---DETECT CORRECTLY OR DONT DETECT--- Have permission - Fill your holes - Dispose of trash properly.

[EATONTON DIGGER]

For all of you that are new to this craft.

When you do not adhere to the above three things... you threaten the craft of metal detecting.

I for one... did not spend my life building a relationship with everyone from Park Rangers on to have some "newbie" screw it up because they got a detector and decided they were just going to detect "the way they want" and screw everyone else.

Santa must have brought you a box of coal

 

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[ARC]

Santa must have brought you a box of coal

I can safely say if he did... i would dispose of it properly. heh

 

[gunsil]

Yah, I met a guy two years ago while I was detecting a school yard with permission. He came over and told me he detected and asked if I'd like to detect with him sometime. Then he told me he thought there was a good spot in a local state park. When I told him that was off limits he told me "rules were meant to be broken". He then told me he was having troubles with the ATF over his gun collection. I told him sure, I'd hunt with him, gave him the wrong phone number and skedaddled my tail outta there!! Luckily I haven't bumped into him again but am sure he is out there making messes the rest of us will be blamed for.

 

[detectorcowboy]

It should go without saying

 

[ARC]

It should go without saying

You would think... but many new to this just are not "in the know"... or think its a joke.

 

[Tony in SC]

I've been turned down more in the last few years because of what the land owner has seen or heard about detecting. In the past I've had owners get excited and want to follow me around!

 

[ARC]

I will share the story of a lost permission that still haunts me to this day.
I will not share the exact location.

many beach landmark weekend party spot bars exist here and have for eons.
many have private sand on water spots... some no bigger than a basketball court... some as big as a football field.
On weekends they can be packed like sardines with a 50/50 blend of locals and tourists.
ALL drinking heavily with live music and craziness.

Ok picture set... i will say this... they were the ABSOLUTE best place to detect during the weekdays.
over 30 years ago these were "hotbeds" for lost jewelry... and many times rewards were given to finders of everything from keys to pagers.... (remember those ?)...
Anyway...
I had just kinda stumbled on this one spot that was so polluted with trash... mostly pull tabs... buried cans, etc that it made it REALLY hard to detect without extreme effort and patience.
BUT good stuff was in the mix of this massive amounts of pull tabs and trash and mostly alot of pocket change... but after a while of cleaning upper levels of sand i started to get deeper into the areas that had previously been untouched for the most part.
A buddy of mine and myself detected it together several times and he hits a REALLY great ring.
And then brags and shows it off to the bartenders.
The following week we return to try again with the day ending in multiple great finds...
I am stoked about finding what at the time i felt was my best spot ever.

Fast forward ... one day we get there and the area looks like Swiss cheese.... FULL of holes... i mean holes ever 2-3 feet.... its was the most incredible amount of holes... I am shocked that some idiot had left the area so completely ravaged... SO anyway.... we detect... find a few things but mostly the tossed aside trash is everywhere making it very hard...
and as we detect we FILL ALL the holes which is to say the least an undertaking.
We realize that the reason there were so many holes was because whover made them was able to make so many due to the fact no time was spent filling them... they just moved to the next target depositing the trash as they went.
The spot was still great....( ah hem) UNTIL... the day i showed up... and my bartender friends see me just starting to detect... and come up and say... "hey man management said no more metal detecting is allowed".
Of course i ask why...
"because some idiot left a bunch of holes and some lady from England was hurt".

The moral is...
Dont piss on OR off anyone with lazy type crap or you might just have had your last time detecting that spot.

To this day... I still think of that spot as one of the best spots i ever detected.... and to this very day it is also... off limits to metal detecting.

Gone... because of some selfish idiot...
And what i wouldn't give for the permission on that one today.

 

[Tony in SC]

I will share the story of a lost permission that still haunts me to this day.
I will not share the exact location.

many beach landmark weekend party spot bars exist here and have for eons.
many have private sand on water spots... some no bigger than a basketball court... some as big as a football field.
On weekends they can be packed like sardines with a 50/50 blend of locals and tourists.
ALL drinking heavily with live music and craziness.

