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Funny Things that Happen While Detecting

Hi All
Best repy when anyone asks "what are you looking for" tell them "metal back worms", see the look on their faces as they walk away.
Alan
 
A kid once asked me "do you use that to find things you never had before?' Kind of strange phrasing but accurate! Had a guy a couple weeks ago come up behind me and yell "YO!" to get my attention. I about came out of my boots.
 
A gentleman asked me recently if my detector was the kind that "only found metal stuff."

As opposed to what? The kind that finds truffles???
 
I usually get, "Find anything good?".
Me--"Oh yeah! Check this out!" I show them stuff from my trash pocket--pulltabs and roofing nails and rusty bits 'n pieces.:shock:
And if they ask about the other pocket? Well, that's just for any paper trash I pick up.
I have a pretty good rapport with most kids. Most of them are pretty interesting people, and can often surprise you with what they'll tell you. One angelic-faced 5 year old told me, "My mom smokes cigarettes, but my dad doesn't. He only smokes pot."
I told him, "Sweetie, you probably shouldn't be telling that to people you don't know". His answer, after thinking about it? "Pot's not a bad word". Excellent point.
I'll answer their questions and even let 'em dig a pulltab signal or two.;) I'd rather leave them with a positive memory of adults and metal detectors than chase them away. It's a low, low price to pay.
And if you're detecting where there are kids? Doi, what would you have done when you were a kid?
Although, at one point, it did occur to me to dress up in that scary banjo clown outfit I've seen one of the other members use. Then I realized that not everyone has the fear of clowns I do and it might just make me a bigger magnet.
One last thing. Speaking of magnets, I was telling a friend about getting a pistol to carry when I'm out in remote or isolated areas metal detecting. He told that meant I would be carrying 2 things to attract the bad guys to me--the detector and the gun.
Again, excellent point.
 
B.Positive,

I have ran across the same thing with the kid's. I pull out a new quarter from my pocket and give it to them.

Concerning the gun on my side(not in a public place) I pull out a permit if i'm forced to.

Rhubarb
 
last week when i was at a local junior high in the middle of the soccer field at dawn 2 kids rode by on their bikes about 50 yards away;they couldn't really see me but they heard my ace 250 beeping and the pinpointer buzzing so one yelled "are you human?" i didn't answer but the second time they yelled it i started walking toward them like an alien while making my detector beep; they rode away very quickly
 
Concerning the gun on my side(not in a public place) I pull out a permit if i'm forced to.
Hey there Rhubarb. So I was out in the boonies again this weekend, and suddenly realized you thought I was concerned about the authorities stopping me!:lol:
I know I tend to drift, especially when I post in the morning:roll: , but my concern was related to Felix the Cat's getting jumped by punks at a playground.
I tend to wander in secluded areas, both near town and waaaaaay out there, so animals and their rabid brethren, human animals, are a concern to me. I usually have the dogs with me when I'm way out, but after having 2 of them mauled by javelinas several years ago, if trouble comes to us I want to have the ability to put a stop to it, right quick.
I imagined this scenario: Javelina charge out of the underbrush. I fast-draw my permit and shout, "Stop in the name of paper, Peccary! I've got you covered!"
 
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I was digging in the beach one day and a middle age fella came over and said "what do you find with that thing, Rocks?" So as I'm digging for my target I said "Naw, gold rings and such" he was like "really that thing finds gold?" as he said that I pulled out a Gold watch from the hole:shock: ! He was so exited he started shouting to everyone on the beach about my find, too my embarassment....:roll:

Anybody ever have clad tossed at ya? Sometimes I get the feeling people drop coins purposely when they see me detecting.
I was detecting the beach once and had a group of oriental fellas following me and watching after about 5 minutes I noticed they were laughing and one approached me and said "We tro coin on beach you no find..hardy har:lol: !" I said "where did you throw it?" he said "in the water" no where near I was detecting, he said " You go Find" I said "No you go find, I'm not getting wet!" I let them walk away and went back for there Quarter, at least I made out! :lol:
 
I had a sweet old lady ask us if we were going fish. Fishing? I thought, then she went on to say she had never seen a gadget like ours. She thought we were using our detectors to shock worms and bring them to the top were we would then pick them out of the ground.

Now thats a good one. lol I had a lady at the drive through at Burger King ask me if I was going fishing. I told her I was fishing for gold, silver and copper fish.
 
What's with the questions about clamming?? I think if I got asked "Are you clamming?", I would say "No, I'm looking for the lost portal to the alternate dimension I am from. My work is done here."

LOL now that is good.
 
I spent about a half a hour digging holes chasing signals just to find out the wellington boots my friend lent me had steel toe caps in them.boy was my face red:roll:

That is some funny stuff. I may check to see if my boots are steel toe. lol
 
Kids played a trick on me!

Kids have seen me out detecting & maybe noticed the pennies I dig up are different colors. Perhaps they thought I preferred them that way. And they've noticed me testing my various detectors in the back yard & not finding anything. So what did they do? Spread a roll of pennies around the back yard, after they *painted* them! HH, George (MN)
 
Future bureaucrats?

A girl came up to me at a school playfield/park & asked me "do you need a license to do that?"

A boy came up to me & said "that's illegal". I said no it's not, as long as I don't damage the place. He got down on his hands & knees & said he still saw a few grains of sand on the grass.

I was detecting a park in another city without headphones & a young man said to me "That noise really bothers me. Did you know this is a public park? Metal detecting is not legal here." He compared digging in the grass to cutting down a tree. And when he claimed detecting in parks is illegal, I asked him it he thought mfrs made detectors just so people could only use them in their own yard? He said it's legal to own a gun, but it's not legal to kill someone. Detectorists, as bad as murderers? HH, George (MN)
 
I like the older kids!

I was talking to some kids & they said most of their friends throw away dimes, & some throw away quarters. At one park a kid kept throwing all the coins in the car at me, & when they ran out of coins, he grabbed some small rocks & wrapped dollar bills around them & threw them my way. As you can probably guess, I live in suburbia. HH, George (MN)
 
They think we're bums!

I've been asked do you do this for a living? But the other side of that is "why do you look for coins?" & "I think there's some pennies over there, YOU BUM!"
Once when my dad was detecting kids asked him what he was doing & he said "trying to find enough money for lunch". The kids went away & came back with a bag lunch! HH, George (MN)
 
A boy came up to me & said "that's illegal".
"That noise really bothers me. Did you know this is a public park? Metal detecting is not legal here." He compared digging in the grass to cutting down a tree. And when he claimed detecting in parks is illegal...
I would ask them to explain why that is, and discuss it with as much logic as possible. Drives them nuts.
If they persist, I would get Libertarian all over them.
And here's my favorite (crabby) answer to "What are you doing?".
"Minding my own business. How 'bout you"?

P.S. I so don't have anything nice to say about "That noise really bothers me". :shock: OMG!:lol:
 
Kids

Mostly have had kids come up and ask me what I am looking for. Almost always end up being asked if they can "try" to find things. I always let them try and they keep what they find. The other day I had a snot nose kid walk up to me and tell me "your dumb mister, you aint gonna find nothin." right before I popped a quarter out of the ground. He then proceded to follow me around and make rude comments until I pulled out the Lesche and then he couldn't get away fast enough!! No I used it to dig a coin out of the ground, not threaten him!
 
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