Iced In & Brain Dead!

Well I’ve just mindlessly Netflixed through three days of freezing rain, sleet and a helluva lot of ice. Winter it seems is trying to compete with the endless hot summers here in Texas and doing it with an exclamation mark. On the plus side I haven’t lost power and that’s a big ____ deal. Today? The temps “should” start rising, the ice melting and my mood improving. At least I’m hoping for that. I hate this crap!

I’ve perused the metal detecting stratosphere looking for something to ponder, something to share but no deal, same ole, same ole. So, since it’s Thursday here’s a throwback from December 2015 that reinforces my last update…

A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR…

…might make us a little more palatable.

About two months ago I got an email from someone named Brad.  Brad lived in central New Jersey, my old stomping grounds, and he had recently received a White’s Coinmaster for his birthday.He had one of my books, found my blog and asked if I might suggest a few places for him to detect.

Brad lived in Somerset county, and while I didn’t hunt a lot in that area, I did suggest a few places that used to produce a few old coins in Hunterdon county, just a few miles South.  I offered them with two caveats.  (1) I had not lived there for 28 years, had no idea what the sites/areas were like now, and (2) if they were still available, I had no idea what regulations and/or restrictions there might be now, if any.  The sites I offered were town parks, picnic areas, carnival sites, athletic fields and schools.

A couple of weeks ago I heard back from Brad. He had gone to one athletic field I had suggested in Lambertville, New Jersey, and had just started to detect when a city maintenance worker tapped him on the shoulder, and told him that metal detecting was not allowed in that area. He left and then drove to another athletic field I had suggested, just across the bridge in New Hope, Pennsylvania. There too, after about fifteen minutes of searching, a policeman drove up and asked him to stop.  On a more positive note, Brad did say he was able to detect an old school I had suggested in Ringoes, New Jersey, and came away with a couple of silver dimes, so his excursion was not all bad.

He went on to say that since his first email he had purchased a pinponter, a Lesche shovel, and while finding places to detect was somewhat difficult, he was having a lot of fun. I asked if he had the shovel with him when he was in those areas that he was asked to leave, and he said yes.  Now I suspect he would still have been asked to leave, no matter his choice of recovery tools, but I reminded him to think twice about this is in the future. Both of the athletic fields in question were in residential neighborhoods.

IT’S A NEW ERA & THERE ARE NEW RULES

Understand that back in the 70’s and 80’s detecting was not as popular as it is today, and if there were ten detectorists within 30 miles, that was a lot. In fact if and when you did run into one, it was an exciting moment. One that almost necessitated a hug, and surely a long talk about all things metal detecting.  For me, in one instance, it resulted in a new club, the (Mid-Jersey Research & Recovery ) and eventually the formation of the FMDAC.

Back then you also could walk on to most any town park, school or athletic field and not be bothered by anyone. If anything the local gendarmes would stop, and walk over to you just to see what kind of goodies you were finding.  I remember quite a few leaving, saying “I need to get one of those”…..

Today the competition is keen, and many of the areas that used to be available are nonexistent. I also suspect that those that are still available are not producing the finds that they once did, which is understandable with the influx of new hobbyists.  What I don’t understand, and often wonder about, is how many areas have been closed because of our negligence and inability to present ourselves in a good light.  By that I mean, in the rush to beat the competition, did we completely forget to think about how we might appear to others?  Did we bother to find out the rules or restrictions, if any, before we stepped foot on that property, and in our haste to take home “all we could” in the limited time we had, did we sometimes leave unsightly holes or dead spots?  Were there times when we were asked to leave a site and got a little testy?  While I don’t know the answers to these questions, I’m guessing it just might be a little of all the above.

So is there a way to fix this?  Personally,  I don’t think so. Maybe John, Bill and Jim Bob will give it some thought and change their ways, but will Bubba, Jack and Willy?  Sadly there are just too many tekkies out there who just don’t care about anyone else but themselves, and once an area is closed to metal detecting, it’s very hard to turn it around.

So a few suggestions, or spoonfuls of sugar….

1. When detecting small town community parks, maybe search in the early morning hours.  I personally loved Sunday mornings.  Hardly anyone out and about, and it was peaceful and quiet.

2. If you are searching a park or athletic field, leave the shovel and camo apparel at home.  You won’t be digging land mines.

3. If you are searching a manicured area (one that is extremely well landscaped and cared for), use a probe to recover your finds.  If you don’t know how to probe, LEARN.  If you can figure out how to use that $2,500 metal detector,  you can learn how to probe a target.

4. While it’s fun to hunt with a lot of  friends, save it for the rural areas.  Nothing attracts attention like a gang of tekkies invading a town park.

5. You might laugh at this one, but if you like to take a break for lunch, think about where you are. Nothing shouts out trouble like popping a beer on the tailgate of your truck.  I experienced that here in Texas when I first arrived and went detecting with a few tekkies from a local club. I wanted to crawl under a rock.

6. Be polite to police, city workers, and others who might ask you to leave even though you know you are in the right.  Arguing is not going to help your cause. Think over your options and if and when you return be sure to have a print out of the park regulations in your pocket.  You can almost always find them online. No need to visit city hall and bring up the subject.

7. Dress as inconspicuous as you can. Maybe leave the camo belt at home, and just bring your detector, headphones, pouch and digger. You might even like the simplicity of it all.

 

You might consider these suggestions a waste of time but that’s okay.  I am old school, old hat and just happen to care about how we look to the masses.

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