Newbie

Welcome to the forum. What kind of detector did you have? Some of the older ones are just as good (or better) than some of the newer ones people use.


Are there any metal detecting clubs around you?

dont forget about the old home sites they would be a great place to hunt ..


Hello and welcome

Good Luck !!

Welcome from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I have a 20 plus year old whites 5900 di pro that still finds more stuff than a lot of the newer machines. Oldie but a goodie

Bigfoot13 said:

... I am also concerned about laws and local rules on MD in public areas. I plan to contact our Parks and Recreation department in town to see what rules they have in place. I don't want to get embarrassed by having a cop approach me and tell me I am doing an illegal activity. ...

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Welcome to FMDF. Question: Have you ever had a "cop approach you and tell you that you're doing something illegal when md'ing " ? Based on the rest of your post (that you just dabbled a bit 28 yrs. ago, and call yourself "newbie") , I am going to guess that .... no ... this has never happened to you.

So where is the concern coming from ? I'm going to guess: You read forums, saw some posts of persons who mentioned "rules" or "permits" or "legal hassles", etc... So you wonder "wow, what about my area ? It must be that Legal hassles are imminent in this "

But I believe this is nothing more than "shark attack" psychology at play. Shown in the very evolution you're in: Just like in shark attacks: No matter how rare. No matter how many people swim daily with zero incidents , yet: When a single shark attack makes the front page news, guess what everyone fears the next time they go swimming ?

So too is it with md'ing: No matter how rare the "legal hassles" actually is. No matter how many people md daily with zero problems, yet ... when a single "hassle" is alluded to some remote place in the USA, then ... guess what the skittish newbie md'r fears ? And sure: Even after acknowledging the rarity , you still might think "better safe than sorry" , and thus trot down to your park and rec. dept. (as your post says you're planning).

But here's where the devil is in the details: There's been scores of posts of people doing just that . And fetching a "no" where there's no such rule or law that truly says such a thing. Because, perhaps, whomever you're asking envisions geeks with shovels. Or figures it falls afoul of "harvest & remove" verbiage. Or that you'll bother earthworms. The mere fact that anyone is standing there asking if they can do something, simply lumps your activity into something that is somehow harmful, or dangerous, etc... Lest why else would you be asking "can I ?". Ie.: Nobody asks to to innocuous benign things (fly kites, skip stones on the pond, etc...). Hence, to the person you're asking, they'll subconsciously rack their brains , and put out a "safe answer". It's happened over and over again on threads. For places that, quite frankly, were never an issue before.

You can look up laws and rules for yourself. No need to ask a pencil-pusher. If there's nothing that says "No md'ing", then presto: It's not prohibited. If you can't find your muni codes and park rules on-line, and if you *really* feel the need to talk to a live person, you can ask them: "Where can I find a list of rules that apply to the use of parks here ? Eg.: dogs on leash, no fireworks, permits for group events, etc....". They should be able to point you to a link. Or to where it exists in binder form somewhere. If they try to say : "what is it that you need to know?", you stick to your guns and say " to know where the public can avail themselves of any laws or rules that pertain to the use of the parks here".

Personally, I don't even bother or fret myself to those degrees. For me (and this is just me): If there's not a sign, and it's not an obvious historic sensitive monument, I just go. And don't think that because someone at a city hall gave you a "yes", that carte-blanche exists anyhow. There's plenty of posts of someone who gets a "yes", yet still could get gripers, and announce that your permission is over-turned, or failed to mention "holes", etc... So pick low traffic times. Our hobby has connotation after all. You're never going to get red-carpets rolled out for you, if it comes to manicured turf.

You might try sticking to non-turfed areas for while, while you get your feet wet. Eg.: sand boxes, woodsy parts of the park, etc....

Welcome to the forum from Western NY

from the edge of Lake Michigan in LaPorte County, Indiana.

Bigfoot, Welcome from Western Washington!

Welcome from Florida. I like salt water beach hunting which is probably a different type of hunting for you. You would probably like a Garrett ATP Pro for lakes and streams.

Welcome from NW PA

Welcome from FL.

aboard!

I have an ATP. So far so good and easy to use.

Hello, welcome from Portland, OR!

Welcome. I recently started detecting again after a 35 year layoff. Great hobby for us retired folk. Good luck to ya

Welcome from Ohio.

Welcome to the forum.