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What to reply to "I hope you're not digging any holes"

sandgroper

Elite Member
Joined
May 18, 2016
Messages
4,233
Location
Western Australia
Two or three months ago I was hunting a park, when a ranger pulled up in his car and said "I hope you're not digging any holes". I didn't know what to respond, because only a minute ago I was digging a plug so I wasn't sure if he had seen me or not. I just said "In the sand and dirt I do", to which he nodded his head and drove off. I guess it worked

Now, that was when I was using a smaller shovel which would fit into my finds pouch without anyone seeing it. But now I've got a lesche (not that that's a bad thing), but the handle of the lesche sticks out of the finds bag, so I don't think I'll be able to get away with saying I'm not digging (when he can clearly see the handle of my digger).

So I was wondering what would be the best thing to say to this question/statement (I've been asked about this more the once, but thankfully not yet with my lesche). And saying something smarta$$ like "I'm not digging holes, I'm digging plugs" would probably not be the best approach. And I'm also not sure if the ranger would appreciate a tutorial on responsible plug cutting. :lol:
 
Two or three months ago I was hunting a park, when a ranger pulled up in his car and said "I hope you're not digging any holes". I didn't know what to respond, because only a minute ago I was digging a plug so I wasn't sure if he had seen me or not. I just said "In the sand and dirt I do", to which he nodded his head and drove off. I guess it worked

Now, that was when I was using a smaller shovel which would fit into my finds pouch without anyone seeing it. But now I've got a lesche (not that that's a bad thing), but the handle of the lesche sticks out of the finds bag, so I don't think I'll be able to get away with saying I'm not digging (when he can clearly see the handle of my digger).

So I was wondering what would be the best thing to say to this question/statement (I've been asked about this more the once, but thankfully not yet with my lesche). And saying something smarta$$ like "I'm not digging holes, I'm digging plugs" would probably not be the best approach. And I'm also not sure if the ranger would appreciate a tutorial on responsible plug cutting. :lol:

Somebody ask me yesterday if i was putting up a fence, my holes were starting in single file:lol::lol::lol:i said yes:laughing::laughing::laughing:
 
Holes

I would tell them the truth. Your right ,he could be watching you for awhile. I would rather show him I'm honest about it. He will probably tell you to move on if your not allowed to dig holes. I would rather show him there are honest and ethical people who MD.:mder:
 
From personal experience, its best not to get involved in a semantic debate with any authority figure...practice this self preservation evasive technique in front of the mirror...stick your tongue out of your mouth about halfway, squint your eyes all sleepy looking, and babble/mutter some sort of booboo nonsensical gibberish...if they persist in the attempt to pull you into a dialog, drool and wet your pants, ramp up the babbling accordingly.....

I do this all the time when my Wife wants to talk about something or some project she wants me to do around the house here...so I'm pretty good at it and it just comes natural after a while....I also dress like this when out hunting in public........people pretty much leave me the hell alone.....Hope this helps.....:laughing:
 

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You may want to try popping your coins out with a screwdriver or probe. If I can't dig holes though, a spot is no good to me. I'm consistently digging 8"+ for some targets, a screwdriver just won't work for me. It happens sometimes, I usually just move on, plenty of places to hunt. Return on the weekend or late evening (after they go home) good luck and happy hunting!
 
From personal experience, its best not to get involved in a semantic debate with any authority figure...practice this self preservation evasive technique in front of the mirror...stick your tongue out of your mouth about halfway, squint your eyes all sleepy looking, and babble/mutter some sort of booboo nonsensical gibberish...if they persist in the attempt to pull you into a dialog, drool and wet your pants, ramp up the babbling accordingly.....

I do this all the time when my Wife wants to talk about something or some project she wants me to do around the house here...so I'm pretty good at it and it just comes natural after a while....I also dress like this when out hunting in public........people pretty much leave me the hell alone.....Hope this helps.....:laughing:

If I pulled that move with my wife she would have me put into a home .
But I can see the park ranger just giving a little wave and jumping back in his truck In seconds . Lol

Prob works like this ...

Ranger : 😡 Sir ! We do not allow digging here .
mud : 😳 mm.m m mudpuppy ... my name is Mudpuppy
Ranger. : 😠 ( uncomfortable silence)
Rule #1 !!!! First person to talk loses!
Ranger : 😐 We have rules against digging .
Mud : 😜 My mom made me pancakes for breakfast
Ranger : 🤔 (Uncomfortable silence)
Mud : 🙄
Ranger : well .. don't dig any big holes and have a nice day sir .
 
