Scared to metal detect a park?

[Honest Samuel]

Tom, you think too much....

Many of us agree with you.

 

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[George (MN)]

I will go to local parks while many are present. They are playing or watching ball games, & they don't mind my being there if I stay out of the area they are using. I go up near the fans to deposit my trash. I haven't had a problem doing this. If an authority figure or someone who can report to them is having a bad day & you are the only person in the park, guess who gets the negative attention? I feel safer when others are there. Best wishes, all!

 

[Mifarmer]

Detect after 5 pm when they all go home, wear a set of usmc digies and go minesweeping!

 

[darktower007]

Reading posts like this made me a little awkward on my first trips to the park. I felt like a criminal. WHAT LAWS WAS I BREAKING. I had read so many posts like these.

Now I just do my thing. No one cares.

I remember the first time I saw a lifeguard patrolling down the beach. My heartrate went up, I was SURE he was going to ask me what I was doing. I looked into my bag of trash for the hunk of barbed wire I had removed from the sand, ready to offer it to the Lifeguards for their blessings. I peeked under the brim of my hat as the red truck got closer, my heartrate increasing, ready for confrontation.

The truck came closer...

closer...

And drove right past without even looking at me.

Same with park maintenance, city cops, motorcycle cops, and basically everyone else. People got things to do much more important than worry about someone swinging a detector on public grounds. 99% of the time everyone is worried about their own lives, not yours.

Sure, don't break the law, do a quick search for the do's and don'ts on your city's website regarding their parks. And be about your business. Be clean and neat when detecting on public property on manicured lawns, etc etc.

I will say one thing. As a woman in the hobby, I don't feel like a creeper when detecting around playgrounds during the day. Little bit of gender bias you guys have to deal with I'm guessing Most of the time the kids ask what I'm doing and want to know what's in the holes, and the Mom's don't make any issues.

I have read countless by laws rules and regulations in Chattanooga, but I can't find much. Obviously you can't swing in the battlefields but other parks if there isn't anything posted it's fair game in my book.


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[Rawhide]

Too many places you can hunt. If in doubt, don't whip it out. But if you don't swing, you won't find it

 

[Truth]

Life's too short to be scared. Keep swinging [emoji442]


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[Honest Samuel]

It is too scare to go treasure hunting in Connecticut for many days to come.

 

[Truth]

I'd do that in a New York second. Park?.. no signs?...I'm in. I'm only on "high alert" in bad hood neighborhoods. Hell I did our City Hall at 6:35am on a Sunday. Lol


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[FFFPatriot]

You could put one of these on at a park while metal detecting. It should take some of the fear away...

 

[SweetCorn]

I was really hesitant to start hunting parks. Mostly because I wasn't confident in my ability to dig clean plugs and leave no trace, so I practiced some. I'm with those who say act like you belong there and no one gives you any guff. Lots of people are interested in what you are finding.

It also doesn't hurt that this area has had active MDers for decades so I think the cops/parks and rec, etc. know what's going on. I will admit I want to hunt a very busy grassy park that is directly across the street from the main police station, but I haven't gotten the guts yet. Some early Sunday morning I'll give it a go.

I've been going to some urban parks recently and I'm convinced any passing cop that sees me is glad to see me in that park. I'm at least one person in the park who isn't homeless, drunk, urinating in full view of the public or "working" (prostitution appearing activity is pretty common). I'd add smoking weed too but that's essentially not a crime here anymore. 92 coins in 4 hours today plus some ugly ass bling. I'll take it!!

 

[Rawhide]

Low have a hat and vest myself but haven't had to use it. I'm never noticed.