from my home just off the coast. There is bridge so driving there is no problem. There is a Historic Civil war fort on the island called Fort Gaines, It was a confederate fort that helped guard the entrance to Mobile bay. Of course no metal detecting is not allowed on the fort grounds.
I have never had a problem hunting any of the beaches on the island, until yesterday. I have been away from detecting on a regular basis in the lasts few years. I just purchased a new Whites MX Sport 7 and was anxious to try it out at the beach. So I loaded up my gear and headed to the island. The night before I checked the laws on the island just to make sure nothing had changed as it seems more and more beaches are being made off limits to metal detecting. I found no new laws against metal detecting on the beaches on the island. I pulled into the public parking lot and proceeded to gear up and head to the beach. I had just put my head phones on and turned around and a police officer in his cruiser with the window rolled down smiled and says, "you know metal detecting is not allowed on any beach on the island." I politely told him that I would do what ever he requested but I told him there was no law on the books prohibiting metal detecting on the beaches. He said he does not know if there is a law but he was told in a meeting to not allow metal detecting anymore. I explained I had hunted there for years and had been coming to island for most of my 66 years. He said well you can call the Chief if you would like. I asked him if the chief was still Chief Claw. He confirmed yes and said call him I think he is in the office. I said no I know him and I will just drive down to the station and speak to him in person. When I spoke with the Chief he said he had not heard that there was no metal detecting on beaches. He said he was not aware of a law prohibiting it. He went to his office to check and asked me to wait, he came back and said the public beach maintained by the park and beach board was off limits to detecting by order of the park and beach board. But the other public beaches not maintained by the park and beach board were city ran and I could detect there with no problem. I was feeling slightly vindicated when another officer stepped out and told the chief that there was in fact a new ordinance prohibiting Metal Detecting on the whole island. The chief was confused and told me to wait while the city clerk was faxing over a copy of the ordinance and he would give me copy as soon as he received it. So I waited again feeling very depressed. Surprise! again. The chief came out and said the ordinance had been tabled and was not in effect. So he said so you can detect the city beach. Moral is that local police are hired to enforce the written laws not to enforce something they though was law. The only sane one in the bunch was Chief Claw. My next move is to try to meet with the city council and try to reason with them. I am going to suggest they issued permits for a fee. That way they can make money and control who and where Metal Detecting is allowed.
"Its a fool that don't ask"
I have never had a problem hunting any of the beaches on the island, until yesterday. I have been away from detecting on a regular basis in the lasts few years. I just purchased a new Whites MX Sport 7 and was anxious to try it out at the beach. So I loaded up my gear and headed to the island. The night before I checked the laws on the island just to make sure nothing had changed as it seems more and more beaches are being made off limits to metal detecting. I found no new laws against metal detecting on the beaches on the island. I pulled into the public parking lot and proceeded to gear up and head to the beach. I had just put my head phones on and turned around and a police officer in his cruiser with the window rolled down smiled and says, "you know metal detecting is not allowed on any beach on the island." I politely told him that I would do what ever he requested but I told him there was no law on the books prohibiting metal detecting on the beaches. He said he does not know if there is a law but he was told in a meeting to not allow metal detecting anymore. I explained I had hunted there for years and had been coming to island for most of my 66 years. He said well you can call the Chief if you would like. I asked him if the chief was still Chief Claw. He confirmed yes and said call him I think he is in the office. I said no I know him and I will just drive down to the station and speak to him in person. When I spoke with the Chief he said he had not heard that there was no metal detecting on beaches. He said he was not aware of a law prohibiting it. He went to his office to check and asked me to wait, he came back and said the public beach maintained by the park and beach board was off limits to detecting by order of the park and beach board. But the other public beaches not maintained by the park and beach board were city ran and I could detect there with no problem. I was feeling slightly vindicated when another officer stepped out and told the chief that there was in fact a new ordinance prohibiting Metal Detecting on the whole island. The chief was confused and told me to wait while the city clerk was faxing over a copy of the ordinance and he would give me copy as soon as he received it. So I waited again feeling very depressed. Surprise! again. The chief came out and said the ordinance had been tabled and was not in effect. So he said so you can detect the city beach. Moral is that local police are hired to enforce the written laws not to enforce something they though was law. The only sane one in the bunch was Chief Claw. My next move is to try to meet with the city council and try to reason with them. I am going to suggest they issued permits for a fee. That way they can make money and control who and where Metal Detecting is allowed.
"Its a fool that don't ask"
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