More detecting issue's!

[HaroldILL.]

Well I haven't been out much this year due to loosing about 80% of my sites to careless newbee yuppies and there *^%$ shovel's! Anyway's There is a little park 1 mile from my home not that old ,But maybe newer silver as I never hunted before as I use to have older site's not anymore. So I figure I can stop and get my fix for the week. It was hot and muggy so I didn't stay long as all the clad was deep over 8'' it must have been filled. I start to leave get about 20 feet from my car and here come's a cop. I thought here we go. He said they have a complaint about me digging hole's. I showed him my ''small hand trowel'' and probe and bandana I use to''back fill'' my plug's. After he saw this he was cool and said just be sure to fill my hole's. I told him I most likely won't be back as nothing old. He left and said have a good day. Even though it ended well I was shocked someone would call the cop's as I saw no one the whole time I was out there? What happened to are hobby? I remember 15 years ago people would come up and ask what you found and say have a nice day. Now you got busy body's calling the cop's or giving you dirty look's? I said it before and I say it again this hobby is not for long so enjoy while you can!

 

[airscapes]

He said that so as not to be accused of harassing you.

 

[sprchng]

Too many politicians from Illinois polluting the country's mindset for anyone or anything doing something without getting someone elses approval first.

 

[yowow#1]

Well I haven't been out much this year due to loosing about 80% of my sites to careless newbee yuppies and there damn shovel's! Anyway's There is a little park 1 mile from my home not that old ,But maybe newer silver as I never hunted before as I use to have older site's not anymore. So I figure I can stop and get my fix for the week. It was hot and muggy so I didn't stay long as all the clad was deep over 8'' it must have been filled. I start to leave get about 20 feet from my car and here come's a cop. I thought here we go. He said they have a complaint about me digging hole's. I showed him my ''small hand trowel'' and probe and bandana I use to''back fill'' my plug's. After he saw this he was cool and said just be sure to fill my hole's. I told him I most likely won't be back as nothing old. He left and said have a good day. Even though it ended well I was shocked someone would call the cop's as I saw no one the whole time I was out there? [size=large]What happened to are hobby?[/size] I remember 15 years ago people would come up and ask what you found and say have a nice day. Now you got busy body's calling the cop's or giving you dirty look's? I said it before and I say it again this hobby is not for long so enjoy while you can!

[size=large]Our fellow detectorist jumping on a cheap 30 seconds in the spotlight in my opinion... I hope you guys got your cheap 30 seconds and are proud of yourself "movie stars"...[/size]

 

[RLOH]

Harold, I believe our hobby is doomed. With all of the TV shows and bad economy, people are flocking to the hobby. I have never seen as many people detecting around my little town as I have in the last year. I live in a depressed area and there are tons of vacant homes. Several people are going to these homes with shovels and NO permission. Last month the police arrested two guys digging in the front of an occupied home. They told the judge they thought if was a foreclosed home. At my favorite park there is a father-son team using shovels and leaving their trash. It sickens me to see what they are doing. A 12 inch plug for a coin target two inches deep and then leaving a crushed pop can laying on the surface. It would not surprise me to see this spot "off limits" in the near future. As much as I would like to use a small shovel, I keep using a hand digger and drop cloth at every place I dig. I also dig the smallest plug I can and most of time I use a screw driver for any less than 4 inches. I watch tons of you tube videos and while I like them, I find the size of the plugs dug to be way too big. I believe youtube will be the down fall of our hobby. Not pointing fingers, just facts.

 

[Ism]

Same thing at a local school that I find a lot of silver in. I visited 2 weeks ago and found huge plugs dug that weren't back filled and the trash they dug next to them.
Fortunately they gave up after 4-5 holes.
The grounds keepers see me out there all the time. They have no complaints about my digs and occasionally talk to me.
I just hope they didn't think it was me. I was infuriated to say the least.

 

[ironsight]

Same thing at a local school that I find a lot of silver in. I visited 2 weeks ago and found huge plugs dug that weren't back filled and the trash they dug next to them.
Fortunately they gave up after 4-5 holes.
The grounds keepers see me out there all the time. They have no complaints about my digs and occasionally talk to me.
I just hope they didn't think it was me. I was infuriated to say the least.

My worst fear also, getting blamed for other's stupidity. I always spend time trying to fix bad plugs or unfilled holes best i can and when their available, let the park caretakers know it too.

Hopefully most of these clueless newbies will find out metal detecting is not as easy as with those two nut cases on TV and give it up earlier rather than later.
Sometimes i'm tempted to leave the junk in the hole just for that reason.

And its not only newbies. After watching some detecting videos on Utube there are some sloppy holes being dug and sloppily filled by suppose'd experienced detectorists. Some of these guys that post videos ought to be ashamed of their digs for the whole world to see especially for any newbies watching and thinking thats the way its done.

 

[Spider-F5]

Even though i'm a newbee to the hobby/sport, my philosophy is that one should dig plugs(regardless of where it is) as though they are detecting in thier OWN yard...... I despise inconsiderate people!!!

HH<Spider

 

[Elton]

Same issues abound here too. Some I know just hunt. Never ask for permission. One of these days their going to get nailed too.
I often wonder what mind set a person must have to think it is ok to go where they please, and start detecting and digging..

Private Property is just that. Private property Permission is always needed. No matter if by chance they got away with hitting it once. Their asking to be arrested.

Lets be honest.... They should be arrested !!!

 

[MarkCZ]

Even though i'm a newbee to the hobby/sport, my philosophy is that one should dig plugs(regardless of where it is) as though they are detecting in thier OWN yard...... I despise inconsiderate people!!!

