How to void a great place for future Detectors

[dirtlooter]

I was talking to this elderly man Ralph (late eighties) and somewhere along the way, I shared how I love to metal detect. His eyes lit up and then he began telling me about his metal detecting. Ralph had detected a lot back in the 80's and had used Garrett detectors. He told me of his silver finds, a few gold finds and then told me how he had found 191 IHs in the small city park. He also told me of a elderly person(back then) that told him about an uncle losing a $5 gold piece somewhere as he walked to the bathroom from the historic log cabin. Ralph told me how he had hunted that path area hard but never found it. Then he said how he sold the IHs for $3 apiece back then. I told him about how I had tried to hunt the park but was quickly told that it was not allowed. I even went and asked the mayor and got a resounding no to either of the city parks. Ralph nodded and then told me how most of the guys back then just used old big knives to dig with and had left very little sign of digging. Then Ralph shook his head as he spoke of several men bringing big shovels and how they had left big holes everywhere as well as the trash that they had dug. Ralph said sadly how the cop had come up and told everyone that detecting was no longer okay and it would be enforced. Ralph said that a few idiots ruined it for everyone and how most of the older people from that time period quit allowing anyone to detect on their property. I know that at one of the schools, I walked around and refilled holes that someone else had left in an effort to prevent being told that I couldn't detect. So, we should always be polite and make sure that we do our best to leave our holes as nice as possible. Some people can care less as long as the holes are filled but other people want their yard to be pristine.

 

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[GB1]

there is always some big that has to ruin it for everybody else

 

[Slingshot]

Ugh... shovels...no wonder.

 

[SD51]

After detecting for over 40 years, I finally figured it out. That's what happens when you put a detector in the hands of an experienced litterbug.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I have ran across places where I had to fill the previous MDer's holes and to pick up all there trash targets before I could hunt the site.. I took a fellow MDer out to a county reservation that I secured permission for us. At the 1st site, a corner lot I noticed he did not have a finds pouch and then watched him dig plugs, remove the trash, fill in the hole, and leave the trash on the surface. Needless to say he is not being invited on any future hunts with me. Heck he's a town councilman the next town over from me. I picked up all the cans and put them in my van. I would love to have a hunting partner, but I recon I am just too picky.

 

[dirtlooter]

I have ran across places where I had to fill the previous MDer's holes and to pick up all there trash targets before I could hunt the site.. I took a fellow MDer out to a county reservation that I secured permission for us. At the 1st site, a corner lot I noticed he did not have a finds pouch and then watched him dig plugs, remove the trash, fill in the hole, and leave the trash on the surface. Needless to say he is not being invited on any future hunts with me. Heck he's a town councilman the next town over from me. I picked up all the cans and put them in my van. I would love to have a hunting partner, but I recon I am just too picky.

What is bad, is that some of people don't care, even when you say something about it. I figure that for a lot of us, it could be hard to find a good partner to hunt with. I am fortunate to be able to hunt with my wife but a couple of times I even thought that she had forgot to fill in her holes correctly. Then I thought that maybe somebody else had intentionally opened them up. But then after a closer look, I realized that it was actually an armadillo that reopened them. We do dig a lot of worms up and maybe they could smell the fresh dirt and the scent of worms. It is an awesome thing to have someone to get excited with over a great find or to help in finding new places. As a mentor, we can instill in a new hunter etiquette as well as help them get better faster.

 

[sonofdust]

I have ran across places where I had to fill the previous MDer's holes and to pick up all there trash targets before I could hunt the site.. I took a fellow MDer out to a county reservation that I secured permission for us. At the 1st site, a corner lot I noticed he did not have a finds pouch and then watched him dig plugs, remove the trash, fill in the hole, and leave the trash on the surface. Needless to say he is not being invited on any future hunts with me. Heck he's a town councilman the next town over from me. I picked up all the cans and put them in my van. I would love to have a hunting partner, but I recon I am just too picky.

I've lost two hunting partners because of that. Hunting alone isn't all that bad..

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

I've lost two hunting partners because of that. Hunting alone isn't all that bad..

I had a hunting partner until I saw a vid on utube of him night hunting a site I KNOW he knew was off limits. We had discussed it, asked permission, and had been denied.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

dirt-looter, thanx for sharing that story. A few observations:

a) the stories of places "off-limits because of holes" abound. But I'm willing to bet a lot of them are probably born out of someone who gets a "no" or a "scram". And the reason he will ALWAYS be told is: "Because of holes". So the md'r (like your friend or yourself) mutters under their breath "durned those persons who left holes".

But I am convinced it's often the "go to" reason when someone tells you "scram" or "no". ONLY because it's the immediate mental connotation some people have when they see a man with a metal detector. And NOT because they necessarily saw any holes.

b) Although someone gets a "scram", even from a cop, you might want to check the muni-codes and park rules for yourself. To see if there's really any such law or rule. Reason is: I too have occasionally gotten a scram (and ... yes ... I give lip service and leave ). But then later, it turns out it was just a fluke. Eg.: a cop or gardener having a bad hair day. Or some lady lookie-lou who thought you were bothering earthworms so she called it in, etc.... Because if it were me, and I saw no express explicit true rule, and if I had a good idea where gold coins were in a public park , then ... well ... I wouldn't be in the mayor's office asking for his princely permission. I'd be out there at dusk on some lonely quiet morning or night hunting. JMHO.

 

[dirtlooter]

dirt-looter, thanx for sharing that story. A few observations:

a) the stories of places "off-limits because of holes" abound. But I'm willing to bet a lot of them are probably born out of someone who gets a "no" or a "scram". And the reason he will ALWAYS be told is: "Because of holes". So the md'r (like your friend or yourself) mutters under their breath "durned those persons who left holes".

But I am convinced it's often the "go to" reason when someone tells you "scram" or "no". ONLY because it's the immediate mental connotation some people have when they see a man with a metal detector. And NOT because they necessarily saw any holes.

b) Although someone gets a "scram", even from a cop, you might want to check the muni-codes and park rules for yourself. To see if there's really any such law or rule. Reason is: I too have occasionally gotten a scram (and ... yes ... I give lip service and leave ). But then later, it turns out it was just a fluke. Eg.: a cop or gardener having a bad hair day. Or some lady lookie-lou who thought you were bothering earthworms so she called it in, etc.... Because if it were me, and I saw no express explicit true rule, and if I had a good idea where gold coins were in a public park , then ... well ... I wouldn't be in the mayor's office asking for his princely permission. I'd be out there at dusk on some lonely quiet morning or night hunting. JMHO.

Ralph knew the men doing it and said that they did leave the holes and such. in a small town, things can get run differently because of a lot of reasons. they also have a curfew at the two parks starting at dusk to keep down all the problems that have plagued the town and they do enforce it. Ralph was one of the local electricians who also did a lot of the city's work for them. it is what it is and ain't what it ain't. around here, it isn't worth getting on the bad side of the mayor etc. I do agree that there are some that use that as an excuse whether it is or was true or not. At an even smaller town park, they didn't care as long as I filled my hole, however, an elderly lady hurried out to where I was and let me know that I had better not get onto her land that bordered the park. She made her point although I had no plans to get off the park. Then, a couple of months later, she appeared where I lived and wanted me to find her expensive ring that she had lost. So, I went to her house (she watched of course) but found nothing, then she told me that she had stopped along the highway somewhere at a wide spot and got out to check on something in the trunk. So, I checked every wide spot on a 12 mile stretch and found nothing and then told her so. anyways, she managed to find out where I lived and all of that. I would have done the same thing for anyone who needed my help. anyways again, this park business just forced me to ask permissions and I have fared very well doing this.