Park Hunting issue

[MarkCZ]

Back in the 80's is when I first started night hunting, and the where I was hunting was along the grassy sidewalk strips in the city of Huntington, the term we called it was "Curb'in". I found my best and most good finds doing this. now times has changed but the general consensus is the same (which is also being reflected in this topic) nobody metal detects at night! well if the large part of the metal detecting community creates (conjures up) all of these evil idea about it then the general public has NO clue that somebody of in the distance (in a larger park) with a flashlight is actually metal detecting! Its night, they can't see you, they see a little flashlight off in the distance strolling long, the thought of the person carrying the light is metal detecting never crossing the onlookers mind.

Try this, if you have a good size city park that has walking paths and or bike trails go down one evening just a little before dark and walk around some not metal detecting, just wondering around and stay for a good bit after dark (summer time, or at lest fair weather). If its like our park you see people at 11:00pm walking dogs and carrying a flashlight, you'll see joggers with headband lights jogging, you will see college couples strolling along carrying flashlights. So, the onlookers puts detectorist in that same class! and the thoughts of metal detecting never enters their minds! "No Body Metal Detects At Night" they don't give it a second thought.

But, if you pick your night hunting places carefully and give it some real thought and stop with all the horror thinking, stop letting our imaginations run wild it can be very rewarding.
Don't hunt in known HIGH Crime areas!
Stay in public places, or in private places where you have permission to do so!
Use your flashlights in a way that they're not beaming all around in windows and the like (keep them small and on aiming in your general search path!
Test it out night hunting in your yard or very familiar places!

You'll find that in the heat of summer your detector will run MUCH better minus all the solar energy and fewer RF devices in use.

You'll fall in a hole and break your leg,
You'll get knocked in the head and robbed,
Something evil is lurking behind the trees,
The swat team will be called in,
Snakes will wrap themselves up your detector shafts and bit you right in the heart and you'll die instantly,
This type of thinking is just submitting to fear!

People to this day still go night crawler hunting (I'm not talking about the two legged kind either) and don't give it a second thought. They go out with there little flashlights and hunt for fishing bait for a weekend fishing trip.

I saw a video sometime back and these guys had stayed alittle after dark detecting in a park, they all had on headband lights, they never turned them off, they never switched to the red LED mode, so here you had these flashlights beaming all around like search lights on a river boat. This is a good way to draw bad attention to whatever your doing! keep the lights on the ground like a strolling couple, a dog walker, or a jogger, DON'T use POWERFULL lights to detect with, put a little reflective tape along the top edges of your search coil and with any moonlight or star light, or your little red LED light and you can see pretty good for swinging and slowly moving along. Then once you come across a target and your ready to dig, you knee down, mark your target, change modes on your headband light to the white LEDs of maybe 40 to 70 lumens, retrieve the target, switch back to the red LED mode and move on.

Night Hunting isn't as frightening as its made out to be in some people's minds.

Notice the coils in the included the pictures at the reflective tape around the edges! this can be an aid while night hunting, it takes VERY little light on the surface for the operator to have a good outline of the coil.

I don't night hunt as much as I used to, but I don't get to hunt that much in the daytime anymore. But, I'm not afraid to night hunt, and I no longer curb at night because your just to close to people houses.

I'm with Tom to a point wit the flashlights, don't use them unless you have to, use as little as you can to get by with, but if your in an area where its common for people to be carrying flashlights then your still in the normal thoughts of people out doing what they normally do in that area at night! they don't associate metal detecting with the norm for that area. A flashlight can be seen as an "Invasive Act" powerful beams in nearby windows is going to put you OUTSIDE the norm and get the police called, or worse. Now take his full moon lite night, with the reflective tape you wouldn't need any extra search light, but I would when I went to dig, I would use the little low powered headband light directed at the dig, then when I retrieve the target and fill my hole I turn the light off, close my eyes for about 20 seconds, then get up and proceed on detecting. The little light above your eyes shining on the dark ground doesn't reflect that much back into your eyes to be more than a few seconds for your sight to readjust.
The thing is that setup right you can go detecting more often than when there is a full moon and that perfect star lite night. Just,
Pick the right spot,
Don't use anymore light than you have to use, and,
use the lights you have in the lest invasive ways possible.

