Valley Detecting Question..........

[Zectron2348]

Hello,

I started detecting here in the Phoenix metro area over 30 years ago. For many many years I enjoyed it very much, detecting old school yards and such. I have had many different brands of high dollar detectors and really enjoyed getting out early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and finding a few coins or a ring or two.

Tough times forced me to get out of detecting about 5 years ago, but now I have the itch again.

My question is, since 9/11 and all the heightened security everywhere, can a guy still detect at school yards and parks (I usually just detected in the sand around the playground equipment, not out digging holes in the fields as I never liked the idea of doing that) without someone getting all excited. What are your guys experience, has their been any change in the attitudes of someone who might see you detecting in a school yard?

Thanks for any input, I really miss detecting but don't want to invest the money if it's not possible any more to access the areas I enjoyed detecting.

 

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[Skywola]

As for the parks, I have not had any trouble at parks, . . . school yards . .. . well, my take on that is that most of them will be fenced off now, and if you go to the local sheriff's website and check out the unending list of child molesters in your area, you will understand completely.

One thing that might work is if you can find a site where a playground USE to be and hit that. After hitting a park playground, I am well aware of the potential there.

I am concentrating more on placer hunting, I have to travel more, and I think it takes time to learn it, I expect it will take a while before I find anything significant. I do go to parks, but that is when I don't feel like making the trip out into the rural areas. There are metal detector clubs or you can find someone to go with. I think that the possibilities are still there, but it is not as easy as it use to be.

 

[Zectron2348]

No one else does, or has done, any school yard detecting in the Phoenix metro area.

I know in the past school yards were almost always fenced but there were usually access openings or unlocked gates allowing kids on weekends to come in and play ball or play on the playground equipment. I was just wondering if since 9/11 those gates were now locked, the access openings gone, and school yards considered off limits.

Anyone?

 

[boogeyman]

Most every school in Phoenix I've run into in Phoenix is fenced. Some in Glendale you can get into without climbing fences etc. But eventually PD will show up & chase you off with a word or two about trespass. The only way around this I've found is to make friends with the janitors. Most I've met are really nice. One guy left the padlock hanging & told me to lock the gate when I left. But that kind of trust is rare, trust me!

Best bet in Phoenix if you're tired of the parks is to try the large apartment complexes. Hardly ever searched. Most won't bother checking what you're up to, but most will give their blessing if you show them a pouch of trash.