Be careful who you tell where your hunting spots are! My "friend" snaked mine...

TK in VA

Jr. Member
Mar 30, 2012
30
50
Front Royal
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Detector(s) used
White's MXT
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Be careful who you tell where your hunting spots are! My "friend" snaked mine...

I have been hunting with this guy for years now. I even took him to the spot where I found my 2 CSA buckles. -The deal was that he only go with me and tell nobody else. I went back to my "secret" spot the other day, and BAM! -Holes EVERYWHERE! I quickly sent him a text hoping that it wasn't him...but it was. He acted like it was no big deal. Well, it is to me! Our relic hunting days are done, and I hope he falls and breaks his machine. LOL! Guess you never know who your friends are...
 

Upvote 17
I have a few other words for people like that, the most polite one is acquaintance, not friend.

I have made a veritable plethora of acquaintances in my many years, and, sadly, only a couple "friends". Trouble with that is that one is passed now and the other is on his way. I've been working at becoming a hermit all my life. Looks like now, I'm about to graduate. :(

Anyway, I digress. It seems that anyone in this hobby will have a story like this. It's not just pertaining to this one, but this hobby hinges on two things that apparently go hand in hand. Greed and secrets.

If it helps any, I'll tell of a time when I turned the tables on one sonofadigger (I wonder how many times I can refer to this name without getting slapped upside the head? ;) ).

This "friend" of mine, that I met while detecting, (just wandered up to me and started hunting nearby and then struck up a conversation). I was at a public spot and so I didn't care. What he didn't know was that I'd been around this hobby a very long time and recognized a con coming. Sure enough, he invited me to go to a couple of his "honey holes". I said, sure. Over the next week he took me to 3 public school grounds, explaining that the section we were hunting were very, very special and his research had proven their worth! He showed me pictures of some of the WONDERFUL finds!

Of course, the finds were very few and far between now due to his excellent skills. But, there absolutely would still be stuff to find yet.

Nothing.

Then he took me to an old 50's house where he had exclusive permission. Again, nothing. But he strongly hinted that I should offer the next spot, just to be fair. ;)

I did, I told him of a WONDERFUL site that I had just begun to hunt as I had only recently gotten permission to hunt. It was still a bit too early in the year to hunt it as it was still overgrown. I showed him a couple finds I had "found there". He was literally chomping at the bit!!!

I set up a time to go there on a Sun morn. When I called up to set up a time, on Sat night, his wife answered and said he was out doing an overnight detecting with some of his buddies.

I drove over to the spot an observed from a long ways that sure enough, there was his car and several others. There was also the flashing of lights as they bobbed in an out of the trees.

Of course, this "site" of mine was never cleared for a hunt. Not by me nor anyone else. I had permission, just not until the fall. Someone called the police and complained. (No, wasn't me. LOL )

Anyway, I hadn't heard from him except for him to tell me that he had to beg off our hunt the next day. Two weeks went by. I called. His wife said oh he won't be detecting for a while. He's in the hospital with a very bad case of poison oak. :)

Well, I did say it was overgrown, just not with what. LOL

Don't let that guy spoil it for you. Move on, live and learn. :)

HH!
 

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Everyone has close friends that you can trust 100% , then there are occassional friends , some of these show their true colours and betray your trust when you need it most and least expect it , its just the nature of the Beast when Greed becomes a factor .. cheers Mick
 

sounds like you need one of these.... index.jpg
 

..I'm afraid its the nature of the beast... unfortunately the lure of treasure brings out the greed in some people... It happened to me and now I am much wiser..I only hunt these days on my own or with my wife...
 

..I'm afraid its the nature of the beast... unfortunately the lure of treasure brings out the greed in some people... It happened to me and now I am much wiser..I only hunt these days on my own or with my wife...

Hmmm wife, eh? Who I supposed is always first in line when a ring appears? ;) LOL

HH!
 

Yeah I have a new hunting partner also. I only tell him about the places Im not allowed to hunt anymore. I havent given up my best spots cause they are secret.
 

Just a rhetorical question. What is more important friendship or stuff?
 

....thats not exactly how it went down,but I get your point.............

