who here regrets telling somone about a spot you hunt!

[olemudface]

When i just started metal detecting i was telling a couple of co workers about a recent find i found and where i found it and the very next day these 2 jerks went to radio shack and bought 2 metal detectors and went to my spot with out even asking me to tag along.Why when the world is so big they go to my spot! The way i found out they went there is they left the beer cans they drank all over the park and a guy told me the cops were called and guess what no more metal detecting in that park and When i went to work and told them about that and they said ,yea that was us and they said that they didnt care because there was nothing but crap to be found there.The coins are deep and a radio shack piece of crap isnt going to find the coins.Im thinking of a way to get them fired at work so they will need to learn how to metal detect for there next meal! So yesterday some one asked me where i detect and i told them behind the county court house so they will be arrested! I know im bitter!

 

[skookum]

Well well.
Here you are crying in your pillow case when it was you in the first place shooting off your mouth bragging about your finds.
Ya gotta learn to keep your trap shut and none will be the wiser.
Post pics here and nothing will happen.
That should suffice, don

 

[olemudface]

i was new to the hobby and excited and if thats called shooting my mouth off ,it was my fault,im sorry i upset you! want a tissue?

 

[MarkCZ]

I've never had it back fire because the place was only a place I thought would be a good spot, not that they didn't try to claim jump!
But, its not good to give away your hunting spots to someone your not inviting go to hunting with you.
But, in your case I'm going to say that their inexperience and like of knowledge and their pick of a first metal detector most likely only taught you a lessen, rather than cost you any lose of good finds from that area. they probably only took out some trash with their entry level detectors.

There our claim jumpers out there and they are some that you think wouldn't claim jump that will. Its that thought of "Treasure" that drives them.
Don't give up your good hunting spot, without it being an offer to bring them along.

And don't EVER post your good hunting locations on ANY forums, they have countless lurkers watching, reading and never register as a member.

Mark

 

[olemudface]

-- moved topic --

 

[azsh07]

Atleast you did not have someone jump on to a really special site. You learned the lesson with a relatively easy loss...as it were.

I think most people have learned this lesson the same way. Like someone else posted...even guys who say they won't leach, will.....!

I have setup a few guys who I knew from reputation that like to go with you just to come back and try and clean up. I take em to some hammered out places first and see if there is fresh dig spots in a few weeks. Never fails....!!

That is what makes this a reclusive hobby.....gotta be quiet and keep it low key.

Oh...and if you think just posting finds with no locations works...well...I have seen that fail too.

years ago myself and a few hunting partners were having a good stretch of luck with some great colonial coins found. Posted just picks of the coins.

Well a guy knew who one of us was...and started stalking him to see where we were going...yep we had a relic stalker. He jumped in behind us one night and got us all banned.

Now...I show very little.

 

[sparkster]

There is an old saying. "if you are going to be a fool, be a quiet one".

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Just lure them with tales of finds to somewhere that it's already forbidden. Once you see they've arrived and are digging holes, place the call. Now, if they're tracking you by this forum, and they read this, they'll never know for sure if it's bait or switch.

-Ed

 

[Critterhunter]

Had it happen myself over the years, to where you think you can trust somebody with a spot and they bring others along or show up when you aren't with them. Don't mind others making the finds, just I like to be there to see it happen. What you got to do is widle down those who you think you can trust. If I find a hot spot say in the woods I have learned only to let those know of it that I trust not to take others to without asking first, and if they plan to hunt it again I want to be there with them, or at least have the courtesy to ask me if I mind them going without me when I can't make it.

Then there are those who you share spots with, yet won't return the favor and bring you along to their spots. When I see that kind of game being played that's when I stop sharing spots. It happens in this hobby. Never share spots you don't want others knowing about if you don't trust the person you are letting in on it not to tell. And, for those spots you don't want shared, be darn sure the person you do let in on it isn't the type to tell others about it.

This isn't unique to detecting. I'm a hunter (meaning for deer and such) and also fish. I've developed a strong friendship with one friend who we share our secret little hunting and fishing spots with. Nothing makes either one of us madder than having others we let in on a spot claim jump it, finding them either fishing our hidden away pond in the woods, or hunting for squirrels in good nut producing areas, or deer funnels we scouted out.

Where's the invite on the trip to the people who found the place with their own hard work? We didn't kick around in the woods for hours and years to nail down these spots just so they could beat us to them on any given day. At least, if not an invite to go, a simple "do you mind if I go down there without you?" type of deal will keep things real courtesy like as they should, and that alone can equal a "yes" rather than a run in that blows it for you on any given day you planned to be there yourself.

Once when squirrel hunting with my friend, we ran into a guy at our favorite squirrel spot we had took him to years before. We hadn't seen this person in years, and then one day, 100 miles away, we find him hunting early that morning at our spot. Needless to say neither one of us took kindly to it. Long trip getting up real early like in the morning for nothing.

