Why do some detectorist leave holes?

[Patriot 1776]

I went out this weekend trying to find a new honey hole for detecting. I went to a old historic house, knock on the door. I started to ask for permission and the lady looked at my detector and said right away " NO" I asked her why she was so quick to say no before I could even explain the benefits for her and I. The lady replied , I had a gentleman last year, I gave permission to hunt my property and he left over 20 holes in my back yard and small garden.
My next stop two towns over, I came across a old farmstead that was converted in WWII to summer cottages. I drove in the entrance, The guy at the entrance asked if I was interested in a cottage for the weekend , I said no. I stated i was looking to split metal detecting findings with him. I also explained the cutting of a plug. not leaving a mess , filling in holes. His replay "NO". He stated I had 2 separate occasions where i gave permission to guys like you, who detect. For a couple of silver coins, its not worth the time I have to spend picking up old rusty cans that are left on the surface and hole that where not filled in.

So my Question:

Do people leave holes to mark where they have detected ?
Do they get so excited about their finds they keep forgetting to fill in holes.
Why??

I have a list of things I would like to say, "too bad I cannot say what I really feel" why they do not fill in their holes and leave a mess

 

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[McKinney_5900]

It's just a possibility that some animal re-dug the plugs. I had the same experience right after I first started, and it was in my own front yard. Be it a skunk, possum or armidillo...my plugs were dug up again.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

If done on purpose, "they" leave holes cause they don't give a s__t!
Or, best case scenario, they don't know better and can be taught proper procedures.
Peace ✌

 

[Msbeepbeep]

That would be my guess too, other than animals re digging the holes, the people either don't care or don't know the right way.
Maybe it's just me but I don't want ANY evidence seen of where I've been digging, paranoid I guess.
I fill holes at the beach and tot lots, any where I dig.
That really annoys me that it was in our state, less chances for us when we ask.

That's another reason I really wish all the TV diggers shows had a little clip at the beginning of the show on proper plug/hole digging and refilling technics, pleaseeeeeeee! I beg of you! It can't hurt.

As for the ones that don't care, what say you we give them a nudge in the hole they dig and fill it for them. Lest anyone is offended, it's tongue 'n cheek.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I agree with everyone about the holes left. I drove about 35 miles to get permission to hunt an older football field that is private property. I was told "NO" as soon as I asked. He stated that someone came by a couple of years earlier and dug holes all along the sidewalk and did not fill in any of them. For those selfish, immature individuals who are out for immediate gratification we all pay the price.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Don't be so quick to assume that when someone tells you "no because of holes", that this necessarily means that "someone left holes" in the past. Often time they just *say* that, because:

a) it's the mental image that anyone seems to have, when tasked with thinking about the concept of md'ing. So they just say "no because of holes". But doesn't necessarily ever mean there had been a case of that.

b) The guy may not have wanted to be bothered, so he simply said that to deflect you. It's the same song and dance as "no d/t liability insurance issues". I have had occasions, when hearing that, to gleefully announce "I have a $1million liability policy on my company, which covers me as owner wherever I go, hence no need to fear liability issues!". But guess what? THEY STILL SAY NO. Which leads me to believe that "liability" is just the polite way to say "no", when it has no real bearing on the issue.

Hence, don't be so quick to assume someone left holes, EVEN when someone is saying "no because of holes". It's often just the "go-to" excuse used when someone wishes to say no.

 

[kingskid1611]

Most of those who would have left holes just got into the hobby for a quick buck. They get permission for a cherry spot with no experience at all and then...well now we know the rest of the story.

 

[Argentium]

This is an interesting question- It is tempting to get on the "berate the morons" bandwagon , but I am seeing far too many of
these reports of critters re opening plugs to ignore this as a possibility for perhaps a lot more of these occasions than I would
have considered plausible .

 

[Rodbuster209]

I think it is just ignorance and laziness and just not giving a s--t, to me it is like the person who while walking their dog let the dog crap on the sidewalk or manicured yard in front of your house and then just walk away.

