Police asked if I was digging???

[RKDbuyer]

Hunting an old park today when a police officer asked me what I was doing. I said MD'ing.
He asked if I was digging and I said NO. My question is...if you pop a coin out at 2 inches and replace all dirt and grass...
Does anyone consider this digging?
We talked and he said I could keep doing what I was doing. I was finished anyway.
I don't want to fib. Thanks for the comments.

 

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[BosnMate]

I don't think so, but then what do I know?

 

[releventchair]

Define digging. If I were paying you to dig and had watched you an half hour I might not call it digging. Digging is work,i,ll cut a plug,even deepen it if need be but when I leave that very spot you would not think it dug if you did not see it happen. See what happens trying not to fib here too?That said, I have a shovel in the truck just in case....

 

[pennyfarmer]

This is one reason I cant stand it when detectorists are in the park with a big a** shovel. Kinda hard to explain what you are doing with it. If you see me in a park I have a coin probe in my hand and my small shovel out of sight. People see me usually probing and walking. Most of the time I cut 3 plugs at the most during a typical hunt, more if I am searching deep targets. Notice that I said cut. When I do have to dig I am usually prepared for it with a drop cloth.

The officer had probably seen a few bad apples who are spoiling your barrel. If an officer or anyone was asking questions I would be more than happy to show them my methods. I have had several people comment on what the plugs look like after I am done.

Another point of making clean recoveries. I have seen kids who hang back and after you cut a plug they will open it up to see if there is anything there. If they can't find it, they cant open it.

 

[RKDbuyer]

Yep, my Lesche was in my pouch. I also explained that I pick trash. He was very nice

 

[JunkShopFiddler]

You probably weren't digging when he asked you, right? That's not lying..."Why no, officer, I'm not digging". (I'm just standing here talking to you).

 

[ironhorse]

I've been asked similar questions many times. I always answer in a similar way, "Are you digging holes?""Yes....AND filling them ALL in. "
By qualifying my response that way it usually ends that part of the conversation , things then shift to what I've been finding in them holes.

I don't feel we should ever be bullied out of what we are doing by looking for things under the surface of the ground, although some people just don't get it and need to be better informed.

 

[pong12211]

Nope I just carry this little shovel around to look cool...

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Hunting an old park today when a police officer asked me what I was doing. I said MD'ing.
He asked if I was digging and I said NO. My question is...if you pop a coin out at 2 inches and replace all dirt and grass...
Does anyone consider this digging?
We talked and he said I could keep doing what I was doing. I was finished anyway.
I don't want to fib. Thanks for the comments.

well *technically*, sure, they, or anyone could say that so-much-as prodding the ground with a screwdriver constitutes "digging". And ... heck, even "popping" is simply a euthamism for "digging" anyways, isn't it?

You/we/they can go through endless debates of semantics if we want. Why bother? This is why I choose to hunt at low traffic times. Out-of-site of such persons who might get their panties in a wad to begin with. This bodes much better than to get into a debate or "clarification" of what consitutes digging, bothering earthworms, annoyances, etc....

 

[cooper36]

Hunting an old park today when a police officer asked me what I was doing. I said MD'ing.
He asked if I was digging and I said NO. My question is...if you pop a coin out at 2 inches and replace all dirt and grass...
Does anyone consider this digging?
We talked and he said I could keep doing what I was doing. I was finished anyway.
I don't want to fib. Thanks for the comments.

I think you are good. He prob meant really digging holes and not covering them up.

 

[RKDbuyer]

Tom, you are correct about low traffic areas and time to hunt is now in my considerations . I asked the officer and the call came from someone driving by.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

...You were merely "Extracting" Items from the ground....No Digging Involved.

I have been reading alot of people catching shiii from either the Po-po...or nosey people....I guess the only thing that saves me from hearing this, is the fact most the Old parks in my area are homes to bums and dopeheads...And I am the LAST thing the police are worried about.

 

[Maburger]

I looked up the definition of digging to satisfy my own curiosity. The act of loosening, turning over or removing soil with a shovel, paws, snout etc... So in reality I guess we all dig no matter what method we use. I know the rules a some places are to keep erosion down and to preserve the landscape.
I was talking to a Conservation Officer once and he said MDing was allowed in the sandy areas but not in the sodded areas. He then went to read his rules and regulations and then came back stating the definitions was so confusing the he'd prefer I just keep my machine in the truck.

I understand Park services and such spend $ to keep the place looking nice and apparently there are those who aren't very thoughtful of others when they dig a plug. We must keep in mind those that approach us are simply doing a job to the best of there ability. Yes there are those out there who think they are way above the common citizen but I would like to think they are few and far between. In my area, if there is a call of any type, an officer must come out to assess the situation. Often they think it is a ridiculous complaint but they must resopnd non the less.
I find being polite and explaining and even demonstrating how I dig a plug and showing them where I have removed then replaced a plug works well. Of course I love in a small town and receive very little confrontation.
I agree with the suggestions of leaving the big shovel in the vehicle , hand tool in the pouch and defer the confrontation to what's been fou d and first and for-most, point out all the trash recovered.
Just my 2 cents worth.....

 

[Joe hunter]

I don't play tennis how much landscape do they destroy .baseball field?basketball?skateboardpark?playground?pool?most of us are good about our holes we do deserve use of our parks we are tax payers and our hobby cost local gov. Nothing we are not second class citizens and should not be treated as such( just my to cents)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

........ I asked the officer and the call came from someone driving by.

Ah, well this is very *telling*. Whenever I suspect that the only reason a cop is questioning me (or booting me) is because someone called in, then I do NOT take that as some sort of indication that "metal detecting is not allowed". (unless he has an actual specific rule that really said "no detecting").

Yup, even if the cop were to boot me, I do not consider this to mean that I can not go back to the park later, as long as I know it was some busy-body calling in. The reason is, is that the cop is now "duty-bound" to satisfy "miss lookie-lou". And perhaps he himself couldn't care less. He just has to justify the fact that he had to drive all the way over to the park, and take time on this. Thus, no, I do not consider those type bootings to mean that detecting isn't allowed, or that I need to "go seek clarification" (lest a rule REALLY get written to address this issue).

Instead, you give lip service, give the park a "rest", and go back later. Avoid that one "miss lookie-lou" in the future.

 

[Sovereignelite]

My favorite to hear when I ask for permission is,"I don't want you digging up my yard." Darn! And I was just about to bring in the backhoe and my digging crew!

 

[Petrie502]

now that's damn funny

Nope I just carry this little shovel around to look cool...

 

[jewelerguy]

Hunting an old park today when a police officer asked me what I was doing.

it really gets under my skin when someone asks me that. I mean, isn't it pretty obvious?

 

[MikeOregon]

There is no digging. We open flaps and close them. When we're done, the distress to the ground is less than a squirrel does when burying a nut.

 

[Lester Olive]

Hunting an old park today when a police officer asked me what I was doing. I said MD'ing.
He asked if I was digging and I said NO. My question is...if you pop a coin out at 2 inches and replace all dirt and grass...
Does anyone consider this digging?
We talked and he said I could keep doing what I was doing. I was finished anyway.
I don't want to fib. Thanks for the comments.

When this happens to me here's what i usually do. Digging? Why of course not officer, i have hip problems and this here is my cane, disguised as a shovel, so no one will still my cane. In my other hand? No sir, the yard sale where i bought this here contraption assured me it was for hunting aliens, not metal detecting. Throw that on them and then stand back and watch em. I have actually done this, twice. Both times they drove off.