How do you handle common folk while MDing : Their Questions / YourAnswers

[hunterinthesky]

Explain your best strategy. Thanks.

 

[Eu_citzen]

I simply reply to their questions or ignore them, depending on my mood.

Quite simple is it not?
Though mostly they will not bother to talk to me, they go straight to my hunting buddy.

 

[EDDE]

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op back up
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beep
dig

 

[pennyfarmer]

How many times have I tried to be the nice guy, only to find out I am talking with an imbecile. I hate the nice me, always getting hosed out of valuable hunting time.

Especially when I find something good I turn in to chatty Cathy. I keep the treasure on the down low but I still get chatty about my hobby. Why do I like treasure huntning? Cause I'm nuts.

 

[kane23]

Make sure you wear headphones all the time, it will stop most of them from bothering you. HH kane 23

 

[vibes]

Most times I feel like the Pied Piper...a trail of people following, intently watching for the next scoop (this is at the beach). IF they decide to ask a question, and it's usually, "What's the best thing you ever found?" I am polite abd brief....I'll chat * a bit* longer if they have a child w/ them

After a brief exchange, I'll say, "well I gotta get back to treasure hunting! Have a super day."

 

[mastereagle22]

I learned Klingon. When they try to talk to me I speak it and they leave me alone.

 

[Sandman]

How many times have I tried to be the nice guy, only to find out I am talking with an imbecile.

It definitely seems that the average IQ of people is going down from the questions I get from grown ups. I try to answer questions as best I can and only lie about the luck I am having. I never tell about the good finds, only tell them about the trash. I once gave a nickel to a little girl and ten minutes later I was like rotten meat swarming with maggots. (kids)

 

[pennyfarmer]

How many times have I tried to be the nice guy, only to find out I am talking with an imbecile.

It definitely seems that the average IQ of people is going down from the questions I get from grown ups. I try to answer questions as best I can and only lie about the luck I am having. I never tell about the good finds, only tell them about the trash. I once gave a nickel to a little girl and ten minutes later I was like rotten meat swarming with maggots. (kids)

I once tried to be nice to a group of kids. This kids must have been sick the day they taught manners in school cause their parents sure didn't teach them. They want everything you dig up and they are not polite about it. I lasted all of a few minutes at that park. I was with my own kids trying to have a family outing.

 

[Ramapirate]

When childrens ask I go "UUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM stay back, I'm weedeating UUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! "

Just messing, I talk to the little boogers and usually let them share in the finds. Who knows, they might get the bug too. I had a whole army of little mexican kids at a local park following me around. All they wanted were the pull can tops for a school fundraiser. They were toting away trash to the can for me and everything. I even had one that was interpreting for me to the ones that didn't speak english. Their moms and dads were cracking up at us.

HH,
Ramapirate

 

[stefen]

Wear your CSI or BOMB SQUAD t-shirt and tell everyone to stand at least 50 feet away

 

[Born2Dtect]

We are all ambassadors for the hobby, like it or not. Sometimes I don't mind talking a little, other times it annoys me. If a person is genuinely interested I will talk if they appear like they are trying to annoy me I just put on the headphones and keep going. My least favorites questioners are drunk and, preteens and teenagers in groups.

Recently I was at my nephews wedding and discovered that his new father in law metal detected. Needless to say an hour later and a few dirty looks from our wives and family, the next time I am in town we will get together.

Ed D.

 

[watercolor]

With kids, I just tell them I'm removing all the dangerous "junk" in the ground
and they need to stand back for safety reasons. . . I've found that works almost always.

With grown-ups. . . they mostly ask what my most VALUABLE find was today and after I
show them a Wheat penny, they say "Oh. . . well, good luck!" and then walk away.

 

[savant365]

I just tell the kids that my daughter lost her ring. I tell smarta$$ adults that it's my anger management therapy and its not working. They usually don't stick around long and tell their kids to stay away from me

 

[hunterinthesky]

Good one Savant

 

[Bavaria Mike]

I try to be nice and professional as long as they are nice, being in Germany, many people really have no idea what I am doing and are just curious. I do not tolerate buttheads and put them in their place fast, I have been approached several different ways by people and learned a lot. I had a guy tell me to make sure I got the front of a building once, I asked why the front? He said it was overgrown as well. I laughed realizing he thought I was weed eating, does resemble a weedeater, LOL. HH, Mike

 

[LadyDigger]

I love it when folks ask questions! I feel it gives them a better idea of what we enjoy, I esp like it when the kiddies ask! Such curosities they have!!! I have let them help dig and I always let them keep what they have found (coins everytime, whew!! LOL)

Recently, at our family reunion in Ocean City, Maryland....we were to meet our cousins at the beach (we stayed on 67th Street)...here I am walking in on the beach in capri pants, shirt, carrying my beach chair on one arm and my scoop and detector in the other....looking for my cousins. I pass these two ladies, who looked at me and I just smiled back and keep looking.

After awhile I found my cousin and he showed me where everyone was. Then after I am settled, he calls me over to introduce me to his daughter, whom I babysat for when she was like two and that was the last time I saw her!!!

She was one of those two ladies I smiled at...the other one was her younger sister. She proceeded to tell me that she and her sister made a comment, "Why would someone come to the beach in a shirt and pants, carrying all that stuff and a metal detector!"...She was quite embrassed to say the least. I told her, "See, that is why you should be careful in what you say about others, you just might be related!!!" Then I found out, later that week, as I was home already, her husband came down to the reunion and was using a metal detector he borrowed! I heard he found a ring!

I make it a point to let folks know though, that I pull alot of trash, I carry a trash bag with me and show them the nails, broken lightbulbs (common on Va Beach from the Christmas displays), cans (beer and soda), alum foil, even broken glass pieces...etc. They are more amazed at all the trash I have pulled.

But to me .. the only stupid question is the one you don't ask...so if you see me...ask away....

 

[cybercop106]

Answering a few questions is fine, but if it goes on for too long I say: "The thing I enjoy most about metal detecting is the solitude."

If that doesn't work, my other standard line is: "I only have a limited amount of time to detect so I'm gonna get back to it now. You take care and have a nice day."

 

[mastereagle22]

That is about the same line I use. But mine is "My wife only lets me detect one night a week and I need to get on with the hunt so have a nice evening"

 

[bazinga]

When it comes to children, I've learned my lesson. If you are nice and share in your finds they will never leave you. They become very nosy and greedy and think that it is all theirs. I don't understand how parents let their kids just walk up to complete strangers without their supervision.

Most of the adults I come across are either bums or just morons. They only seem to care about how much the stuff is worth that I am finding or how much my machine costs. Seriously, why do people do that? I have never walked up to a stranger and asked what something they owned cost them.

Then there is the group of people that I enjoy. The ones that are intelligent and can hold a real conversation. Many ask questions because they are just interested in the hobby themselves or have a detector and don't really know how to use it or haven't found enough to motivate them to detect more. I am more happy with them to talk about detecting. Just the other day a guy was telling me of some spots to check out where there should be some more deep coins that his garett gti2500 couldn't get. I can't wait for some rain to go try those spots!

Another day I had a guy literally follow me for about 2 hours watching my every move. He was just a lonely old man and was curious about my finds and wanted someone to talk to. Then I asked to hunt his yard. Didn't find much more than a few mercs and a key date 1916S Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Priceless.