My First No in person while hunting

[fsdigital12]

Went to a local county park while on a break from work. No signs posted, except a "No Golf" sign and nothing on the county park website about MD. Or any rules/regs for that matter.

Was hunting a grass trip near the parking lot, was there about 15 minutes in total. I see a county park services pickup truck approach me, the guy hit his horn, I looked up and he is shaking his finger and says "not allowed in the county parks". I said no problem and leave..

Oh well....

On to the next spot

[MetalMiner]

Not the case in all counties in NJ. I got email permission from Monmouth & Camden County Parks Directors. And I make sure I carry the email with me

[fsdigital12]

Yea this was hudson county. I've had no problems in others

[ATProGuy]

Is it really off limits or was it just him saying No? I've had state park workers tell me I had to leave or they would call the rangers. I didn't leave and told them to call because I didn't do anything wrong. Detecting is allowed at this state park with permission and I have email and written permission. The worker felt dumb when the range showed up and knew my name already and told him that it's perfectly legal and I am there all the time. Needless to say the worker waves to me now and even brought me a bottle of water when i took a break. hahaha.

[fsdigital12]

I couldn't find anything that that says it was off limits....

Weather or not this was his assumption or he just made it up...I wasn't about to question him...that's just the way I am with "officials".
Now if this was a bystander...different story.

Im the type that looks for signs and online... if I don't see anything j hunt it until Someone says otherwise.

When I ask permission first with these public people..I always get a "its not prohibited" but we do have a policy against digging etc....

[MetalMiner]

send an email to the Hudson County parks director,& ask him

[Mick56]

If you do ask, don't say "Is metal detecting allowed at the park?" Too easy for them to say no.

Say "Are there any rules against metal detecting at the park?"

[grouser]

and your not "digging" in the park it's more like lifting the rug to get the key out from underneath,,,,

[Milhaus]

I would want to see that in writing. If it is in writing I would make a written request to the parks director to do coin hunting in the parks. If he/she says no I would ask for an explanation as to why. Where I come from the government needs a good reason to prohibit the use of public spaces.

Originally Posted by fsdigital12

Went to a local county park while on a break from work. No signs posted, except a "No Golf" sign and nothing on the county park website about MD. Or any rules/regs for that matter.

Was hunting a grass trip near the parking lot, was there about 15 minutes in total. I see a county park services pickup truck approach me, the guy hit his horn, I looked up and he is shaking his finger and says "not allowed in the county parks". I said no problem and leave..

Oh well....

On to the next spot

[Patton]

I also, would like to see that in writing.

[MadTownScoop]

I was at a local beach area today and happened on a county parks truck. Asked him if I needed a county boat launch permit to park my truck just for MDg. He looked around and told me its not busy so he dont mind. Well, we got talking about my detecting there and I showed him all the lose trash and such in the back of my truck from previous trips places and he was like... "Wow" You actually keep all that stuff. " I told him yeah, I throw it away like others dont and keep the parks just a bit cleaner. Also told him about how to dig plugs, or flaps when the moisture gets low in the dirt to save the grass and how we fill in and tamp down our dig sites to leave it as original as possible. Now, where we live we DO Have to get a permit for county parks. Its free so its no big deal. Just gotta sign after reading a short " Rules/ethics" Which is pretty much how we all do things here. I personally would ask them if they could provide me with the ordinance number so you can look it up if they say yeah, there's an ordinance against it.

[demyansk1942]

Don't send an email, send a regular letter in an envelope. Even better, visit the person who has a say and let them know that you have read the rules and you will donate any historic finds to the local village preservation authority.

[nnjal85]

hate to bump an old topic but what was the outcome for fsdigital12 ?

[Skrap]

The guy waved his little granny finger at you saying no detecting and you just left?

[Burbank Bob]

Around here it's all about "Disturbing the Turf" .. that eliminates practically everything.

I told a groundskeeper that asked me to leave a park that his vehicle disturbed the turf and he should not walk in the park either.

When I started laughing at him, he began to smoke from the ears and I thought he would certainly explode...

[Dark Chameleon]

I got beeped at the other day when i was in another park in my town, my firsat time there, thankfully im partially deaf from years of cutting stone so didnt hear what they said but before i got my gear out of the truck i checked the rules and it just said no golf, no littering that was it...the fact i have permission from the parks and rec in this town to detect opens up all the parks...as long as i dont go onto the actual play area im fine so i do a triple width scan and leave the field alone..till the seasons over then im so goner hit those fields hard...but i have stepkids played on those fields and id not want them to have twisted their ankles from steping on a loose plug or have some anal annie calling the cops or lawyers for something i did.

We all know the money is around the edges though so its not much difference anyway.

[Joves]

Originally Posted by Milhaus

I would want to see that in writing. If it is in writing I would make a written request to the parks director to do coin hunting in the parks. If he/she says no I would ask for an explanation as to why. Where I come from the government needs a good reason to prohibit the use of public spaces.

Exactly. I would look up your local ordinances and see if it is banned. If it is not then print them out and carry them with you. Some park workers like to play God in their areas when they do not have the right to.

[kermitdfrog]

Funniest thing in st Louis county parks is that its allowed but no digging and park management has the authority to allow or deny at their discretion
The policy even goes into detail about what you can keep and what you have to turn in to the park administrator to be reviewed before you are allowed to take it, any coin, jewelry, etc. Over 50 years old what a joke.
"Umm yes sir this ring is only twenty years old and no I didn't dig it up I used a vacuum to suck it out of the ground"

[Terry Soloman]

I am not surprised by the overwhelming responses in this thread. In my opinion, the Original poster did EXACTLY what he should have done in this situation. He was told by a Park Employee that he was not allowed to dig up the park, so he said OK, and left.

Some of you advocate arguing the “law” or demanding to see the “regulations” with the official on scene. In my opinion, if YOU don’t KNOW what the regulations and laws are concerning the public park you are digging in, or cannot cite or produce them, then YOU have no business or right to argue in the first place.

Some advocate writing or calling your park and/or government officials to get permission or find out what the regulations are. In my opinion, this is just another way to expectorate into the wind. It is easier for an official to just say no, than it is to go through the “process” of saying yes.

If you are going to detect a public park, go at first light, and be GONE by 830am. Leave no trace that you were there. Know how to use a popper or cut a plug/flap, and always take the garbage with you.

Use common sense.

[Joves]

Originally Posted by Terry Soloman

I am not surprised by the overwhelming responses in this thread. In my opinion, the Original poster did EXACTLY what he should have done in this situation. He was told by a Park Employee that he was not allowed to dig up the park, so he said OK, and left.

Some of you advocate arguing the “law” or demanding to see the “regulations” with the official on scene. In my opinion, if YOU don’t KNOW what the regulations and laws are concerning the public park you are digging in, or cannot cite or produce them, then YOU have no business or right to argue in the first place.

Some advocate writing or calling your park and/or government officials to get permission or find out what the regulations are. In my opinion, this is just another way to expectorate into the wind. It is easier for an official to just say no, than it is to go through the “process” of saying yes.

If you are going to detect a public park, go at first light, and be GONE by 830am. Leave no trace that you were there. Know how to use a popper or cut a plug/flap, and always take the garbage with you.

Use common sense.

The thing is I can cite them, and have a printed copy of them. I never go to a gun fight empty handed. It is loke for me carrying my Photographers Rights sheet, because that gets you hassled as well at times in a post 9/11 world. I have always stood my ground when it comes to my rights, not doing so allows them to be taken from you.