Ok picture set... i will say this... they were the ABSOLUTE best place to detect during the weekdays.
over 30 years ago these were "hotbeds" for lost jewelry... and many times rewards were given to finders of everything from keys to pagers.... (remember those ?)...
Anyway...
I had just kinda stumbled on this one spot that was so polluted with trash... mostly pull tabs... buried cans, etc that it made it REALLY hard to detect without extreme effort and patience.
BUT good stuff was in the mix of this massive amounts of pull tabs and trash and mostly alot of pocket change... but after a while of cleaning upper levels of sand i started to get deeper into the areas that had previously been untouched for the most part.
A buddy of mine and myself detected it together several times and he hits a REALLY great ring.
And then brags and shows it off to the bartenders.
The following week we return to try again with the day ending in multiple great finds...
I am stoked about finding what at the time i felt was my best spot ever.

Fast forward ... one day we get there and the area looks like Swiss cheese.... FULL of holes... i mean holes ever 2-3 feet.... its was the most incredible amount of holes... I am shocked that some idiot had left the area so completely ravaged... SO anyway.... we detect... find a few things but mostly the tossed aside trash is everywhere making it very hard...
and as we detect we FILL ALL the holes which is to say the least an undertaking.
We realize that the reason there were so many holes was because whover made them was able to make so many due to the fact no time was spent filling them... they just moved to the next target depositing the trash as they went.
The spot was still great....( ah hem) UNTIL... the day i showed up... and my bartender friends see me just starting to detect... and come up and say... "hey man management said no more metal detecting is allowed".
Of course i ask why...
"because some idiot left a bunch of holes and some lady from England was hurt".

The moral is...
Dont piss on OR off anyone with lazy type crap or you might just have had your last time detecting that spot.

To this day... I still think of that spot as one of the best spots i ever detected.... and to this very day it is also... off limits to metal detecting.

Gone... because of some selfish idiot...
And what i wouldn't give for the permission on that one today.

The same thing happened to me in 1970. I had been detecting an old football field for about two months. It was the best spot I have ever had! I was the only one around with a detector. One afternoon the two caretakers at the school sat on the old stone bleachers and watched me while they had their lunch. I came back in two weeks only to find the gates locked! I could see that the field was a mess. The entire field was covered with holes! I had found two school rings and I wonder how many more were found and sold for scarp. From then on all the local schools were locked up.

 

[ARC]

The same thing happened to me in 1970. I had been detecting an old football field for about two months. It was the best spot I have ever had! I was the only one around with a detector. One afternoon the two caretakers at the school sat on the old stone bleachers and watched me while they had their lunch. I came back in two weeks only to find the gates locked! I could see that the field was a mess. The entire field was covered with holes! I had found two school rings and I wonder how many more were found and sold for scarp. From then on all the local schools were locked up.

Ya know its funny... I have never detected a sports field or a school.
The beach volleyball courts are the closest thing sports related.
But... Hey what can i say ... i grew up on and around beaches

1970 huh.... ***ARC bows to Tony's greatness***

I've heard about you guys... you guys were my inspiration... especially the stories of small sacks full of gold jewelry found.
I remember being introduced to a guy when i was a kid who had the record of almost 1/4 of a small pillowcase full ... IN ONE DAY.

The images of him describing that day was definitely burned in my brain. heh

 

[pepperj]

It seems that some are just not informed enough/or just don't care.

Driving by a small field in behind the city hall one day-guy detecting with a yellow detector. (Garrett)
I pull into the curb, watch like a PI on surveillance of the cheating spouse.
Guy digs out a large hunk of iron-tosses it against the chain link fence.

Say what!

I felt like that-enraged at this POS screwing up the simple ethics of what we are all about.
Detect-dig-retrieve-take-cover-leave no sign of dig.

I thought about it-approach-playing the "Have any luck"

Kept it pretty calm-said the simple facts of why? (chucked the trash)

He admitted guilt-I state the obvious-lazy dude on city mower hits metal-metal flies hits something or someone.

The guy was cool about it-picked it up and carried it 30 ft threw it in trash barrel (ok dude you were just lazy)

We shared the passion-I told him of the site history-the tips on retrieval-detecting in the public domains-we parted on the friendly.
I would say he was approachable-educated-no reason to be a dick about it actually.
If I see him again one day I probably will do the PI on him again-see if anything stated was retained.

