Hunting strips between sidewalks and streets.

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

A couple of years ago some guys from my club decided to hunt some strips in a town not far from home. Everything started out fine, but then this one home owner came out and you guessed it, it was his property!! The fellow who was detecting in front of this guy's house was always kind of an a@# and kept pressing the issue and a big argument erupted. Finally the homeowner went inside his house and came out with a baseball bat. Our club member wouldn't back down and as hard as we tried to calm things down he insisted that he was going to continue detecting this spot. Low and behold the cops finally showed up. This one young cop recruit told us that metal detecting is not allowed along these strips and told us that we had to leave. After trying our best to try and convince this cop that these areas are public his supervisor showed up. He said he was not aware that any law was on the books outlawing metal detecting. He suggested just to keep peace that we detect the strips between the streets and he would get back to us. A short time later he came back and said that there was no such law on the books and just use common sense and avoid confrontations with the homeowners. By the way, that a@# is no longer a member in our club.......... Long story short is detect these strips, use common sense, avoid confrontations with home owners, pick up your garbage and most of all make your plugs as small as possible and fill them in properly. Keep these areas open for all of us no matter what town we may live in. HH to all.

Eddie

 

[king-ghidorah]

I have something to say about this but I have to take a nap and then I have to go clean a gym so L reply earlier this evening. Interesting episode :.)

 

[Gordon Roberts]

n/t

 

[king-ghidorah]

Your former member was wrong in pressing the issue but when the homeowner came out with a bat he was definitely wrong. He committed Assault & Battery without justification like self-defense or maybe protecting someone he loved from serious harm or danger.

Assault & Battery


Pushing the issue like your member did might just push the "wrong buttons" and make the city ban such an activity because of all the problems it brings but I am sure you thought of that, hence, he no longer is a member of your club and rightly so.

 

[Treasure Nut]

Those hunting areas are city property. If homeowners decide to care for that area in front of their house, it would be wise to just appologize and move on when confronted. We don't need more limitations or bans on this great hobby of detecting.

Have fun

 

[Steve from Ohio]

I would have asked the homeowner first to show some respect. Yes it is legal to detect on street strips but the homeowner usually keeps up that area by cutting the grass and weeding the lawn. IT is only out of respect that you should ask first.


I bet he would have said it was ok if asked!!!!!

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

I detect strips quite a bit, and have had the cops called on a few occasions. And they check the rules and find out it is public property and it's ok for me to be there detecting.

They do say that this is the kind of situation that they would rather not have to respond to, so they would appreciate not escalating it to a confrontation. This spring I had some knucklehead come out and get all threatening, wasn't even his house. I walked from that one. Most of the time people call the police without ever talking to me, so I don't have a chance to walk away.

And again the police have been in involved perhaps four/five times in hundreds of hours of detecting. I do make sure to never detect when the ground is dry, except construction sites, fill my holes, pick up junk, etc. Always helps to ask if they can even see where I have been digging, they can't so they know I am not damaging city property.

Chris

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Yes it is city property, and no you don't need to ask. By asking, it only implies you needed to ask, to begin with. It also allows someone to tell you "no", when in fact, they probably wouldn't have noticed or given you a second thought. Afterall, which of us EVER gives a solicitor at our door yes's for anything? Just like phone solicitors, most of us just hang up, right? So best just to keep a low profile. Like picking your nose, just be discreet. If someone takes issue, sure, let them know it's city eavesment, but that yes, to avoid ruffling feathers, you'll move on.

One time a rather obstinate friend of mine was detecting parking strips. Bear in mind he'd done hundreds of home-lengths during his time, with never a problem. But one day, a single irate homeowner came out and told him he couldn't do it or whatever. My friend explained that, in fact, he could, since it was public. The guy threatened to call the cops, so my friend says "go ahead". Then he purposefully stayed there detecting just that one frontage till the cops came. The cops listened to both person's side of the story, and agreed that - yes, my friend was allowed to walk and/or detect on the parking strips. But they took him to the side and told him "but do us a favor, and move on, just to keep this guy happy".

 

[Hotcz70]

n/t

 

[king-ghidorah]

Good post Tom. I agree with you on not asking people as they'll probably so no so it's best to be discreet. I just seen on a street I travel on long sections of green between street and sidewalk and I'll take what you said to heed. I am sure where I seen those sections manicured that some people will come out and say something so I'll have to be ready. Has anyone ever had some good finds on these strips. Theoretically they could be hundreds of years old depending on the original roadway and sidewalk placements over the years.