Is Metal Detecting a Dying Hobby

When I got my first detector I took my son who was visiting from college with me. He thought it was neardy and made a few jokes about me needing a foil hat. The next day I decided to go again. As a joke my son made me a foil hat. I wore it and as a joke made him go with me. If he thought I looked neardy the first day the second day I was over the top. I still chuckle about it.

death ray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thats funny Keith,cause its a little different
> here in the hills anyway. My son has been
> detecting,panning and some bottle digging since he
> was 7. Back when the Kinzli forum was going
> strong and we would have group hunts,everyone
> called him MudRay...he was a grubber,lol. In high
> school he didnt want anyone to know..gotta be
> cool. Now hes 19,and has the relic bug
> ..BAD. And hes let his guard down some,and got a
> bunch of his buddies interested...many of whom
> already had a bounty hunter in the closet,but
> again where worried about apearances. It makes me
> feel good when he comes home and asks if he can
> borrow a couple detectors,cause him and some
> friends want to hit a spot on do n sos
> land...everyone is ranchers around here. Random
> thoughts,better get back to work,lol. Ray

Bryanna - Nebraska

Current - New to me but not new MXT Pro and T2 SE2 - Previous Minelab Sovereign GT, Minelab Safari, Whites DFX, Whites Eagle Spectrum
Smile its a good for you!

Ray, must be nice to climb down off the roof any darn time you want to. I know you don't tell your crew "Excuse me guys I have to check my favorite metal detecting forum, I'll be right back". You probably sit in your air conditioned truck and pretend your doing estimates. lol

Ray, you ever roof old houses and get permission to detect the property? Not totally professional but in conversation sometimes you get to weasel it in there and the owners ask you if you want to detect their place.

Absolutely Ozzie! Ive made a few post about hunting my customers properties over on Joes forum in the past. I have one really good property that Ive since made the owner a display of finds ( Stole idea from Paul) and bring them a bottle of wine from time to time. Need to get back there soon before the ground gets to hard. Another site was awesome...a bunch of old ruins from 1870s to 1890...guy sold that property though. Im thinking of offering one owner free labor on his falling apart roof for access...my son hit that property once,and got 2wreath buckles.
What about you? You hit your customers property,or make them a deal for access??

Sounds great on your Son Ray...

Yes back when I started in about 78 or so I was just a youngster but so many around me did it and I tagged along or my dad would take me and let me hunt the schools lots..Found my first Civil War relic when I was 13 it was a three ringer.. then the whole world Changed ...Time I was 16 and I could drive I could not wait to get out of school in the afternoons or weekends to go digging I was on a work program so I could work fropm 12 to 5 then hunt in the evenings GREAT TIMES........But heck the people I went to school with detected too...you was COOL if you swung as we called it back then...

In this area around Civil War battlefields and such detecting was as common as Fishing maybe even more popular...Also Bottle digging was Huge..and I had a heck of a collection before I was 10 ....My Tree house was slap full of bottles that right now I would have a hard time diggin up....they come from surface dumps back then in the woods around town...now days you would have to dig deep or in outhouses to get those same bottles...

By the way heres the culprit that started my relic Journey..



Dug that one 33 years ago....

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Absolutely Ozzie! Ive made a few post about
> hunting my customers properties over on Joes forum
> in the past. I have one really good property that
> Ive since made the owner a display of finds (
> Stole idea from Paul) and bring them a bottle of
> wine from time to time. Need to get back there
> soon before the ground gets to hard. Another site
> was awesome...a bunch of old ruins from 1870s to
> 1890...guy sold that property though. Im thinking
> of offering one owner free labor on his falling
> apart roof for access...my son hit that property
> once,and got 2wreath buckles.
> What about you? You hit your customers property,or
> make them a deal for access??

Yes Ray I have. As a matter of fact, a few customers even asked their friends and/ or relatives if I could detect their properties. I have also gotten customers, from asking to detect properties. My oldest coin (1696 silver shilling) was found on a property that I solicited to detect. The owner wanted to pay for work he needed done...I didn't/wouldn't charge for labor. They weren't big jobs but they totaled about 16 man hours. Jeez, same property I dug up state coppers, large cents, Indians......had to give back something.

