Dangerous Detecting. Whats Your Story?

[Higgy]

Dangerous Detecting. What's Your Story?

After seeing Moonlight's thread about the stone crab, http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/general-discussion/459008-could-have-lost-finger.html, I thought it would be fun to start a thread where we all could talk about the precautions we take for dangerous and pesty-sorta stuff we have to go through while detecting. Obviously, having your toe cut off by a crab would really suck - giving you quite a different attitude about detecting. So I'm thinking - what do you folks have to beware of when you detect in your areas? I'll go first.

Here in New Hampshire, we got mosquitos and blackflies. Everyone knows skeeters, but not everyone knows about blackflies. Sometimes you get them both. Skeeters will light on you and start drilling operations. Blackflies land and crawl to a desired spot, making them hard to slap away. When you get them both, its a real pain in the coil. Sometimes we get skeeters, blackflies, AND deerflies. Might as well slather-up with DEET or go inside. I use lightweight, long-sleeve shirts, and long pants. I wear long socks and tuck my cuffs into my socks and spray the boots and socks. This is for the ticks primarily, but the blackflies will crawl up your leg and start chewin'.

In the slower rivers here, we got leeches. BIG ones. I live about a thousand feet up from the river I detect, and a couple years ago I saw a leech that was at least 6" long. If he'd have gotten ahold of me, he'd have sucked so hard it would have cavitated my skull. Leeches are vile, disgusting creatures and I definitely do not want them on me. Ever. So again, I wear long sleeves and leggings in the rivers now. I actually wear old lightweight thermal underwear. Works great!

I like to keep my Ruger Alaskan on me when I am hunting the edges of fields, and in the woods. Eastern Coyotes, Black Bears, and Mountain Lions are not to be taken lightly up this way.

I am sure there's more, but these are my main dangers for detecting in my AO. What do you folks have?

 

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[pkb]

thugs , but I try to avoid their natural habitat. But when I do I'm sure to have some Smith and Wesson on me to shoo them away. Great stuff they make lol

 

[kingskid1611]

Copperheads that like to bask in areas where you hunt. If you have your mind buried in your beeps you can walk right up on them.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I only had one incident, not life threatening, but rather crappy.. I was detecting a yard that had a privacy fence on 1 side. The house was foreclosed on over a year ago. The neighbors on the other side of the fence decided to clean up the dog crap in their yard. Instead of scooping it up and bagging it like normal people they were simply throwing it over the fence, in the yard I was detecting. I thought it weird that dog crap was falling from the sky. I never got hit, but I had to watch where I swung and stepped. They did end up peaking over the fence and apologized as we chuckled over the incident.

 

[Higgy]

I only had one incident, not life threatening, but rather crappy.. I was detecting a yard that had a privacy fence on 1 side. The house was foreclosed on over a year ago. The neighbors on the other side of the fence decided to clean up the dog crap in their yard. Instead of scooping it up and bagging it like normal people they were simply throwing it over the fence, in the yard I was detecting. I thought it weird that dog crap was falling from the sky. I never got hit, but I had to watch where I swung and stepped. They did end up peaking over the fence and apologized as we chuckled over the incident.

Turdz. Yet another detecting obstacle.

 

[JOe L]

Around here it's ticks, ticks and ticks. Light color pants tucked into knee high rubber boots and plenty of clothing tick spray all over the lowers. I hate them guys.
Underwater, no problems at all, peaceful detecting.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

As it warms we also will have Mosquitos, flies, ticks, snakes, etc. then there are the large flocks of geese that leave poop on the ground and drop it from the sky as well (wet wipes come in handy).
Once in a while dogs not on a leash that are territorial in a public park.

Then there are.....people,
The biggest threat is flying lead from gang shootings. Hasn't happened to me yet but it's a very real possibility. That's why I like to hunt early Sunday mornings.

 

[coinman123]

I'm happy to see a fellow NH Metal Detectorist, you are completely correct on everything you said. I have had 10 deer ticks just crawling on my jacket after metal detecting, I hate all of the annoying biting insects in the woods.

 

[golddigger65]

I was detecting a home from the 1800's, as I was swinging along side the home I felt the ground begin to sag and a creaking of wood. After moving off of that spot I scraped away some of dirt and found I had been standing on a wooden cover over a well lined with brick. Turned out to be 75 feet deep. Changed my underwear, cleaned the brown stuff off my legs and left.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

....and TREE HOLES that are hollow spaces that the base of a tree (used) to stand - they can be quite deep, and after your first, crotch-deep encounter, you'll be more cautious after that! I know....!

 

[BigWaveDave]

Fire ants!!! Most of the time the mound is visible, other times, if you get on one knee to cut a plug, be careful! Several times as I am propointing, that hot, burning sensation sets in around my kneepad, I didn't even see them! A day or two later its fun to pop the white pustules, within a few weeks the scars begin to fade.

 

[CanadaGold]

In my neck of the woods of southern Ontario it is ticks and Rosa multiflora wild rose bushes (white flower) that are everywhere.
The thorns or like razor wire and go right through your gloves. If you get stuck with one they
give off a toxin and the area on your skin will swell up big time, nasty bush !

 

[NWMP]

Ticks. I should start seeing them in 2-3 weeks. Twice I have felt one crawling up the back of my neck which gives me the freakin' willies ! I near hit the ditch once trying to swat one off.

 

[Limitool]

Copperheads, ticks and chiggers are horrible here. Get bite by a copperhead and your obviously going to have a bad day. But getting into a batch of chiggers is absolutely horrible also. You'll be miserable for a couple of weeks!!!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have late night hunted local beaches on more than a few occasions and been followed by several shady characters to the point I went in the water waist deep to get them off my trail, water hunting for 20 mins before they gave up and left. You don't want to be waist deep in Florida's waters at night either, "things that go bump in the night" can eat you...

I no longer worry about shady characters, I always go armed with .45 with hollow points when night hunting beaches now, in fact unless I'm hunting in the surf I'm always armed...

 

[TheRingFinder]

I've been startled and or attacked by the following:
Mosquitos
Knats
Ticks
Black Flies
Leeches
Sunfish
Deer
Pheasants
Nosey Neighbors - but the worst by far, winning the most annoying award - goes to:
The Power tripping Park Rangers who don't understand their own laws.

 

[Kevin in IN]

Got caught in a wicked lightening storm on the lake michigan shoreline. Had a strike so close , my screen blanked out on my XLT. I think I peed a little as I ran for cover.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

Gosh, no one mentioned BEES! Yellowjackets (aka Meat Bees) nest in the ground, often at bases of trees; and, Bald-faced Hornets, nest above ground in classic, big round-ish paper nest - they will chase you all across your State - very agressive!! There are other bees and wasps to mention, but not as common here.

 

[OldJerseyGirl]

You know, I was thinking about the horrible winter a lot of us had. We could not wait for summer. We tend to forget the ticks, chiggers, and other miserable things that come with summer for most of us. I guess we just have to live with all these things. Never a perfect time . But, I still love it. Put on the spray and keep your eyes open. Happy hunting everyone!

 

[jeff of pa]

Unless you believe in Ghosts, poison snakes, or psycho killers
[point being, I don't believe in them, so they are not where I hunt]

I don't know

Worst experiences I can think of were hunting drained 2' / 3' thick lake Mud
almost the consistency of quick sand.



but those days were also my Favorite,
once I learned how to pop my feet free without leaving my shoes behind

or maybe warm Ground & Hot feet
in Centralia no flames or cave in happened to me though