 

[Loco-Digger]

There are many examples of these people. Just look in the ditches along back roads. Finish your soda and toss it out the window. I've seen people pull up to a stop light, open their car door and empty their ashtray right on the road. Sometimes I'd like to sweep butts up and drop them on their driveway. We all dig trash whenever we hunt. The people with the same attitude dropped it there in the past. Why do you think they change the design of the pull tab or why some states pay a deposit on plastic bottles and cans. It's a shame you have to create a monetary incentive for them to clean up after themselves.

 

[G.I.B.]

Butthole's marking their territory.

I agree with the previous post- Diggers should put in a 'plug' for plugging plugs.

 

[Isaac]

Because they are a-holes. Who ever can't take less than a second of their time to flip back the plug and walk on it to stomp it back in place (in a public place especially) shouldn't be participating in the hobby at all. Even in a plowed field or a place where you don't need to be perfect, you should at least fill in the hole so it's leveled with the ground. I've also had critters re-open my holes over time, they don't look nearly as awful as a metal detectorists half-filled in dig hole with the canslaw or shotgun shell next to the hole. It's natural for animals to make holes in the ground but you can obviously tell just by looking at a metal detectorists dig hole it was a shovel and a person who cut and made the hole. I've gotten a couple of those "No, because the last guy didn't fill in their holes and ruined my yard" type of people as well. It REALLY sucks. HH

 

[lisfisher]

There are two reasons - One, the person was not responsible enough or too lazy to bury the holes. Second, if plugs are inserted back into the ground, and the ground is very dry or there is no rain afterwards, they may not take root again and can easily get sucked back out by lawnmowers or pulled out by animals looking for grubs, making us detectorists look bad.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I was in county park detecting when I came on a bunch of open holes, when I noticed a park employee driving up in golf cart, I walk up to him and pointed at the holes and advised I didn't dig them but I would cover them up, he replied he appreciated that, but that the holes were dug by raccoons, not by someone detecting, they were digging for grubworms..

 

[TooManyHobbies]

I detected a permission last year and had a good day, so the next day I went back. All of my plugs had been dug up. I'm a nuisance wildlife operator, so I deal with skunks all the time. Set one cage and sure enough had it that night. They can smell the fresh soil dug out of hole and it was also easy digging. I'm sure if I hadn't gone back that next day, the owners wouldn't have been too happy that "I" left my holes open.
As it turned out, the owners were grateful that I got rid of the skunk for them (I've done skunk work on the property many times before). No matter how careful most of us are, sometimes things happen out of our control.

 

[Mike70]

Perhaps if we could get a video of one of these critters giving us a bad name, it may take some of the pressure off detectorists. I guess it would be very time consuming, unless you had a wildlife camera set up. People see us dig holes, but never the critters.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Perhaps if we could get a video of one of these critters giving us a bad name, it may take some of the pressure off detectorists. I guess it would be very time consuming, unless you had a wildlife camera set up. People see us dig holes, but never the critters.

Most of the critters are digging holes at night and early morning which is why few see them..

 

[bonepicker]

Im on board with critters and some people not giving a darn, but I have another new theory.
Inexpensive $100 and under detectors.
I know this is not always the case and that some people cannot afford to drop a $1000 on a machine, but when anyone can goto their local sporting goods store nowadays and pickup a detector for $75.00, after watching a few reality shows. It tells me many may not have a lot of vested interest in the hobby, and have not done much research, nor do they plan on it. .
This is not always true. Im not saying all people that cant afford an expensive machine are responsible for unattended holes. Im merely saying when opportunities for more people to detect arise, you will have more people detecting, and with anything, some of those people will be uneducated in ethics or just plain inconsiderate.
This is just an example. I ran into an old high school buddy. He said he had a detector. I decided to goto a beach by his house with him. He had one of those inexpensive detectors that I wont mention the name. We started detecting and I went down aways from where he was at. After a little while I started working my way back to him, and started noticing a bunch of holes. I started filling them for him, and then when I made it back to him I had to explain to him why he should be filling his holes without being rude. He simply did not know any better.

 

[Boatlode]

I never bother filling in my holes.

































Gotcha. They disappear when the tide comes back in.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I never bother filling in my holes.

































Gotcha. They disappear when the tide comes back in.

I fill mine in if they are out of the water even though tide will do the same just to keep joggers from twisting an ankle and to show our hobby in a good light..