GRAY GHOST
New member
hello all, i have read and followed with great interest several posts recently that point out the differing attitudes and conditions within our hobby - they almost seem to be regional. i have a few friends north of the mason dixon line who've been detecting for many years, and are hard pressed to find good spots to go to. they've pounded all the local parks, and like the rest of us are watching lots of "posted - no trespassing" signs going up. they're all over, everywhere here in central virginia, and sometimes for good reason.
as a nearly 30 year man in our hobby, i've seen a lot happen. i don't like to knock on doors either, but i'm usually successful at it, but usually go through word of mouth. ron from michigan, a man whom i respect, has some good points - and so do all the others. i don't believe in withholding finds from the landowner, that's just wrong. it's a position of trust we are engaged in, to an extent. how would you feel if you found out someone did that to you? too many have knowingly marred our hobby already, and i fear if this present trend of not filling holes back in, not closing gates, blowing ourselves up, sneaking onto forbidden ground, and generally disrespecting the landowners - and consequently the hobby - and ultimately ourselves - uncle sam's gonna step in with some hard laws. and we don't want that. we really don't.
a guy [or gal] who likes to hunt yards and parks has to be extra careful; no big shovels or spades there. specialized digging tools and hunting techniques are the order of the day. i hope your're good at pinpointing your targets, keeping the holes small, and refilling your holes - you need to be. us guys and gals who like to hunt the woods and fields and old homesites usually take a larger spade [ 2' tall ] because it's more accepted, and not looked upon by hundreds of people walking by. most of us do try to be responsible and low maintenance. the beach hunter usually has a sand scoop, right? ok. so let's all use the right tools for the type of hunt at hand. for starters, that will help.
i have noticed that landowners north of the mason dixon line, especially in the big cities and their suburbs, are more uptight and cautious in granting permission to dig. the parcels of land are smaller, the population much denser, but the ground holds many older colonial and pre - colonial relics and coins. the laws regarding metal detecting are very stringent in some places. here in the south, it's generally more laid back, with fewer laws, and larger expanses of land. if you know farmer brown, you can generally hunt his sixty acres of prime civil war and revolutionary war land. but you won't be the first one there! virgin spots are rare. in florida, beachsweepers are everywhere, walking by every couple of minutes. it's a virtual menagerie of different machines and people. it's a very open and widely accepted hobby. after a good storm, there are droves of us detecting the beaches! in the midwest, large expanses of land and corn and wheatfields give away to the occasional house , and even more seldom the old abandoned house. on the west coast, it's kinda like florida - everybody's doing it! it's much more open out there than many other parts of the country. out in the deserts, i hear one can detect all day without being bothered by anybody. but, i'm sure there are exceptions.
myself and many others on this forum were detecting when it wasn't cool to detect! if i just had a dime for every strange look i ever got...just a dime... i'd be rich! very, very few of us will ever get wealthy or make the bigtime in this hobby, so let's take it and accept it for what it is... a fun and rewarding hobby that actually pays you back! i have taken many a new detectorist under my wings and shown them the right way to do things, and felt good about it. now they do the same. at the end of the day my friend, it's up to all of us to preserve and protect our hobby, try to right the wrongs, and cast a good mold for the future of our hobby.
i thank all of you for putting up with me, reading this post, and wish you and yours a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING! again, thanks, and happy hunting!
as a nearly 30 year man in our hobby, i've seen a lot happen. i don't like to knock on doors either, but i'm usually successful at it, but usually go through word of mouth. ron from michigan, a man whom i respect, has some good points - and so do all the others. i don't believe in withholding finds from the landowner, that's just wrong. it's a position of trust we are engaged in, to an extent. how would you feel if you found out someone did that to you? too many have knowingly marred our hobby already, and i fear if this present trend of not filling holes back in, not closing gates, blowing ourselves up, sneaking onto forbidden ground, and generally disrespecting the landowners - and consequently the hobby - and ultimately ourselves - uncle sam's gonna step in with some hard laws. and we don't want that. we really don't.
a guy [or gal] who likes to hunt yards and parks has to be extra careful; no big shovels or spades there. specialized digging tools and hunting techniques are the order of the day. i hope your're good at pinpointing your targets, keeping the holes small, and refilling your holes - you need to be. us guys and gals who like to hunt the woods and fields and old homesites usually take a larger spade [ 2' tall ] because it's more accepted, and not looked upon by hundreds of people walking by. most of us do try to be responsible and low maintenance. the beach hunter usually has a sand scoop, right? ok. so let's all use the right tools for the type of hunt at hand. for starters, that will help.
i have noticed that landowners north of the mason dixon line, especially in the big cities and their suburbs, are more uptight and cautious in granting permission to dig. the parcels of land are smaller, the population much denser, but the ground holds many older colonial and pre - colonial relics and coins. the laws regarding metal detecting are very stringent in some places. here in the south, it's generally more laid back, with fewer laws, and larger expanses of land. if you know farmer brown, you can generally hunt his sixty acres of prime civil war and revolutionary war land. but you won't be the first one there! virgin spots are rare. in florida, beachsweepers are everywhere, walking by every couple of minutes. it's a virtual menagerie of different machines and people. it's a very open and widely accepted hobby. after a good storm, there are droves of us detecting the beaches! in the midwest, large expanses of land and corn and wheatfields give away to the occasional house , and even more seldom the old abandoned house. on the west coast, it's kinda like florida - everybody's doing it! it's much more open out there than many other parts of the country. out in the deserts, i hear one can detect all day without being bothered by anybody. but, i'm sure there are exceptions.
myself and many others on this forum were detecting when it wasn't cool to detect! if i just had a dime for every strange look i ever got...just a dime... i'd be rich! very, very few of us will ever get wealthy or make the bigtime in this hobby, so let's take it and accept it for what it is... a fun and rewarding hobby that actually pays you back! i have taken many a new detectorist under my wings and shown them the right way to do things, and felt good about it. now they do the same. at the end of the day my friend, it's up to all of us to preserve and protect our hobby, try to right the wrongs, and cast a good mold for the future of our hobby.
i thank all of you for putting up with me, reading this post, and wish you and yours a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING! again, thanks, and happy hunting!
