Another aggravating day at the park.

[mikeraydj]

I went to another public park after being ran out by the the head of parks here last week. I decided to hunt using a probe. This old guy and his dog comes over to me and says. "What you are doing is illegal." I said how so? He says " It is against the law to use your Geiger counter here." Geiger counter? I informed him that I was using a metal detector. He said " Those are illegal. People like you ruin our beautiful pristine grass of the park." I told him that he was mistaken and that there is no law or ordinance on the books that prohibit me from metal detecting. The law does say that I cannot harm or deface the park which I am not doing. I told him thanks for his comments but is is terribly misinformed. I went back to detecting. Oh and remember the parks and rec. people that ran me out of the park earlier. Look what I dug up.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

agree with your interpretation of those "harm" and "deface" rules. It seems self evident that all such terms refer to the end result. However, detecting has "connotations", and others might think you're about to leave a mess. So rather than deal with busy-body lookie-lous like that who "interpret differently", have you considered just detecting that park at night ? So peaceful. So serene. No dog-walkers, no bored city park workers, etc...

 

[kyleeskastles]

agree with your interpretation of those "harm" and "deface" rules. It seems self evident that all such terms refer to the end result. However, detecting has "connotations", and others might think you're about to leave a mess. So rather than deal with busy-body lookie-lous like that who "interpret differently", have you considered just detecting that park at night ? So peaceful. So serene. No dog-walkers, no bored city park workers, etc...

Which is what i do, at night only. it is indeed alot more peaceful but be on the lookout for the community police, i already got hounded by one once over an 11pm curfew. Heck at my age i done forgot curfew existed and told him so too, and he thought i what i was doing was actually pretty cool, not what he expected anyone out there that late to be doing. He thought i was out vandalizing the concession stands out here and apparently someone has been lately. So now i wait till the lights go out on the park around 11 or 12 then head over there. I know if i cant see nothing but blackness out there from the parking lot neither can he I dont do that park but once or twice a week now though and only if i get up early like 4am or so, i figure i can better argue my case of im just up early if he catches me then when i was waiting for the lights out. I found another park and a ghost town not too far from here that i been putting my attention into lately however, till my digger went limp noodle on me. Now waiting patiently for my new hori hori to come in

But the way i see it is if they dont have a sign up saying you cant metal detect or there isnt a no trespassing sign its game.

Im kinda curious though as to what this art of probing is exactly. What do you do to differ a regular dig hole that makes it instead probing?

 

[Jeremy S]

I went to another public park after being ran out by the the head of parks here last week. I decided to hunt using a probe. This old guy and his dog comes over to me and says. "What you are doing is illegal." I said how so? He says " It is against the law to use your Geiger counter here." Geiger counter? I informed him that I was using a metal detector. He said " Those are illegal. People like you ruin our beautiful pristine grass of the park." I told him that he was mistaken and that there is no law or ordinance on the books that prohibit me from metal detecting. The law does say that I cannot harm or deface the park which I am not doing. I told him thanks for his comments but is is terribly misinformed. I went back to detecting. Oh and remember the parks and rec. people that ran me out of the park earlier. Look what I dug up.

/QUOTE]

Was that old man cleaning up after his dog? When you deal with an idiot like this, there is no use arguing with them. It will just waste your time and breath. If you argue with him, you can bet he will be at the next town meeting raising hell about "that guy with the Geiger detector thing vandalizing the park". Small towns have a lot of "good ol boy" politics, that old man might be the mayor or commissioners fishing buddy who will listen to him, no matter how ignorant the old fellow is.

Were you using headphones? I've had people approach me at a distance before, talking in my direction, but I stay focused on the ground, do not make eye contact, and act like they aren't there. Having headphones eliminates the ambient noise of your detector and gives you a good excuse why you don't have to hear their complaining.

 

[mikeraydj]

I use this for shallow finds. pulls the coins or targets up with minimal disturbance to the grass and soil.

 

[kyleeskastles]

I use this for shallow finds. pulls the coins or targets up with minimal disturbance to the grass and soil.

What is that thingy majigger called, looks like a stud puller im guessing? I see you got a garrett propointer which is probably a huge help with probing, mine only gets about a inch or so range so probing will be kind iffy till i get a garrett or whites. So you just stick that thingymajigger down in the dirt, wiggle it about and make a big enough hole to stick your pinpointer in to see if you get a buzz? Im all for whatever makes a smaller mark on the parks and private property where folks look down on big holes or "defacing".

