Attention all detectorist in Central New York (Greater Syracuse)

[gtfm2345]

Listen I went to Pulaski elementary today and around a hour in the janitor asked me to leave. I was dumbfounded when he told me the school board had passed a no metal detecting on school grounds vote. I asked him what prompted such a vote and he explained that some guys had left holes all over softball field and got nasty with him when he asked them to leave. I have been detecting there for 5 yes with no problem. And I'll tell you what if I come across you your gonna have a real bad day. I'm willing to risk jail to defend the hobby that I love. Also ran into some holes in Onondaga lake park as well. For ****s sake its restricted enough stop making it a "evil hobby"

 

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[kyleeskastles]

Even as a newbie i always fill in the holes, i cant stand the thought of some kid playing in the park breaking an ankle because of me. Plus it just looks bad just leaving it like that

 

[Ahab8]

How lazy and ignorant can people be? Can't they at least kick a bit of dirt back in. I don't blame you for being pissed

 

[Ocean7]

that's what closes off spots to hunters - people leaving unfilled holes etc. Really pisses you off and you wonder just how stupid somebody like that must be.

 

[shawninNY]

It Happens way more now since the show on nat geo! It had always been a problem with some new detectorists , but they either give up or learn to do it right, now it seems there are a lot more inexperienced users in high profile areas!

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

If they would all start out just using a screwdriver! In sensitive areas now I am using no digging tools besides my fingers and a screwdriver 5/16 blade by 6 inches long to open a slit then put my pro-pointer into the slit and see if it goes off, if not re-pinpoint and start over, seems to be a great method to me for shallow digs!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I was dumbfounded when he told me the school board had passed a no metal detecting on school grounds vote.

I don't think the school board has a right to pass that type of rule. I would look into it if I were you. They may be able to prevent people from entering school grounds when the kids are in school, but not during the summer or after school hours. Stand up for your rights!

I was once told by a groundskeeper at my local baseball field that I couldn't dig holes on "his" field. I explained to him that it was a public field and not "his" field. He then called the cops (or pretended to call them), but they never showed up. Even though the field is pretty much hunted out, I still detect their once in awhile just to assert my right to be there.

As a taxpaying citizen of your town, you have just as much right to use public land as the kids, the guys hitting golf balls and the people walking their dogs do.

 

[doc brown]

It might be coming a trend - A few years ago Gopher and I were hunting at Cato high school and I noticed a sign on a building. It said no metal detecting on property. So we moved and ran into another hunter and told him about the sign - he said it might be because of him - he wasn't the best in filling his holes. I had another friend kicked off school property by the superintendent himself. We also get the "look" from the people living by the school. People need to be responsible and fill in their holes.

 

[Hookedondetecting]

I am seeing quite a few public areas where someone was there before me leaving small holes uncovered. What a shame.

 

[Clem / South Carolina]

We here this all the time on all the detecting forums. As we each have our own way to refill our holes (which we think our way is the correct way), all it takes is to think of how we would feel if a stranger came in our own yard and detected and how the yard was left (dig holes) when they finished. As I also hunt our local schools, I always think of this.
I personally use a small bladed shovel. After pinpointing the target, I cut a circle plug and just lift it out of the hole on a towel and then find the target. I replace the dirt and turn the grass to the sky and then use my fist and tamp the plug back in all the while trying to leave no clue as to where the holes were at.
I read on a forum where a person witnessed where animals (squirrels mostly) came and re-dug his holes thinking there was food or a easy way to look for food and all the time he thought someone was not filling in their holes. Now I do not see a way to prevent this other than the obvious and that is to eliminate the culprit (all I see from that is FINE/JAIL time). Common sense is also a tool that needs to be used. Our local school has been laying sod each year in areas that is bare of grass. To me these areas are "out of bounds" for a year or until the grass has had a chance to take root and establish itself.
The school superintendent (who gave me permission to detect the schools) was watching me unknowingly one time, then approached me and made a comment about why do you appear to be beating the ground with your fist when replacing your dug dirt and why are you not hunting over there(pointing to a sodded area). I told him I thought that by tamping my plug back in that I thought it was helping deter the animals from coming behind me and re-digging my hole and when cutting the grass that the lawnmower would not pull my plug back out of the hole when ran over. As for the new sodded area I was giving the grass time to take hold and establish itself and considered it "off limits". That my friends went a long way as he was very pleased. It has also helped me get into other school areas (districts) that otherwise would have been off limits. I used him as a reference for them to call before a "no" decision was made.
As I hate to read this type of subject matter, I also like to read everyone's responses. I have picked up on a lot of valuable Intel that I sometimes incorporate in my detecting ways.

