Hunt the dunes in NE Florida and go to jail.
I don't doubt that there's a "keep out of dunes" rule there. Hey, after all, they don't want to hurt the poor little nesting birds. Or harm the delicate dune grass, blah blah.
But I have a question for you : Do you know of ANY md'r in Florida, who "went to jail" for md'ing in the dunes ? Note that this question is not questioning the rule itself (whether it exists). That's not in question. The question is: Have you ever heard of an md'r going to jail for it ?
Not a "scram", not a stink-eye, not a ticket, but .... actual jail ?
I don't know why they make it difficult for metal detectorists on sand dunes.....
I don't doubt that there's a "keep out of dunes" rule there. Hey, after all, they don't want to hurt the poor little nesting birds. Or harm the delicate dune grass, blah blah.
But I have a question for you : Do you know of ANY md'r in Florida, who "went to jail" for md'ing in the dunes ? Note that this question is not questioning the rule itself (whether it exists). That's not in question. The question is: Have you ever heard of an md'r going to jail for it ?
Not a "scram", not a stink-eye, not a ticket, but .... actual jail ?
Not sure about FL, but here in CA, there are many beaches with orange-ish/yellow ribbon tape, strung up to keep people out of the dunes. Some might even say something "Dune restoration, keep out" blah blah
A friend of mine worked for the Park rangers dispatch #, and told me the reason for the rules (at least in-so-far as one beach he oversaw) : That there is some sort of bird who lays its eggs at ground level, in the delicate grasses. And that people tromping in the dunes could harm these nesting sites. Also that the dune grasses themselves were delicate. And if vegetation is trampled, then there's no root systems to keep the dunes strong & healthy.
Perhaps the reasoning is the same for FL ? I dunno. But with that said : Despite similar rules at some beaches in CA, no one has "gone to jail" for md'ing , or someone taking a shortcut, etc.... through the dunes.
Actually I know 2. .....
... but, I can say, I've seen multiple guys hunting the dunes over the year's without any repercussions....