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Sheriff took our side!

ChrisnAmanda1

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
1,181
Location
Montana
I had it out with a bus driver yesterday while hunting an old school yard. The school has been there for a century, and its still used today, but the playgrounds have moved and some of the buildings changed. Anyways, While I was kneeling down digging a plug, a bus driver stopped the bus and got out and started yelling at me and Amanda. Told us "Stop tearing up my field!! You cant be here!" Even tho the sign says public welcome, no one allowed after dark, enter at your own risk while school grounds are unsupervised. Normally, if someone comes out and asks me not to dig, Im more than happy to pack up and leave, but the way this man approached me and Amanda, in front of our kids was outright unacceptable. I told him "First of all, you need to stop yelling at us right now, second of all, this is public property, WE pay for out of our taxes, , I have kids that go here and I guarantee the kids playing out here every day cause more damage than I am with this tiny shovel" he then proceeded to yell at us some more about how we are ripping up the field and we needed to leave" Long story short I told him to find 4 holes that I dug knowing he wouldnt be able to because I fill EVERY SINGLE PLUG. He yells back "Ill just call the sheriff for destruction of property!" I laughed and went about my business while the kiddos were playing in the rocks, After about 20 more mins, sure enough here comes the Sheriff. He was nice enough, asked what was going on, told me You guys are correct, this is public property and your'e not breaking any laws. I dont see any damage, Hell I cant even find a hole!" So he went back and told the bus driver We had every right to be there and that the kids who go here cause more damage! LOL! After a few mins, he came saying the bus driver said its privately maintained property and that they could ask me to stop digging. Having 8 years in law enforcement, I knew it was BS, but because I could tel the sheriff was over the entire situation I agreed to stop digging in the field if I could continue hunting the gravel and dirt area. He was perfectly find with that and even went back to tell the bus driver that I was more than allowed to dig the areas outside the field. Turned out to be pretty good hunting grounds too! Found a couple bucks in clad and ring number 3 for the year~~
 
Some people get really worked up over nothing. I didn't believe he would really call the cops! All the parks I've Hunter and I never got kicked out, just ignored[emoji41]


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Good story. And this is exactly why I do most of my hunting at night. So peaceful. So serene :)
 
Not just metal detecting, but I learned a long time ago that whoever makes it easiest for the cop to report back with a disposition and close the call wins. Cops hate getting in the middle of stuff like that and they just want to resolve it as fast and as easy as they can and get back to patrolling. They don't really care, they just have to report back. It is one of the few times that he who yells the loudest and the longest is the one who ends up not getting the grease.
 
Not just metal detecting, but I learned a long time ago that whoever makes it easiest for the cop to report back with a disposition and close the call wins. Cops hate getting in the middle of stuff like that and they just want to resolve it as fast and as easy as they can and get back to patrolling. They don't really care, they just have to report back. It is one of the few times that he who yells the loudest and the longest is the one who ends up not getting the grease.


Exactly! Ive worked alongside LEO's long enough to know how to appeal to their better side haha. Cool, calm and collected always seems to be the best policy. I greeted him as soon as he showed up, explained the situation and told him the bus driver was such a hot head I couldnt explain anything to him anyway. Automatically made him look like the bad guy, and then proved my point by telling him "Ive dug 4 holes right where your standing. If you can point them out, Ill happily leave" Thats when he basically rolled his eyes at the situation and knew the bus driver was just being an A** hole...
 
