Whats the use

Re: What's the use

Just remember this nothing ventured nothing gained.I've been hasled by the best of them.Park Rangers-gun wheelding land owers-sheriffs-police-rattle snakes-mean dogs-
and my cars been broken into-and shot at too! But it all comes down too this.Are you tough enough,do you want to have fun,Does finging something that may be worth more than that old pair of boots you have on send your heart beating?Heres some help
1. be polite to the person that confronts you
2. be awere of who's around you or looking at you.
3. bring a friend.that way if something happens they can help or be a witness.
4. never tell anyone what you found or are looking for until your on safe ground. IE home
5 don't volunteer imformation to anyone! good way to get robbed or your car stolen!
My lawyer friend told me just becuse they say there a ranger or oficer of the law doesn't
mean they know all the laws! Just smile be pollite say your sorry and walk away-quickly!
 

Re: What's the use

kon is right. You got to take a chance some time's. Just get out there. It takes some work to learn how to MD. I leave in So Cal I have a lot of hunting spots all private. I was at the local museum today MDing the ground there of cours any thing I find there stays with the museum, In my display. You dont always get a great find. The best I got today was a small cap the had a Pat # I looked it up it was from 1930's. But that is info I can use. I have been MDing for 15 years it takes time. Keep it up keep trying you can do it. but you got to want it & it has to be fun. Hillbilly<><
 

Re: What's the use

With so much encouragemnt from everone, I decided to stay with it, I hope to meet with kon and do some TH. If not I'm hitting the local baseball park near the high school this weekend
 

Re: What's the use

Calworks said:
With so much encouragemnt from everone, I decided to stay with it, I hope to meet with kon and do some TH. If not I'm hitting the local baseball park near the high school this weekend

That's the spirit!! Good luck to you and please post photos of what you find. Above all: HAVE FUN!!!
 

Re: What's the use

Northern Ca here...

There are plenty of places for me to go... to date i have been hassled once by a school principal.. and a few interested old timers, and kids.. other then that its been pretty smooth sailing.

I often have time to detect weekday mornings. It seems this is a great time for public parks as they are not very busy..

Schools are best reserved for weekends...

Private property is tough... but we all have friends and families so there is always a contact there...

Construction sites seem pretty easy for me as well... when they are diggin footings, or doing major landscape renovation they are pretty willing to let you swing...

Glad you are going to stick it out....
 

Re: What's the use

Calworks said:
With so much encouragemnt from everone, I decided to stay with it, I hope to meet with kon and do some TH. If not I'm hitting the local baseball park near the high school this weekend

Come down to San Diego, there are all kinds of places to MD, heck maybe we can go out a detect if you come down here.
 

Re: What's the use

Just do what I do, Wear an orange safety vest and a tape measure on your side and nobody will ever bother you. Ive detected sites for hours without even a second look, and what helps even more is placing some orange cones in the street or around wherever your detecting, works like a charm.
[DISCLAIMER- I do not condone or advocate trespassing on private property or violating government lands, unless those lands belong to us, the people, regardless of what some self riteous politician or government employee has to say about it]
 

Re: What's the use

When someone says "there's no legal place to detect! All the parks, schools, and beahes in my area are off-limits". I have to ask where they come up with that info? Invariably, ... THEY ASKED! That is where they go wrong from the start.

For example: We have an old park in the middle of the city I'm in, that has been detected, at-will, since the dawn of metal detectors. When I got into this hobby in the mid 1970s, it was just known as one of the places to go. When a brick-&-mortor club was formed in 1980 here, that was a favorite stomping ground for us.

Anyhow, at one of our club meetings, a new person was visiting, having just moved to our city. As the find-of-the-month show & tell was going on, he observed a few people showing off some silver coins that were "found in Central Park". The newcomer raised his hand to asked "Hey, I thought Central Park was off-limits??" The other 20 of us just stared at him, confused. We asked, "since when? who told you that?". The guy said that when he moved to this area, a month or two earlier, he had taken it upon himself to go to city hall, and ASK! The clerk at the counter, really didn't know. So she tells him to go the park's dept. office. And so on and so forth, till he gets his answer "no".

