Word to the wise and to newbies

[pennyfarmer]

I seen something this week at a park in Roy, Ut that really just bugs me, I should have said something but I didn't feel like getting into a altercation.

I was taking out someone new to the hobby and trying to show him the ropes. We pulled up to a park and there was someone there detecting using a VERY large shovel, it was like a large folding army shovel. This is concering cause that looks bad VERY bad to the rest of the community (he was literally using his foot to push the shovel into the ground). The other upseting thing was that when he dug a piece of trash he just threw it back onto the ground.

Holly cow. If you will not learn the proper recovery techniques for a park then please stay out of the parks. The parks in Roy are all very new. You really only need a probe and possibly a very small shovel for recovery in these newer parks and you certainly don't need a spade shovel. When I do hunt the parks I stay low key I don't want people knowing what it is I am doing, I especially don't want them to see a huge shovel in my hand. I would hate to see a kid playing in the park get hurt in one of the holes.

Long story short. Metal detecting doesn't need any more black eyes or behavior that turns more people against us. Please be courteous and thoughtful to the others that use the park, don't dig huge holes and please don't litter it doesn't take much to use a trash pouch (great place to hide a small shovel) and dispose of it properly. If the people in the park see you picking up the trash and disposing of it (including stuff you just see on the surface) they will be greatfull and look at you as a great member of society and not just another treasure hunter trashing the place.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

 

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[buscadero]

PF: I trust you did the right thing & filled in his holes, otherwise Roy, Utah will be covered w/ signs saying "No MD"!

Joe

 

[pennyfarmer]

I did see a few holes that he dug and they were filled in pretty good for his methods. I think it was more the image he was portraying with using such a large digging tool. It has been pretty wet here and so I think the grass should recover well enough.

 

[Jeffro]

Great post Pennyfarmer-

 

[bruceuth]

i live close to an old park by iomga i thing it call i been thinking about metal detecting it but not to dig with a big shovel. i never seen anyone metal detect those park must keep eyes open so far it ok to detect those park hope no one mess it up

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

PF,

there is some talk, that digging a small hole
in grass will do more damage than a large one.
I still stick with the small hole (just think it
looks better if anyone is watching), but did try
some large ones on my own property, and the
larger holes did just as well, if not better, than
the small ones in a good grass area.

I'm not able to do it well, but I know a few experienced
hunters that only use a screwdriver, they are
good Push it in and pop out the target. I've
tried it, but without the best of results. When they
pull out a target you cannot tell anything happened
in the area. Also this method offers more of a chance
to damage your find.

When you said,"when he dug a piece of
trash he just threw it back onto the ground.";
that told me that it was just a slob hunter.

have a good un..........

 

[pennyfarmer]

I have heard the same but I think it all depends on your hole cutting on a small hole. If I have to dig a hole in a park I use a hole plugger. Most of my target recovery in a park is with a screwdriver and the friend I was taking out I was helping him to recover with a probe. Using a probe is not very difficult especially if you are using a concentric coil. I have used a screwdriver to recover most of the rings I have dug in a park. If you are determined enough it makes a super and I mean SUPER fast target recovery. I can dig coins very very fast with a screwdriver.

If anyone loves this hobby enough they should learn target recovery with a probe. It will make your time spent more worthwhile and productive.

I believe that the "brown" spot associated with a small versus large hole is about the same just the small one may appear worse because it is concentrated in a small area vs. spread out, but if you are effective you will not damage many roots.

Either way my opinion is you should not show up in a park looking like your intention is to damage property. We have all made terrible holes on occasion but it should not be every hole we dig.

Needless to say this is one of my pet peeves.

 

[bruceuth]

hi,pennyfarmer,
bruceuth (Bruce) tomorrow i going to head out to feed a friend horses in plain city. an old cow ranch it use to be i be out there. in the morning some time i going there and around 3pm but going to take the metal detector out to to learn more of the time ranger and detect under a tree house there.

 

[Sandman]

I've run into more than one of these slob hunters and they only make it hard for the rest of us to find places that aren't OFF LIMITS. These people don't realize that by throwing the trash back on the grass that they might come back that way again an find it again.

In my opinion, I think they should be shot in the head with a large calibur handgun. You can keep the cheap detector.

Sandman

 

[bruceuth]

at the area the torn down behind stagecoach it not the best area to be alone took someone with you like smith & Wesson. if you go let me know i go out there too

 

[OldBillinUT]

It bugs me when I have to deal with those that seem unaware of the need for common good too. Must have been raised by wolves. Hey did anyone work the house that was demolished to build the Walmart in Harrisonville ? I saw one MDer there with his Wife she said he had found some silver. I didn't think that it would likely to get permission so never gave it a go. The fruit cellar was completely full of jars of fruit some with zinc lids. Is it correct that all Ogden parks were made off limits ?
Here's one for you. I worked on Grant for 10 1/2 years. The company had placed some chairs outside in the smoking area. They were the molded one piece kind with metal legs. After every rain storm the chairs left outside the covered part would have water in the deepest part of the seat. I took to dumping out the water to help them dry off and I noticed that there was some sand at the bottom of the water. When the sand slid off there was darker stuff as the bottom layer. I was thinking naw can't be but after a few times of seeing this I sloshed the water back and forth carefully like you would when panning. Sure enough in the very bottom there were little yellow colored wires in the black stuff that remained. As many as four or five pieces per chair easily visible.
I thought it in the best interest of keeping my employment there not to be caught using a snuffer bottle on those chairs so I have nothing to offer but the story. At first I thought it was brass coming from the old foundry but that became grass and parking lot and these little sand piles continued to appear. Where in the heck are they coming from the roof or parking lot ? Maybe the RR yard ? It had to be a windy storm for them to be there afterwards. Just very odd. I never figured it out and don't work there now the business has been sold. All the chairs were on the West side of the building facing Lincoln.

Bill

 

[R-Rocks]

I run into a guy many years ago who had the same digger in hand, I aproched this guy and talked with him, this guy for the most part hunts demolition and construction sites and had found many many good findes. I had gone out with him over the years and to this day he still gives me greef about that day. I found a old park west of Roy that has signs posted, No Metal Detecting. I talked with the parks employee that day and he said we were digging up the old sprinkler system.

 

[UTcoinshootR]

Using a probe is so easy I don't understand why everyone doesnt do it. Every now and then you get a tricky one, but 9/10 times if you pin point well its a BREEZE. Best thing I ever did was learn to use a probe/screwdriver. If there is a real deep one and you think it may be old then use the leisch. I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but just in case a spade wielding newb logs on...here ya go.

 

[bula]

Here here Coinshooter, I have yet to dig a hole in a lawn, & like you get all I want with the probe. If the coin is that deep I doubt that they would get a good signal anyway.