The kind of publicity this hobby can do without . . . . a MUST READ!

[Andy Sabisch]

A great example of the publicity we do NOT need . . . . . you have to side with the National Park Service on this one!

Relic Hunters Plunders Battelfield

Andy Sabisch

 

[khouse]

This kind of crap will only get worse with the introduction of all the sensational metal detecting shows.

 

[Tenspeed]

This will give all of us a black eye we don't necessarily deserve!

I hope it doesn't cause a rash of new laws that take away our hobby.

 

[Critterhunter]

When I suggested in a thread that a certain show where they were using shovels and pitch forks on public property was giving a black eye to our hobby, I was called a "Troll" and told that nobody likes being told what to do. By that same logic I might then say to those people that this guy has the same attitude, that he doesn't want to be told what to do either.

With freedom comes responsibility. If we don't police ourselves then there are plenty of people in the government that would just love to do it for us. That above article is just one example of bad behaviour in our hobby. More common than tresspassers like this is the bad reputation we are getting by guys who are too lazy to bend down and dig a hole. Keep taking those long handled diggers and miltary shovels onto public lands and see how fast those places are closed down.

These youtube videos and TV shows where they are (I hope) hunting on private land showing them using shovels and other long handled diggers doesn't help our public image either. They need to make it a point to say that they are only using those because they are on private property and have permission, and that they would never use such digging tools on public property.

The biggest problem in this hobby is a lack of common sense. People using offensive (in the public's eye) digging tools, guys who go to the beach or park when it is full of people and hunt right around others, people too lazy to do a good job filling a hole or picking up their trash, and so on. What about these guys who go around and hunt the tree lawns in front of houses without asking permission? The city may own that property but that isn't going to stop the home owner from calling the cops on you, and the next thing you know their city park is also now off limits.

I'm sure that guy in PA had the same attitude..."Nobody tells me what to do." Hey, I don't care for the government telling me what to do either, but that's why we have to police ourselves and use some common sense so that we don't attract unwanted attention to ourselves. You have no "right" to metal detect in the government's eyes.

 

[Phillip_in_NM]

It's exactly this kind of behavior that got metal detecting prohibited in NM State Parks. Some half-wits in the hobby were "digging and looting" Pancho Villa State Park. BUT, typical for NM, they didn't punish the offenders. They just outlawed ALL METAL DETECTING in ALL STATE PARKS for everyone. Andy is absolutely right - this kind of behavior will lead to all our undoing.

That being said, I'm curious how this story will be presented in the detecting magazines. I've seen some very questionable metal detecting practices suggested in some of the magazines. Oftentimes, those being caught looting archaeological sites are being presented as victims when they were charged with a crime or fined. One of the most common themes I've seen in both of the hobby's biggest magazines is when the author of a story first presents the Treasure Hunter Code of Ethics or paraphrases the same, and then, one or two paragraphs down is describing how they 'happened across' this interesting looking location, whipped out their detectors and made all these astonishing finds (pictures included). Rarely do they talk about the trouble they went to to find the owner of the property and get his/her permission - probably because they never got that permission.

Okay, I'm stepping down from the soapbox.....

 

[Critterhunter]

I dug a little on Google and found some more stuff about people being arrested for metal detecting. I could have found more but got tired of digging.

Heres another version of the above story. They even mention American Diggers and the impact that may have. And so it begins

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/23/10827391-civil-war-relic-thief-engaged-in-heartbreaking-destruction

Heres another tidbit on somebody being arrested for metal detecting

http://www.treasurehunting.com/2008/08/27/canadian-man-arrested-for-metal-detecting/

And another

http://www.bowenshideout.com/news.php?news_id=11

And another

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/pair-investigated-on-suspicion-of-attempting-to-loot-buried-treasure-from-northamptonshire-roman-town-1-3091909#

And another

http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/08/spain-arrests-twelve-metal-detectorists_04.html

 

[hershey1]

These kind of people will break into your house if you have something they want. Anything of value is a target for such heathens whether in a National Park or a person's private property. I would venture to say most of these people have never heard of a Detectorist Code of Ethics. That being said Critterhunter apparently you have never dug for civil war relics or you would know a shovel is a must in MOST successful recoveries. And those that use them are very aware of leaving an area like we found it. Leaving a hole in a farmers pasture for a cow or horse to step in is unheard of from the hunters I know and we use shovels. A screwdriver is fine for shallow targets but I have never seen one at a DIV hunt or anywhere else someone is CW relic hunting. Everyone has an oppinion and this is mine. HH

 

[Ken in Georgia]

Thanks for the information. Wow we have PC work to do.

