Where is a good place to metal detec?

[diesel266]

I own my home in the city. We have a yard and our home was built in the 40's. I've search my yard and found only newer coins and trash. I'm trying to find new places to look, but I don't want to make anyone made. What are the rules and laws about detecting. Can I detect on State property and public places like parks and fields? I live in PA, and there are tons of state game lands. Are these open to detect?

 

[cmaracing]

Hi,
Try Google earth "best tool in the world, there an area on world that lets you check an area by year", look for areas with discoloration, older trees tend to be darker also water areas such as rivers and ponds, people tend to hang out there in olden days, don't forget old bridges.

 

[gleaner1]

Terry Soloman has, in the past, posted a totally awesome and tremendously long list of good spots to tect. It's the best I've seen. But the coins are only where you find them. You gotta put the time in.

 

[bigfoot1]

good to practice in your yard etc. after that(or during)start the other half of our hobby...research.

good luck...you are in a very good area for something good to happen..

 

[mrwilburino]

Terry Soloman has, in the past, posted a totally awesome and tremendously long list of good spots to tect.

Here's a copy of it from one of his posts:

1) Old Schools
2) City/Town Parks
3) Circus/Fair Sites
4) Old Churches
5) Old Homestead Sites
6) Swimming Holes and Areas
7) Picnic Groves
8) Athletic Fields
9) Scout Camps
10) Rodeo Arenas
11) Campgrounds
12) Ghost Towns
13) Beaches
14) Old Taverns
15) Roadside Rest Stops
16) Sidewalk Grassy Strips
17) Amusement Parks
18) Rural Mailboxes
19) Reunion Areas
20) Revival sites
21) Fort Sites
22) Winter Sledding Areas
23) Lookout/Overlook Sites
24) Church Supper Groves
25) Fishing Spots
26) Fishing Camps
27) Resorts
28) Old Barns and Outbuildings
29) Battle Sites
30) Band Shells
31) Racetracks
32) Rural Boundary Walls
33) Roadside Fruit and Vegetable Stands
34) Under Seaside Boardwalks
35) Flea Market Areas
36) Ski Slopes
37) Drive Ins
38) Canal Paths
39) Vacant Lots
40) Motels
41) College Campuses
42) Farmer Market Areas
43) Town Squares
44) Urban Yards and Backyards
45) Disaster Sites
46) Areas Around Skating Ponds
47) Hunting Lodges and Camps
48) Mining Camps
49) Railroad Grades, Stations and Junctions
50) Hiking Trails
51) Waterfalls
52) Rural Dance Sites
53) Lover's Lanes
54) Areas Adjacent to Historical Markers
55) Old Gas Stations and General Stores
56) Fence Posts
57) Chicken Houses
58) Bridges and Fords
59) Flower Beds
60) Playgrounds
61) Old Garbage Dumps
62) Cloth Lines
63) Military Camp and Cantonment Sites
64) Wells and Outhouses
65) Abandoned Houses and Structures
66) Areas where Old Trails Cross County or State Boundaries
67) Piles of Scraped Soil at Construction Sites
68) Old Stone Quarries
69) Areas Around Old Abandoned Cemeteries in the Forest
70) Junctions of Abandoned Roads (crossroads)

 

[Daytona Doug]

I'll make it short and sweet! "Anyplace there's dirt!" You never know who or what was on any given piece of land in the past! Good Luck!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

re.: Pennsylvania state parks: PA is one of the states with a "yes" in the column next to them. So it's not disallowed in your state's state parks. Granted it says something like "with permission from park office", yet that's just so that if you're at a particular "historical themed one", that you don't go tromping on sensitive historic monuments. But for run-of-mill beaches, forests, etc.... it's not a "no".

CA has similar wording. But you've got to figure how such verbage came about: Someone asked . You can see the context, by clicking on the state's name, that it's a response to someone asking (like a form-letter sent out to all 50 states). And so whomever fields this "pressing question" will no doubt have in mind some sensitive monuments, or images of "geeks with shovels waltzing over beach blankets", so a lot of the state's tended to have something like "inquire at each kiosk" type of answer. Yet outside of THAT listing, you don't see this mandate listed anywhere, as actual law normally. It's just someone saying that, by virtue of answering a letter. So I doubt if there's any actual PA law saying "with permission". Like in CA for example, we hunt state of CA beaches routinely. And ... no .... no one "asks at each office they come to". So it's probably the same for PA. Bottom line is: your state does not have a "no" in that column. Hence no specific prohibition, barring someone being a nuisance in some way tromping on sensitive historic spots.

As for city and county level stuff in PA: It's rare for any city or county to have such a detail in their muni and/or park codes. If you're skittish, you can look it up for yourself. City and county codes are available somewhere for public viewing. Like on their website, for example. If you see nothing prohibiting metal detecting, then presto, it's not prohibited. You don't ask "can I?", lest you be the victim of an arbitrary whimsical "no", when no true rule or law actually said such a thing. Look it up for yourself, if you are skittish.

 

[garyo1954]

Start here, might have to scroll down......

http://http://www.mdhtalk.org/cf/city-regulation.cfm?st=PA

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Start here, might have to scroll down......

http://http://www.mdhtalk.org/cf/city-regulation.cfm?st=PA

garyo, did you scroll down on that, to see the "whopping list" of cities in PA recorded to have anything on-their-books-regarding md'ing ? Get ready: "all one of them". Yup, one.

Now I grant you there could be others that simply don't happen to be on that list (d/t nobody's in-putted them there as info for that particular website). But I doubt it. It's actually quite rare that any city (ESPECIALLY smaller ones) has anything whatsoever on-their-books concerning metal detecting . In specifics anyhow. Like a "permit" for it, or a prohibition, etc.....

Therefore the rest of that site only deals with state parks level stuff, and fed. stuff.

 

[NJSouth]

Any place (with dirt...lol) people go, were going, have gone, or any place something could be dropped or fall out of someones pockets, pocketbooks, etc.....

 

[garyo1954]

Yes, Tom, I most certainly did.

YOU told him to check for himself, so he needed a good starting point.
I suspect he'll be interested in the state park laws too, since that was part of his query.
At least I didn't tell him to go ask his City Manager.

Would you like the link to CA? Roseville is like $5 for a permit, but San Jose, East Bay and some of the others are $25 to $40.
Still you guys can hunt them. Houston city parks are all off limits, although the county parks are still ope.

Rained yesterday so I didn't get out. Today, I'm leaving right after coffee.

 

[diesel266]

Thanks for all the answers. I live in a Small town that was established in 1835. I also live near a huge fair ground. The fair ground is a little iffy if they will let me detec there, but most of the land around here has been bought up since they started to drill for Natural gas here. I know that in the 30's and 40's there was a very large Prison and war camp in a town a few miles away from me. Now its State game land. Would that be a good place to hunt?

 

[relicmeister]

DCNR is in control of large amounts of forest which include recreation areas and parks and hunting land.They do allow metal detecting.
(dEPARTMENT OF cONSERVATION OF nATURAL rESOURCES)