Dirtbag on the NJ Beaches yesterday:sad:

[JCinNJ]

I was out detecting for the first time in a real long time yesterday.
What I saw made me a bit sick to my stomach and a bit embarrassed to be a detectorist.

I was at Sea Bright, NJ in the morning right before low tide until a little after.

There was an older gentleman (I use the term loosely) in waders with a big stainless scoop.
He was a real "pro", able to balance the scoop without holding it on his shoulder while walking.
He was not covering any of his holes and he was just throwing the metal trash he found back on the beach.

I am not a saint and there have been times when my pockets were full that I was not able to carry back all the trash I have dug but I do my best and usually dump my pockets at the nearest trashcan when they are full.

And mind you, the holes were not all in the wet sand. Anyone out jogging or walking their dogs could have ended up with a twisted ankle.

On a lighter note, I saw a 4 masted schooner or some sort of sailing vessel heading south and found $1.05.

It's no wonder people want to ban out hobby when the likes of this jerk are out there to ruin it for us all.

I really hopes he reads these forums. I know he doesn't post here because I know all of you fill your holes and remove the trash.

I apologize for the rant but I hope you understand.


- Joe

 

[gobble-gobble]

Don't apologize for some " JERK " But when you see them you have to tell them the way it is. I would love to push the sob into one of his own holes. But like always we love the hobby, so when we see the holes we're the ones that fill them in. Keep the faith Joe, Good Hunting & Good Luck to you.

 

[PaPa-Joe-Fla.]

J.C. my approach to people who don't cover there holes is a small white lie. I tell them the beach patrol stooped me and commended me on covering my holes and if they catch the one leaving the holes they are going to eject him or her from the beach. Most of the time after that they cover their holes, well at least till I get out of sight. It takes very few seconds to kick dirt back in a hole. HH

 

[Beachcomber]

take your trash with you If you take the trash with you then there might not be anything for you to dig when you go there next time Just funnin with you. That isn't something peculiar to North Jersey Beaches. That unfortunately happens on beaches everywhere. All you can do it talk the person about it but your chances of changing thier digging habits are probably pretty slim.

HH

Beachcomber

 

[kd4hee]

What do you say to all the people that come deposit all the stuff at the beach who are also digging the craters in the beach banks and burying the cans and trash.? I know in the summer time around here there is a loader at the beach filling all the trenches.

Kevin.

 

[Bobbie]

I leave a small pile right next to the hole as a warning sign to the joggers to beware of a possible soft spot in the wet sand. Dry sand...... I fill them completely.

They like to point fingers at us because we dig small holes. Some of those craters people dig could easily fit a Volkswagen in them, but no one says boo to them!! And all those soda and beer cans.........don't think they wormed their way down into the sand either.

 

[mattockman]

You say don't worry my buddies on the findmall will clean it up! just enjoy yourself and point and laugh at those bums metaldetecting for those pennies you drop on purpose and also scoop up the lovely diamond rings lost by the unaware. Trust me you I would love to return every ring I find cause I know it means alot to most........but it is not always possible.

 

[mattockman]

What kills me is the dunes kids and parents dig to form some sort of design..........yes a volkswagon will fit in them......and nobody ever fills them when they leave.....yet we as detectorists get scorned for leaving a small whole by digging a fricken penny by some jerk tossing them as a joke.....sorry....just venting.....

 

[cubfan64]

When I hunt ocean or fresh water lakes or beaches I take out all the garbage I personally dig up and also try to pick up things like glass or sharp/pokey pieces of metal no matter whether I've dug it up or not.

As far as filling in holes, I always fill in my holes and any other ones I find that I think could cause injury.

Now - when it comes to other detectorists who DON'T fill their holes or take their garbage with them, I let them do whatever they're gonna do for a couple reasons:

1) Odds are very good that those people are NOT doing out of ignorance - they're most likely doing it out of laziness or just downright not caring - 99.9% of them aren't going to change because of what one person says to them on the beach.

2) I've tried twice now to politely talk to fellow detectorists who are not following those 2 unwritten rules and in both cases were told in so many words to "F*^K OF," "mind your own business" and "I don't give a d*^n!." One of those fellows has been detecting those ocean beaches for years and it just turns out he doesn't give a crap.

What it comes to is that I've decided the vast majority of people are gonna do what they want regardless of what I say or how I say it, and in this day and age, I'm not about to get into a "road rage" incident with someone over a hole or some garbage despite the fact that it may someday ruin the hobby I enjoy. The crappy responses I've gotten from people when I try to explain that "we've really gotta keep a positive outlook on our hobby or they'll just put up a sign that says - no detectors allowed - someday" convinced me it's just a waste of my time to say anything.

The one thing I do is try to discreetly discover what vehicle they are using and if I can, I jot down their license plate # and make/model in a notepad. I doubt it makes any difference, but a couple times a year I stop into the local police departments and/or beach offices and give them a copy of my list and let them know I'm respectful and that I don't appreciate "those people" running the risk of ruining my hobby. They probably throw the list out when I walk out the door, but I've gotten into some very good conversations with officials that way and gotten leads to other detecting sites through that kind of respectful way of handling it.

 

[bdahunter]

Why anyone would not remove a junker target from the hunting area is a mystery to me. I guess they just enjoy digging the same junk targets again and again. Not filling in your holes when it just takes a couple of swipes with your foot and a stomp to pack it down is just plain rude and inconsiderate. We need to be ambassadors for our hobby to offset the damage done by inconsiderate hunters or ultimately the 'No Detecting' signs will go up on beaches everywhere. There are plenty of members of the public that frown on our hobby because they don't understand it, let's not give these folks ammunition.

Good Hunting All,

BDA

 

[bootybay]

I hunt mostly in Ocean City NJ and frankly some of the detectorists should be ashamed of themselves...yes, theres a lot of folks hunting out there...but lemme tell ya, most of em..are an embarassment to this hobby... First off they leave their dry sand holes unfilled... and then dont ya just love the snobby hunters, like your going to find that treasure chest full of goodies before they do...give me a break... talk about paranoid..and then they will also toss the tabs or junk right back onto the sand.... and of course the non hunters, I have cleaned up broken beer bottles buried in the sand, dont need anyone let alone a small child running thru the sand and ending up in the er... People just amaze me..and some hunters I wouldnt even associate with after watching how they behave on the beaches... just my 2 cents

 

[galap5]

A while back. I saw the aftermath of a person calling a dectorist (who has not packing the trash she was digging up) to the table. Words were exchanged and the next thing she attacked the guy with her scoop. She messed him up pretty bad!!. Several cuts I know required stiches. She got arrested and he turned out to be a local fireman and ex-lifeguard. Some people are just not worth the time, like was stated earlier!!!.