Well...after several calls and transfers later - I ended up with a geologist for the states forest management division. He says that with everyone that he check with (and he called me back twice) says there is no law that says you can't but more importantly not one that says you can so you can't metal detect on state land open to hunting.
So here we sit with no law saying we can't but no law saying we can either so can't wins. That just does not seem right to me.
He pointed to a lack of any administrative order allowing the activity on land owned by the state. He even said that they are working on an administrative order to allow the collecting of rocks from the beach which I might add he says is currently not allowed and if a park ranger wanted to be a dink about things could write you a ticket. How about that..
There has got to be an answer for this...anyone else have any ideas.
Frustrated - Mark
Okay, now this is more what I heard. My son is in the MSP (Michigan State Police) and knows many COs (Conservation or DNR Officers).
I was told of three arrests in the Grayling Michigan area back a few years ago. Their great crimes were: 1. attempting to remove a rock from state land 2. parking on a road into state land thereby blocking it 3. removing a piece of sod from state land. These where separate cases.
I was told the man who removed the sod was fined and had to put the sod back. The same was true of the couple who took the rock.
By the way, fines with the DNR are mega expensive. Long gone are the days of cheap $50-$100 fines. But probably the fine would be the easiest part.
I posted this once but then removed it. Back a couple years ago there was an article in our area local news paper (comes out once a week) telling about the DNR looking for metal detectorists who had taken relics from a Ghost Town site near Traverse City Michigan (open field with nothing above ground as I recall). They are in fact still looking for leads in that case. Whomever did it had better not let it out--ever.
Lots of people hunt on state owned lands anyway but they had better hope the wrong CO doesn't catch them at it. Because in Michigan digging relics on state owned lands is stealing from the state. Maybe not all COs would arrest THers but there are many who will.
Well the above is what I was told several years ago. Was I informed wrong? If I was then how come the article in the paper?
Well, as for me, you can count me out. It's private land or nothing.