Oh well, close enough!Thanks for seein' the point...when I tell my friends about movies I have seen they always come back after and say, "I like it better the way you told it". :dontknow:
 

I finally found in May 2013 a Beach Spot that is very good. I was there August 15, 2013 and I was still able to find Coins from the late 1790 thru 1900's along with flat buttons.I am not taking but one person to this spot and he lives 17 hours away. He better kiss the Honey do 1st.1791 1 Frt.JPG1791 2 Bck.JPG1832 A.JPG1832 Bck Cap.JPG1791 3 FRT.JPG
 

Friends do not disrespect one another nor betray and this guy traded material items over the respect he owed you.
I would act as if friends still, take a bread tie, scrape off the plastic coating leaving that very fine wire and when your "friend" isn't looking attach it loosely to his coil so as he swings the detector will scream target target target. Your not done yet...go back to that secret spot and seed the hell out of it with BBs. He will learn a lesson and that's not to betray a friend again.

Get your facts first, then distort them as you please-Mark Twain
 

I once invited a close friend for a day of fishing on my 18ft boat. The day arrives and he shows up at my house with 2 other guys and their girlfriends. 6 people on a 18 ft. bayliner is crowded. I looked at the girls with all of their crap like beach towels, and coolers, etc. and the 2 other guys, i didn't even know them.

I was not taking this circus out in the ocean and told them sorry but my engine is broken and making some really bad noises.

I went in the house and closed the door. end of story.

pic: me years ago.
 

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I have similar deals with a couple of people, they are still trusted & have not been dumb enough to break our friendship. So my point is, do it but pick more carefully.

Absolutely true. A lot of it is that folks could either find a lot by continuing to detect with me, or snake a site and that will be the last good site they will detect. So intelligence has a lot to do with it. I've done well in ever state I've ever lived in, and I've always hunted with buddies who knew that they'd do well hunting with me. Evidently the line is long of folks who'd like to dig with me, but I don't have much desire to dig with anyone else. I will keep my hunting buddies unless they do me wrong, because I know how rare good buddies are to find. They know how to respect verbal agreements and while some sites we hunt separately when we can afford time, others we only dig together or we don't dig at all. I won't say the names of those who have let me down in the past, but there have been some, and that hurt, but we have to keep moving forward in this hobby, and thinking positive. There are many advantages of having a buddy to detect with, not only in terms of safety, but also in terms of scouting, covering ground, more likelihood of hitting something good as a team, and cutting your hunting time in half to find a site.

Folks don't often recognize those obvious benefits.


Regards,

Buck
 

I've suffered the same problem numerous times. I only now have a couple of trusted friends who I hunt with sometimes.
 

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Your slippery friend may have dug up something really great when he broke your trust, but he lost something MUCH more valuable -- your friendship!​ Andi
 

Heck I can't count the number of times "friends" screwed me. A couple on business adventures, deer hunting or hunting in general, money borrowed, ride shares to work, all kinds of things. That's why me and the wife are each others friends and that's that. I know I can trust her with anything more then I can anyone else. But a friend will always screw you someway, it may take a day or 50 years but it'll happen it's human nature. Loo at your job the ones that don't have a comfy job are always stabbing to get the next persons up job.

I've offered many times to take people with me but you know what, it's all places they could hunt if they thought about it. The ones that will have no return to give are the ones that'll take your stuff or spots. Sorry about your experience but a good solid advice get a dog they won't betray you.
 

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Everyone has close friends that you can trust 100% , then there are occassional friends , some of these show their true colours and betray your trust when you need it most and least expect it , its just the nature of the Beast when Greed becomes a factor .. cheers Mick

We grew up together and have been going to each others' best hunting spots for years. I never occured to me to go to one of his spots without him there Guess he ran out of good hunting spots. Prick.
 

I finally found in May 2013 a Beach Spot that is very good. I was there August 15, 2013 and I was still able to find Coins from the late 1790 thru 1900's along with flat buttons.I am not taking but one person to this spot and he lives 17 hours away. He better kiss the Honey do 1st.View attachment 852796View attachment 852797View attachment 852798View attachment 852799View attachment 852800

I don't guess I will be the one to get to go will I? :laughing7: You are finding great stuff on that beach and I hope the E-Trac is making it easier to ID stuff. Hope to see you next Tuesday.
 

I learned the "don't hunt someones spot" lesson very early in my metal detecting career. I had just gotten my Xterra 70 was taken to a local spot by Andy Sabisch who was teaching me how to hunt. I found my first ever silver dime and he found a couple of three ringers the first day.

I didn't know any better and went back on my own and was read the riot act when I told him what I had done. That rule was deeply impressed upon me.

I now will NEVER hunt anyone elses spot unless given explicit permission that I can go without them. I have even waited to hunt some very appealing spots when a buddy and I got dual permission.

If you can't be trusted...what do you have?

I am careful who I share with now because I have been poached before and know what it is like to be on the receiving end. That doesn't mean I don't trust, I am just careful.
 

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