Perks of the job Ozzie!
Thats cool Keith! Theres two things in my life I regret..1 never served in the military and 2..bought a detector when I was about 12, back in 77. used it couple months,it got stolen, didnt get back into it till 2000. Man,I missed out on finding alot of history! Spent 10 years in Columbus,Ga without a detector.

Don't think its a dying hobby but the sites are dying off. With the shows, sites are beginning to get hard to get into. Parks and schools are banning the detecting on some. It'll only get worse with more and more people looking to find the pot of gold or get rich quick. 20 years ago people didn't know what metal detecting or relic hunting was. Not anymore.

I agree. I think the hobby is in decline and will continue. It seems to me the younger generation doesn't like the outdoors as much. I remember when I was teenager and lived in town. We rode our bikes a great deal, if it wasn't raining or freezing cold we were outside playing. We didn't have cell phones, playstations, ipads, or computers etc. I live in the country now, but when driving through the town where I grew up, I rarely see any juveniles on a bicycle, or really out in the yard period. Even the hunter population hear has dwindled, I can tell a big difference even in the last 10 years. I think the younger generation sees things different say than the 40 plus crowd. Let's face it, metal detecting is work, a lot of walking, bending over, and digging. We the older generation see it as exercise and enjoyment, but the younger generation sees it more as work. And it seems they're plumper too according to studies/reports. So they are overall less physically fit to detect and are probably more uncomfortable in doing so. Also with all the population changes and construction projects, areas to detect have lessened. Larger parcels of land have been divided. And these lots are being bought by persons outside of the community a lot of time. And these strangers many times, don't trust or are very protective of their land; hence no metal detecting allowed. And yes it seems some townships/municipalities inside the US have started to ban metal detecting. Also the easier coin finds have dwindled, turning some folks away from the hobby. Higher fuel cost until late, I'm sure has maybe turned a few off as well. Thirty years from now, I think the detecting community will be a great deal smaller.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2015 05:43AM by tnsharpshooter.

Bryannagirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I got my first detector I took my son who was
> visiting from college with me. He thought it was
> neardy and made a few jokes about me needing a
> foil hat. The next day I decided to go again. As
> a joke my son made me a foil hat. I wore it and as
> a joke made him go with me. If he thought I
> looked neardy the first day the second day I was
> over the top. I still chuckle about it.
>
> death ray Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thats funny Keith,cause its a little different
> > here in the hills anyway. My son has been
> > detecting,panning and some bottle digging since
> he
> > was 7. Back when the Kinzli forum was going
> > strong and we would have group hunts,everyone
> > called him MudRay...he was a grubber,lol. In
> high
> > school he didnt want anyone to know..gotta be
> > cool. Now hes 19,and has the relic bug
> > ..BAD. And hes let his guard down some,and got
> a
> > bunch of his buddies interested...many of whom
> > already had a bounty hunter in the closet,but
> > again where worried about apearances. It makes
> me
> > feel good when he comes home and asks if he can
> > borrow a couple detectors,cause him and some
> > friends want to hit a spot on do n sos
> > land...everyone is ranchers around here. Random
> > thoughts,better get back to work,lol. Ray


it's unfortunate but a lot of people think that just old
folks metal detect!..very disconcerting!

(h.h!)
j.t.

Coin collecting is a good example of how a hobby can change. When i grew up coins and baseball cards were the thing. Now...... they have turned into investments and a kid going thru his pennies had best save some of those pennies so he can have them graded. Its not like it used to be.

Wal-Mart & KellyCo have the sales numbers that indicate the hobby is growing. (And especially in Europe & Africa).

Also........... new technology has opened up doors that previously have never been able to be opened. We are hunting areas that 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago...... you could never hunt. Technology has advanced.

