Plug Etiquette

[Silvermonkey]

I had the day off, and decided to take a shot at my newest, favorite ball-field. Upon arrival, I was surprised to discover two fellow detectorists already hard at work. Its a fairly large area, so I decided to take a walk around the perimeter, before deciding to dig in. I was a little horrified to see obvious signs of freshly dug plugs....everywhere. There were not gaping holes in the ground, but it didn't seem that much effort was being put towards re-setting the plugs in a proper ( invisible) manner. Now I don't pretend to be an expert, but I pride myself in leaving no signs of my digging activity. I approached one of the gentlemen, and asked about his success. I also cautioned him about the condition of his plugs, noting that park neighbors tend to be sensitive about the condition and upkeep of the field. He was pleasant enough, but assured me that his plugs would look fine after the upcoming rain storm. I took that as my cue to exit and find happier hunting grounds.

How often do you run into these types of situations? How do you typically handle it?

 

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[RobRieman]

It is a shame but you gave it a shot and every little bit helps the hobby. Hopefully they will be the only ones that get in trouble sooner or later and you don't loose your hunting spots in the process.

 

[crazy4coins]

I had the day off, and decided to take a shot at my newest, favorite ball-field. Upon arrival, I was surprised to discover two fellow detectorists already hard at work. Its a fairly large area, so I decided to take a walk around the perimeter, before deciding to dig in. I was a little horrified to see obvious signs of freshly dug plugs....everywhere. There were not gaping holes in the ground, but it didn't seem that much effort was being put towards re-setting the plugs in a proper ( invisible) manner. Now I don't pretend to be an expert, but I pride myself in leaving no signs of my digging activity. I approached one of the gentlemen, and asked about his success. I also cautioned him about the condition of his plugs, noting that park neighbors tend to be sensitive about the condition and upkeep of the field. He was pleasant enough, but assured me that his plugs would look fine after the upcoming rain storm. I took that as my cue to exit and find happier hunting grounds.

How often do you run into these types of situations? How do you typically handle it?

Like Rob said, that really is a shame. Pretty soon we'll all have to pass a plug-cutting certification test :/

 

[cudamark]

Sometimes I offer to show them a better way by demonstrating how to cut a 3 sided "trap door" plug or show them the slit method if the conditions are good. Some will take you up on the offer, some won't. Some will even tell you to buzz off! All you can do is try your best and be a good example. If it's an area where I want to continue to hunt, I'll go back after they've "finished" and repair what they've done. There's only so much you can do if they've been cutting full plugs. They'll likely die unless the conditions are just right for them to recover.

 

[Dave Rishar]

At least they were trying.

Two weeks ago, we hit a playfield and did pretty well. We returned the following afternoon and found that someone had apparently attacked large areas of the field with a shovel, not a digger. There were two craters in the middle of the field with big iron in the bottom; the plugs that had been removed (not nicely) had been thrown into the end zone. I replaced the plugs as best as I could but I didn't find them all, as what was left wouldn't cover the holes. The ones that had been left had been cut haphazardly and in no particular shape, and what I left behind was not something that I was proud of. It was all that I could do though.

I'll take bad plugs over craters any day of the week.

 

[bzbadger]

I do a square cut or what I call a compass cut plug. Insert shovel(I make my own..tapered with chainsaw pattern teeth) I then pull back a little then rock it forward hard and do the same for the remaining 3sides. By rocking it forward it compresses the dirt and makes for a very neat plug. Also just so ppl know the hinge plug doesn't work that well and is no better than a full cut plug..reason why is this which came from professional landscapers..if you only cut a couple inches down you kill the grass, cut deep and remove the roots in tact no problems.its all about the roots. I've cut whole plugs for years and not 1 has ever shown brown and most can't tell I've been there,my plug is like a jigsaw puzzle piece, falls into place. Too many ppl are in a rush and are lazy. There's my two cents and a couple more.

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[DDancer]

The few times I've had to take out a neebie or try to help a partner with digging techniques its always been a mixed bag. People are basically lazy so the tendancy is that they wont think ahead or consider how to pop a plug without messing things up. Its frustrating. I've also had the excuse "the next rain will make it go away" but if your killing the grass that rain wont help.

I do most of my digging with a simple garden spade if I cant locate the target with a probe and just slit it out. Depends on what I'm finding. A plug is typically about 4 inches in diameter, round and cut about 4 inches down with a cone shape. I found this to be most effective as it does not mess up the roots and after the plug is replaced and given a firm press with my boot its unlikely the next lawnmower wont pick it up and destroy it. Depending on the area I may use a drop cloth to set the plug and any other soil aside to keep the surface neat and when the plug goes back down "invisible". Other wise any loose soil after the plug is replaced gets a brushing to break it up and hide the fact the ground has been disturbed.

Its all about respecting the ground and respecting the publics wish *my own wish* to keep the area clean and nice. Last park ranger who caught on me told me he actually watched my last few digs and said he'd probably never bother me again because I was doing it right. I still had to leave the field though the area was closed to the public and a maintenance worker had accidently left the gate open so not knowing better I drove in.

 

[cudamark]

I do a square cut or what I call a compass cut plug. Insert shovel(I make my own..tapered with chainsaw pattern teeth) I then pull back a little then rock it forward hard and do the same for the remaining 3sides. By rocking it forward it compresses the dirt and makes for a very neat plug. Also just so ppl know the hinge plug doesn't work that well and is no better than a full cut plug..reason why is this which came from professional landscapers..if you only cut a couple inches down you kill the grass, cut deep and remove the roots in tact no problems.its all about the roots. I've cut whole plugs for years and not 1 has ever shown brown and most can't tell I've been there,my plug is like a jigsaw puzzle piece, falls into place. Too many ppl are in a rush and are lazy. There's my two cents and a couple more.