My little detector mounted headlight is only one watt, and I only use it if the terrain is a bit rough or stumble-ly, but its always low and pointing to the ground, its low powered so its not considered "Invasive" (threatening)


Mark

 

[sprchng]

Parks here close at 10pm , no exceptions , not that I would be on my knees wearing headphones at night in them anyway.
You're a sitting duck.

 

[5900_XL-1]

I know what your saying............................BUT

A person not supposed to be at a school yard/ school playground, or yard takes priority in todays world. Due to the bad events that have occurred in recent times. Priority one call.

A burglary alarm is usually a priority two call.......... plus the alarm company may, or may not react immediately in notifying the police. Also they may advise no entry gained depending on your alarm company abilities.
Officers may have been tied up on calls already.

Lets all be accepting that schools may be off limits in certain hours for one reason or another. If you go in the dark you should expect to be checked out..

I am not looking for an argument. I am just saying..Todays events, and some people actions, have created a need for checking things out as far as the police are concerned...

Oh, the one officer who did the talking(a pretty female BTW) was quick to tell me without asking, "What you're doing isn't illegal." I was tempted to hit on her, flirt. I never ever thought I'd be tempted to flirt with the police :-O

You might be right about the burgular alarm incident, but I fully expected a squad car when I got here. It's impressive to actually have a cop leading the way inside with his hand on his side arm.

I'm surprised as it is that as many school yards are unlocked after hours around here. The local kids like it. If there are kids, I stay out, but on this particular occasion, a handfull of 6-8yr olds popped in mid-hunt.The circumstances changed. I'll simply leave a tot lot when kids come my way. A guy like me is out of place in the chips once kids show up.

All that the police were doing at the school was answering a call. It was about the most pleasant police experience I've had in a police encounter. We chatted about other hunt spot ideas for a while, and they left me there to keep hunting. As naturally paranoid as I seem to let myself get sometimes, that time...I wasn't stressed.

My point was that it really didn't take two squad cars. Maybe I was part of the female officer's training period. We'll never know now.

 

[MarkCZ]

When I'm hunting at night I use earbuds instead of headphones. The city parks around here also close at whatever hour, but that's to automobile traffic, not foot traffic (the road gates are closed and locked)
Joggers,
Dog walkers,
Late evening couple strolling still goes on.

Our, park has a large back section that is closed at night to car traffic, this has been a hot spot to detect. Well, at night because its closed there isn't anybody around, except for a jogger or two, your not close to any homes, now the deer can be a little creepy but they're not some ghostly being from a grave that only comes out at night to drink the blood of the living.

Another area around here that surprised me as is this VERY large soccer field, it was creepy for awhile but after an hour or so it was the same place it was in the daytime, and I did very good there clad stabbing.
Its like many other things in life where the fear in our minds is WAY worse than the fear of actually being there, for many the sound of night time detecting just strikes a 'Fear Note' it sounds off, it seems crazy but in the right places, in the right conditions it can be as rewarding as setting on a river bank night fishing, or coon hunting,
They are lots of hobbies that is considered Night Worthy, metal detecting for some reason gets booted out because it just doesn't sound "Normal"
I'd say that hunting at night with a friend would be better, as long as both has the same understanding of what to do and what NOT to do.

Mark

 

[Elton]

Always best to be safe in numbers on calls..Backup saves a lot of confrontation situations that can escalate pretty darn fast in the field.......
It's not heavy handed tactics..it's just for safety.. Female officers actually deescalate some situations when two Alpha males confront each other........

 

[slingshot]

"Are" park? Sounds like an illiterate transient that would be afraid of discovery.

 

[togg77]

Wear a Burka---no problems.

 

[Goldstrike]

Slingshot's comment may have some possible truth to it. I've noticed a big rise in the homeless population in the local parks here. They are living in the parks and while I sympathise to an extent with them, you don't want to go too close to their 'patch' when detecting. I could see a homeless person putting a note on a detectorist's windshield if he/she thought that the detectorist was invading 'their' park or their patch of the park. For that reason, I personally do not do night detecting in any of the parks. Some have mental problems/not taking med's etc; and you go stumbling into their patch and you may come to harm. I know some carry kitchen knifes for self defence. Other places may not have this problem but we do here, partly due to the warm climate year round which suits the homeless.