Changing population patterns are making a lot of the older sites MUCH more difficult to detect.When I first started in 72 we could hunt anywhere and not worry about leaving your vehicle etc.,now your vehicle may not even be there when you return. Also some of the "do gooders" have convinced some folks that they have pots of gold on their very own property and the MD'ers will find it----the "historical" altruism BS didn't hold much sway with these folks,but pots o gold did the trick.

If it dies out I think it will be from a lack of access more than available finds. I think people will be more reluctant to give permission on private property and the public property will be more restricted. There will be plenty in the ground but getting to it will be harder.

I rarely see anyone detecting around my area. But they are here. I DID have a really bad habit of posting my finds on facebook. Alot of my non-detecting Facebook friends stated that they enjoyed seeing what I was finding (which was not that much)....so I would post a few pics for their enjoyment. But I learned, fairly slowly, that this was not a good idea.
It seems like the archaeologists, and anthropologist are not really happy about us hobbyist historians let loose with our detectors. If I am detecting close to a road or street, I would say that I get more nasty looks than happy looks and neutral looks.
For me, the hobby is still thriving. But on the whole, I don't know. I really do wish that they would not televise our hobby. That's just my personal views on the subject.

As with anything being televised in the US,... it feels blown up like a commercial.

As if everything you do in life needs to make you feel like your on Clound Nine??

What I enjoy most about my fishing/detecting/offroad driving is the way it gets me back down to earth.
Do something stupid and Nature will sort you out in an instant.
The hook will rip out if you don't use a little clutch, the cold/rain/mud/tide will send you packing, the trail will beat your behind numb if the suspension isn't set wright.

There are moments when these hobbies make you smile in the way only a hobby can,...
But most of the time they are just a valid excuse to get out there!

As long as people are loosing metal,... guys and girls looking for an excuse to get out there will be swinging.

It's not dying,... it's just changing :-)

HH
Johnb

It's kinda like a lot of things. I can't blame anyone for taking advantage of what is in front of them. I'll support the websites and those that participate that do their part as they have the right to do. I'll support the sponsors and people that sell equipment as they have the right to promote the hobby. I'll watch the shows that I think are good such as "Detectorists" Sure it would be great if I was the only one detecting and I could purchase any machine I wanted without anyone else having one but without anyone to share it with it would not be much fun.
I will encourage those that are interested in the hobby to be better treasure hunters. I'll leave the promotion of the hobby to others that would be better at that and probably more interested in that than me. I encourage those that are starting out to look up laws and be familiar with them and know how to detect on public property where it is legal to do so.
Don't go asking questions and try to promote the hobby to those that are not interested in it to make yourself feel better while hunting. Knowing your place or places in the hobby is the key to sucess.

Bryannagirl-I think what is a big problem is that some in the hobby are not willing to hunt in a way that is best for them and the hobby. Newer ,better machines are a plus as it will let you be more productive without digging a thousand holes in the park or in someone's yard. I can hunt anywhere on city property and I have good contacts for private property because I have friends in the housing rental business. I have access to all city property because while hunting a curb strip I had the police called on me,who in turn called the city administrator ( the final authority where I live) and told him what and how I was detecting. I was detecting curb strips at the right time of the year and I was as low key as I could be (no kneepads,no finds pouch,and the digger I had fit in my back pocket and had a cut off handle).

There is a time and a place for different use of any detecting gear. I don't know how many people are willing to adjust or detect low key till they get the feel of an area. Those that go into city parks with shovels and go knocking on doors with a shovel in their hand are just a couple of examples. I've seen new people in the hobby being very interested in whether or not they can hunt a public piece of property and how is the best way to get permission to detect private property. It is hard to answer their questions when we don't know how they are willing to detect those areas. I don't think it is a dying hobby as it seems more people are getting into it. It may become a dying hobby if people are not willing to keep it alive by detecting in a proper way. Of course those of us that do might not be enough to offset the damage done by those that don't do it properly.

Well said.

I agree with the statement that the times have changed in how we must approach getting access to sites. In my personal opinion....the days of knocking on someones door and getting permission to hunt, are about over with. I think in order to get access to new sites, we are going to have to adapt to the changes, whether we want to or not. And the key to doing so...is the standard that everybody understands: MONEY.

