Muddyshoes
New member
*Note* - Posted originally in General forum, but you Garrett folks are my "homies," so I wanted to share it here as well... please forgive the repost.
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As a metal detectorist, I've been involved in the hobby, off and on, since about 1974 or so, right about the time when some seriously stupid people thought it was a good idea to take heavy construction equipment into national parks to dig up battlefields, resulting in the first of a more serious implementation of laws and regulations against treasure hunters. This included people with metal detectors.
Over the past few decades, I've watched as a constant influx of new people to the hobby has culminated with more and more restrictions being placed on our parks and properties regarding metal detecting. There is no question that a good number of these restrictions were the result of people displaying poor judgment with the places they chose to search, the methods they used to recover their targets, and their unwillingness to leave the area in the condition in which they found it. Over time, people took notice, and the actions taken have served to diminish our access to great hunting places considerably.
I spent some time last night reviewing threads in these forums that deal with local, state and national laws specifically associated with metal detecting. I have to say, it's starting to look grim, especially considering the laws and regulations that have been enacted.
In Orange County, Florida, where I live, you need a permit to use a metal detector in a county park. No problem, you might think, but here are some of the requirements:
1. You must fill out an application for each park you want to visit and if you get a permit, it's only good for one year.
2. You can only use a metal detector... no digging tools.
3. Holes, that you must presumably dig with your hands, can only be 6 inches deep.
4. You must show everything you find to the park ranger for them to determine if it is an artifact or relic.
5. Whatever you find is presumed to be an artifact or relic unless it's decided otherwise.
6. An object 50 years or older, say a "wheatie" penny can be considered an artifact.
7. You must carry $500,000 liability insurance and assign the park a payee in case of some accident
In State Parks in Florida:
1. Only parks that border the ocean may be hunted in.
2. You may only hunt the area from the top of the dune to the high water line
3. Searching in water is forbidden. No rivers, no ocean beds, no lake beds within state parks
4. Parks at or near historical shipwrecks or where commercial treasure hunters have "dibs" are forbidden
5. See numbers 4-6 above
And on and on.
So we are slowly losing access to places all around us, but where does the cause and responsibility lie? Is it ultimately because of us? When we post pictures of our finds here in the forums, doesn't it get your heart racing to go out and hunt? Even after all these years, when I see a small pile of jewelry or silver coins that someone found, it makes me want to get up, grab my box and start searching, even though I know what to expect when I go out there, and that the likelihood of my finding what someone just posted a picture of will be slim to none in most cases.
But what about the person new to the hobby... perhaps someone feeling the strains of the economy like everyone else who sees the pictures in these forums and reads books or magazines like the Garrett Searcher which displays endless photos of silver and gold, antiques and artifacts and other curiosities found with the detector? How many people are buying detectors now hoping to find that loot that we display pictures of every day thinking that every park is littered with gold rings and silver coins which they'll find also, if they just dig enough? We help increase the number of people every day with whom we compete when we post pics of our finds, as well as the number of desperate, non-caring people who trespass, who dig holes without filling them in, who destroy property, and who couldn't care less about the rest of us.
What about the manufacturers? Most of them include the metal detecting code of conduct in their manuals and may briefly mention the importance of filling in their holes. But is that enough? How many of them have videos that explain safe and responsible ways of recovering targets, how to fill in holes, how to dig, how and when to ask permission, basic common law with regard to private property, etc? Companies like Garrett, White, Minelab, Fisher, Bounty Hunter, etc., have the resources and talent to produce a companion DVD to release with their detectors to teach people how to be responsible, and WHY it is important to be so. Maybe it's time.
And what about the dealers? How many will be happy to sell you a detector without taking any time to explain common things people new to the hobby need to know? Sure they'll provide great service, because most of them love the hobby and realize it's in their best interest to do so. But if you're going to give away a bunch of goodies when someone buys a new metal detector, then why not provide some kind of training or again, an instructional DVD of some kind on how to be a responsible detector owner? And I do realize that some dealers do this.. but why not all? As a dealer, you are the front line in dealing with people. You are in the best position to set the expectations of what the beginning detectorist will deal with. And you are also in the best position to instill a sense of responsibility in your customers. And while it's true, a large percentage of people won't bother to listen to this advice, a good amount of people will.
There is a 150 year old city park just blocks from where I live in Orlando. One of the city founders used to have a huge mansion on the edge of the lake in the middle of that park 100 years ago. The park has been used for county fairs, festivals and events and even public swimming over the years. But I cannot go hunt there with a metal detector as I did in the 1980s, and I found a good amount of silver there back then. In the 1990s a bunch of people new to the hobby were digging up flower beds with shovels and now metal detecting is forbidden.
Yes, it is the actions of a few who are killing the hobby for the rest of us, but make no mistake, we ALL share some responsibility in contributing to this, each time we market a detector, sell a detector or show off our finds...no matter how careful or law abiding we are. It's not just new hobbyists not filling in their holes. It's much more complicated than that.