 

[MarkCZ]

I would never HUNT in any area that I've not scouted out or probably even hunted before! Night hunting for the most part is in familiar area's (Well known or easily recognized)___(well informed about or knowing thoroughly). Vacationing beach hunting may be an exception.
We have area's around here that I wouldn't go to night hunt, just be smart, know the area, and just keep true to the very basic rules. Night hunting isn't for everyone, its not for every location, and its NOT for illegal entry into "No Metal Detecting Area's" (Restricted, still means restricted)

I know my post are full of type o's but my lower back went out this past Saturday and I'm just starting to get up off my bed in the floor for short periods of time and setting is a killer! so, I'm not taking the time to proof read much, just type it, post it, and get back to the floor and the heating pad!
LoL I had to make our little dog a bed on my bed, poor little thing.

HH
Mark

 

[ironsight]

Not only bums but also nar-do-wells looking for quick drug money.
There are some parks in the big cities around here i wouldn't hunt even in the daytime let alone at night.

 

[HaroldILL.]

Update as today I went to another park in an older area that is way more upscale. The House's in this area are worth triple to the previous one. I never had a issue hear. I have hit it hard so few signal's left and what's left is deep so I broke out the Nautilus IIBa. After about a Hour dug a nice V-Nickle. Anyways it was gettin' cold and dark so I head back to the car. I see a Woman approaching Me as I load my gear I'm thinking here we go again. She ask's you find anything good? I say No not today as regardless I never tell what I find. She smiles and says maybe next time take care. That just shows not all people are jerks and this area is way nicer then the other.

 

[skookum]

Hi,
Why not be honest and show her the nickle and then mention that your equipment to recover such is worth more than a thou (US $)?
She would probably laugh, shake her head and write you off as a fool.
hh
skookum

 

[Thompson44]

I'd continue to go back, regardless of what I was finding & stay insight of my vehicle. I'd had a similar situation happen to my daughter & I MD'ing at our private community pool park. A new member confronted us while we were sitting on the grass admiring our finds. She approached and without introducing herself, demanding to know why we were digging & trespassing on a private park. When I advised that I was a stock holder for the past 12 years & that the park president knew that we MD there. The reaction on her face was priceless! What I thought was funny. That the folks that were trespassing (non members) using the field, she over looked. We had been Profiled/Stereo Typed! Stand Your Ground!

 

[ironsight]

Metal detecting in this day and age arguably IMO has to become more stealthy in order to keep public sites open.
There's the night hunters which has been discussed which is stealthy enough i suppose if done right.
The trick i think is to stay under the radar of busy bodies and never ever use a full blown shovel in a public park or other public areas. Shovels in these areas is advertising trouble.
'Gone with the wind' are the days where one could search school yards right after classes let out. To do so is asking for trouble these days.

In all the years i've been detecting parks, i've never been hassled except for a couple incidents. One years ago by some young punks in a San Diego park looking for trouble and they got it. The other involved young curious kids sticking around me. When that happens now, i leave and quickly.

Here's what i do:
-Never search a school area during the week. Even on the weekends if kids are present, i don't search there.
-Never use a full blown shovel in a public park. I think this is the one thing that will infuriate a busy body onlooker.
-IF a park keeper is within sight, i always 'humbly' strike up a friendly conversation with them before detecting. Never failed yet and i got some good tips from them also.
-Search tot lots when no one is in the area.
-Stay away from young kids. If they're in the area or stick around me i pack up and leave.
-Wear clothes that blend in with the area. Greens, brown's, black's etc. No camo! In other words don't advertise your presence with bright orange clothing.
-Wear sunglasses and be oblivious to any people around.
-Be friendly when people stop by and ask if you found anything.
-Only search parks with little to no people in the area.
-If a city park does not have a NO DETECTING sign or in the park rules, its fair game. I detect.
-Never hunt State, County or Nat'l land without permission, this could be real trouble. Check posted rules first before asking permission. Never know til you ask.
-Last but not least, adequately dig and replace plugs good as new.

 

[Nortonics]

Get a dash cam and leave it running while your car is parked at your hunt sites - I do. Imagine the look on their D.A.face when you come a knocking. I love confronting cowards...

 

[Davethejunky]

Harold, some people just need to be A--Holes it don,t mater what you do. I would go back and park in the same place and watch to see who did it and cover there car with cow Shi--t. or what ever you can find to make smell good. I know in summer Limbuger cheese in the hub caps work real well.