I'm talking about paying/leasing the property to hunt. Just like in deer hunting.

In deer hunting, you can't find any good piece of property to hunt on anymore. UNLESS you own it yourself, have connections that own the land, or lease it. Gone are the days of knocking on a door and getting permission with a handshake. And believe me...the land goes to the highest bidder. They've priced the recreational outdoorsman out of the game, and made it a pay to play hobby.

That's how I see it being for relic hunting for sure. I don't know about coin hunting...I guess it depends on what kind of sites you coin hunt at....whether they are private land or public land. But hunting farm land tracts for relics...is going to require digging into the wallet before you can dig in the ground.

The trouble with that is...when someone leases a place to deer hunt, the land owner knows all they are doing is hunting deer and not making any money off the property. Relic hunting would be different...because in the landowners mind, if you are willing to be paying him X amount of money to search his property...then what are you getting out of it, and he will be wondering if you are cutting him out of something valuable. That's the double edged sword with all that. But some aren't going to care at all.

To be honest with you...I can think of at least 3 places right now off the top of my head, that I would gladly shell out some $ to be able to relic hunt. Even if it meant paying as much as their land taxes for the year...if it gave me access for the year to the property, I would be at the ATM right now with my detector in the truck.

Certainly sounds logical to me. I can see the difference between hunting wildlife and retrieving relics. Of course if a person has big enough pockets they could purchase property,hunt it and then sell it off. Definately something I really haven't thought about before. A person should probably let the landowner know their intentions in a lease situation to avoid any future problems. That gets into bringing attention to what one is wishing to do. Private property is certainly different than public property in those regards.

Daniel, that makes a lot of sense. I know deer hunters group together to hunt a piece of land and share the cost of getting access. Maybe we need to do the same - maybe some already are but I agree a very good site with some really good potential good finds would be worth some investment.

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with the statement that the times have
> changed in how we must approach getting access to
> sites. In my personal opinion....the days of
> knocking on someones door and getting permission
> to hunt, are about over with. I think in order to
> get access to new sites, we are going to have to
> adapt to the changes, whether we want to or not.
> And the key to doing so...is the standard that
> everybody understands: MONEY.
>
> I'm talking about paying/leasing the property to
> hunt. Just like in deer hunting.
>
> In deer hunting, you can't find any good piece of
> property to hunt on anymore. UNLESS you own it
> yourself, have connections that own the land, or
> lease it. Gone are the days of knocking on a door
> and getting permission with a handshake. And
> believe me...the land goes to the highest bidder.
> They've priced the recreational outdoorsman out of
> the game, and made it a pay to play hobby.
>
> That's how I see it being for relic hunting for
> sure. I don't know about coin hunting...I guess
> it depends on what kind of sites you coin hunt
> at....whether they are private land or public
> land. But hunting farm land tracts for
> relics...is going to require digging into the
> wallet before you can dig in the ground.
>
> The trouble with that is...when someone leases a
> place to deer hunt, the land owner knows all they
> are doing is hunting deer and not making any money
> off the property. Relic hunting would be
> different...because in the landowners mind, if you
> are willing to be paying him X amount of money to
> search his property...then what are you getting
> out of it, and he will be wondering if you are
> cutting him out of something valuable. That's the
> double edged sword with all that. But some aren't
> going to care at all.
>
> To be honest with you...I can think of at least 3
> places right now off the top of my head, that I
> would gladly shell out some $ to be able to relic
> hunt. Even if it meant paying as much as their
> land taxes for the year...if it gave me access for
> the year to the property, I would be at the ATM
> right now with my detector in the truck.

Bryanna - Nebraska

Current - New to me but not new MXT Pro and T2 SE2 - Previous Minelab Sovereign GT, Minelab Safari, Whites DFX, Whites Eagle Spectrum
Smile its a good for you!

Well it's already being done with the organized hunts and such. You have property that has been off limits for years...by hostile land owners, who have long said NO to relic hunters knocking at the door. But when they were approached with the prospect of MONEY, they changed their tune and the properties were opened up to legally hunt relics whereas they hadn't been hunted in the past, except for by night hunters. In the case of the Diggin in VA hunts...the properties can exceed 1,000 acres. But you have to contend with a few hundred other hunters at those hunts. Many of them don't know what they are really doing but some do.

