Those of you who hunt parks on a whim

[DigDugNY]

If you dont ask permission to hunt a park, is it because its not used much or because its not bothering anyone? Because apparently this place where baseball fields are by my house use to be housing in the early 1900s and theres this patch of land by the creek near the baseball fields that relle isnt in the way of anyhting and i want to hunt it, but i dont feel like going through the trouble of asking permission.

 

[Uncle Willy]

All the parks where I live ( and there is a kazillion of them ), including all the schools, are wide open for hunting. Never heard of asking permission to hunt a public park.

Bill

 

[hollowpointred]

asking permission to hunt a park is risky business. if you catch the wrong bureaucrat, they say no even when there is no law against it. the way i handle public parks now is i research on my own, if there are any laws or rules against it.if its not posted in the rules of the park, i go for it. i usually go early in the morning though to avoid a ton of park goers, but in three years i have had 0 problems. if someone ever asked me to leave i would just leave. if i were you and there is nothing in the park rules about it i would do it. you are no different than anyone else who wants to use the park. (none of this stuff pertains to state parks by the way)

 

[rwsnc]

As I recall, that's a town park. If I still lived there, I'd detect it.

 

[Sandman]

Hollowpointred gave good advice. Follow his lead.

 

[DigDugNY]

ok, so i found out this park is a public park. So now all i need to do is make sure theres no signs or laws against it?

 

[hollowpointred]

ok, so i found out this park is a public park. So now all i need to do is make sure theres no signs or laws against it?

thats what i would do.

 

[deepskyal]

If it isn't posted otherwise...then my interpretation is it's okay.

Every other law posted.....Dogs on a leash, Littering, Bike riding, etc...are usually posted somewhere.
If no web site.....I wouldn't worry about it.

You'll get your big NO..the first time you ask anyone with a smidgen of authority...even if it's not "On the books".

99.99% of the time...if you don't ask, no one will bother you.
Now that's public areas...not private property...always ask for permission if it's obviously private.

Al

 

[kimsdad]

A couple of things that you might want to keep in mind... Like Hollowpointred said - go when the least amount of people are around if possible. Make sure you do a good job with your plugs. Carry the trash you've collected with you so if anyone asks you what you're finding, you can show them all the dangerous stuff you're picking up.

Low profile is good, too. I wouldn't walk in there with a shovel in hand....

I've never had a problem in the parks I hunt. (Knock on wood) There are some areas I won't hit when it's this hot. I'll put them on hold until it cools down & rains more so the grass isn't so stressed. Low impact is best! Good luck and please post your finds so we can all see them!

 

[Coin Digger]

If it's not posted go for it and fill in your holes, and if it's a cop - leave.

I've had people come up to me out of the blue and ask if that was legal and I say yes and if they seem controlling I say I'm working for the parks department looking for someones ring.

Some people just think they can control everything and those are the ones you want to BS or avoid and if they don't buy it, exit stage left before they make a big deal with the town and come back another day.

 

[gametalman52]

Do it! Low profile, Best when use is light, make sure to check sign at park, have fun

 

[gary in idaho]

I actually called the parks department in my city, talked to the head of the parks department and he told me to have a good time and wished me luck!

 

[Saturna]

asking permission to hunt a park is risky business. if you catch the wrong bureaucrat, they say no even when there is no law against it.

I agree. Remember,you wouldn't really be asking permission to detect ,you would be asking permission to dig. I don't see how you could ever not be allowed to just detect in a public park, but visions of shovels and big holes may be what comes to the bureaucrat's mind if you bring digging to their attention.
And if it's brought up enough by different MDers, then you might see a new sign at the park saying No Detecting.

Whoever you speak to, may or may not even technically have authority to give you official permission to dig. And this business of getting it in writing that I've seen mentioned in some threads I think is laughable. I know what I would say if I was the office guy and I said "Yeah, go ahead" , and then the MDer puts a piece of paper in front of me and now wants it signed. It's would just be easier and say No.

99.99% of the time...if you don't ask, no one will bother you.

Yup, what he said. Be discrete (well,as much as you can be), fill holes and leave and come back if someone causes a problem.


Jay

 

[Idaho PRB]

I actually called the parks department in my city, talked to the head of the parks department and he told me to have a good time and wished me luck!

That's exactly what I did too, in two different towns and had the same response.

 

[springcypress]

Isn't the saying something like "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"?

 

[Saturna]

Isn't the saying something like "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"?

Or...."If you ask permission, they might say no"



Jay

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Bobby S, I never ask to detect any park I come to, anywhere, and rarely have a problem. 99.99% of city level parks have probably never even given the matter thought, but may say "no" on a whim (because they think of geeks with shovels).

If you are still skittish, city codes usually available at city websites. If it is silent on the matter (which it most likely is), then go. The reason not to ask a live person "can I metal detect in your park", is that ...... even if you ask them for the written law citation, some desk-bound bureaucrat may just say "no", as if you were asking permission. I mean, the mere fact you're standing in front of them inquiring, somehow implies that there is something inherently wrong with it to begin with, that you needed to ask!

 

[hollowpointred]

I actually called the parks department in my city, talked to the head of the parks department and he told me to have a good time and wished me luck!

i did the same thing, that's where my advice comes from. i got a real a-hole that couldn't find anything on the books so she asked me to call her and get permission every time i wanted to go to the park. you can guess what happened next. every time i called she said "that's not a good day to go, try again some other day". this happened over and over and over.( her extremely rude attitude happened over and over as well!) finally i said screw her, if theres no law I'm going. i have never had a problem since. yeah, maybe you will get lucky and get someone who is cool,then again....maybe you wont. why risk it when the info you need can be obtained on your own.

 

[Ricklt]

This may not be typical, but I contacted the Administrator of Parks and Recreation. I explained that I was a member of a Metal Detecting club and that we were taught in this club to leave no visible signs of our presence and that we removed all trash we found. She was very appreciative that I asked permission and that we helped with trash. She made the comment that most people just go do it without asking and seemed somewhat irratated that they did. You not get the answer you want every time but I think asking helps the metal detecting image.
Ricklt

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I have to side with hollowpointred on this. I too, like him, have seen and heard of people who get "no's", where ......quite frankly .... no one had ever cared before! Yup, parks or schools that had been detected since the dawn of detectors, in full view of anyone and everyone, and no one ever cared. So in those cases, who's giving detecting a "bad name"? Who's the one getting places "put off limits"? It seems to me it's the persons who feel they need to ask permission (merely implying that it needs it) that do the hobby a dis-service.

And for those of you who cite instances where you got "yes's", I gaurantee you, you will not always get those, and simply nix yourself out of sites that no one would ever have paid you any mind to. And to those parks/schools you got a "yes" on, I gaurantee you that I could get your "yes" reversed just as quickly. I (as a "concerned citizen") could have a quick talk with that desk clerk. I just mention "ARPA", "digging", the "taking of other people's lost valuables", "potential lawsuits", etc.... In other words, I bet, with the right combination of mental images, your "yes" can just as easily turn to a "no". So best just to think of yourself as no different than any other park user. To think otherwise, you've already lost the battle.