 

[Moresound]

I am very proud of the out come when I cover my holes.
Sometimes I can't even tell where they are let alone someone else.


Maybe we should start a write in campaign to those television detecting shows to run a small blurb before, durning and after each episode with the proper detecting code with emphasis on proper hole filling.

You never see them filling their holes (waste of TV time) who knows maybe they don't fill their hole and leave it up to some young intern to do it for them.
What a job that must be.

 

[Clay Slayer]

While schools and parks are "public property" they are still private. They are owned by the jurisdiction (i.e. school district or parks dept). The property owner can control hours of operation and can issue trespass orders.

It is not uncommon for people to be kicked off school or park property for doing activities which endanger the safety of others, create a nuisance, are destructive, or in any way violate the rules and expectations of the property.

Schools have a little more leeway than parks as they have the responsibility to protect their students and staff. Further, their insurance would dictate who is allowed on and when. This is why kids are usually kicked off school property for skateboarding, because the activity is a liability to the school.

The school has no obligation to allow the general public access to their property, especially if they have been vandalized in the past.

 

[Ahab8]

This subject makes me feel blessed that most of my sites are in the middle of nowhere. I try to research 17th thru 19th century sites that are hard to get to. 98% of the time I won't see another human the entire time I'm swinging. Don't get me wrong I still try to make the nicest plugs I can but there's nobody there to tell me I can't detect there. Maine has several huge chunks of land that are called wildlife areas that are open to the public. Lots of them have great history and are hundreds of acres. Normally it's just me and the animals. Makes for a perfect day

 

[CRUSADER]

Don't forget however good you cover your holes, there are animals that 'lift' them to look for bugs. So it may not be people leaving open holes. But those that do are idiots.

 

[Ahab8]

Don't forget however good you cover your holes, there are animals that 'lift' them to look for bugs. So it may not be people leaving open holes. But those that do are idiots.

So true. The skunks here love digging em out to look for bugs and grubs

 

[srcdco]

What does help to prevent animals from uncovering your holes is to wear plastic gloves. One of the things that attracts the animals is your scent, left behind in and around the hole. I learned that a few years ago when a friend of mine and I detected a rural school. He wore plastic gloves and I didn't. He went back a few days later and noticed that some of my holes had been uncovered (I always fill them in and stand on them to push them in), but none of his were. We determined that the plastic gloves made the difference. If the animal doesn't smell something in and around the hole, it's not likely to dig looking for food.

Scott

 

[crazydigger]

Listen I went to Pulaski elementary today and around a hour in the janitor asked me to leave. I was dumbfounded when he told me the school board had passed a no metal detecting on school grounds vote. I asked him what prompted such a vote and he explained that some guys had left holes all over softball field and got nasty with him when he asked them to leave. I have been detecting there for 5 yes with no problem. And I'll tell you what if I come across you your gonna have a real bad day. I'm willing to risk jail to defend the hobby that I love. Also ran into some holes in Onondaga lake park as well. For ****s sake its restricted enough stop making it a "evil hobby"

I'm from the area..........these reports make me cringe because I'm always nervous that I'm intruding or just drawing attention...this makes it worse. Always always always!!! Bring a clothe, us a sharp hand shovel, cut the plug, fold it back, pinpoint, place dirt from hole on the clothe, get your find ( if trash take it with). Dump dirt from the clothe back in the hole, fold your plug back over and leave it as though you were never there. This pisses me off to no end. I'm with you!

 

[CASPER-2]

Don't forget however good you cover your holes, there are animals that 'lift' them to look for bugs. So it may not be people leaving open holes. But those that do are idiots.

we have a lot of areas with drought - guys still hunt and even though they replace their plugs - they a re bone dry - and when they mow the lawn - it pulls them right up
have seen no detecting signs on schools also - detectorists were blamed for holes/divots left by golfers

 

[Dirtwisher]

Although we don't realize it, cutting a circular plug and removing it, then putting it back can "cut off the circulation" to the grass in that plug by isolating it from the rest of the turf. Also the plug cutting inadvertently severs much of the roots. I have seen dead plugs a couple weeks later which I thought I cut perfectly. It is far better to cut three sides of the plug and fold it back, then let it fall into place after the recovery.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I read on a forum where a person witnessed where animals (squirrels mostly) came and re-dug his holes thinking there was food or a easy way to look for food and all the time he thought someone was not filling in their holes.

Happened to me yesterday. Saw a HUGE hole where I had cut a small plug. Must have been a skunk looking for grubs. I refilled it, but it still looked pretty ratty. So now I'm going to get blamed for it! Sometimes you just can't win...