What an Idiot!!!

[kelly spann]

I have a favorite park I like to detect and always find something good and sometimes not so good, but I find something. Well anyway I was getting alittle tired and thought I would sit in some bleachers and drink some gatorade and eat some crackers when I saw this guy pullup in a truck. He got out and had a detector and he was in his late fifties I'm guessing and I thought maybe he has been doing this for awhile so I thought I would watch him alittle while. Where I was sitting he didn't know I was there. I knew where most of the trash was and never dug for it. I wanted to see if he would. He dug alot of holes and trash all right. but instead of putting the trash in his pocket or in one of the 55 gallon trash cans they have all over the park he would just toss it back on the ground and he dug about 25 or 30 holes, some small and some pretty large and he didn't fill one hole back in, just left these open holes all over the place. I was going to say something to him if he started my way, but he all of a sudden walked back to his truck and drove away. I was so mad. That right there is why cities close the parks to detectorists just like in kentucy and other places. So I spent the next 45 minutes to an hour filling in this idiots holes and packing them down the best I could and picking up all his trash. City workers are always coming through this park to maintain it and if they saw all these holes they would tell me to split thinking I did it. Well this was on a Monday and Friday he showed up again and was doing the same thing, so I walked over to talk to him about it and tell him they close the parks all the time to detecting because of what he is doing and he told me to mind my own business and I told him it was my business that there are others out here besides him and that he needs another hobby since he can't do this one right to begin with and he was not the only one that uses this park and have alittle respect for the others. He finally got mad and left so I hope when he see's me he will just keep on going from now on because I will confront him again if he does it again. He is welcome if he covers his holes and picks up his trash. Thats how I feel anyway, It's not just my park, but I don't want to lose my hobby and the fun we have. Happy Hunting !!!

 

[Wayne/TX]

Well done Kelly and thanks for doing your part for our hobby.
Like any endeavor, it's the idiot bad apples like him that ruin
things for the rest of us.
..W

 

[jim tn]

Good job, and you are right about him being an idiot. I really wish there was a way to keep detectors out of the hands of someone like him. He is probably just going to move to another spot and continue leaving his trash and unfilling his holes. HH jim tn

 

[Mike Bearden]

You might be surprised at how many folks will take your advice with "good intentions" and actually learn from it.
But there will always be those who seem like they are TRYING to ruin it for everyone else.
When I lived in Pensacola we had a constant trickle of tourist who mostly hunted our beaches ... but some would venture into our parks and do the same thing, leaving trash & uncovered holes.
Most will do the right thing when approached ... but when they respond totally NEGATIVE ... politely tell them you have their tag number and if they don't do the right thing you WILL give it to the park ranger or local PD to keep them from ruining it for everyone else.
Our detecting club was in good with park officials, county & city PD .. we even had a couple of county deputies in our hunt club.
You did the right thing but just go ahead and break it off in him next time

Mike

 

[poorman]

I ran into a guy in SanDiego when I was visiting and detecting on Mission Beach and the Park. Trash all over and I counted 35 holes open. I called a park worker over and told them to watch for this guy as I thought he hunted the Park every Monday morning. Not my Park, but is is my Hobby and I was Pi##ed.

 

[wasp]

Way to go Kelly! It would be great if a person could get a video or even still pictures of a JERK like this guy in action and turn it over to the park ranger or police along with his license tag number. Maybe they could prosecute these JERKS as vandals because that's what they are, VANDALS, and make them pay for the damage they have done. I think we can rest assured that he would scream bloody murder if someone dug up his yard and left it that way. I have not seen anything like this guy, nor the mess he left, in our local parks since I started detecting. I have run into other detectorists in our local parks but they have been following the same code of ethics that we in this forum follow. I think I will start carrying a small camera when I am out and if I do run across someone like this guy I will take his picture and one of his vehicle as well. I am sick and tired of this kind of inconsiderate jerk ruining it for the rest of us who actually try to improve the parks as we use them.

 

[kelly spann]

Hey thats a good idea about the camera to get the evidence like his truck and license plate. Thanks for the advice on that. I told the city workers I don't just pickup the trash I dig up, but any trash I come across and they were cool with that and thanked me. This park is huge. It has three football fields, two soccer fields, six baseball and softball fields and a disc golf course and has a five mile walking track or running track that goes halfway around a lake and back and alot of open ground to do just anything you want. I can detect all day and not cover a quarter of the park. Thats why I don't want to lose this park it's so much fun to detect. I always find coins and alittle jewelry now and then. Thanks for all the advice and concern. I will keep you posted if this guy shows up again and what happens if anything. Thanks and good hunting.