The club was sort of confused at this point, because we had always detected it, in broad daylight, and no one ever said anything to any of us. In fact, the gardeners would sometimes ask us to help them find sprinkler heads for them. It never even occured to us, that you needed to ask. I mean, it's a public park, right?

All I can figure is, some desk-bound bureaucrat, when asked "can I metal detect?" gets an image of geeks with shovels, leaving messes, etc... etc... What do you think the easy answer is? Why should he be bothered?

I think this new fellow should never have asked, to begin with, and left good-enough alone. And I think this same logic applies to a myriad of public places (barring obvious historical monuments). If you ASK some bureaucrat, you are only casting aspursions upon yourself, as if.... something is inherently wrong with you, or your hobby, that you had to ask in the first place. Know what I mean? Treat yourself as if this is no different than flying a kite at that park, using the swing set, using the water-fountain, sitting on a bench there, etc... Would you ask to do those things? Of course not. No don't ask to detect. Just leave no mess, don't be a sore thumb, etc.... If someone has a problem, they're welcome to tell you. No harm done.

Some people may say "well it doesn't hurt to ask". I say "yes it can hurt!" Here's why: If you get a "no", from a place that previously no one would have paid you any mind, guess what's going to happen the next time that ranger or bureaucrat passes that park, and sees another md'r out there? He'll remember the earlier inquiry, and start booting the next guys! I actually know of this happening at a certain state park near Santa Cruz, CA: Several local hunters used to hunt there at-will. They were never bothered. One day, they got booted by a ranger, whom they'd seen all the time, previously. My friends asked "why?" The ranger just said that orders came down from his superiors "no metal detecting". So they left, much dismayed. Later, these guys met a newbie, who was lamenting that he had gone to the park ranger's kiosk, at this same park, a month or two earlier, to ask if it was ok to detect there. The ranger on duty didn't have the slightest idea, because he'd never even given it thought. So he inquires of his superiors, and they start looking through their rule books. They must've found something about "don't disturb the vegetation", or perhaps something to do with ARPA, so they told him "no". Well guess what?? Then all of the sudden, other md'rs, whom they'd never even paid attention to before, start getting booted! So my friends were much dismayed (read "mad") at this newbie for getting their park put off-limits. Do you see what I'm saying? So unless a place is an obviouis historical posted monument, just be discreet and go!

Heck, if you look long and hard enough at the book "Treasure Laws of the United States" by an author named Grim, (Grimm?) you might conclude that even state of CA owned beaches are off-limits (yup, most of So. CA!) At least they are severely restricted, like, "turn in all jewelry to the lost-&-found dept, alert the ranger upon coming and going, mark all old coins found with a little flag, and alert the state archaeologist first before digging", blah blah blah! But I hunt state beaches all the time, in full view of state park beach rangers (Asilomar beach for instance), and no one ever says a thing to us. What do you think would happen if I "asked"? They'd look it up in their book, and perhaps say "no". So c'mon guys, places aren't off-limits till you ask. Get out their and hunt and have fun!

And don't get me started on old-town urban demolition projects! ;D ;D :-* :-*
 

Re: What's the use

I went down to the Silver Strand State Beach just south of Coronado Ca. I was asking about the day fee's talking to the campground host,and then I asked the Ranger that was on Duty, If it was all right to use a metal detector on the State beach He said "It's not illegal to MD on the Beach or in any state run park as long as it isn't considered a historical site"

So I take it from that , I can metal detect on any state of public beach and or any public park. Until I am told other wise I will do that.

And I figure if I am the only one out there and I find something "FINDERS..KEEPERS!"
 

Re: What's the use

W6PEA said:
Come down to San Diego, there are all kinds of places to MD, heck maybe we can go out a detect if you come down here.

I've been away a while, or else I'd have responded to this earler. W6PEA, where are you thinking about? After all, I'm in Sandy Eggo also, and have found the beaches to be almost a bust. Any suggestions? (Feel free to contact me offline or here!)
 