Limburger cheese in the tail pipe works too. Or on the engine block, bet that stuff smells heavenly when its cookin.

 

[Dirt slinger]

It was getting cold so I head back to my car to find a note stuck to my window. It reads next time you come back to ''are park'' and dig holes were calling the cops.I looked all around and no one in sight? I wish I would have caught them as I don't like anyone touching my car. I loaded my gear and waited a good half hour for someone to show up but no one did. What a cowardly thing to do.

I ALWAYS check with the city officials to see if detecting is legal, and in every case...where I am...it is, they just ask that you leave it as you found it, to which I reply that it will be cleaner than when I got there. If its legal where you are, get a letter from the city stating so, and go back over and over waiting and hoping that they DO show up with the cops and let them KNOW its not THEIR park, but everyones, show them the trash you are removing and ask them if THEY are doing that! You don't have to be nasty about it, but you COULD just change their view of what you are doing.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... I ALWAYS check with the city officials to see if detecting is legal, and in every case...where I am...it is....

What way of phrasing do you use, when asking ? Examples: 1) "Are there any laws that prohibit or address metal detectors?" (such that it puts the burden of proof on them to CITE any law, if one truly existed). or 2) "Hi, can I please metal detect in the park?" 3) "Is it legal to metal detect in the park?".

And what do you feel they should base their answer on ? Actual law ? If so, why couldn't you have just looked that up for yourself ? And were you sure to mention "dig" and "holes" , "take", "remove" ? If not, why not ? (lest someone could later accost you in the field, and say you got the green light under false pretenses, half truths, etc...)

And have you ever been carded , such that this green-light letter deflected a griper ?

I am amazed if you are batting 100% in this method of yours. Because a lot of others got arbitrary "safe" no's when asking at city halls. I suppose because some desk clerk had images of geeks with shovels, or whatever. Or were given odd answers like "yes but you can't dig", or "yes but you can't remove anything", blah blah. In places, mind you, where perhaps detecting was never an issue before. And asking a city clerk for a letter, or to sign-something seems to be the FASTEST way to turn a yes to a no. That would seem to only conjur up legal risk, and have to go before city lawyers for approval, etc....

If you are batting 100 in your system, you must have the golden touch. Because I've seen city's here, where people thought the solution was to go ask ahead of time. And it merely resulted in no's (where it had never been a problem before), or in some cases, actually brought about rules to address the issue. Ie.: if a city realized there wasn't a law (to address this person's "pressing question"), guess what appeared on the city council's agenda next month as a proposed rule ?

 

[MarkCZ]

.... I ALWAYS check with the city officials to see if detecting is legal, and in every case...where I am...it is....

What way of phrasing do you use, when asking ? Examples: 1) "Are there any laws that prohibit or address metal detectors?" (such that it puts the burden of proof on them to CITE any law, if one truly existed). or 2) "Hi, can I please metal detect in the park?" 3) "Is it legal to metal detect in the park?".

And what do you feel they should base their answer on ? Actual law ? If so, why couldn't you have just looked that up for yourself ? And were you sure to mention "dig" and "holes" , "take", "remove" ? If not, why not ? (lest someone could later accost you in the field, and say you got the green light under false pretenses, half truths, etc...)

And have you ever been carded , such that this green-light letter deflected a griper ?

I am amazed if you are batting 100% in this method of yours. Because a lot of others got arbitrary "safe" no's when asking at city halls. I suppose because some desk clerk had images of geeks with shovels, or whatever. Or were given odd answers like "yes but you can't dig", or "yes but you can't remove anything", blah blah. In places, mind you, where perhaps detecting was never an issue before. And asking a city clerk for a letter, or to sign-something seems to be the FASTEST way to turn a yes to a no. That would seem to only conjur up legal risk, and have to go before city lawyers for approval, etc....

If you are batting 100 in your system, you must have the golden touch. Because I've seen city's here, where people thought the solution was to go ask ahead of time. And it merely resulted in no's (where it had never been a problem before), or in some cases, actually brought about rules to address the issue. Ie.: if a city realized there wasn't a law (to address this person's "pressing question"), guess what appeared on the city council's agenda next month as a proposed rule ?