We all have to start somewhere, and if we don't have a mentor of sorts we only learn by our own ethical up bringing.

I watch a few videos, and I see so many things that it would show newbies the wrong path.
Things that are left out of the picture.
The hole/plug being covered up-just once would do it.
The permission aspect-"Today on a permission from the land owner" Done
The shot of dumping the retrieved trash-2 seconds of an important message.
The list is a long one but what would it take-30 seconds of a detecting video.
That would beat the never ending segments of driving to the site/blaring music/BS that so many post.
Oh well just another thought in the never ending ways of things that pi$$ an older guy off.

 

[ARC]

It seems that some are just not informed enough/or just don't care.

Driving by a small field in behind the city hall one day-guy detecting with a yellow detector. (Garrett)
I pull into the curb, watch like a PI on surveillance of the cheating spouse.
Guy digs out a large hunk of iron-tosses it against the chain link fence.

Say what!

I felt like that-enraged at this POS screwing up the simple ethics of what we are all about.
Detect-dig-retrieve-take-cover-leave no sign of dig.

I thought about it-approach-playing the "Have any luck"

Kept it pretty calm-said the simple facts of why? (chucked the trash)

He admitted guilt-I state the obvious-lazy dude on city mower hits metal-metal flies hits something or someone.

The guy was cool about it-picked it up and carried it 30 ft threw it in trash barrel (ok dude you were just lazy)

We shared the passion-I told him of the site history-the tips on retrieval-detecting in the public domains-we parted on the friendly.
I would say he was approachable-educated-no reason to be a dick about it actually.
If I see him again one day I probably will do the PI on him again-see if anything stated was retained.

We all have to start somewhere, and if we don't have a mentor of sorts we only learn by our own ethical up bringing.

I watch a few videos, and I see so many things that it would show newbies the wrong path.
Things that are left out of the picture.
The hole/plug being covered up-just once would do it.
The permission aspect-"Today on a permission from the land owner" Done
The shot of dumping the retrieved trash-2 seconds of an important message.
The list is a long one but what would it take-30 seconds of a detecting video.
That would beat the never ending segments of driving to the site/blaring music/BS that so many post.
Oh well just another thought in the never ending ways of things that pi$$ an older guy off.

"Pepper Patrol" !...

 

[ARC]

"Pepper Patrol" !...

Think i will get some lettering for the side of the ride that says... "PEPPER PATROL" and ride around the beaches looking for those that are not filling holes and throwing back trash.

If i spot someone i will use the airhorn then the megaphone... "HEY YOU !!! YES YOU BEHIND THE PLATE STACKS ! ! ! ... err oh wait that is from Pink Floyd.... ok ok... um...

"HEY YOU ! ! ! YES YOU WALKING AWAY FROM THAT HOLE YOU JUST DUG AND LEFT OPEN"

I will then approach them and calmly say...

"have you heard the story about the metal detectorist stalker from Canada who stalks hole leaver openers " ?

 

[Almy]

Skunks, raccoons and sometimes crows will open holes I have carefully filled, especially those with hinged plugs in the turf. It doesn't happen real often, but enough so that I go back to any sensitive area I have detected in a day or two to check and repair any animal damage. I can tell what happened by looking at it but the landowner just sees holes and assumes it is the MDer. And it is but he doesn't know it. So fixing it is the only good solution. Thankfully, these creatures do not seem to go back for a second try after my repair in any places I have checked.

 

[McKinney_5900]

Skunks, raccoons and sometimes crows will open holes I have carefully filled, especially those with hinged plugs in the turf. It doesn't happen real often, but enough so that I go back to any sensitive area I have detected in a day or two to check and repair any animal damage. I can tell what happened by looking at it but the landowner just sees holes and assumes it is the MDer. And it is but he doesn't know it. So fixing it is the only good solution. Thankfully, these creatures do not seem to go back for a second try after my repair in any places I have checked.

I found that out when I first began detecting, in my own country yard. That was even before I hit the public spot. I'd filled my holes but found many opened up again. Armadillos, or skunks I figure. I have a habitat here ;-)

To add though, detectors "left open" digs are usually very much different than an animal or bird dig. They don't make piles, but tector diggers do.