HH<Spider

Well, I don't know about the statement "as though they are detecting in their OWN yard" I always try to get and fill my holes anywhere I'm hunting, in public (open) woods, I just toss the dirt back in the holes. The better groomed the area your hunting the more detail is required to every part of target recovery and hole filling. I've been in a number of places hunting where just by looking I knew not to actually dig a hole at all!!. In these cases it takes what some call coin popping. I have retrieved coin down to the 6" range and didn't dig a hole at all and I only used a probe (not a screwdriver either). The public at large that live around or near city parks just don't like to see people using long handled shovels and they will call the police and leaving open holes and trash laying around is a deal breaker!
Somebody on this forum some time ago started up a thread in which just for fun they decided to put on some hard hats, and take some long handled shovels and his son and to go to the park and metal detect. Well, the police was called, they got ran off. The construction gear was for fun with his son to add some interest to attract his son, the outcome was BAD!! and the forum response pretty much ran him off I guess. What the poster did was fine if he would have had some private place with permission to hunt! The public and the police didn't see the fun in it.
In our area we have a city park, and in one area of the park is a LARGE section that has been closed down for use and just let go to the wild! (just woods, weeds, and poison ivy). 40 years ago it was some picnic areas, well we've been hunting them and using small shovels, but we still fill in the holes, and we don't open carry the shovels in, they fold up and we back pack them in.

Mark

 

[Goldstrike]

Unfortunately, the one's (I call them cowboys) that are digging holes and not filling them in properly almost certainly don't bother to join these Forums or don't belong to any M.D. clubs and of course don't see these comments. They will buy a cheapo detector and a big Home Depot digging tool or (shovel) and think they are going to dig treasure in the first 10 or 15 minutes they start!!
It might be an idea if someone can come up with a 1/2 page flier to give to them when you see them digging and not re-filling holes with some simple instructions on how to do it right and the consequences of not doing it right. You might risk getting some very colorful language because your dealing with idiots but at least you have tried to re-educate them. Then again, you can take their detector from them and break it in half but I think you'll have to have your running shoes and run like h*ll if you do that

 

[etex]

I call them Redskins not cowboys

 

[undersc0re]

I will not even touch grass now, just gravel and sand. If I am asked to hunt for a lost item in the park I refuse. I just don't think it s right...if someone wants me to hunt in their yard I have no problem, I also will hunt places that have no vegetation growing in and around the mountains here.

 

[ironsight]

I will not even touch grass now, just gravel and sand. If I am asked to hunt for a lost item in the park I refuse. I just don't think it s right...if someone wants me to hunt in their yard I have no problem, I also will hunt places that have no vegetation growing in and around the mountains here.

Thats great! That'll leave the grassy parks for the rest of us. LOL

Seriously, there's a lot of keepers left in some of those old parks. Just don't wander into those parks with a full blown shovel, dig proper plugs and replace them plugs as though they were never dug. Aside from ocassional relic hunting in remote areas, all my detecting is in parks.

The only issues i've had is with kids hanging around. Had another incident recently with a kid hanging around and a cop shows up and starts asking questions. Second time this has happened with kids and cops showing up. I should of known better as i had a similar incident happen a couple years ago. IMO, unless the kid is related, stay away from them while detecting in parks.

 

[John(Tx)]

Harold wrote " What happened to are hobby? I remember 15 years ago people would come up and ask what you found and say have a nice day. Now you got busy body's calling the cop's or giving you dirty look's? I said it before and I say it again this hobby is not for long so enjoy while you can!"


Watch those stupid digging shows and that will explain alot....HH

 

[HaroldILL.]

Harold wrote " What happened to are hobby? I remember 15 years ago people would come up and ask what you found and say have a nice day. Now you got busy body's calling the cop's or giving you dirty look's? I said it before and I say it again this hobby is not for long so enjoy while you can!"


Watch those stupid digging shows and that will explain alot....HH

I know what you mean as a couple of those '' T.V. stars'' live in my area and think because they hunt mostly the lake front there safe from the new land no metal detecting laws. But they don't realize that there is a new law to be past in a year or two banning metal detecting in Chicago parks and Lake front's so they are cutting their own throats.

 

[John(Tx)]

that will hurt all hunters in your area. Good luck to you guys. John

 

[NiagracountyNY]

Wow ,That stinks! You guys better organize in your area.Chicago Ron is over there isnt he?That will affect him torganize,and fight it,They like to slip that crap in when no ones looking most times..real quite like..$#@$@

 

[marcomo]

There have always been a few bad apples, long before that certain detecting show hit the air.

But now, thanks to unreality TV, those few bad apples have increased exponentially. And the more bad apples we have in our bunch, the more problems we have.

Sometimes it's intentional, but often it's inexperience and/or a lack of common sense by some that causes problems for our hobby.

I'm not in the gloom and doom and metal detecting is close to extinct camp, but I'll agree that problems have increased noticably since that show premiered in 2012. Like many of you, I'm finding evidence of bad detecting etiquette way more than I used to.

But then again a lot of us, myself included, support that show by using products manufactured by the sponsor.

 

[sprchng]

Wow ,That stinks! You guys better organize in your area.Chicago Ron is over there isnt he?That will affect him torganize,and fight it,They like to slip that crap in when no ones looking most times..real quite like..$#@$@

Don't be naive!
The "TV stars" like nothing better than to see those areas blocked off and then their TV producers can bribe the politicians into making more shows there and only the "TV stars" will be given permission to detect there as it becomes a revenue generating opportunity for the community.
If you think the "TV stars " have your best interests at heart , you are being duped.