Indiana towns that are off limits

[Barry NY]

Hi - I see above it was mentioned a few times "you can detect but not dig"...

This seems to be the prevalent factor. If you look up local "town" laws you will most likely see a "not allowed to disturb the fauna or flora" set of rules..on town property.
Why is this a rule - so no one can go in and dig up and take the shrubs...or the sod...or the newly planted posies...or dirt for clean fill, etc...yes outrageous stuff but they are putting a shovel/knife/tool in the ground and so are we...

Here is an excerpt from my Town Code:

Chapter 159 - Recreational facilities
Article II - Use Regulations and Restrictions

159-2: Buildings and Other Property:
No person in a park shall:

(C) Dig and remove any beach sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stones, trees, shrubs or plants, downed timber or other wood or material or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting or other means or agency.

159-3: Trees and Other Vegetation:
No person in a park shall:

(A) Damage, cut, carve, transplant or remove any tree plant, or vegetation, or injure the bark or pick the flowers or seeds of any tree or plant. Nor shall any person attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant. A person shall not dig in or otherwise disturb natural or maintained landscape areas or in any other way injure or impair the natural beauty, appearance, or usefulness of any area.

You will very rarely ever see "no metal detecting"...

 

[ron78]

I agree tom not to get off the subject of Md'ing but on a similar note where I hunt deer is property owned by a mining industry and there is a lot of land surrounding it not owned by them so we decided to check to see who owned it and see if maybe we could lease and post it well after researching and making phone calls inquiring about it the people that owned it decided to start coming up there every year and start hunting they even posted it themselves and now we can't even go on it guess they must of thought oh they must be seeing lots of deer or huge bucks on it so we should go hunt there basically if we would have just hunted it and never inquired about it they never would have came around. kinda the same idea I guess. we weren't breaking any rules but now if we want to hunt it we'll have to lol

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Barry , if you are going to let these type clauses stop you, then let me save you some time : that type wording is in EVERY muni code EVERYWHERE. And as you point out: they predate detectors. They were to forbid people from helping themselves to park features , doing vandalism , etc... No I will not automatically equate them to apply to my /Your hobby . Because technically, all such things inherently apply to the END result . Thus if you leave the area exactly as you found it, then technically you haven't defacED, alterED, or vandalisED anything , now have you?

Might someome debate those semantics? SURE ! Avoid such lookie-lous. Go at low traffic times. Because if you make the automatic equivalence that "md'ing = destruction", then give it up now and choose another hobby.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Yup. It's the same old story of: "Sometimes no one cares ..... UNTIL you ask "

 

[no-cents]

This park already had an extensive list of rules. Mostly just the usual no pets on the tennis courts, clean up after your pets, no skateboarding etc. I left because I didn't want no metal detecting added to that list before my next visit.
We know we aren't breaking the law when metal detecting but I really don't think standing your ground is a good thing to do if confronted and asked to leave. You are only inviting a call to the police or new rules to be made. I think it's best just to leave peacefully without making an scene. Just stay calm and go hunt someplace else and come back again some other day. Do NOT apologize. Apologizing would send the wrong message that some part of you agrees that hunting there was the wrong thing to do in the first place.

Happy hunting.

 

[Barry NY]

Tom I totally agree with you.
We have a spot right in town that is exactly where President Washington met with the villagers to thank them for their help during the Rev War..it's about 3 acres.
I have eyeballed and drooled every time I pass by...I bet some GW buttons got lost there that day...

I'll muster up the courage one day sometime in the warmer weather at the crack of dawn to get in there. I bet that spot was hit in the early MD days like the 70's - 80's...

Barry , if you are going to let these type clauses stop you, then let me save you some time : that type wording is in EVERY muni code EVERYWHERE. And as you point out: they predate detectors. They were to forbid people from helping themselves to park features , doing vandalism , etc... No I will not automatically equate them to apply to my /Your hobby . Because technically, all such things inherently apply to the END result . Thus if you leave the area exactly as you found it, then technically you haven't defacED, alterED, or vandalisED anything , now have you?

Might someome debate those semantics? SURE ! Avoid such lookie-lous. Go at low traffic times. Because if you make the automatic equivalence that "md'ing = destruction", then give it up now and choose another hobby.

 

[scubadetector]

This park already had an extensive list of rules. Mostly just the usual no pets on the tennis courts, clean up after your pets, no skateboarding etc. I left because I didn't want no metal detecting added to that list before my next visit.
We know we aren't breaking the law when metal detecting but I really don't think standing your ground is a good thing to do if confronted and asked to leave. You are only inviting a call to the police or new rules to be made. I think it's best just to leave peacefully without making an scene. Just stay calm and go hunt someplace else and come back again some other day. Do NOT apologize. Apologizing would send the wrong message that some part of you agrees that hunting there was the wrong thing to do in the first place.

Happy hunting.

JUST like EVERYTHING in life there are different ways to handle things. You can chose what ever way you want and so can I. LOL like I care who calls the cops!!! I also give back every class ring I can, others keep them and melt them. I don't judge them, they laugh at me but I really don't care. I think I get the last laugh with ever lake I get access to. I am not here to cram my views down any ones throat. I am here to tell my opinion and you can chose to listen or not. That's what is so nice about being an individual.

Go out and have fun and do what you feel is right for you. COPS can NOT make laws they ENFORCE them supposedly. LOL, since some of them try to invent laws I don't mind putting them in their place!! They can threaten all they want to, can even arrest me if they feel froggy enough. BUT as long as I KNOW 100% I am in the right. I for one will ALWAYS stand my ground.

If anybody goes on the Beach and Scuba thread, you know I found a 357 magnum revolver last summer. The police chief refused to return it to me after the investigation was over. I got a lawyer and was driving to get a copy of the police report when I got a call from the evidence room saying the chief decided to let me have the gun. LOL Wouldn't have mattered. I would have won in court and got a new one if they would have destroyed my property. It was abandoned by the owner and I was legal to have it so it was legally mine, per Michigan law. Even the POLICE CHIEF had to be told the law. I refused to back down.

Everyone have a wonderful time and DO what you feel is right with NO REGRETS.

 

[no-cents]

Scuba, you are right that it is often necessary to stand your ground but every situation is different. The list of park rules (at least 10) was already posted at the park's entrance. This many rules being approved told me that this guy already had the city council wrapped around his finger so adding "no metal detecting" would probably be an easy rule for this guy to have added. Instead of ruining this place for everyone, I felt it was just best to leave, let things cool down and come back some other time. Besides, I don't have enough free time to waste it tied up in court proceedings.

Glad you got the magnum back. That is something I would have taken the time to fight for.

 

[Robert2300]

I tried hunting in MOoresvilled, right next door to Plainfield,
and was promply warned by a passer by that the Mooresville
police woulkd give me a bad time. I didn't try to test them. I did
hunt briefly at the Mooresville park on Indiana Street, but the
grounds keepers told me I had to leave. Apparently the
Mooresville police are like Nazi's.
Robert2300

 

[no-cents]

Thanks, Robert2300. I don't usually wander that far south but thanks for the tip.