I had it out with a bus driver yesterday while hunting an old school yard. The school has been there for a century, and its still used today, but the playgrounds have moved and some of the buildings changed. Anyways, While I was kneeling down digging a plug, a bus driver stopped the bus and got out and started yelling at me and Amanda. Told us "Stop tearing up my field!! You cant be here!" Even tho the sign says public welcome, no one allowed after dark, enter at your own risk while school grounds are unsupervised. Normally, if someone comes out and asks me not to dig, Im more than happy to pack up and leave, but the way this man approached me and Amanda, in front of our kids was outright unacceptable. I told him "First of all, you need to stop yelling at us right now, second of all, this is public property, WE pay for out of our taxes, , I have kids that go here and I guarantee the kids playing out here every day cause more damage than I am with this tiny shovel" he then proceeded to yell at us some more about how we are ripping up the field and we needed to leave" Long story short I told him to find 4 holes that I dug knowing he wouldnt be able to because I fill EVERY SINGLE PLUG. He yells back "Ill just call the sheriff for destruction of property!" I laughed and went about my business while the kiddos were playing in the rocks, After about 20 more mins, sure enough here comes the Sheriff. He was nice enough, asked what was going on, told me You guys are correct, this is public property and your'e not breaking any laws. I dont see any damage, Hell I cant even find a hole!" So he went back and told the bus driver We had every right to be there and that the kids who go here cause more damage! LOL! After a few mins, he came saying the bus driver said its privately maintained property and that they could ask me to stop digging. Having 8 years in law enforcement, I knew it was BS, but because I could tel the sheriff was over the entire situation I agreed to stop digging in the field if I could continue hunting the gravel and dirt area. He was perfectly find with that and even went back to tell the bus driver that I was more than allowed to dig the areas outside the field. Turned out to be pretty good hunting grounds too! Found a couple bucks in clad and ring number 3 for the year~~

"I agreed to stop digging in the field if I could continue hunting the gravel and dirt area."

You lost.
 
"I agreed to stop digging in the field if I could continue hunting the gravel and dirt area."

You lost.

I dont consider it a loss. The bus driver was determined to have us kicked out, the sheriff didn't want to do so but he also couldn't prove it wasn't privately maintained property. Instead of pissing off the sheriff I decided to make his job a little easier and he went back to tell the bus driver to get bent and we could hunt the rest of the school...
 
I had it out with a bus driver yesterday while hunting an old school yard. The school has been there for a century, and its still used today, but the playgrounds have moved and some of the buildings changed. Anyways, While I was kneeling down digging a plug, a bus driver stopped the bus and got out and started yelling at me and Amanda. Told us "Stop tearing up my field!! You cant be here!" Even tho the sign says public welcome, no one allowed after dark, enter at your own risk while school grounds are unsupervised. Normally, if someone comes out and asks me not to dig, Im more than happy to pack up and leave, but the way this man approached me and Amanda, in front of our kids was outright unacceptable. I told him "First of all, you need to stop yelling at us right now, second of all, this is public property, WE pay for out of our taxes, , I have kids that go here and I guarantee the kids playing out here every day cause more damage than I am with this tiny shovel" he then proceeded to yell at us some more about how we are ripping up the field and we needed to leave" Long story short I told him to find 4 holes that I dug knowing he wouldnt be able to because I fill EVERY SINGLE PLUG. He yells back "Ill just call the sheriff for destruction of property!" I laughed and went about my business while the kiddos were playing in the rocks, After about 20 more mins, sure enough here comes the Sheriff. He was nice enough, asked what was going on, told me You guys are correct, this is public property and your'e not breaking any laws. I dont see any damage, Hell I cant even find a hole!" So he went back and told the bus driver We had every right to be there and that the kids who go here cause more damage! LOL! After a few mins, he came saying the bus driver said its privately maintained property and that they could ask me to stop digging. Having 8 years in law enforcement, I knew it was BS, but because I could tel the sheriff was over the entire situation I agreed to stop digging in the field if I could continue hunting the gravel and dirt area. He was perfectly find with that and even went back to tell the bus driver that I was more than allowed to dig the areas outside the field. Turned out to be pretty good hunting grounds too! Found a couple bucks in clad and ring number 3 for the year~~

And this is the True "stand your ground" law. :) Well done!
 
I dont consider it a loss. The bus driver was determined to have us kicked out, the sheriff didn't want to do so but he also couldn't prove it wasn't privately maintained property. Instead of pissing off the sheriff I decided to make his job a little easier and he went back to tell the bus driver to get bent and we could hunt the rest of the school...

Same opinion here, not sorry.
 
And this is the True "stand your ground" law. :)....

