night time metal detecting

[cory in fla]

i was just curious if any one does a lot of night metal detecting on the beach and is it advisable to go with a partner or do you go just go out alone?

 

[David from Suffolk]

n/t

 

[PaPa-Joe-Fla.]

Cory I hunt Clearwater , Cocoa , Daytona and some of the larger beaches at night and all hours of early morning. I would not hunt any isolated beaches alone, just my preference. Your main beaches in central Fl. have people out all hours of the day and night. I do not hunt fresh water lakes at night. Alligators and snakes moving allot in summer. I will hunt them in winter. I spend most of my time in waist to chest deep water, so few people notice I am out there. Good Luck. HH

 

[jimmy1956]

I hunt in OC Maryland. I will go out at low tide at night by myself. Never more than knee deep though. Got to keep an eye on the waves. I wear a LED style headlamp. Makes things real bright.

 

[JackyPT]

Me too. When i find a partner i go when not......

I STILL GO

At night i only go to the populated beach, is always someone near.

 

[cory in fla]

Well i tried last night out on new Smyrna beach for about a half hour until a police officer pulled up and waved her light at me, told me the beach parking was close at 11pm and it was around 1am last night when i was out their and she told me i had to leave so i guess that ends the night hunting on the beach around here.

 

[gold-digger]

Wife and I always hunt together, Makes iteasier. Lots of wannabee hoodlums out there. We usually hunt until 2 or 3 am, but after 2 the drunks come out on the beach.

Safety in numbers.

 

[PaPa-Joe-Fla.]

cory were you in the lot downtown on the beach maybe you can't park there after 11:00 even thou I have been there at 2:00 am and never bothered. That may be something new. Did the police say you couldn't detect on the beach at night, or just not park in the lot at night. I have never found much good stuff in New Smyrna.
I just left my boat in Sanford,it was storming on the east coast.HH

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

You can hunt all night on the beach. Just don't park in the county's parking lot. That's a Volusea county park. Park down the street or off some side road. I use to park at Daytona Beach. In the business areas you have to watch. Some signs has no parking after certain hours.

 

[CC2_IN_CA]

IMO, it depends on the beach, and availability legal parking.
There are some beaches that get alot of late night rowdy people.
Mission Beach here in SD has had gang shootings out late.
Don't think I'd feel real safe their at 2am even with company.
I'd be leary of Pacific Beach too.

La Jolla Shores here in SD is very safe and accessible all night.
Many due to people traffic there tends to be local residents.

Oceanside Pier beach is impossible to access after 11pm
due to parking restrictions within 1/2 mile of the beach.
After 11pm you can be towed.

IMO, if a beach is so unsafe you feel you must have others
with you is not a place I'd want to go to at all after hours.

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

I wouldn't suggest hunting alone at night. I have been out there alone at night a few times when I got carried away with hunting and the sun went down before I was ready to leave, but I know it is a very dangerous thing to do. Florida has a lot of crime and a lot of transients, not to mention a ton of gangs out looking for trouble and it's getting worse.

A couple stories from a long time back (and it's worse now). In 1979 I graduated from Jupiter High School next to a girl whose mother was walking on the beach at night in Jupiter with her boyfriend. Some maniac macheted her to death and the next day they found her hacked up boyfriend (still alive) in the sea oats. They never found the killer. Also, sometime in the early 1980's I think, I remember a girl named Lauren Cox who was featured in People magazine. She was walking on Singer Island municipal beach with her boyfriend when a gang of thugs robbed the boyfriend, held his face down in the sand and took turns gang raping her. It was national news at the time. A few years later I was at an office beach party at night with an old boyfriend, also in Jupiter. We went to the car to leave in the dark when a gang of (you guessed it) thugs with baseball bats came running toward us yelling, "hey woman! Come on over here!" I was screaming for the boyfriend to open up the car doors and he wanted to reason with them as they were gaining on us ... luckily he listened to me, got the car opened and started as they battered my car with baseball bats. We escaped with about $1,200 of (minor) damage to my car, since he tore off so quickly. We hysterically flagged down a cop who seemed irritated that we interrupted his break and he didn't even want to take a report. He said a similar incident had just happened up the road. He seemed bored by the whole incident. I guess that kind of thing is more common than you might think. So, as you can see, even two people would be no match for a gang of thugs.

I am sure there are well lit places that are safe to hunt at night, but just always remain aware of your surroundings. There are a lot of nuts out there!

Safe hunting!
Stacey

 

[BEACH HUNTER]

you got some good ones on the ring daddy!! W.T.G!! Good hunting and good luck!

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

But I haven't been having much luck lately. My Excal had to be sent back for a new coil. The old one was defective. It's due back within a week.... can't wait. Have only been finding bottle caps, pull tabs, and oh yeah.... a nice gold necklace, pendant and a nice 14k men's ID bracelet... but those were the exception, not the rule.

I've been mostly finding junk. Soon as my Excal is back, I hope to be back in full power! I have to get some more rings on that Ring Daddy page!

HH!
Stacey

 

[BEACH-HUNTER]

i got a few more for the page this week too! hunting really got hot here! good luck!! i'll be in Va beach the 27th for a week!!! get some of the Va pirates loot!!!

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

n/t

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

n/t

 

[Kyle in Sac]

n/t

 

[ikon]

wow . that brings back something that happened to me when i was detecting in a park in my own town where there is no crime. i was new to detecting, had just got an explorer when they first came out and i used to carry every prop you can think of except the kitchen sink on my belt lol.i was digging a target and all of the sudden had a feeling someone was there. i looked up and a beautifull german sheppard was there grawlin and showing his teeth. i was like oh boy not good. i stood up and had the coil between me and the dog then noticed that the owner was about 20 yards away tell this dog to watch me. i went insane. i reached behind me and pulled out my fathers old k-bar and i told this man id stab his dog in front of him if he didnt back it off. when he saw the knife he called the dog off and left.i cursed that guy till he disappeared. there are sickco's out there. watch out.
then a few weeks later i see the turp in the wawa and figured id have some fun. as soon as i brought it up he put everything down and left the store.
stan