MDing during night time

[Jimmy@romega]

Anyone MD during night time in certain areas just so you won't be caught? Old schools no longer in use? Run down abandoned parks?

 

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[sniffer]

it's kind of hard to MD at night, lights attract attention LOL

 

[tomclark]

Anyplace I'd go in the day I'd go at night if there is enough light and bring a little flashlight. Ex: Downtown city curbs.
In FL it's sometimes too hot in the day. Cooler and few kids and onlookers at night. Watch out for bums and crack/meth heads, LOL.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Sniffer, you don't use lights at night (unless you're momentarily turning it on to look at an item you just dug). Instead, let your eyes become adjusted to the moon and star-light. That's plenty sufficent to walk and swing. The problem with using a light (like a headlamp), is that eventually your eyes/pupils get tuned to that beam, and pretty soon, everything outside of the beam is blind. Better to just let your eyes adjust. Might be hard on a zero-moon night, but on regular nights, it's easy.

Jimmy, since when are "old schools no longer in use" or "rundown abandoned parks" places that a person wouldn't want to get "caught" at? Seems to me that both those examples are places that are still publicly owned. So what would be the problem?

As for the thread question, I hunt all the time at night. And not necessarily because a place is .... uh .... "discreet", but rather that I DON'T WANT TO HEAR OTHERWISE You know, like a place that's not necessarily posted or off-limits, but you don't want to risk a busy-body nosing in. If no one's "told you otherwise", then your out-of-mind. And the best time to be un-interupted and not ruffle feathers, is at night. Kind of like picking your nose, just be discreet and no one will be offended.

 

[Monty]

The schools are all behind locked gates because of vandals and parks all have an 11:00 PM curfew. County parks have gates that are locked after 11:00 PM. If you are in a neighborhood MDing after dark, the police are sure to be called and swoop down on you 'cause Neighborhood Watch programs. Any place you are hunting where you want to be "discreet" are usually illegal and you will get caught sooner or later. And when you do, it reflects badly on the whole lot of us! Just no night time places to hunt around here. If you want to hunt rough neighborhoods, do it early on a Sunday morning. All the crackheads and drunks are passed out or disfunctional until about noon. In hot weather I try to get out at the crack of dawn and hunt until about 9:00 AM, call it a day and go find a cool spot to admire my finds. Or go water hunting and be sure to have plenty of cool drinks so you don't dehydrate. Etc, etc, etc.....Monty

 

[bradgny]

I do much of my beach hunting at night ,I follow the tides so when its low I go.As for land hunting ,here o the cape night hunting is for the most part no problem.Just making sure of such posted and trespassing signs,I have been hunting at night and yes the police have showed up ,but with a few words they are on there way .They would rather se someone metel detecting than causin trouble

 

[sniffer]

most of the places I detect, have places you could fall into after dark.
I can understand night blindness, I was 10th Mountain, I recently bought a small red LED light that clips to my hat and you can concentrate the light into a narrow beam, I haven't tried it yet though. It's still a little cold here for night hunts

 

[fistfulladirt]

I always thought the term "night hawking" was a description for illegal nite time MDing. I've thought about trying to hunt at nite, it just sounds TOO creepy to me, even in normally safe areas. AMC

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You can also think of the sentence: "..... Just so you won't get caught" as being so busy-bodies don't get their feathers ruffled either. Ie.: nothing necessarily illegal, but just because you don't want to hear otherwise.

Example: My buddy & I had casual permission from a farmer to work where his plowed ag. fields abutted a historical site. However, as we worked his side of the dirt road, the caretakers of the historically sensitive property right next door began to get antsy, asking if we had permission, giving us the worried inquisitive eye, etc... The historical influence extended out into this neighboring field, so technically, there was nothing they could do, as long as we stayed on a certain side of the dirt road. However, we were very mindful that this caretaker of the historical site COULD INDEED pick up the phone, call their neighbor, and say "hey Joe, we would prefer those guys not be out in the field, they're raping history, etc..." So guess who would "win" in that case? The perfect strangers who got nothing more than a handshake "whatever floats your boat" permission? Or the actual physical neighbors to this farmer? Of COURSE he would re-think his permission, if his archie-minded neighbors compelled him that it was in the best interest of the site in general. I mean, afterall, we're perfect strangers, and afterall, his neighbor is perhaps a first-name basis friend.

So we sort of laid low for awhile, knowing that we "better keep our permission" safe, and just go at .... uh .... "more discreet" times. Therefore we hunt at night. No one's feathers to ruffle. Out of site is out of mind.

I have used the same mentality for parks, schools, etc... While there may be nothing addressing it in city codes, why would I ever want a bored park bureaucrat to take note of me, and wonder what I'm doing? (barring parks closed at sunset or whatever).

So no, there are other reason to prefer not to be seen, besides "night-hawking obviously illegal sites"

 

[AmericanCoinHunting]

Yes........................In the hot summer I DO hunt with a freind or two at night.
Your machine has to have a back-lite,and ,you should wear a 'head-lamp' of some sort.
In the parks I 'Night-Hunt'...I hardly get a second look........BUT................If you are talking private property "That YOU don't have permision to hunt".....Or some other illegal possibilities///////////
All I have to say is....................I know there are secretive ways to do it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I do not aprove of it,,,,and anyone that does do it.....................I hope they get caught.........Because that makes us hobbiest look BAD!!!!

Doing it (Nite-Hunting) on a public site is No Problem,and FUN...............HH
I have done some secretive but legal nite hunting.........In areas where some aggitating tree hugging activists would call the cops and lie (saying I was ---drinking////exposing myself////destroying the grounds//Or last time ..................They said I was Laying Spread Eagle On the Ground {And this is when musqutoes were all over the ground}///Or some other lies to get me removed (That's Just during day-lite Hunting)..............................................Yes................................It IS legal in my city at the parks,,,,,,,,,,,,and YES ..........I did sneak around night hunting...............and did very well...........
.............Just be carefull of those that don't like us detectorists,,,,,,cover your holes ect...and Obey the Law

 

[Erdspiegel]

In Germany there are some professional 'Nighthawkers',relic hunting at archaeology sites.
I don't have a states permission to MD,but I allways behave like I have one. I prefer relic hunting at public places and farmers sites. Of course by permission of farmer.No problem,no rocks,no roots,and quite good finds.
During hot summers I sometimes do a night - search on public lanes.If the cops wonder,what I'm doing there,I tell them that I clean up the area from all coins and goldrings.Cops turn off,thinking "Let the idiot do,what he wants to do."