Kicked out of a public park

[Flambeaux]

I have hunted a few public parks here in Utah. Has anyone ever approached you and told you it was against the law?..I have yet to see any sign preventing hunting and have never gotten a straight answer to the question...Who's law....

Anyone else have any comments or experiences in public parks?

 

[pointer80]

I've never had a problem in any park. If there is not a actually written ordnance against it on the books then it should be legal. You are a tax paying citizen so you have the right to enjoy the park like anybody else. how many times have you run across dog piles in the park? Dogs do more damage than detectorist do. The only thing they might say is your defacing public property. That is why you have to make sure you retrieve your target properly and leave no damage. If it happened to me I would go to city hall and make them show me a written ordinance against metal detecting. Just my two cents. HH

 

[utahshovelhead]

Hi Flam,

I hunted all of 6 minutes once at Fort Douglas. There is a lady that lives there and she is the historic Nazi idioti who calls campus security who says that they will take my detector and arrest me if they catch me again...1 year after that they Dig the HELL out of the place and build all over the ground for the Olympic housing. I was really mad as there was lots of good stuff. Others had been kicked out as well and one guy I know hunted from 3 am to 4 am to sneak in a good find, I don't do that.

As for parks you would just make some calls as to which entity is the manager of the park...city Park?...call the city. Some historic parks be careful with but newer parks I just hunt in then if they hassle me I ask them for the information as to who to talk to for permission...most of them are pretty good but you know how government employees are, all afraid of losing there jobs (low pay good security) and all have power trips from having layers and layers of idiocy, oops, I mean bureaucracy so you never know what rules they can find in there liars of rules upon rules upon rules. National Parks another story all together...

Good luck just don't let me find you in MY park! hehe
utahshovelhead

 

[UtahRich]

Hi Flam,

I hunted all of 6 minutes once at Fort Douglas. There is a lady that lives there and she is the historic Nazi idioti who calls campus security who says that they will take my detector and arrest me if they catch me again...1 year after that they Dig the HELL out of the place and build all over the ground for the Olympic housing. I was really mad as there was lots of good stuff. Others had been kicked out as well and one guy I know hunted from 3 am to 4 am to sneak in a good find, I don't do that.utahshovelhead

HaHa, Went up to Fort Douglas years ago, Pre-Research Park, and ended up getting passed into the base General's office. He was nice as could be but said he couldn't give permission since the entire Fort was listed as an official Historical Site. He did suggest that I hustle over to the old artillery/rifle range that had been used back during the civil war era before it was detroyed to make way for research park. I didn't go over and within the year it was all under construction and became research park. One of my regrets thinking back on all the possibilities of shells and bullets now under all those buildings.

I've never been kicked out of a public park. I have seen some remnants of diggings, though, that would have justified somebody being walked off.

Rich (Utah)

 

[Flambeaux]

Oh I know about government. I work for the county Sheriff's department..I have seen the process working first hand...lol..Think I will start packing my gun and say I looking for varmints.

 

[treasure sstate]

Never had a problem here. From time to time have to move to let them mow the lawn. Even hunted a park once with a highway patrolman.

 

[UtahRich]

When you're feeling up to it, sneak up this way and we'll head over to one of the parks for some "Hunted out park" hunting. There are a few local guys that frequent the Garrett, Minelab and E-trac forums that could make for a park 'get together'.

Rich (Utah)

 

[Flambeaux]

hey lets do that...send me a pm and we can make plans

 

[LabradorBob]

I was actually approached by a park worker as i got out with my metal detector
at a park close to home.
He asked me if i was gonna do any digging.
I quickly introduced myself and told him that i was a very respectful metal detectorist.
and that i took pride in making sure i left the spots i dig,in ,the best as i could condition to being
unrecognizable that anyone had dug there.
He shook my hand and said that they had had some one a while back,dig holes and
leave cans and trash they had dug just lying on top of the ground.
Besides not filling their holes.
He told me go ahead,and the word respect was what he was seeking!

LabradorBob

 

[Terra1959]

Gday

Downunder many Local Government Councils have written bylaws that basically state no person can harm or damage a plant in their parks
...that word plant includes grasses
So here, if push comes to shove (if we dont do the right thing) we may see that happen

I have been asked to leave once (even though I did no damage) by a groundsman because word was that the Parks CEO was on his way to the Park and he hates all detectorists ever since he caught a fellow digging into a nice park with a big garden spade and doing lots of damage. I went back there the following week and the same parks groundsman watched me detect there and it was fine. He probably did not want to get in trouble with the boss.

In other parks I have been told a few times that if I dig a plug (any holes at all) I will be fined
Thats was ok because I was only using using a screwdriver and pliers to get my coins out and that method passed their scrutiny

Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of morons to spoil it for thousands of good operators

T59

 

[banditicey]

Ive never seen anyone just using a screw driver and pliers
any chance there is a video somewhere that shows that technique
also, why doesn't the coin get damaged with the poke of the screw driver?