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You may want to try popping your coins out with a screwdriver or probe. If I can't dig holes though, a spot is no good to me. I'm consistently digging 8"+ for some targets, a screwdriver just won't work for me. It happens sometimes, I usually just move on, plenty of places to hunt. Return on the weekend or late evening (after they go home) good luck and happy hunting!

Thats actually good advice...same here...I carry a folding lockback serrated blade knife in my finds pouch while hunting 'delicate' sites...the screwdriver in hand for shallow targets, fist cuffed invisible along side my arm of course, but ready to immediately deploy like a roosters spur......the knife comes out for the deeper signals...quick cut of the sod and down I go after a careful look around for any observers...one slice and down...
 
You may want to try popping your coins out with a screwdriver or probe. If I can't dig holes though, a spot is no good to me. I'm consistently digging 8"+ for some targets, a screwdriver just won't work for me. It happens sometimes, I usually just move on, plenty of places to hunt. Return on the weekend or late evening (after they go home) good luck and happy hunting!

This was an old park, and I was looking for old coins so a screwdriver would probably not have been the best option. I do use a screwdriver on shallow targets, and also in one council area which is very strict about digging.
 
If I pulled that move with my wife she would have me put into a home .
But I can see the park ranger just giving a little wave and jumping back in his truck In seconds . Lol

Yep..thats the idea!...sort of a modified Urban Booboo camoflage tactic...Nobody wants to deal with the obviously insane, and therefore, with these skills, you can pretty much do as you please...:laughing:
 
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This was an old park, and I was looking for old coins so a screwdriver would probably not have been the best option. I do use a screwdriver on shallow targets, and also in one council area which is very strict about digging.

The screwdriver is merely a diversion! When confronted, You show it to the Ranger/Groundskeeper..."Holes? No! I'm just out here poking around in the grass for pennies with this little peepee screwdriver!" Doing no more 'damage' than a Robin's pecker!....Really...having any kind of shovel looking device in certain areas will get a guy the old heave ho...

Thats understandable...If I was a greenskeeper or a Park Ranger...I'd be busting and tossing every shovel guy...no matter how crazy they acted or what they were wearing or how much they wet their pants and babbled...

So yeah..I've been confronted hunting active Sports fields/Parks by the Groundskeepers...this innocent 'screwdriver' format has never gotten me tossed yet...
 
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The screwdriver is merely a diversion! When confronted, You show it to the Ranger/Groundskeeper..."Holes? No! I'm just out here poking around in the grass for pennies with this little screwdriver!" Really...having any kind of shovel looking device in certain areas will get a guy the old heave ho...

Oh, alright I get it! But how do I explain the lesche handle sticking out the finds pouch? Just say I'm not using it right now, and only the screwdriver?
 
Oh, alright I get it! But how do I explain the lesche handle sticking out the finds pouch? Just say I'm not using it right now, and only the screwdriver?

NO! You have to leave it behind...the sensitive places..its not worth the risk...you will be amazed at how fast you can rip and roar with a 4" serrated lockback...I stab the screwdriver over the top of the deep target, down to its hilt...stand up and wander off a few feet as if I'm hunting, ...look around to see if anybody is watching me...coast is clear, then I head right back, pull my knife, rip off a good layer of sod with the knife..quickly root around with both the screwdriver and knife, pull the target, get up and fill and stomp the flap...

A guy has easily 8" depth and target retrieval in about 20 seconds...ZERO evidence...Big old tee handle shovel?...not on sensitive sites...Its just a really bad visual whether you are using it or not..

again..who wants to get involved in a conversation? Time and Gold wait for nobody!:laughing:
 
NO! You have to leave it behind...the sensitive places..its not worth the risk...you will be amazed at how fast you can rip and roar with a 4" serrated lockback...I stab the screwdriver over the top of the deep target, down to its hilt...stand up and wander off a few feet as if I'm hunting, ...look around to see if anybody is watching me...coast is clear, then I head right back, pull my knife, rip off a good layer of sod with the knife..quickly root around with both the screwdriver and knife, pull the target, get up and fill and stomp the flap...

