This didn't happen metal detectin', but I was looking for arrow heads, so I think it counts. I was working for a ranch in Nevada, a really large ranch with lots of BLM turn out for the cows in the winter time. The ranch ran along the river for several miles, and the deeded ground actually went out into the desert, but that wasn't fenced, just the bottom land along the river was behind the fence. We had already gathered the cattle off the desert, and the melting snow in the mountains flooded the lower end of the deeded ground, which is where we were pasturing a bunch of heifers away from the bulls. Those cattle had to be taken out of the flood, and then turned back out onto the desert until the flood was over. After the heifers were taken care of, I had about 9 miles to get home, and not wanting to ride through any more flooded ground, or attempt to swim the flooded river, decided to ride back home the long way via the bridge, which would also let me cut through a spot where I'd found several points and drills, and which was on deeded land but outside the fence. Looking for arrowheads horse back in the desert is a really slick way to go, the horse watches where he is walking, and I look at the ground. A lot of my finds over the years were from the back of a saddle horse. The area I wanted to hunt was close to the hiway, but in a swale that hid it from the road and was pretty well secured from view anywhere unless close by. The soil was sandy, and the horse didn't make a sound as we traveled through the desert. When I got to my spot, there were two cars parked right on top of the best place to look. Riding past the first one, there was no one in it, and I looked around to see if they were trespassing across the fence, but didn't see anyone, so went to the next car and looked in. There was a male and female in the car so busy doing what they were doing they didn't hear me at all. I'm leaning off the saddle, looking in the window, they are oblivious, so I said, "Howdy." OMG, that really got their attention, and you could have knocked that boys eyeballs off with a stick, although it didn't seem to bother the gal too much. Then I told them to stay on that side of the fence, "it's private property on the other side," he agreed with me, I gave the gal a smile, and then laughed all the way back home. You should have seen the look on that guys face, it's still funny looking back on it. They thought they had really convenient spot for the sneaky meetings, and I'll bet they didn't go there again.