It is time we put an end to this Tyranny!!!!!!!!

We have been pushed and bullied and attacked and robbed of our rights!!

It is time we fight back!!

We the hunted should now become the hunters!!!

Let us gather up our forces and decide on a plan of action and put it into effect!

If we do not band together and take upon these rogues of archaeologist and politicians our very existence will be in question.

END THE TYRANNY NOW
 

Re: It is time we put an end to this Tyranny!!!!!!!!

Gold_Needle said:
END THE TYRANNY NOW

TO THE STEPS OF THE COURT HOUSE, BRING THE FIGHT TO THEM.......FIGHT FOR JUSTICE........FIGHT FOR A RIGHT TO FIND TREASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :icon_pirat:
 

NEXT STEP!

Our next step is to look at what has been happening to us and decide what we want when the whole thing is done and over.

What would you like? What has been happening to us and our treasure hunting activities?

Start listing them out here...

For starters I will list a few:

Slandered by the archeologist and civil service goons as looters, thieves, bumblers, and other names.

Restricted or outright tossed out of areas to hunt.

Imprisoned, fined, harassed by various thugs with official titles and petty behavior.

Goods, a.k.a. loot, confiscated and sold off without compensation.

Add to the list folks!! Unleash your experiences.
 

Re: What's the use

I'm from San Diego also, maybe we should all plan a TH'ing day. I'd be down to go detecting Calworks, seems like quite a few other people from San Diego here that would be down for it also.
 

Re: What's the use

Hey Gold needle, you say:

"Imprisoned, fined, harassed by various thugs with official titles and petty behavior. Goods, a.k.a. loot, confiscated and sold off without compensation."

When did any of these things happen to you, or anyone you know? Can you cite any instances?

I believe we may be our own worst enemy by reading isolated incidents(thanx to the modern age of the internet blasting freak incidents), and thinking "this must be the norm". It's kind of like picking your nose: If you ask enough people, someone will tell you that you can't do it. But if you just do it discreetly, no one notices or cares. Ie.: a lot of the supposedly off-limits parks, state, fed, county, etc.... are only because people asked, and were told the safe answer, when in reality, no one would've cared or noticed. I hunt public land all the time, and never hear so much as a "boo".
 

Re: What's the use

Hey Rattler,

I think we need something big and with political action.

I think we also need a whole section of the forum dedeicated to our rights. In fact, we can call it Our Rights. Or perhaps Our Booty.
 

Re: What's the use

Gold Needle, that's just the problem! You're only going to get attention and new rules AGAINST you, if you fight these things.

Example on a small scale: In my town (if I could use that as an example of the state or fed on a smaller scale) md'rs had always detected our town's Central Park, and no one ever asked nor was bothered. Back in the 1970s and early '80s, it never even occurred to us that we needed to "ask", or be concerned. Afterall, it's a public park, isn't it?

Fast forward to the mid 1980s: A person who just moved to town comes to our metal detecting club meeting. When he hears someone at the show-&-tell say "this was found in Central Park", he raises his hand, and says "I thought detecting was off-limits there?" A few of us turn around, look at him, and say "since when?" Turns out he'd taken it upon himself to go down to city hall and "ask" if metal detecting is allowed in Central Park. Someone there tells him "no". Huh? This was news to us! For 10+ yrs, anyone and everyone had detected there, and never had a problem! Yup, in full view of gardeners, passing traffic, etc....

Now here's what happened: A few people thought "oh my gosh, we can't detect in the parks here anymore, because it's against the law!!". Others said "How stupid, no one cares, you probably just got some technical answer about disturbing the vegetation" etc..

But if people here were to do what you suggest (fight it), here's what would happen: You would merely get more rules made against md'ing "to address this pressing issue you raise", when in fact, no one cared till you asked and fought! It's a maddening circle! If you make a "political action", you merely stire up images of geeks and shovels, and get more "no's" than when you first began!

Sheesk, for pete's sake folks! Stop thinking of yourselves as evil, and just keep a low profile! Like picking your nose, just be discreeet :P
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top