A guy has easily 8" depth and target retrieval in about 20 seconds...ZERO evidence...Big old tee handle shovel?...not on sensitive sites...Its just a really bad visual whether you are using it or not..

again..who wants to get involved in a conversation? Time and Gold wait for nobody!:laughing:

No it's not a tee handled shovel, it's a small, hand held lesche, maybe 10in in size. But a small foldable knife maybe a good idea. Time to search eBay
 
If I pulled that move with my wife she would have me put into a home .
But I can see the park ranger just giving a little wave and jumping back in his truck In seconds . Lol

Prob works like this ...

Ranger : 😡 Sir ! We do not allow digging here .
mud : 😳 mm.m m mudpuppy ... my name is Mudpuppy
Ranger. : 😠 ( uncomfortable silence)
Rule #1 !!!! First person to talk loses!
Ranger : 😐 We have rules against digging .
Mud : 😜 My mom made me pancakes for breakfast
Ranger : 🤔 (Uncomfortable silence)
Mud : 🙄
Ranger : well .. don't dig any big holes and have a nice day sir .

Well, sort of...I actually learned this trick from a guy...He was from Denmark. We were in business together, running around the Country and World trying to get by easy and make pay...anyway,... the Danes speak perfect English, but over here in the States, the guy would get pulled over in the Co car going 100mph in a 25mph School zone, and commence to speaking complete gibberish to the LEO's! Off the hook with this warning! "Get the hell out of here and slow down you fussing Idiot!" Same with Panhandlers or anybody else confronting him he considered a time wasting threat!

"Volle le Futbol parken?" He would say, And look all confused and stupid, then he would babble on in Polish or Russian or French even! None of it making any sense! It didnt matter if we were in Boston, Bangladesh. Bristol, Brighton, or Bangalore!...He'd just go with the same old routine!

So after observing this amazing feat a few times, I'm like, "Hey! This really works! on a Global scale even!":laughing: Of course, with his instruction, I just sat there and drooled and wet my pants if need be! We called it 'The Outlaw Josie Wales' routine! "Pull harder Lemuel!" Format....(I was Lemuel, it was my job to go all squinty eyed and babble and piss myself)...To this day when the Wife wants to discuss anything, or I get panhandled, I simply squint my eyes, and say: "Volle le Futbol Parken?" Its like magic!

I guess the whole mindset to experiencing a trouble free Life is: "Just because somebody asks you a question, its not your responsibility to give them an honest answer"..Also, learning a few regional dialects can come in handy...like speaking Alabama hillbilly in Wisconsin...."Slow down and Get the hell out of here!".....I like to keep this in mind...It really works!

Truthfully! "Eye-aint-shiddin-ya"!:laughing:
 
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No it's not a tee handled shovel, it's a small, hand held lesche, maybe 10in in size. But a small foldable knife maybe a good idea. Time to search eBay

You dont really need to buy one..I find a half dozen serrated folders in Middle school totlots per season..pretty common drop items here...
 
.......So I was wondering what would be the best .....

The "best" , when hunting spots like this, is to go hunting at night. Then you never have to deal with looky-loos such as that. So peaceful. So serene.
 
I've hunted many parks over the last 10 years...I don't understand. Is it legal to dig a plug or disturb the ground, or is it not? Who wants to be looking over there shoulder all the time? If it's off limits for digging the turf, I'd find another spot, it's so much more relaxing hunting with no pressure, don't ya think?
 
I've hunted many parks over the last 10 years...I don't understand. Is it legal to dig a plug or disturb the ground, or is it not? Who wants to be looking over there shoulder all the time? If it's off limits for digging the turf, I'd find another spot, it's so much more relaxing hunting with no pressure, don't ya think?

It depends on who calls in, and the personal nature of the cop who shows up. The police are required to respond to a call. If I was a cop, it'd be way easier to say, "No digging". It already happened a couple times to me, but twice is good for 8 years. Just play the "ignorance card." You will cheat yourself out of a ton of detecting fun-time if you just assume the worst. I know. I wasted a whole year.
 
It depends on who calls in, and the personal nature of the cop who shows up. The police are required to respond to a call. If I was a cop, it'd be way easier to say, "No digging". It already happened a couple times to me, but twice is good for 8 years. Just play the "ignorance card." You will cheat yourself out of a ton of detecting fun-time if you just assume the worst. I know. I wasted a whole year.
OK, but I think you missed the entire point of my post.
 
Seems like he was just following up on a complaint or? Apparently the officer was not interested in making an issue of it.. i wouldn't worry about it.
Follow Tom's advice above.
 
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