Relic sites are usually very small specific areas...they either had a home site, mill site, or camp, battle, etc....something was there to cause a concentration of things. And it's only on that specific spot that you find much of anything. So to get access...we gotta either accept being told no and find other spots...or find a different way of entry. Like I say...money is the one language everyone understands. BUT...you play a big risk in doing something like that. You'd better be for certain that the property has relics...or you'll end up paying for a spot with nothing on it.

I've got some spot I am going to go try this one day here soon. I'm going to see what I can do with a crisp $100 bill and just test the water and see if he'll let me hunt it for the day for $100. His excuse a long time ago when I asked him to hunt was "well if I let you, I'll have to deal with all the others that see you". So I could come back with "well if you let me hunt for $100 today...then you can make some money off the others that come...$100 a pop, and all you have to do is collect the $".

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well it's already being done with the organized
> hunts and such. You have property that has been
> off limits for years...by hostile land owners, who
> have long said NO to relic hunters knocking at the
> door. But when they were approached with the
> prospect of MONEY, they changed their tune and the
> properties were opened up to legally hunt relics
> whereas they hadn't been hunted in the past,
> except for by night hunters. In the case of the
> Diggin in VA hunts...the properties can exceed
> 1,000 acres. But you have to contend with a few
> hundred other hunters at those hunts. Many of
> them don't know what they are really doing but
> some do.
>
> Relic sites are usually very small specific
> areas...they either had a home site, mill site, or
> camp, battle, etc....something was there to cause
> a concentration of things. And it's only on that
> specific spot that you find much of anything. So
> to get access...we gotta either accept being told
> no and find other spots...or find a different way
> of entry. Like I say...money is the one language
> everyone understands. BUT...you play a big risk
> in doing something like that. You'd better be for
> certain that the property has relics...or you'll
> end up paying for a spot with nothing on it.
>
> I've got some spot I am going to go try this one
> day here soon. I'm going to see what I can do
> with a crisp $100 bill and just test the water and
> see if he'll let me hunt it for the day for $100.
> His excuse a long time ago when I asked him to
> hunt was "well if I let you, I'll have to deal
> with all the others that see you". So I could
> come back with "well if you let me hunt for $100
> today...then you can make some money off the
> others that come...$100 a pop, and all you have to
> do is collect the $".

That might work. One problem though. When you a property owner takes money for something, say use, "In the eyes of the laws/courts, the person taking the money has indeed benefited and therefore can be placed in a situation where they bear certain liabilities. I.e. injury, etc
Granted this may sound petty, but I guarantee it's true and with circumstances could be a problem for some.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2015 04:52PM by tnsharpshooter.

Hi Daniel,I agree and it works for me...basically what Ive done. One place(the display place) I didnt charge them for the removal of their existing roof...saved them about a grand,only cost me sweat. Im the only one allowed...not even my boy can come with me(he got burned by turkey hunters letting all their friends hunt) and he has more properties with what he calls 'ruins' on them.

Another property,the oldest in Angels Camp,Ca ( mark Twain) I got permission by building a railing on a flat roof,free labor. That one was a bust,fill dirt.
Another I made a killer deal on his roof to hunt his awesome property,was great,but since sold it.
Ive put out word I will exchange my roofing labor in exchange for detecting/prospecting oppurtunities.
I figure its only right...you scratch my back,Ill scratch yours. I dont expect something for nothing.Ray

