I finally got run off State owned land - UPDATE-

[Monty]

Well, it happened to me this morning. I was detecting where the state had bought up a lot of right of way for widening an interstate highway. There were no workmen present, no equipment being operated and I was minding my own business and for God's sake I was covering up my holes even though it would soon be covered with asphalt. A security guard dressed in a uniform identical to the local police told me I was on "restricted" property and I'd have to leave. She didn't know anything except the "state" said so. I wrote a professional sounding email to the Department of Transportation inquiring about why the land was "restricted", and explained how and what I was doing there. I have hunted on this type of state land dozens of times and never had a problem. So, I guess I'll wait and see if I get a response. M nty

 

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[slow sweeper]

Re: I finally got run off State owned land

Public and private land open for recreational pursuits continues to shrink every day. Who do I blame for this? The government? Business owners? Of course not. I blame the idiots who abuse the privilege and screw it up for the rest of us.
Large tracts of land here in Oregon are owned by paper companies, logging companies, and of course there is the Forest Service and BLM land. Less and less of this land is now accessible to the public because of the few idiots who believe that they are somehow special. In their minds rules and common sense do not apply to themselves.
It's hard to find a logging road around here that does not have more than it's share of large appliances, junked cars, sofas, beds, broken glass, five gallon buckets of used motor oil, etc. etc.
I've come across close to a dozen security gates that have been ripped out. Equipment gets vandalized and fences torn down.
All of this and some want to blame the rightful, lawful, owners of the property for saying "To hell with it. Now NOBODY gets access." I don't blame them one bit.
Anyone that has ever crossed that fence to metal detect, anyone that has left holes unfilled and has left garbage behind. Any of us that thinks that No Tresspassing sign does not apply to me are the ones to blame. Not the government, not the business owner, not the land owner.

 

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[EasyMoney]

Re: I finally got run off State owned land

I had an incident like that earlier this summer. Half the park is park area, and half is high school area. Some guy about my size (which isn't small by any means) and about 10 years younger than me came up to me and asked what I was doing. I told him "I'm tracing the migratory path of biting earthworms". "Who's asking"?

He said "I don't want you to be doing that here". My response; "I'm on city park area and I'm part owner of this park because I pay taxes and it's not illegal for me to hunt on my own or this city's property, so get lost or you'll get a face full of fist". He left. So did I about 15 minutes later. There are no laws restricting hunting in the school there anyway because I already checked into that.

Another somewhat similar incident happened to my old friend. He was searching an "Indian school". That's what the "Natives" called it anyway. A native man around 7 feet tall and the size of an elephant on steroids came out and told him to get off the property because "it's federal land". My friend's face turned white and he left. Afterwards he said "He didn't need to threaten me with federal intervention, I almost messed my pants anyway, did you see the size of that guy"?

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. My friend lost. I won. But most complaints and problems with non detector users are associated with White's crappy and degrading TV ads. Just watch them once in awhile. People think we are mostly unemployed, derelict, welfare recipient loonie-left losers that are "looking for money" or "looking for gold", to get rich without ever working a day in our lives. Not even for an instant would they ever consider that the detector might cost us $1000 and that we are just having fun with it, because the tv ads tell them a different story. They also still associate us with those from 40 years ago toting a BFO that wouldn't pinpoint well (worse than any current Minelab) and required us to dig holes the size of a gallon bucket to find a dime just below the earth's surface. After all, they watch tv too.

 

[Gilligan]

Re: I finally got run off State owned land

Well, it happened to me this morning. I was detecting where the state had bought up a lot of right of way for widening an interstate highway. There were no workmen present, no equipment being operated and I was minding my own business and for God's sake I was covering up my holes even though it would soon be covered with asphalt. A security guard dressed in a uniform identical to the local police told me I was on "restricted" property and I'd have to leave. She didn't know anything except the "state" said so. I wrote a professional sounding email to the Department of Transportation inquiring about why the land was "restricted", and explained how and what I was doing there. I have hunted on this type of state land dozens of times and never had a problem. So, I guess I'll wait and see if I get a response. M nty

I hate it for you, and me too. My thoughts are this: I don't do drug, I am not a thief and not a killer or carouser, but a law abiding everyday guy not causing any problem. I just want some good clean, healthy detecting fun. Just leave us alone and let us enjoy clean fun!! I too feel the pain. Bryan

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Re: I finally got run off State owned land

Heck with them, just go hunt down the road.

 

[Monty]

Re: I finally got run off State owned land

I got a response last week from the director of ODOT himself. He said that it was their policy to close areas under construction to entry by the public becasue of the thefts and strangers it brought into otherwise quiet neighborhoods. And that it in the past they had numerous incidents where someone assumed the property to be vacant and condemned and were seen nosing around occupied houses, thus causing the neighborhood to become alarmed. I can understand that to some degree as I know from personal experience that there are some of us that bold and/or that dumb to mistake occupied property as vacant housing. But from the time the lot is vacant and the house has been removed, and before the heavy equipment begins grading, I/you/we should have the opportunity to go in and hunt it. A few of the people with more years of treasure hunting than I have assured me that will happen. They said that once the land is cleared the security people will pull out. So, I guess it's a wait and see proposition. Monty

 

[Highwater]

It is easier to get forgiven than it is to get permission.

BTW, I have heard of biting earthworms migrating. I was just wondering, does this particualar varity of worms ever stampeed? It would be an awful mess if they got on the hiway and caused a big crash. Just somethig else to watch out for on our way to our favorite sites.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Monty, you say: "They said that once the land is cleared the security people will pull out " Yes, perhaps. But it could also be too late, from a demolition hunting perspective. Have you seen how fast they can scrape out too deep? Or seen how fast they can add 3 ft. of fill-dirt? Often in old-town-urban demolition hunting, timing is everything.

" He said that it was their policy to close areas under construction to entry by the public becasue of the thefts and strangers it brought into otherwise quiet neighborhoods. " Yes, this type of answer is par for the course. I mean, do you really expect them to say "c'mon on in?"

Years ago our club asked group permission to have a club hunt where they were preparing to tear out the grass lawn at our town's oldest high school (blt. 1919). The school district's reply was something similar to the response you got, along with fears that we might fall on broken glass and endanger ourselves, etc.... A few guys just went on their own anyhow, after the workers cut out each day, and got lots of silver. After-school- employees paid them no mind.

 

[rmptr]

It's a sad state of affairs things have degenerated to.

R M P T R