 

[dougmoore34]

I started carrying a camera and calling the local police dept. I give no warning. I collect evidence and call the vandal in. If they were burning, breaking, defacing some other public property no right minded citizen would hesitate to call the police. Why is this so different? If we hear about an illegal driver we cheer when the police clear them off of the road. As an adult it is our responsibility and obligation to learn and follow the rules [ie fishing, hunting, boating, cars, etc]. I am not here to teach them morals or common sense...are you? I hope the legal system treats them like the criminals they are. My obligation is simply to do the right thing. Sometimes the most memorable life lessons are the hardest learned and are best given by professionals. I use to approach the BAD 'detectorist' and offer alternative methods for trash disposal and digging. If they were receptive then it went great, but it didn't always go great. So I asked myself if it was really worth the prison time for me to take the 'moral high ground' just to help. I love detecting, but it's not worth my freedom or facing litigation in any other form. Let them take their warning or fine. Maybe after that they will do the hobby a favor and give up or better yet find people 'in the know' like you good people. Your covering up for their illegal activity only adds to the mess. Now you are sad, angry or worried. Sad because of what THEY did and what you chose to do to protect the hobby. So did you really protect our hobby or just enable them to keep breaking the law? I don't really know and there are no easy answers, but there is right and wrong. You my friends will not suffer because of them if I can help it and neither will I! Enough of this there are pull tabs to dig.
HH,
Doug in OR

 

[slingshot]

I left my club because they would not confront a MEMBER AGAIN about his hideous holes and no-care attitude. I can imagine a stranger being indignant-but a member? To fight this in my 5-town area I hunt, I use only a screwdriver and report vandalism to schools, anything to show OUR concern. I have 5 of my favorite schools already, in the past 2 years, surrounded by fencing just because of no-care people.

 

[ronaldj2]

There are some people who may have just started detecting, and so out of ignorance they don't fill in holes. When I say ignorance, I mean they just haven't been taught or told how or what to do. And on the other side of the coin (he-he) there are just plain old idiots who will do things however they want to do them no matter what they have heard. This kind of disregard for a detectorists code of ethics has no place in this truly great hobby. Let me reiterate what was already said by Wayne/Tx, these are the people who will ruin it for others. I ran into the same situation last year on our Town Common But there were 3 of them. Apparently they got metal detectors for Christmas, 1 adult and 2 teenagers. After confronting them, I realized they were brand new to the hobby. I showed them proper techniques, told them they should have a towel with them for the dirt they remove, so they can dump it back in the hole after recovering their finds. They were very attentive and thanked me for showing them some of the ropes. Not all situations are like this, this just happened to have a good outcome. P.S. The techniques included how to cut a plug so it can be flipped back down. Sorry for writing a book!!
Ron Lefebvre

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[waltship]

Three cheers for kelly spann . If I ever meet you, I'll buy you a coffee and donut.

 

[GoGoGopher]

I have been in the opinion for a few years now that you should have to carry a certificate that says you have attended a local clubs class on metal detecting before you can even buy one...Just like guns...you have to attend the hunter safety class first...I think this would be a BIG boon for the hobby...Your still gonna have idiots no matter what who think they can do whatever they feel like though...

HH,

 

[jimjimmyjames]

Gopher, they would create a ridiculous fee to go along with the certificate. So long as we police each other we will be fine. The government does not need to be involved. The seem to break everything they touch.

 

[gregk]

i live in milwaukee wisconsin. went to a small park detecting. went back 2 days later and found about 6 holes left open from someone else. i hurredly fixed them. didnt want anyone to think it was me! i learned the proper methods from this site before i even went out. but its pretty obvious i think to fill the holes back in anyway. just love it so far i can go out for 4hrs and the time just flies.

 

[GoGoGopher]

I think it comes down to this mentality...Use it up till it breaks, then find a new one...
Today's hobby...Metal detecting...OH NO!!! I got a fine and put in jail for leaving gaping holes in the park...
Tomorrow's hobby...Bungie Jumping...OH NO!!! my cord broke and I busted my head....
Final hobby...Pushing Daisies...

Too bad so many folks think this way...


HH,

 

[Dutch Boy]

Well Done And Kudo's To You!! They, Those Type Of Detectorists, They Should Not Be Called That? They Are the Reason That These Restrictions Have Been Put In Place.
[Really They Are Not Detectorists , More Like "Nature Mongers".

Regards.

 

[kelly spann]

Thanks Waltship, Coffee and a donut sounds good. If we do have your detector with you!

 

[kelly spann]

Hey Dutch Boy, I agree with that for sure !!

 

[tink]

Doug, Sounds like the same guy my Friend and I ran across outside Gresham Oregon. We were metal detecting an old school out towards Sandy and came across two older fellows hunting. At first we thought it was groundskeepers asking us to watch where we dig. Turns out they were members of the Portland MDing club. We talked awhile and we said we were going to hit some spots out the outside fences of the old school yard. they said they would move along then and talk later.

Well I headed one way and my Friend headed over to a huge tot lot that had just been spread with brand new bark. When he got there he yelled for me to come over quick. It was early and not many people were there yet. When I got there there were about 20 holes 12-15" deep dug down in the new bark. The old black rotten bark was spread about 2-3' in diameter around each hole. Laying on the side were pop cans and large pieces of iron discarded.

We started filling in the deep holes as fast as possible. But a couple of people saw us. One older Lady said if we didn't fix our damage and get out she was calling the police. We explained to the lady we knew who did this and we were fixing what they had done. We were as anger about it as she was as it hurts what us considerate and respectful MDers get blames for. She apologized and said if we got their names she would turn them into the school.

Well we fixed the holes and headed back into town but stopped at a couple of smaller schools on the way in. Guess what, same things was left behind. We took some pictures and sent them into the Portland club along with the descriptions of the truck and guys. turns out they were officers of the club. Now don't that beat all !!!! Same people that preach to us about the rules and lead us doing this sort of thing.