So these days, whether it be a detecting spot or a game hunting or fishing spot, I make darn sure my intentions are clear to those I decide to share with about it. No bringing others. No showing up without me if I make that clear (sometimes I don't care on that). Mainly what tweaks me is say a virgin spot in the woods, that I found and only have hunted a few times yet, and then you find out others are going without you there or bringing others along.

That's where many of us feel like we've just been robbed, if not for the finds, but just for the fact for we didn't get to experience watching the finds happen. Why do all the work baking a cake if others just scarf it right down before you get to sample it yourself a few times? Don't mind sharing a spot with more people other than my initial circle of trusted few, but I do that after I've had my share of time to work it properly for all the "cake" finds.

You can't change human nature. Something about the thought of "treasure" that just seems to send logic out the window with some people. Trick is figuring out who's motivated by greed, and who's motivated by the experience of the hunt and sharing it with you. Early on in detecting most of us had the green eye thing controlling our actions, but some of us down the road realize it's more about the friends and the journey, then it is about the finds.

That's the true treasure in this hobby, and it's the same deal with fishing or hunting. I get as much satisfaction of seeing somebody dig a silver on a spot I let them in on, or seeing them take a nice deer on a deer run I guided them to, as I do making those finds or harvesting that game myself. For the most part anyway. Both aspects, finding an old coin or harvesting some game or catching a nice fish, versus watching others do it, offer different but equal forms of satisfaction to some of us.

The deal is don't cheat them out of sharing the experience of discovery. That's more of the meat on the bone to me than any kind of greed in wanting to make the find myself. I want to be there to see them enjoy that cake I just made, in a manner of speaking. Woofing it down behind your back doesn't seem to be right, but that's me...

 

[GeorgeinSC]

I might be selfish but I do not like to tell anyone where I Hunt, Fish or Metal Detect. I have taken guys fishing only to come back a few days later to find them and one of their friends boat anchored exactly where we had been earlier. I get asked quite a lot "When are you going to take me fishing?". I am very selective as to who I take and sometimes do not take them to the better spots. I did take my fishing buddy metal detecting with me. Put him on a spot that I knew contained quite a lot of modern coins and zinclons. He had a blast finding a few of the coins. I later checked the area where he had detected and dug up a couple of dollars in clad that he had missed.

 

[mudpuppy]

Fishing, Hunting, Trapping, etc...I'll take certain people to great locations for the joy of watching them find or catch something that makes their day.
Met a doctor once out in Rapid City, he said he wanted to catch a big brook trout, well, I knew where a big one was living in a beaver pond on Battle Creek over by Keystone, I took him in there one morning, and he of course caught it...made his day and mine too...we became pretty good friends and would go coyote calling, turkey hunting, gold panning...it was fun to show him all the things I enjoy, and he took real good care of my wife and daughter if they needed anything...we were very poor, and didn't have any medical insurance, In that instance, it was a good trade, entirely unspoken. That being said, its only for certain people, more often than not it turns out poorly.
Mud

 

[amc rulz]

Doesn't really bother me, no one here cares much for coins or treasure, or detecting for that matter. Just a small group of us that hunt independently or in a group at times...If I come across a cherry spot, I may hit it a few times and then invite a bud. I don't care if someone digs something good, it's ususally a public spot and I don't own it anyway. People's feelings are going to be hurt and sometimes there's too much selfishness going around. Life's too short to worry about that kind of stuff.

 

[Critterhunter]

Know what you mean about the trout thing. Got a similar story- A friend of mine never fished for steelhead, or much fishing at all for that matter. One day he told me he'd like to catch a steelhead and feel the fight I told him those things give, jumping out of the water or ripping line off running down stream with the current.

Long story short, I had a spot that was a hike to get back to in the woods, but every time I went back there with a two day span of time in between, I'd catch a nice trout (different one every time) behind a large bolder in the river that the current was running right past. Perfect spot. Big bolder, and a good 4 or 5 foot hole along a long span of shallower water, so that it was the only spot a fish could hole up in as they made their way up river.

Anyway, so I took him back there, said cast your bobber upstream and let that jig (baited with maggots) drift right past that bolder, and to lurk in the eddy currents as it passed it for a bit before re-casting. Sure enough, his bobber goes down right as it past the bolder. I yelled "SET THE HOOK!" and he hooked, fought, and landed a good size steelhead. He was so excited, and took it home to eat. I couldn't have been prouder of him. Never will forget that, and that's what it's all about in life...

Side Story- As the years rolled on, one day I hiked back to my secret spot and found about 5 people fishing it. The wave of yuppies traveling from other states to fish the river was finally here, and so I haven't fished that river for steelhead in years now. I've driven by and seen all the out of state license plates. Steelies are hard enough to catch, let alone with people walking right down in the holes your fishing and spooking them. No big deal, never cared for them anyway unless smoked. Plenty of other fish I much rather prefer to eat...