While it is true that it worked in the O.P.'s case here, I'd be careful in trying to apply it in all situations. Because .... you could be on the loosing end of the debate, as to semantics on whether or not you "altered" or "defaced" or "removed/took" things.

Thus sometimes you just give lip service, and come back when said-singular lookie-lou isn't present. Some people might call that "sneaking around". Ok, fine: Sneak around :laughing:
 
While it is true that it worked in the O.P.'s case here, I'd be careful in trying to apply it in all situations. Because .... you could be on the loosing end of the debate, as to semantics on whether or not you "altered" or "defaced" or "removed/took" things.

Thus sometimes you just give lip service, and come back when said-singular lookie-lou isn't present. Some people might call that "sneaking around". Ok, fine: Sneak around :laughing:

haha I even told the sheriff "So since Im not breaking any laws, Im probably just going to come back when ol boy aint here!" He kinda chuckled and said "well Im not going to leave and come back looking for ya, if you decide to come back, thats up to you.."
 
haha I even told the sheriff "So since Im not breaking any laws, Im probably just going to come back when ol boy aint here!" He kinda chuckled and said "well Im not going to leave and come back looking for ya, if you decide to come back, thats up to you.."

Haha. One time I had a cop come up to me, in a San Francisco park, saying I couldn't be detecting. But after some casual conversation, he confided in me that the ONLY reason he was there, was that some busy-body lady (who apparently was a routine caller because she thinks she's the self-appointed monitor of the park). And he said .... in a "wink-wink" fashion, that he house only over-looks this one corner of the park. And that if I went to the other end of the park then: " What she doesn't see won't hurt her".

As you can see, in cases like these, that a lot of skittish md'rs just assume any scram constitutes law, or something they need to go to city hall and "get clarified", blah blah. But as you can see: Sometimes it just means: Give lip service, and avoid that one individual in-the-future. No need to swat hornet's nests. No need to think you need to please every-last-person on earth.
 
Some years ago, I was hunting a small grass patch of land across the street from a high school. One hour into the hunt the cops arrive. They told me that they were responding to a call from someone who claimed I was tearing up the grass. They also said that because they got a call, they had to respond and investigate. When they realized I wasn't wrecking the place they told me to leave so that they could humor the caller, but "come back tomorrow". Seeing as how it was getting close to dinner time I left and came back the next day. Unfortunately that was NOT the last time I've had to deal with police answering calls from busy bodies.
 
Some years ago, I was hunting a small grass patch of land across the street from a high school. One hour into the hunt the cops arrive. They told me that they were responding to a call from someone who claimed I was tearing up the grass. They also said that because they got a call, they had to respond and investigate. When they realized I wasn't wrecking the place they told me to leave so that they could humor the caller, but "come back tomorrow". Seeing as how it was getting close to dinner time I left and came back the next day. Unfortunately that was NOT the last time I've had to deal with police answering calls from busy bodies.

It's a minor annoyance, but I feel like as soon as they realize what we are up to they stop caring about it LOL.
 
Haha. One time I had a cop come up to me, in a San Francisco park, saying I couldn't be detecting. But after some casual conversation, he confided in me that the ONLY reason he was there, was that some busy-body lady (who apparently was a routine caller because she thinks she's the self-appointed monitor of the park). And he said .... in a "wink-wink" fashion, that he house only over-looks this one corner of the park. And that if I went to the other end of the park then: " What she doesn't see won't hurt her".

As you can see, in cases like these, that a lot of skittish md'rs just assume any scram constitutes law, or something they need to go to city hall and "get clarified", blah blah. But as you can see: Sometimes it just means: Give lip service, and avoid that one individual in-the-future. No need to swat hornet's nests. No need to think you need to please every-last-person on earth.

"Sometimes it just means: Give lip service, and avoid that one individual in-the-future. No need to swat c. Sometimes it just means: Give lip service, and avoid that one individual in-the-future. No need to swat hornet's nests."

So, you are admitting it is our LEGAL public, paid tax payer's problem? "Sometimes it just means: Give lip service, and avoid that one individual in-the-future. No need to swat hornet's nests.

Can't we "swat hornet's nests" as legal tax payer!!!!!!!

We count too.
 
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