Ray -- About 15 yrs ago, me and my buddy went to Chattanooga area to try and find us a spot or two to dig. We drove up on Missionary Ridge...which if you are familiar with history, was a big battle site during the Civil War. It is mostly rich people that live up there...big nice homes and it is terraced with homes on top of homes. We drove the road and saw a house with a decent size yard. We pulled in and knocked on the door. An elderly lady came to the door and we introduced ourselves...told what we were wanting to look for. She says...you boys look like you have strong backs. I tell ya what...you help me move some furniture around and you can hunt all you want. Well I dont know what Jeff was thinking but I was thinking maybe a chair and table or something. She had a whole basement living room set she wanted out of the house. Sofa, love seat, recliner, and tables. By the time we were done we barely had enough in us to get our detectors out of the truck. But we did. I found a 1850s half dime in her yard and a few civil war bullets and buttons. Jeff found some bullets and a couple buttons too. I also dug a 1928 baseball token from a trolly that used to run along the ridge. We came back a coiple weeks later...and she wanted the ivy cut off her house. So we did that...and you know what? She hooked us up with her lady friends in the neighborhood that needed handy work done around the house in exchange for us getting to search their yards. We actually had a bunch to hunt but Jeff got out of relic hunting and took up preaching and now all his time is spent with church related things. I need to get back down there and get to work so I can dig those yards again. All we had back then were Tesoro machines. I think I had a Vaquero and he had a Tejon. I know we left stuff in the ground.

tnsharpshooter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Daniel Tn Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Well it's already being done with the organized
> > hunts and such. You have property that has
> been
> > off limits for years...by hostile land owners,
> who
> > have long said NO to relic hunters knocking at
> the
> > door. But when they were approached with the
> > prospect of MONEY, they changed their tune and
> the
> > properties were opened up to legally hunt
> relics
> > whereas they hadn't been hunted in the past,
> > except for by night hunters. In the case of
> the
> > Diggin in VA hunts...the properties can exceed
> > 1,000 acres. But you have to contend with a
> few
> > hundred other hunters at those hunts. Many of
> > them don't know what they are really doing but
> > some do.
> >
> > Relic sites are usually very small specific
> > areas...they either had a home site, mill site,
> or
> > camp, battle, etc....something was there to
> cause
> > a concentration of things. And it's only on
> that
> > specific spot that you find much of anything.
> So
> > to get access...we gotta either accept being
> told
> > no and find other spots...or find a different
> way
> > of entry. Like I say...money is the one
> language
> > everyone understands. BUT...you play a big
> risk
> > in doing something like that. You'd better be
> for
> > certain that the property has relics...or
> you'll
> > end up paying for a spot with nothing on it.
> >
> > I've got some spot I am going to go try this
> one
> > day here soon. I'm going to see what I can do
> > with a crisp $100 bill and just test the water
> and
> > see if he'll let me hunt it for the day for
> $100.
> > His excuse a long time ago when I asked him to
> > hunt was "well if I let you, I'll have to deal
> > with all the others that see you". So I could
> > come back with "well if you let me hunt for
> $100
> > today...then you can make some money off the
> > others that come...$100 a pop, and all you have
> to
> > do is collect the $".
>
> That might work. One problem though. When you a
> property owner takes money for something, say use,
> "In the eyes of the laws/courts, the person taking
> the money has indeed benefited and therefore can
> be placed in a situation where they bear certain
> liabilities. I.e. injury, etc
> Granted this may sound petty, but I guarantee it's
> true and with circumstances could be a problem for
> some.


True,the liabilities issues can come into play but people should have liability insurance on their property. If the landowner would ask me to sign a release of liability I would. I wouldn't bring it into the conversation though.

Liability is the #1 reason you will hear no in Kalifornia. Releases usually arent worth the paper they are written on,unless its very thorough by a good lawyer.

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Liability is the #1 reason you will hear no in
> Kalifornia. Releases usually arent worth the paper
> they are written on,unless its very thorough by a
> good lawyer.


Agree on the liability releases. Probably just a feel good paper to some is why I wouldn't bring them up. I think what could be a better approach if someone would want to get serious about paying someone to detect their property would be to set up a busines. A peron could purchase liability insurance on their business for a reasonable amount and would have a copy of it if needed. I'm not saying this would cover all the bases but I carry liability insurance for my small business and don't see where it would work any different for a small detecting business if that is the route a person would want to go.

Thats actually a goid idea Kemper. Yeah ,I have liability ins on my business too,but its not cheap = roofing.