 

[TigerNed]

This story I'm about to write still sits very hard with me, not only did this make me very mad but it hurt even more.

About 13 to 14 years ago, I was a very dedicated forum member on another metal detecting forum. I was most happy that I met some new friends, near and far, and my metal detecting trips had 10 folded. This site's owner and group of members, would do a pay to hunt, 1 or twice a year. Most where civil war site based. All the hunts I knew of took place anywhere from Virginia to as far south as LA and TX.

Being from Connecticut, my interest was Revolutionary War Period.
One day I had an idea, I called the owner of web site and offered to do some homework and research and see if I could acquire a hunting site with potential, no, make that Great Potential to hold a leased site hunt with Revolutionary War History. I also suggested we name the first and following hunts, The North VS South hunt, seeing most forum members seemed to be from the North East, all the way down the East Coast, and swinging towards TX.
He loved the idea and agreed to help me and quide me, seeing this would be the first time I tried to acquire a land for lease to have a metal detecting outing.
At first the going was slow and fruitless, many land owners ( mostly large farm land tracts) didn't even want to talk to me, some even just closed their doors in my face, once the topic Metal Detecting came up.
I then came up with another idea, I joined the local Historical Society of this towns. It was about a half year I attended every meeting and shared my knowledge of Revolutinary War with them and how it had such a very large impact on their area. Soon there was questions coming back to me, and intrest started to rise. Then I was approached by one of the land owners who land had surely been a camp site and heavily used during the War. They wanted to talk to the person who would be supporting this hunt on their web site and being payed for it. So I contacted the forum owner and he was overwhelmed with joy that I had a door open to such a great site and very good chance at a lease. We discused some details and we talked about me setting up a list of local Hotels and gathering spots for the future hunt. We also discused the need to hunt said site, with permission, prior to the leased hunt, to make sure there was signs of a productive hunt. Note: we discussed not to pound the site, but just try to locate a few finds dateing from the era we where looking for.
I gave him the contact number and told him the owner wanted to finalize everything with the site hosting the hunt themselves. in his own words, " Ned, you've done a great job and we landed the site, the owner also agreed for us to do a pre hunt and we will limit it to 3 or 4 hunters to check the site out, you will be one of those hunters, seeing you set up the hunt itself. I'll contact you and we will be in touch, I have to make plans to fly or drive up to CT and we will meet up with you then.

Well, this never did come to be, yes, he did come up to CT and pre hunt the site, bringing a friend of his with him and picking up another CT hunter who I thought was a friend and who was a very close friend of the forums owner. You guessed it, they hunted the site and never contacted me to join them. I found out from the land owner and they never even told me. They claim to have found nothing, but I felt different and my feeling where correct I believe. Shortly after I called them out on the topic, on the web site itself, I was banned and kicked off site.
A few years afterward, I caught wind that a hunt, called the North / South hunt, had taken place in CT. Yup, held by that web site. Many great finds where found, even a George Washington Button. I did some hunting of my own on the web and came across some pictures and stories. Sure enough, the hunting area sure looked like the area I had worked hard to acquire. No town names or site locations ever mentioned, but it sure didn't sit well with me.
Now I do research for myself and a very very small handfull of hunters I trust, those who I truly consider friends.

I don't even go to that site anymore, I probably could sign in as another person, but I won't stoop that low.....I'm happy here at Finds and another site I frequent...

 

[Critterhunter]

Well if what you said is the way it happened and in fact the site you secured was the one hunted, I'd have to ask how anybody could enjoy themselves knowing what they did to you? I don't think I could enjoy my finds, no matter how good or valuable they were, if I had done that.

About 7 years ago I hurt my arm on a farm due to a farm hand speeding in a golf cart we were in, despite us telling him several times to slow down. I had a piece of wood about as big around as your thumb go almost completely through my forearm. A distant family member in relations was a lawyer and kept hounding me to sue.

Well, after the surgery to clean and repair the wound, I had full use of my hand and no tendons were cut. I'm just glad when I pulled the piece of wood out of my arm on instinct I didn't sever an artery and bleed to death, as it was very near where people slit their wrists.

Long story short, I thought for a few days about suing, and then decided that I couldn't enjoy that money knowing that the friend driving the golf cart and the owner of the farm (also a friend) would be hurt by that, and besides even if they weren't friends of mine how could I enjoy the money? Pictured myself sitting on a beach sipping an exotic drink and knew all I'd hear was a voice in the back of my head saying "this ain't right". So I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't. Bad karma for one thing.

Point is I guess some people just don't care what it costs to make finds or make money. Not that I'm a saint by any means, of course. My hypocrisy only goes so far in that respect...