 

[McKinney_5900]

I do parks most of the time, whee sometimes, Dog Owners don't pick up the animal's s--T...!
Not paying attention, I've stepped into that stuff, and I had to do major cleaning, before the wife would let me in the house...!

If I am sweeping a coil looking for a coin signal, a pile of poop is easy to see and avoid. I also own animals, always have.

 

[pepperj]

Skunks, raccoons and sometimes crows will open holes I have carefully filled, especially those with hinged plugs in the turf. It doesn't happen real often, but enough so that I go back to any sensitive area I have detected in a day or two to check and repair any animal damage. I can tell what happened by looking at it but the landowner just sees holes and assumes it is the MDer. And it is but he doesn't know it. So fixing it is the only good solution. Thankfully, these creatures do not seem to go back for a second try after my repair in any places I have checked.

I had this happen back in 2011. Rented a cottage, great history on the property.
Digging the old out of the front lawn.
Mr skunk ripping my invisible plugs out.
Why?
Grubs
So I started to throw the grubs out of the plug.
Free lunch, the skunk didn't dig the plugs out after that.
But many times I have returned to a permission only to find a mine field of holes in the field.
They must be able to smell where we've dug.
Cayenne pepper might stop them from digging them up.

 

[McKinney_5900]

I had this happen back in 2011. Rented a cottage, great history on the property.
Digging the old out of the front lawn.
Mr skunk ripping my invisible plugs out.
Why?
Grubs
So I started to throw the grubs out of the plug.
Free lunch, the skunk didn't dig the plugs out after that.
But many times I have returned to a permission only to find a mine field of holes in the field.
They must be able to smell where we've dug.
Cayenne pepper might stop them from digging them up.

When you really think about it...if you were an animal looking for food under the ground, wouldn't your "animal detect" be to check the freshly dug spots first? On the flip side, do any of us swing coils over freshly dug ground, intentionally?

It seems natural that an animal would sniff fresh ground and dig our new digs for a grub. Us detectors, me anyways, usually dodge the fresh digs.

 

[releventchair]

Think i will get some lettering for the side of the ride that says... "PEPPER PATROL" and ride around the beaches looking for those that are not filling holes and throwing back trash.

If i spot someone i will use the airhorn then the megaphone... "HEY YOU !!! YES YOU BEHIND THE PLATE STACKS ! ! ! ... err oh wait that is from Pink Floyd.... ok ok... um...

"HEY YOU ! ! ! YES YOU WALKING AWAY FROM THAT HOLE YOU JUST DUG AND LEFT OPEN"

I will then approach them and calmly say...

"have you heard the story about the metal detectorist stalker from Canada who stalks hole leaver openers " ?

I can grasp why someone as interested in the Spanish plate ships would put" behind the plates" in there.
My first impression upon hearing it way back when was "you behind the fence kid" pronounced ked.
Sigh.

Post | Scottishpinkfloyd

www.scottishfloyd.com

 

[boogeyman]

For all of you that are new to this craft.

When you do not adhere to the above three things... you threaten the craft of metal detecting.

I for one... did not spend my life building a relationship with everyone from Park Rangers on to have some "newbie" screw it up because they got a detector and decided they were just going to detect "the way they want" and screw everyone else.

Well hang on to your skivvies! There's going to be a whole herd of newbs in a couple days with their $79 Xmas machines that don't understand you can pop a clad coin out from 1 inch with a screw driver. Doncha just love Christmas time?

 

[SD51]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is there never should be any dirt left on the surface of the grass around a plug after the plug is put back in the hole and stepped down. Always lay a cloth on the ground next to the plug and place any dirt you remove from the hole on the cloth.

After removing the target, pour the dirt back into the hole, tilt the hinged plug back and step it down.

I dig plugs that no animal is going to remove. They are at least 4 inches across and 6 to 8 inches long and are "U" shaped. By doing this, there's less chance of the grass roots drying out too.

As has been already mentioned, use a screwdriver for those shallow coins.

If you come across any trash laying on the surface, pick it up and dispose of it properly.