 

[BSBIKER1]

Totally agree with you Andy, we try to make this a fun and environmentally friendly past time and guys like that spoil it for everyone.

 

[Terra1959]

That guy disgusts me uke: :veryangry:
they should have given him 10 years and 10 days
its a $60,000 fine here in Australia if you detect in National Heritage Protection listed Sites
T59

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

Obviously, he had some nuts and screws loose in his head. What was this guy thinking??

 

[AngelicStorm]

What I have to ask is..... What type of permission needs to be asked to hunt between the sidewalk and the road in city limits? I have hunted in these areas with no trouble from police except for them checking me out and wishing me the best of luck. Are you supposed to ask permission to hunt on these areas?

Edit: I found the thread that answers this question..... http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,1648477

 

[EOS]

This is exactly what happened here in Sweden.
The bad behaviour and nighthawking stopped
metaldetecting totally 1991.
We cant detect anywhere without getting

 

[khouse]

I'm sorry for the trouble your facing to find hunting areas. I fear this will happen here too. We are facing some idiotic shows being released here. On top of that - people using long handled shovels in public parks. All this spells trouble for us here in the states.

 

[nge]

When I suggested in a thread that a certain show where they were using shovels and pitch forks on public property was giving a black eye to our hobby, I was called a "Troll" and told that nobody likes being told what to do. By that same logic I might then say to those people that this guy has the same attitude, that he doesn't want to be told what to do either.

With freedom comes responsibility. If we don't police ourselves then there are plenty of people in the government that would just love to do it for us. That above article is just one example of bad behaviour in our hobby. More common than tresspassers like this is the bad reputation we are getting by guys who are too lazy to bend down and dig a hole. Keep taking those long handled diggers and miltary shovels onto public lands and see how fast those places are closed down.

These youtube videos and TV shows where they are (I hope) hunting on private land showing them using shovels and other long handled diggers doesn't help our public image either. They need to make it a point to say that they are only using those because they are on private property and have permission, and that they would never use such digging tools on public property.

The biggest problem in this hobby is a lack of common sense. People using offensive (in the public's eye) digging tools, guys who go to the beach or park when it is full of people and hunt right around others, people too lazy to do a good job filling a hole or picking up their trash, and so on. What about these guys who go around and hunt the tree lawns in front of houses without asking permission? The city may own that property but that isn't going to stop the home owner from calling the cops on you, and the next thing you know their city park is also now off limits.

I'm sure that guy in PA had the same attitude..."Nobody tells me what to do." Hey, I don't care for the government telling me what to do either, but that's why we have to police ourselves and use some common sense so that we don't attract unwanted attention to ourselves. You have no "right" to metal detect in the government's eyes.

Then what do people who have back injuries, bad knees do about NOT being able to bend or get down to dig their treasures up. I have seen people with gator diggers make a Hole mess out of a park, whilst others with their afflictions are neater and cleaner than the aforementioned with their shovels. It is more of an attitude if you ask me........NGE

 

[khouse]

Eventually the person with the long handled shovel will have to either bend over to retrieve their target and/or cover up the hole. So they might as well get down there to begin with. You can witness this on a certain hunter from PA. He digs some targets with the Raven then gets down and finishes up with a Predator 85 knife.
In a plowed field I can see someone simply covering a hole with the shovel or foot standing up. But they still have to bend over to get the target unless you use one of those long reach grabbers.. Also in a nicer yard or park there is no way you can lay your cloth down and retrieve your target then empty the dirt in the hole and place the flap back over while standing up. (and do a good job)
The inventor of the EZ-Dig-R couldn't get all the way down to the ground because of knee and back trouble. So he made a lightweight chair he sat in while "Popping" his target with his Popper. He popped thousands of coins during this time. Sadly he passed a few years back. I know someone here will remember his name.

 

[Neil]

This kind of crap will only get worse with the introduction of all the sensational metal detecting shows.

so do the youtube videos. anyone can type in metal detecting and just look at the finds posted on there, all the gold and relics......

 

[khouse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP0j6S9jZMU

 

[nge]

Well......What was in the hole? Maybe when nothing was found, the farmer should have back filled it with a couple of "American Diggers"......NGE

 

[khouse]

I don't know what was in the hole? I also have went to NatGeo's TV site and the "Diggers" show is not listed anymore. I wonder if they pulled it?