bigscoop
Gold Member
- Jun 4, 2010
- 13,535
- 9,072
- Detector(s) used
- Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
It seems there is always concern over the future of our hobby and the negative image that some fear is being cast over our hobby, but the truth is, most of this amounts to self inflicted damage. I recently read a comment voicing their opinion on how the media and crowds are making us out to be a bunch of thieves and weirdos. My reply to this, why wouldn't they? Our hobby is different then most, having been built upon as a hobby that requires our utmost attention to detail and unbothered precision. As a result the very nature of daily hunts further endorses the very image we fear, that of the loner type who is unsociable, unfriendly, and largely a strange outcast from typical society. We all do it and have done it, our irritation and frustrations and hurry to escape often looming way too large when approached on the beach and asked questions. So why wouldn't they think us a strange lot when we go about our hobby casting the very presence of the image feared? This is even more true of us who are a constant presence on the beach.
Recently I have had the opportunity to hunt with a new beach acquaintance, a very good and serious hunter who never turns down the opportunity to socialize with folks, even if it means he might miss the last half of low tide in prime hunting territory. And mind you, he is always pleasant and friendly and unrushed when socializing on the beach, his conversations always ending in smiles and friendly laughter. These are the hunters I most enjoy hunting with, those that take the time to stand in strong opposition to the image our hobby so badly fears but continues to cast. When you continually blow off those interested kids in sight of adults it only serves to further solidify that weird and strange and unsocial opinion in their heads. Instead, stop what you are doing and spend some time having a little fun with the kids, those nickels and pennies in your pouch buying you so much more then their face value when you help those kids find some real buried treasures on the beach. This past summer I walked the beach and handed out a very large quantity of sunglasses I had found on the beach to the kids who were without, their little eyes lighting up like torches as they tried to select a pair that they liked. Didn't matter that most of the glasses were to big for their little heads, their parents enjoying the spectacle of it all and voicing their appreciation to the sociable and friendly guy they have often seen metal detecting the beach. Take some time to take some interest in them, be friendly and social even it means that your going to lose some precious hunting time. I can honestly say that I have many, many associations on my area beaches now that no longer view me as a just another quiet and unfriendly weirdo with a detector in his hand, countless others who I have never seen again from all walks of life and from over the world. I wasn't always like this, perhaps taking the hobby far too serious, so serious that I was actually casting the very image that I so desperately wanted our hobby to avoid. Just something to think about the next time you're on the beach and you're about to be interrupted and inconvenienced. How you respond and the image you cast in that moment is entirely up to you.
Recently I have had the opportunity to hunt with a new beach acquaintance, a very good and serious hunter who never turns down the opportunity to socialize with folks, even if it means he might miss the last half of low tide in prime hunting territory. And mind you, he is always pleasant and friendly and unrushed when socializing on the beach, his conversations always ending in smiles and friendly laughter. These are the hunters I most enjoy hunting with, those that take the time to stand in strong opposition to the image our hobby so badly fears but continues to cast. When you continually blow off those interested kids in sight of adults it only serves to further solidify that weird and strange and unsocial opinion in their heads. Instead, stop what you are doing and spend some time having a little fun with the kids, those nickels and pennies in your pouch buying you so much more then their face value when you help those kids find some real buried treasures on the beach. This past summer I walked the beach and handed out a very large quantity of sunglasses I had found on the beach to the kids who were without, their little eyes lighting up like torches as they tried to select a pair that they liked. Didn't matter that most of the glasses were to big for their little heads, their parents enjoying the spectacle of it all and voicing their appreciation to the sociable and friendly guy they have often seen metal detecting the beach. Take some time to take some interest in them, be friendly and social even it means that your going to lose some precious hunting time. I can honestly say that I have many, many associations on my area beaches now that no longer view me as a just another quiet and unfriendly weirdo with a detector in his hand, countless others who I have never seen again from all walks of life and from over the world. I wasn't always like this, perhaps taking the hobby far too serious, so serious that I was actually casting the very image that I so desperately wanted our hobby to avoid. Just something to think about the next time you're on the beach and you're about to be interrupted and inconvenienced. How you respond and the image you cast in that moment is entirely up to you.
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