Natman
Bronze Member
- Jan 8, 2007
- 2,487
- 461
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- White's Prizm II, White's Coinmaster
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Hi all,
I wasn't ready to write about this until today..something happened to me Sunday morning and it's imperative to let as many people know about it as I can..both new and seasoned detectorists need to hear it.
I was at a grade school Sunday that I had been to at least 4 times before..I never had any problems and there was never anyone else around, that is, until my last hunt.
I was pretty far out into a soccer field and very far away from my truck. I noticed a person on a bicycle riding on the blacktop in the distance. He seemed to be looking my way every so often. After a few minutes I looked over and he was gone.
About 10 minutes later I was walking back toward the entrance of the field and continued to search a grade above the playground, still a good distance from the parking lot. There was a wooded area to the left, then the field in the center, then far to the right were houses, the back yards facing the field.
As I was checking this area, a guy walking a bicycle seemed to come out of the woods, walked a few steps and started looking on the ground. The guy yelled out, "I found somethin'!" So I looked over and saw he was looking at me from a distance. "I said, "What did you find?" Then he said, "A GUN!" I said, "What?" He said a second time, "A GUN!!"
I saw him pick something up, and from where I was standing it was indeed the size of a handgun, and it looked like he was holding it by the barrel. Immediately I sensed there was something very wrong with this picture, so I didn't take one step in his direction. The last thing I said was, "You can have it!" I shut my detector off and started walking very fast toward the parking lot.
When I turned around to see how far away the guy was, he let go of his bike, stopped, and poised himself in a stance that made me aware he was aiming whatever was in his hands DIRECTLY AT ME. Right then I thought shots were going to ring out any second, so I began to run as fast as my tired legs would go (I detected for over an hour before this happened).
As I was getting closer to the lot where I could see my truck, I stopped to turn around again. The guy then stopped, put the hood up on his jacket, and proceded to walk with the bike toward me.
The whole scene began to feel surreal, and at one point it was almost as if I was watching myself running away from this unknown thug. I could feel my heart beating and hear myself breathing. The only thing I was able to do was run. I didn't think my digging tool was any match for a firearm in the hands of some idiot.
I made it to the truck, unlocked the door, threw my detector in, turned on the ignition and floored it. As I got to the end of the lot (next to the main road) I dialed 911 on my cell phone. I looked back, and the guy got on the bike and started riding it once he got to the parking lot.
When he was getting closer I made a right onto the main road and parked on the shoulder. The guy crossed the main road on his bike, so I U-turned, trying from a distance to keep an eye on where he was going. The police got there pretty fast, but I lost the guy and never got a call back from anyone.
The scenario I have described was exactly how I remember it, as I have gone over it a hundred times in my head. I made two mistakes..I wasn't hunting in a familiar area (although I was less than 8 miles from home) and I didn't call to leave a message to my wife so she would know where I was.
The outcome of this could have really been disastrous if I had been farther out in the field. If the guy would have come out of the woods then, I would have been trapped and no one would have seen anything.
Thank God I was able to come home again to see my family and to be able to even write these words of warning. Needless to say, I will NEVER go alone to an area I'm unfamiliar with.
Be careful out there.
Nat
I wasn't ready to write about this until today..something happened to me Sunday morning and it's imperative to let as many people know about it as I can..both new and seasoned detectorists need to hear it.
I was at a grade school Sunday that I had been to at least 4 times before..I never had any problems and there was never anyone else around, that is, until my last hunt.
I was pretty far out into a soccer field and very far away from my truck. I noticed a person on a bicycle riding on the blacktop in the distance. He seemed to be looking my way every so often. After a few minutes I looked over and he was gone.
About 10 minutes later I was walking back toward the entrance of the field and continued to search a grade above the playground, still a good distance from the parking lot. There was a wooded area to the left, then the field in the center, then far to the right were houses, the back yards facing the field.
As I was checking this area, a guy walking a bicycle seemed to come out of the woods, walked a few steps and started looking on the ground. The guy yelled out, "I found somethin'!" So I looked over and saw he was looking at me from a distance. "I said, "What did you find?" Then he said, "A GUN!" I said, "What?" He said a second time, "A GUN!!"
I saw him pick something up, and from where I was standing it was indeed the size of a handgun, and it looked like he was holding it by the barrel. Immediately I sensed there was something very wrong with this picture, so I didn't take one step in his direction. The last thing I said was, "You can have it!" I shut my detector off and started walking very fast toward the parking lot.
When I turned around to see how far away the guy was, he let go of his bike, stopped, and poised himself in a stance that made me aware he was aiming whatever was in his hands DIRECTLY AT ME. Right then I thought shots were going to ring out any second, so I began to run as fast as my tired legs would go (I detected for over an hour before this happened).
As I was getting closer to the lot where I could see my truck, I stopped to turn around again. The guy then stopped, put the hood up on his jacket, and proceded to walk with the bike toward me.
The whole scene began to feel surreal, and at one point it was almost as if I was watching myself running away from this unknown thug. I could feel my heart beating and hear myself breathing. The only thing I was able to do was run. I didn't think my digging tool was any match for a firearm in the hands of some idiot.
I made it to the truck, unlocked the door, threw my detector in, turned on the ignition and floored it. As I got to the end of the lot (next to the main road) I dialed 911 on my cell phone. I looked back, and the guy got on the bike and started riding it once he got to the parking lot.
When he was getting closer I made a right onto the main road and parked on the shoulder. The guy crossed the main road on his bike, so I U-turned, trying from a distance to keep an eye on where he was going. The police got there pretty fast, but I lost the guy and never got a call back from anyone.
The scenario I have described was exactly how I remember it, as I have gone over it a hundred times in my head. I made two mistakes..I wasn't hunting in a familiar area (although I was less than 8 miles from home) and I didn't call to leave a message to my wife so she would know where I was.
The outcome of this could have really been disastrous if I had been farther out in the field. If the guy would have come out of the woods then, I would have been trapped and no one would have seen anything.
Thank God I was able to come home again to see my family and to be able to even write these words of warning. Needless to say, I will NEVER go alone to an area I'm unfamiliar with.
Be careful out there.
Nat
. Very glad you came out of that situation alright Natman. Be Safe!