"Dirt slinger" What Tom is saying that its MUCH better to just look up city park rules yourself and not,
'Stir the pot' of city officials, not
'Draw unnecessary' attention to our questionable hobby.
I figure most city parks has signs posted stating park rules, so just read the signs!
If you ask about park rules, ask about permits, your just giving the officials more ideas to either ban detecting, or charge fees for permits, and then create a stringent list of rules (LAWS) of what you can't do and what you can do while detecting.

I'm 100% with Tom on this!

Mark

 

[Dirt slinger]

.... I ALWAYS check with the city officials to see if detecting is legal, and in every case...where I am...it is....

What way of phrasing do you use, when asking ? Examples: 1) "Are there any laws that prohibit or address metal detectors?" (such that it puts the burden of proof on them to CITE any law, if one truly existed). or 2) "Hi, can I please metal detect in the park?" 3) "Is it legal to metal detect in the park?".

And what do you feel they should base their answer on ? Actual law ? If so, why couldn't you have just looked that up for yourself ? And were you sure to mention "dig" and "holes" , "take", "remove" ? If not, why not ? (lest someone could later accost you in the field, and say you got the green light under false pretenses, half truths, etc...)

And have you ever been carded , such that this green-light letter deflected a griper ?

I am amazed if you are batting 100% in this method of yours. Because a lot of others got arbitrary "safe" no's when asking at city halls. I suppose because some desk clerk had images of geeks with shovels, or whatever. Or were given odd answers like "yes but you can't dig", or "yes but you can't remove anything", blah blah. In places, mind you, where perhaps detecting was never an issue before. And asking a city clerk for a letter, or to sign-something seems to be the FASTEST way to turn a yes to a no. That would seem to only conjur up legal risk, and have to go before city lawyers for approval, etc....

If you are batting 100 in your system, you must have the golden touch. Because I've seen city's here, where people thought the solution was to go ask ahead of time. And it merely resulted in no's (where it had never been a problem before), or in some cases, actually brought about rules to address the issue. Ie.: if a city realized there wasn't a law (to address this person's "pressing question"), guess what appeared on the city council's agenda next month as a proposed rule ?

"Dirt slinger" What Tom is saying that its MUCH better to just look up city park rules yourself and not,
'Stir the pot' of city officials, not
'Draw unnecessary' attention to our questionable hobby.
I figure most city parks has signs posted stating park rules, so just read the signs!
If you ask about park rules, ask about permits, your just giving the officials more ideas to either ban detecting, or charge fees for permits, and then create a stringent list of rules (LAWS) of what you can't do and what you can do while detecting.

I'm 100% with Tom on this!

Mark

Guys I understand your views completely and I would not try to sway you in any direction, nor do I believe I have "the golden touch", but I believe more than anything it has to do with the type of town (size) etc. Im in a pretty small town, but there are no signs addressing the use of metal detectors in any of the parks here so one could assume if no signs, no rules against it, but I don't like to assume. I'm a stand up guy and I DONT want to just do something ASSUMING its ok only to have Jonny Law show up and hit me with a fine. I like to check at City Hall first. But I'm only talking about my town, I've not hit neighboring towns yet. I like to tell them (the clerk that's says yay or nay), that I like to check first, give a brief idea what I'm doing and have even provided pics of the trash I take out which they REALLY appreciate. there is no doubt that this hobby is under attack by other park users who for the most part don't understand the whole picture. They see one guy on one day leave a hole and they assume that's what everyone does, so as often as I can I like to combat that with the positives that it brings, mainly the clean up of "trash in the grass" that is a hazard to there little barefoot kiddies. It makes a difference. I personally don't believe for a minute that my checking to see if there are any laws or rules against MDing is going to generate one, I see it as projecting the image that WE care about our parks too. Not saying that hasn't EVER happened elsewhere, just not here. At a large state park here in my town MDing is taboo everywhere but the beach area at the lake and you must write and get the permit, which I do yearly. Once you've made the right impression with the parks people by having your permit and ACCEPTABLE tools and they see you are taking all the junk with you, that goes a LONG way to cementing good impressions with the folks that give the yays or nays. I guess the crux of what Im saying is, we shouldn't leave the future of our hobby in the hands of the naysayers and detractors by being afraid to be outspoken and proactive in our efforts to promote it as a "good thing". Just my 2 cents.