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

What is that thingy majigger called, looks like a stud puller im guessing? I see you got a garrett propointer which is probably a huge help with probing, mine only gets about a inch or so range so probing will be kind iffy till i get a garrett or whites. So you just stick that thingymajigger down in the dirt, wiggle it about and make a big enough hole to stick your pinpointer in to see if you get a buzz? Im all for whatever makes a smaller mark on the parks and private property where folks look down on big holes or "defacing".

Weed puller. ...[emoji106]

 

[mikeraydj]

I only pull targets that are within reach of this tool. Usually an inch or less. I can actually tap the target then put the curved part under it and pull it up. works well and makes no more disturbance to the turf than an airiation.

 

[releventchair]

Mind you I,m all for dogs, but would have asked if his peed sunshine on our beautiful lawn..

 

[mikeraydj]

Oh afterwords I had all kinds of activities that were in my mind that were more destructive than what I was doing. Dog urine, their claws,

 

[gilgar]

What is that thingy majigger called, looks like a stud puller im guessing? I see you got a garrett propointer which is probably a huge help with probing, mine only gets about a inch or so range so probing will be kind iffy till i get a garrett or whites. So you just stick that thingymajigger down in the dirt, wiggle it about and make a big enough hole to stick your pinpointer in to see if you get a buzz? Im all for whatever makes a smaller mark on the parks and private property where folks look down on big holes or "defacing".

Hey, I've got one of those around somewhere--never thought about using it for detecting. I've always know it as a tack puller.

 

[mikeraydj]

Yea a tack puller or nail puller.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Yep that's a tack puller. Looks like a good one where did you get it?

I have what used to be a flat screwdriver the tip is now well worn and rounded from use, it's an old one with a regular wooden handle.
I probe till I touch the coin, probe again to find the edge of the coin then push the screwdriver down by the edge of the coin an inch or so deeper and leverage it up. If the coin is 2-3 inches you will have to probe then move the probe back and forth making a slit, then insert it at the edge and pry up the coin. I also have added a pair of lighted 7" tweezers which I can reach in the hole with find the coin and pull it up.
To my way of thinking I have not "dug out any soil" so technically I didn't dig.
I probed and removed a coin.

Be sure and show them the trash and especially the sharp pointed things you removed (from their pristine dog doo infested grass)! Oh, did that slip out, oops!

It is so surreal that they don 't know exactly what we are doing, but they know it's wrong and defacing property.
Is someone secretly brainwashing these people?

 

[WHADIFIND]

It is so surreal that they don 't know exactly what we are doing, but they know it's wrong and defacing property.
Is someone secretly brainwashing these people?

Yep, there are and they take many forms. The obvious is the "boom baby" "silv" "Civ" crowd. But, most of it is something deeper. Jealousy.
A "better than thou" attitude. After all, we are all just scavengers/looters actually crawling around in dog doo infested grounds to pick up pennies.

You're fighting a very uphill battle. No matter WHAT you do to prove just how caring you are, you are still just a ground rat. On top of that, you are destroying EVERYTHING that is beautiful in nature!

It helps to show some of the dangers we remove, but, some, will just figure we brought that along to scare people.

Keep at it, just as long as you can. That's as far as we can hope,

 

[WHADIFIND]

I hear ya and empathize. Been there, done that, over many, many years. Sad.

This is, if I'm asked to leave by someone official. I do. Simple as that. I will ask them why. But, that's just for my own
understanding of the mentality. "I AM" tearing up their utopian park but, the guys with golf clubs, football/soccer/baseball cleats, aren't hurting a thing. Cars driving on the field in the rain, leaving tire spin marks don't mean anything either. But, me? With my little gardening tool? I AM tearing it up. At least, "I" put things back together before I move on.

But, as I say, if I'm asked to move on, I do so. AND...I never come back! If I happen across an absolute honey hole, I WILL do whatever I need to do to acquire permissions to come back. Barring a honey hole, I will just find another patch of ground that I can relax and enjoy my "OWN" pursuit of happiness.

I haven't gotten rich, never intended that, but I have also NEVER run out of places to hunt. There is just too much out there for me to allow some idiot(s) to get in my way. Not even those unscrupulous ones who run people out of a park using their officialdom so they can keep their little honey hole exclusive to themselves. And, yes, I've run into those too. (Hope they like BB's) LOL !!!!

 

[kyleeskastles]

lol BB's that is just cruel mate!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

BBs ! Really! ROTF!!!! Even a sifter won't help that! And I thought the foil wrappers at schools were bad lol!
Good one!!!

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Couple rolls of zinc pennies "Stinkin Lincolns" might work too, I would Imagine. After they decompose and decay the zinc moves out into the soil.

 

[Moresound]

Next time you see someone not cleaning up after the dog ya just gotta rub their nose in it while in a loud and sturdy voice say * bad human, bad human*. After a week or so you might have them trained.