 

[Terra1959]

Sorry bandit I don't have a video
I may get one organised at some stage because your one of many who has asked me about one.
To stop damage melt a piece of shrinkwrap over the tip
I have damaged a lot of coins with other diggers...pluggers, lesches etc

T59

 

[banditicey]

Thank you for your reply
I look forward to the video and hope you keep me informed
spent a few weeks in Australia with the family several years ago during the holidays
We brought scuba equipment but now i wish we had brought our e-tracs
Cheers

 

[Terra1959]

Gday again bandit

Hey mate I found this thread I wrote on an Aussie forum that describes this method
Its the 3rd reply so scroll down the page a little
hope it helps

http://forum.kimbucktwo.com/index.php/topic,2783.0.html

 

[banditicey]

Dear Terra1959,
COOL
very informative
well worth adding to my repertoire
saved sites to review but cant wait for the movie!
If you ever get to this side of the planet and want to see Niagara Falls and detect in one of the original colonies
please feel free to contact me, just remember your winter is our summer and we are just getting into our Spring
Best Regards

 

[Terra1959]

Sounds great bandit
If I ever get there, I would be honoured to visit and hunt you...thank you
now all all need is to win the lottery
T59

 

[Cal_Cobra]

I got booted from a city park by the grounds keeper right as I was digging up a barber dime. He said he really didn't care if I was there, but if his boss saw me there he'd flip out, so I said no problem, packed my stuff up and went home. I called the city and they said there were no city ordnance against it. I learned that the grounds keepers worked there early in the day, so I would just go in the evenings so they didn't get excited. Cops would roll by all the time and never batted an eye

 

[tippyhound]

There is a small town here in Central Illinois, now I'm not giving the name of this town because it is a total waist of your time to try to get permission to hunt it.

About seven years ago myself, my son,and my father-in-law went over there to hunt the small town park that set on the square in town. This is a very small town probably no more then ten blocks square. After we were hunting about 30 minutes the village cop comes up and tells us we will have to leave as the town Mayor had called him to tell us to get out. He said he personally had no problem with us as he had been watching us the whole time and we were filling our holes and leaving no mess. We were very disappointed as we had dug several Barber Dimes in that 30 minutes.

Fast forward seven years and my son has heard they now had a new mayor and wants me to go over there to see if we can get permission to hunt the park.

Last week I went over to talk to the new mayor and was advised we could metal detect but we could not dig any where in that town as a ordinance was passed by the village fathers against it as they were very proud of the history of their little town and they did not want it defaced by digging for coins. By the way there is a sign as you enter town that says maintaining the history of this town is the responsibility of every resident.

Seems the town was founded in 1850 and Abraham Lincoln signed the papers for the first piece of property sold in the town. It became a stag coach stop (that still is standing at the end of the park) between Springfield and Peoria IL. They latter set up two horse race tracks in the town and two different events was held there twice a year that lasted for one week each. Talk about a place you want to swing a detector and you can, but you can't dig a single signal you get.
. . If that does not break your heart I don't know what would. Rick IL

 

[JamesBondaka]

I once found an officer heading my way....He asked if I found anything good? I told him what I had found. He said that someone complained that I was in the park. He said he couldnt force me to leave but just asked if I could go somewhere else? To solve the situation, I did just that. As said before, there has to be a ordinance or law against such activity of digging and/or metal detecting. Mostly, there is not and usually if there is such a law...it is posted. I sure there are exceptions to that.

I even called city hall and they were ok with the practice as long as there was no bad reports from the ground crews, but it really doesnt matter what they like or dont....the law or rather, lack of law is what makes the difference. Doesnt mean they cant get one but why even try to push them for that. Usually, they have better things to do,,,as they should. As said, if everyone digs like they should then there shouldnt be any problems.

Digging actually is good for the soil as it ventilates the earth and benefits it in several ways. Dogs, football & soccer games etc do far worse "damage" than people that detect, but thats not the point and more than likely WE would get blamed for whatever happens that is bad.


Taking trash out of the ground and airing out the soil....works for me!

 

[Flambeaux]

There is a small town here in Central Illinois, now I'm not giving the name of this town because it is a total waist of your time to try to get permission to hunt it.

About seven years ago myself, my son,and my father-in-law went over there to hunt the small town park that set on the square in town. This is a very small town probably no more then ten blocks square. After we were hunting about 30 minutes the village cop comes up and tells us we will have to leave as the town Mayor had called him to tell us to get out. He said he personally had no problem with us as he had been watching us the whole time and we were filling our holes and leaving no mess. We were very disappointed as we had dug several Barber Dimes in that 30 minutes.

Fast forward seven years and my son has heard they now had a new mayor and wants me to go over there to see if we can get permission to hunt the park.

Last week I went over to talk to the new mayor and was advised we could metal detect but we could not dig any where in that town as a ordinance was passed by the village fathers against it as they were very proud of the history of their little town and they did not want it defaced by digging for coins. By the way there is a sign as you enter town that says maintaining the history of this town is the responsibility of every resident.

Seems the town was founded in 1850 and Abraham Lincoln signed the papers for the first piece of property sold in the town. It became a stag coach stop (that still is standing at the end of the park) between Springfield and Peoria IL. They latter set up two horse race tracks in the town and two different events was held there twice a year that lasted for one week each. Talk about a place you want to swing a detector and you can, but you can't dig a single signal you get.
. . If that does not break your heart I don't know what would. Rick IL

Time to invest in camo and night vision gear....just kidding.