Mike Moutray
Full Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2007
- Messages
- 114
- Reaction score
- 29
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- St. Louis, MO. / Naples, FL.
- Detector(s) used
- Explorer2/Excalibur
Silver Sunday and the Ghetto Welcoming Committee - MD'ing in St. Louis!
Got a chance to hit a couple parks Sunday Morning... Early rain kept me from starting at my usual Ghetto Park, so I drove west to a dry park. I trolled through an unbelievable carpet of heavy iron and pulltabs for a few wheats and a 1934 silver quarter. I could see the rain moving away from the city in the distance so I headed downtown to hunt. After an hour of hunting, the strong wind dried out the grass and signals started to pop up everywhere! This area was hit very hard over the years, but I always seem to get signals to dig when the ground conditions are right. I managed 4 silver dimes - 1 1911 barber and 3 Mercs 1916, 1939, 1942S.
About halfway through the hunting, I stood up from digging a target when I heard shouting behind me. I turned to see a couple young punks about 10 feet behind me. I raised my digging hand to pull back my phones so I could hear what they were saying.... with my Lesche digger in the air I guess I looked like I was ready to stab them so they backed up a couple steps.
One was wearing sweats and sparring gloves and airboxing at me and the other was doing all the mouthing off.
" "I" don't want you here digging holes in "My" park!" says he. He was doing his very best at posturing and looking tough.
"I aint digging any holes" I said.
" "We" take pride in "Our" park here and you can't be digging any holes!" He says.
I was laughing inside by now, not only by how ridiculous he and his buddy looked trying to intimidate me, but by the fact he was standing on a busted malt liquor bottle getting sprayed down by 10 tons of trash blowing by in the wind.... in the park that "They" are so proud of.
"I've hunted here for years and I don't ever leave any holes. Do you see any that I left?" I inquired.
"Do you live around here?" He asks.
"I live 3 blocks away." I said ( I actually live 6 miles away, but who cares, right?)
He didn't look like he believed me but they turned and left muttering "don't dig any holes" as they went.
(whatever)
I did pay attention to which house he walked back to so I could keep tabs on it in case he came back out with a gun or a few of his Homies....
Granted this park is in the worst neighborhood in St. Louis and very few of us hunt here... alone at that. This was the first negative encounter I had with any local resident there, but it was LONG overdue, I suppose. Goes to show you got to be careful and mindful of your surroundings at all times.... and stand your ground when someone doesn't like you being there. Short of a direct threat against me, I don't let people intimidate me, but then again I'm 6 foot 5, 350 pounds, and carrying a large saw toothed digger... so that's easy for me to say. I often thought about packing a pistol with me out there, but that would only entice someone to do a "driveby" on me like a coward.
The real issue here was someone who didn't like me on his "turf" for my skin color, my detecting, or what ever, but he never said anything disparaging or threatening to me so I chalk it up to an isolated incident... like many others I've had before in many other parks. It's the world we live in anymore.....
Enjoy the pic, Happy Hunting, and watch your back out there.....
Mike.
Got a chance to hit a couple parks Sunday Morning... Early rain kept me from starting at my usual Ghetto Park, so I drove west to a dry park. I trolled through an unbelievable carpet of heavy iron and pulltabs for a few wheats and a 1934 silver quarter. I could see the rain moving away from the city in the distance so I headed downtown to hunt. After an hour of hunting, the strong wind dried out the grass and signals started to pop up everywhere! This area was hit very hard over the years, but I always seem to get signals to dig when the ground conditions are right. I managed 4 silver dimes - 1 1911 barber and 3 Mercs 1916, 1939, 1942S.
About halfway through the hunting, I stood up from digging a target when I heard shouting behind me. I turned to see a couple young punks about 10 feet behind me. I raised my digging hand to pull back my phones so I could hear what they were saying.... with my Lesche digger in the air I guess I looked like I was ready to stab them so they backed up a couple steps.
One was wearing sweats and sparring gloves and airboxing at me and the other was doing all the mouthing off.
" "I" don't want you here digging holes in "My" park!" says he. He was doing his very best at posturing and looking tough.
"I aint digging any holes" I said.
" "We" take pride in "Our" park here and you can't be digging any holes!" He says.
I was laughing inside by now, not only by how ridiculous he and his buddy looked trying to intimidate me, but by the fact he was standing on a busted malt liquor bottle getting sprayed down by 10 tons of trash blowing by in the wind.... in the park that "They" are so proud of.
"I've hunted here for years and I don't ever leave any holes. Do you see any that I left?" I inquired.
"Do you live around here?" He asks.
"I live 3 blocks away." I said ( I actually live 6 miles away, but who cares, right?)
He didn't look like he believed me but they turned and left muttering "don't dig any holes" as they went.
(whatever)I did pay attention to which house he walked back to so I could keep tabs on it in case he came back out with a gun or a few of his Homies....
Granted this park is in the worst neighborhood in St. Louis and very few of us hunt here... alone at that. This was the first negative encounter I had with any local resident there, but it was LONG overdue, I suppose. Goes to show you got to be careful and mindful of your surroundings at all times.... and stand your ground when someone doesn't like you being there. Short of a direct threat against me, I don't let people intimidate me, but then again I'm 6 foot 5, 350 pounds, and carrying a large saw toothed digger... so that's easy for me to say. I often thought about packing a pistol with me out there, but that would only entice someone to do a "driveby" on me like a coward.
The real issue here was someone who didn't like me on his "turf" for my skin color, my detecting, or what ever, but he never said anything disparaging or threatening to me so I chalk it up to an isolated incident... like many others I've had before in many other parks. It's the world we live in anymore.....
Enjoy the pic, Happy Hunting, and watch your back out there.....
Mike.
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