Dowsing on Federal and State Property

[pepper]

Is it legal to dowse on Federal or State Property where metal
detectors are prohibited or does the Federal and or some
State governments in the US disallow it and consider it as
a metal detector where the laws prohibits metal detectors
and therefor recognizes it as a science like a metal detector?

Also, is it illegal as on some Federal or State locations for
someone to have dowsing rods in their possession or in the
trunk of their car like it is for having a metal detector in the car?

In other words, does any Federal or State jurisdiction in the US
recognize dowsing as a form of a metal detector and if they don't
do dowsers have to adhere to Federal or State metal detector
laws as in reference to possession of a metal detector when using
or in possession of dowsing rods as long as they don't search, touch
or dig on property where it's prohibited by law to do so?

Just curious,

Pepper

 

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[teleprospector]

Hello Pepper,
I view Federal land and known archaeological sites as OFF LIMITS for possession of searching equipment (see my opinion below)and any type of searching with any type of device, that means picking up items off the ground with your hands, metal detecting and dowsing unless you have written permission to search on these lands. Dowsers are not "above the law" any more so than a person operating a metal detector, magnetometer, MFD, you name it, the Government officials don't care if a device is based on science, on site searching without permission is still considered searching regardless of the type of instrument or the method used. Wether a person has a dowsed map or has discovered a treasure through printed research,that person assumes all responsibilities in obtaining the proper paperwork to enter protected places for the purpose of search and recovery.

My opinion:
Let's say you are travelling through Federal land to reach your competiton hunt and have your tools in the trunk then I don't see anything wrong with this, but if you stop and doodlebug around taking pictures or hiking and you are somehow involved in an accident with yourself or vehicle and the authorities search your vehicle then "Lucy, you've got some explaining to do."

Indian Resevations require permission first from the Tribal counsel for any type of treasure hunting.

State land rules are different with each state and should be checked out individually to avoid getting yourself in a mess in a hurry. Some require a written permit which contains conditions that the tr. hunter must comply with.

I'm sure there are TR hunting rules from the Government on the Forum that someone will post for all to read.

My final thoughts are that you should not allow your actions to cause the loss of your or someone else's freedom of tr. hunting and you should not put yourself in a position to have all your tools and vehicle confiscated, being arrested, fined and serve jail time along with giving our hobby another black eye, and if you are in doubt, then don't whip it out.
Jon

 

[aarthrj3811]

I don’t know what the rules are for all government land. What I do is go to the Ranger District Office for the area I want to search. I talk to the head District Ranger for that area. I don’t mess with the person at the front desk. There are ways to get around a lot of the rules. In California you can file a mining claim and then the Mining Laws regulate what you can do on the land. With in most National Forest there is some private lands. There are options but if you don’t take the time to inquire you lose…Art

 

[teleprospector]

Jerry, that's when we move on to another project, there are plenty more and a wise person knows when to let go and that's why dowsing is so enjoyable, you find what you want, you're not limited only to what a metal detector finds.
Art, I could'nt agree with you more. Finding the right person makes a difference with how far you go sometimes.
Dowsers enjoy dowsing, doing reasearch and helping people and metal detectorists enjoy detecting ,helping others and researching sites and it's in the field for all of us where we find the truth and excitement of our efforts.
For most people, the use of their instruments and detectors are a form of therapy they feel that they can't live without, I know I feel that way.
My thoughts here are not meant to discourage dowsing or metal detecting beacause some people are going to do what they want regardless of the laws out there, but by using some common sense before, during and after your search you can save yourself lots of problems.
Each person will have to stand on their own with the decisions they make.
How sad would it be if we lost our freedom to hunt our favorite sites beacause someone decided to cross that line to search without permission?
How sad would it be if dowsers could no longer assist a metal detectorist hunt for coins/caches? Sure we could still map dowse for them, but what would be the point if whom we were helping could not use their detector anymore beacause of it being banned from use?
How sad would it be then if our actions in the past and our behavior now were the reason that our freedoms of detecting are in question?
I don't want my actions to be the reason that I lose my freedom and someone else loses their freedom.
Jon

 

[ClonedSIM]

I figure dowsers would love to dowse on State and Federal lands. That way they could claim any outrageous find and have a bulletproof excuse for not digging it up.

 

[aarthrj3811]

The BLM is in charge of 264 Million acres in the US

 

[Bassfish]

You want to wander around the parks with a couple twigs in hand, have at it. Tell them your roasting marshmallows!

 

[aarthrj3811]

The State of Nevada contains 110,567 Sq Miles. The government controls 95,067 sq miles of it. That is 85% of the land. The odds are that if you throw a rock it will land on government land........So if you are going to do any type of hobby you had better know the rules...Art

 

[dowser]

In Arizona, I was told by a top National Forest Ranger, that Metal Detecting is allowed. But, you can only kick the dirt aside, your not allowed to dig. I'm not sure about State or BLM.