Criticle Recovery, I like turtles too. I believe Sandmans thread was about overkill in the park. I honestly use a pocket knife in the parks, not need for a large plug. The parks here have been returfed and a vapor shield a few inches down. While i pick stuff up well beyond that, most finds are 3" or less. Once in a while Ill go deep 10", but knowing how to dig a plug so it doesnt kill the grass or get kicked back out of the hole is important. If sandman is the one in charge of enforcement, I can tell you one encounter like that and I would make sure I made no more donations to the state.
I used to enjoy the state parks here. But the cost, and the limitations, have caused my wife and I to boycott the annual pass and go find another place to have fun. State parks here regulated themselves out of business. Just too expensive to have a bbq as that pretty much is all you can do. But a half mile away is some of the best fishing and camping you will ever do. If you have a RV and need a place to drain your tanks, well state parks are great.
I run a VDI and am happy. I go out of my way when in the city parks to be the example, not a problem. State parks dont allow detecting, so shame on them. Havent been in one in over 2 years. No matter what you settle for, you will always want more in a detector. Every year, I am not disapointed, someone makes it better. Im still a noob with my fisher. But I have been impressed with the hype. Only thing wrong with the ads was my expectations. They only let you think what you wanna think. Get ya big bad boy toy and dig some keepers.