- Muddyshoes
Orlando, FL
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As a metal detectorist, I've been involved in the hobby, off and on, since about 1974 or so, right about the time when some seriously stupid people thought it was a good idea to take heavy construction equipment into national parks to dig up battlefields, resulting in the first of a more serious implementation of laws and regulations against treasure hunters. This included people with metal detectors.
Over the past few decades, I've watched as a constant influx of new people to the hobby has culminated with more and more restrictions being placed on our parks and properties regarding metal detecting. There is no question that a good number of these restrictions were the result of people displaying poor judgment with the places they chose to search, the methods they used to recover their targets, and their unwillingness to leave the area in the condition in which they found it. Over time, people took notice, and the actions taken have served to diminish our access to great hunting places considerably.
I spent some time last night reviewing threads in these forums that deal with local, state and national laws specifically associated with metal detecting. I have to say, it's starting to look grim, especially considering the laws and regulations that have been enacted.
In Orange County, Florida, where I live, you need a permit to use a metal detector in a county park. No problem, you might think, but here are some of the requirements:
1. You must fill out an application for each park you want to visit and if you get a permit, it's only good for one year.
2. You can only use a metal detector... no digging tools.
3. Holes, that you must presumably dig with your hands, can only be 6 inches deep.
4. You must show everything you find to the park ranger for them to determine if it is an artifact or relic.
5. Whatever you find is presumed to be an artifact or relic unless it's decided otherwise.
6. An object 50 years or older, say a "wheatie" penny can be considered an artifact.
7. You must carry $500,000 liability insurance and assign the park a payee in case of some accident
In State Parks in Florida:
1. Only parks that border the ocean may be hunted in.
2. You may only hunt the area from the top of the dune to the high water line
3. Searching in water is forbidden. No rivers, no ocean beds, no lake beds within state parks
4. Parks at or near historical shipwrecks or where commercial treasure hunters have "dibs" are forbidden
5. See numbers 4-6 above
And on and on.
So we are slowly losing access to places all around us, but where does the cause and responsibility lie? Is it ultimately because of us? When we post pictures of our finds here in the forums, doesn't it get your heart racing to go out and hunt? Even after all these years, when I see a small pile of jewelry or silver coins that someone found, it makes me want to get up, grab my box and start searching, even though I know what to expect when I go out there, and that the likelihood of my finding what someone just posted a picture of will be slim to none in most cases.
But what about the person new to the hobby... perhaps someone feeling the strains of the economy like everyone else who sees the pictures in these forums and reads books or magazines like the Garrett Searcher which displays endless photos of silver and gold, antiques and artifacts and other curiosities found with the detector? How many people are buying detectors now hoping to find that loot that we display pictures of every day thinking that every park is littered with gold rings and silver coins which they'll find also, if they just dig enough? We help increase the number of people every day with whom we compete when we post pics of our finds, as well as the number of desperate, non-caring people who trespass, who dig holes without filling them in, who destroy property, and who couldn't care less about the rest of us.
What about the manufacturers? Most of them include the metal detecting code of conduct in their manuals and may briefly mention the importance of filling in their holes. But is that enough? How many of them have videos that explain safe and responsible ways of recovering targets, how to fill in holes, how to dig, how and when to ask permission, basic common law with regard to private property, etc? Companies like Garrett, White, Minelab, Fisher, Bounty Hunter, etc., have the resources and talent to produce a companion DVD to release with their detectors to teach people how to be responsible, and WHY it is important to be so. Maybe it's time.
And what about the dealers? How many will be happy to sell you a detector without taking any time to explain common things people new to the hobby need to know? Sure they'll provide great service, because most of them love the hobby and realize it's in their best interest to do so. But if you're going to give away a bunch of goodies when someone buys a new metal detector, then why not provide some kind of training or again, an instructional DVD of some kind on how to be a responsible detector owner? And I do realize that some dealers do this.. but why not all? As a dealer, you are the front line in dealing with people. You are in the best position to set the expectations of what the beginning detectorist will deal with. And you are also in the best position to instill a sense of responsibility in your customers. And while it's true, a large percentage of people won't bother to listen to this advice, a good amount of people will.
There is a 150 year old city park just blocks from where I live in Orlando. One of the city founders used to have a huge mansion on the edge of the lake in the middle of that park 100 years ago. The park has been used for county fairs, festivals and events and even public swimming over the years. But I cannot go hunt there with a metal detector as I did in the 1980s, and I found a good amount of silver there back then. In the 1990s a bunch of people new to the hobby were digging up flower beds with shovels and now metal detecting is forbidden.
Yes, it is the actions of a few who are killing the hobby for the rest of us, but make no mistake, we ALL share some responsibility in contributing to this, each time we market a detector, sell a detector or show off our finds...no matter how careful or law abiding we are. It's not just new hobbyists not filling in their holes. It's much more complicated than that.
- Muddyshoes
Orlando, FL