Captmo47
New Member
I’m headed to st. Augustine first week of April. I’ve never detected there. Any tips, tricks, advice would be greatly appreciated.
St. Augustine
- Thread starter Captmo47
- Start date
hoser
Forum Supporter
Well just the fact that it is the oldest city/town in the US and founded by the Spanish in the 1500's. I would guess just about anywhere there might be a good place to start hunting.
They are pumping sand. But you never know.
DJW
Junior Member
Use Care, check the local/city/county/state/federal laws in that area; a lot of places to get into trouble. Good luck and happy hunting. From what I have read you need to stay out of the water, on the sand and out of the beach grass.
DJW
Junior Member
No, I read the local laws. Kinda like I hope you do in Ka. But I do know one who is in that area.
Why; do you? The Treasure Coast has a lot of differing laws and a lot of the water lands are leased to treasure hunters.
Why; do you? The Treasure Coast has a lot of differing laws and a lot of the water lands are leased to treasure hunters.
DJW
Junior Member
You know Tom I met many people over the years I spent in the military. Some of them had a disease that seems to still be hanging around these days! It was diagnosed as RectalOpticalIitis; are you by some chance afflicted by that awful disease? Rectal-optical-itis: The symptoms were questionable and many but one of the symptoms was that they had their head so far up their rectum that they had to have a glass bellybutton so they could see where they were going in life! You really need to see a doctor.
markinmichigan
Forum Supporter
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2022
- Messages
- 1,895
Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,757
Hey there DJW : Nice job with ad hominems. Now if you want to return to a discussion on "imminent doom that awaits md'rs in the lots-of-places", that's fine. But ad hominems are not discussions.
Re.: Your post # 4 :
I get so tired of this notion casually tossed out there that everyone is just waiting to bust-our-chops. And that anti-md'ing (and I quote) : "trouble" looms everywhere. As if tickets, arrests, jail, confiscations, etc... Loom . And when you ask persons, who make this statement "Got any examples ?" they typically have none. It's always something they heard from someone , who heard from someone, who heard from someone, etc... But examples are never forthcoming.
Or if they CAN fish up any examples, of someone who had any actual trouble, it is invariably someone who can't take a warning, or someone sneaking obvious off-limits historic monument. Or someone who could have looked up potential laws/rules for themselves. And sure, if there WERE a law or rule (that SPECIFICALLY says it), then SURE , don't detect.
But that doesn't tend to be the way #4 gets translated and implemented :
Here's what people tend to do with it : They will show up on bureaucrats' doorsteps (kiosks, sending emails, making calls, etc...) asking "Can I ?" And then we all become the victims of the "No one cared UNTIL you asked" phenomenon. Ie.: Presto another law or rule or policy is born.
This issue is only an issue of whether to "knock on doors" or to "look up for ourselves". But what bugged me about #4, is the implication that there's lots of trouble for if you and I don't grovel somewhere. Eg.: Tickets, jail, arrests, confiscations blah blah. Yet as said : Whenever we ask "got any examples", it gets strangely silent.
Re.: Your post # 4 :
I get so tired of this notion casually tossed out there that everyone is just waiting to bust-our-chops. And that anti-md'ing (and I quote) : "trouble" looms everywhere. As if tickets, arrests, jail, confiscations, etc... Loom . And when you ask persons, who make this statement "Got any examples ?" they typically have none. It's always something they heard from someone , who heard from someone, who heard from someone, etc... But examples are never forthcoming.
Or if they CAN fish up any examples, of someone who had any actual trouble, it is invariably someone who can't take a warning, or someone sneaking obvious off-limits historic monument. Or someone who could have looked up potential laws/rules for themselves. And sure, if there WERE a law or rule (that SPECIFICALLY says it), then SURE , don't detect.
But that doesn't tend to be the way #4 gets translated and implemented :
Here's what people tend to do with it : They will show up on bureaucrats' doorsteps (kiosks, sending emails, making calls, etc...) asking "Can I ?" And then we all become the victims of the "No one cared UNTIL you asked" phenomenon. Ie.: Presto another law or rule or policy is born.
This issue is only an issue of whether to "knock on doors" or to "look up for ourselves". But what bugged me about #4, is the implication that there's lots of trouble for if you and I don't grovel somewhere. Eg.: Tickets, jail, arrests, confiscations blah blah. Yet as said : Whenever we ask "got any examples", it gets strangely silent.
Slimpickuns
Forum Supporter
Hey don't worry about it, looks like Tom has your legal fees covered If you run into any trouble..
John Madill
Elite Member
Tom, here in Michigan newbies will ask on Facebook if detecting our Great Lakes state park beaches is permitted.
Invariably some one will quickly respond NO!
When in fact they are fair game. Typically you might be told to avoid sensitive nesting areas or to stay out of the dune grass but that is about it.
I believe it is a different story on our few national Lakeshore beaches.
But unless I saw a physical sign I would give it a go until told otherwise.
Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,757
Hey don't worry about it, looks like Tom has your legal fees covered If you run into any trouble..
Haha, Ok, then the question gets posed to you too : Got any examples of someone who had "legal fees" for md'ing @ some benign beach or park somewhere ?
Last edited:
Unless you have a high pain tolerance, dodge the Datil peppers. Hot!!!!!
Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,757
Thanx John. And guess how these ^ ^ answers get into the pipeline of md'ing-lore ? I bet I know how.
Or, heck, I've even heard of this evolution at a place: Someone, way-back-when decade(s) ago got a "scram". Maybe because someone thought it was bothering earthworms, or the "harvest & remove" verbiage, or someone was simply having a bad-hair day. So the md'r assumes this means "Oh no, such & such place is off-limits". As if every "scram" or stink eye constitutes a law or rule from here on out. Instead of just avoiding a singular kill-joy, giving lip service, etc...
And then they promptly puts the word out to others that there's "trouble" at such & such place. Or that such & such place is "off-limits". Links lead to links and : Within 10 yrs, YOU CAN NEVER PUT THE ISSUE TO BED ! And if anyone ever wanted to say "since when ?" and "says who ?", guess how others go to "clarify" the issue ? Yup , they Go ask "Can I ?". And hence the self-fulfilling vicious circle continues.
I'm not saying that, if someone is skittish, then sure, look up laws/rules for yourself. There's almost no public entity (city, parks, beaches, forests, etc...) that doesn't have their muni codes and park rules on line. Eg.: Dogs on leash. No fireworks, etc... And if it truly said : "No md'ing", fine then, don't detect . (And I have a sneaking suspicion why a codified rule is there). But if it didn't say "no md'ing", then presto: Not disallowed. No need to ask anyone "Can I ?"
Last edited:
LongJohnSilver1
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2020
- Messages
- 982
Don't worry we have the same sickness here. Everyone has suddenly developed this need to ask permission to wipe their own backsides.
Here it's explicately stated, no metal detecting or other forms of fossicking in national parks, heritage listed properties or cultural reserves. But people still ask if it's ok to dig a hole at the beach, which is none of those.
Here it's explicately stated, no metal detecting or other forms of fossicking in national parks, heritage listed properties or cultural reserves. But people still ask if it's ok to dig a hole at the beach, which is none of those.
Definitely a place you got real potential for getting in trouble if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wouldn't suggest walking around downtown with a metal detector. Plus you got people digging up St Augustine trying to find the Casque from the book "The secret". Worse problem I had was some guy with a lamp shirt on. "St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program" (LAMP) Had just previously helped LAMP mark a few hits with my metal detector around a piece of ship wreck. A couple weeks later some guy with a LAMP shirt on is screaming at my girlfriend. So I go over there with my scoop and he hauls arse. Guy was yelling it's illegal to be on any beach with a metal detector. So we call LAMP and they said we were okay and said to try to get a picture of the guys face and his name. He seems to like to cuss out women since he did the same thing to another friend of mine.Do you know of a "lot of people who got in trouble at lot of places" there in St. Augustine ?
John Madill
Elite Member
The State of Michigan has a website that is just about detecting in state parks.
There is a list of what parks completely disallow detecting. It is perhaps one third of the parks.
Most of these "parks" are the natural areas where there is no camping allowed. Just foot trails though the forest.
The remainder of the parks have areas marked in red where detecting is prohibited. Usually it is the camping area.
I can think of no state park with a beach that tells you to stay off the sand or out of the water.
When I get home in a couple of days from snowboarding and sit at my computer I will find the link and post it.
Everyone should have a shot at a Lake Michigan beach.
Great sand, huge crowds, no salt, lots of drops!
There is a list of what parks completely disallow detecting. It is perhaps one third of the parks.
Most of these "parks" are the natural areas where there is no camping allowed. Just foot trails though the forest.
The remainder of the parks have areas marked in red where detecting is prohibited. Usually it is the camping area.
I can think of no state park with a beach that tells you to stay off the sand or out of the water.
When I get home in a couple of days from snowboarding and sit at my computer I will find the link and post it.
Everyone should have a shot at a Lake Michigan beach.
Great sand, huge crowds, no salt, lots of drops!
Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,757
Well by example/comparison : Here in CA, on state beaches (which are a part of the state park system here), there is no *specific* rule that exists that *specifically* says "no md'ing".
But over the decades, a *few* md'rs have either fetched a "no you can't" (because they sent inquiries to Sacramento asking "can I ?"). Or in a few cases, yes, bumped into isolated individual rangers (having a bad hair day ?) . That figured it violated fine print boiler plate cultural heritage wording. Or violated Lost & Found laws, or whatever. Yet truth be told : There's nothing specific . And heck, we're just looking for new coins, right ? The truth is : You can hunt state of CA beaches till you're blue in the face.
And no one here has ever gone to seek to "over turn" any such flukes, or to "correct" single individuals like the ones you describe. Instead : They are just written off as fluke scrams. And we avoid "just that one person" or "just that one beach". But do not feel it's our duty to go higher than him/her, to get this over-turned. Ie.: We do not go higher up "seeking clarifications" nor swatting hornet's nests. Lest that be construed as a "Can I ?" And then presto, someone higher up feels there's a need to codify something specific, to "address this pressing issue"
Here was a FMDF thread about this very subject : https://metaldetectingforum.com/ind...boot-constitutes-law-from-then-on-out.278842/
hoser
Forum Supporter
Yep, John I use that all the time when we are out and about. Keeps you from getting a stiff neck from having to look over your shoulder all the time.