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You get a lot more rain than we do. Full plugs here will dry out and turn brown. If you leave one side attached, it's less likely to do that. I still dig down all the way through the roots keeping the ball intact. Full plugs will also come out of the ground for various reasons.....mower, varmints, curious kids, etc.

 

[Fletch88]

I dig nice little neat plugs

 

[Normsel]

I run into it often and the although I don't know the man but he is in his late 50's or 60's. Everywhere he goes he leaves a mess. I tried to approach him one day and he walked off and got in his truck and left. His plugs are so badly put back there is no rain storm that could fill them in. I will say this. I am very careful about replacing plugs and stomping them back into the ground but I did see one of my plugs at a place i go to often that looked pretty bad after a rain. It was in place and tamped in but there was a definite circle visible. That was the only one i ever noticed but it did embarrass me.

I have seen many others in other places where the guy never even attempted to fill in the hole he dug.

I also go with a guy that is as particular as i am and we dug over 400 holes in one park and you can't see a trace of us.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Great thread. I try and cut a nice plug but sometimes I'll hunt an area where there isn't a strong root system in the grass and the dirt is über loose so its hard to cover it back up without making a mess. WhT bugs me is when I see holes left that are too high. I try and take out a handful or so and throw it out so my plug will be level at least.

 

[Fletch88]

I run into it often and the although I don't know the man but he is in his late 50's or 60's. Everywhere he goes he leaves a mess. I tried to approach him one day and he walked off and got in his truck and left. His plugs are so badly put back there is no rain storm that could fill them in. I will say this. I am very careful about replacing plugs and stomping them back into the ground but I did see one of my plugs at a place i go to often that looked pretty bad after a rain. It was in place and tamped in but there was a definite circle visible. That was the only one i ever noticed but it did embarrass me. I have seen many others in other places where the guy never even attempted to fill in the hole he dug. I also go with a guy that is as particular as i am and we dug over 400 holes in one park and you can't see a trace of us.

I know what you mean. I eluded to that in a posts about newbs making the bigger messes but I've found that it's quite the opposite. From dirt digging to beach scooping it seems to be older experienced hunters doing it the most.

 

[Sandman]

A lot depends on the type of grass, soil conditions, etc but there is no excuse to dig a round plug in park grass. Sure critters will dig up plugs sometimes but the plugs left wrong side up with the trash laying on top really tees me off. This gets an automatic ticket in our parks if caught. When I started about 40 years ago I was taught to probe the target and pop it out if I could. It got where I would pass up a target if I couldn't touch it with the probe and would have to cut a plug. I told myself I was just lazy but nobody knew I was hunting there. Use of a drop cloth for placing the plug on helps to get all the dirt back in the hole if I did think I had a real goodie.

There is one park visitor that seems her hobby is taking videos of TH'ers recovery methods to turn into the parks management. This is one pissed off lady.

 

[Fletch88]

That's never a good thing to have a mad hen, I don't care who you are! I was being funny with my gigantic plug which was in the middle of a cow pasture. I take great care when I dig anywhere like a park or private yard usually only probing or prying a slot it grass. Or cutting a 3 sided plug out.

 

[fmfdoc]

I'm not very expereinced at this hobby yet. However, I certainly understand the importance of doing things correctly, in order to avoid, losing the future ability to dig. My first few holes were not very pretty, despite my attention to detail and attempt to "leave no trace". I read about, and tried, a technique which improved appearances immensely: I take a plastic shopping bag with me! Cut the plug and flip back, IF you need to dig any more, put the plastic bag down, and place your diggings on the bag. When done, tip the bag up, and empty all the dirt back into the hole! Replace your plug and step gently on it..... VERY clean and neat!!

 

[DDancer]

fmfdoc. Hehh, in a pinch that'll do it. All it takes is a little extra work and ingenuity ta get da job dune right mate. Thanks.

 

[dokc]

I was at a park a couple of weeks ago and there was someone at the other end that was using a shovel. He had dug about 10 by the time I wondered over there. They were a mess! I starting talking to him about maybe getting a pinpointer and I actually showed him how well it worked. He thought it was neat but said he didn't have the money for such nonsense. I then proceeded to fix his messes and then follow him around until he got tired of me and he left!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I like to be able to look back over where I've been MD'ing when confronted about "holes or digging" and be able to say. "I've dug a pouch of clad and trash can you tell where?" And stand waiting in silence while they are straining to find something, anything! It's point of pride, and most of my retrieval is with a screw driver popping out coins.

I have had to fill holes from others tho.

 

[dirtdigginfool]

As somewhat of a newb, I find that until my target location and recovery methods are improved, I refuse to dig/probe any further if I haven't located my target within sixty seconds or so. As we all know..a good strong signal can usually be narrowed down to a very small patch of grass, and can be located quickly. and depending where I am, I will not dig for "iffy" signals until I have some time under my belt, trying to minimize my "footprint"..thx all..ddf

 

[texasred777]

I have used the 'probe and pop-it-out' method as much as possible. If I can't find it with the probe and pop it out, I will make a slit, spread the grass a bit, and use a large tablespoon bent like a scoop. As I take out the dirt, I place it on a paper plate or something else suitable, until I find the item. Then I pour the dirt back into the hole, tamp it down, then pull the grass back together as much as possible. Very seldom have I ever noticed a place that I had dug when looking later. I've been to the same places several weeks in a row (mainly on weekends) and always tried to make sure none my holes were detectable. I use an ice pick that is blunted on the end. If the ground is really hard, I have a long thin screwdriver that I use. I've tried using different things to cut plugs; but for me, the slit method seems to work best. I'd really like to try using a fiberglass probe; but haven't found one that is stout enough without being bigger in diameter than I like.