To anyone in Michigan...

twistidd

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I had a couple questions regarding the legalities of metal detecting in Michigan's National Forests. From what I've researched, a lot of people do it/have done it, but nowhere I have seen, in terms of official websites, mentions anything about it, only gold-panning/prospecting, which is legal. A relative of mine lives up there and near some old areas. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

Joe
 
Nevermind. I just found out that I cannot detect anywhere in the Michigan National Forests. Oh well. I guess I'm destined to detect tot lots forever.

Is there anywhere that allows metal detecting? I'm finding this all so frustrating.

Joe
 
I met a guy last summer that said Mich. passed a law that if you were on wet sand you could detect any beach in the state...

double check on Nat. forest... I live near some in Virginia and have been told its ok to detect just stay out of historic areas, indian grounds ect

I hit the hiking trails, hunters parking areas and I am looking into an 1830's wagon road....

some state parks are ok and like you will see here do your research and look for old camp grounds ect. I used to live in Oakland County Mich and went to a church camp every year and I know I personally lost tons of stuff!!!!

hang in there and good luck....
 
I live in Michigan, but haven't gone detecting yet. I bought my MD the day before the snow came and I probably won't get a chance to use it until March.

But anyway, I've been told you can detect the waterlines on the beaches too, but only the beaches of the Great Lakes. Not inland lakes, where I guess a property-owner's rights extend to the center of the lake.

I don't know about the "National" forests, but I'd assume anything called "National" is off limits. State lands might be a different matter. There's a website that might give you more details....

http://www.swmss.org
 
Thanks for the info. I was getting frustrated because I'm really trying to get at some great places to hunt, it just seems so intangible. All of these people here on this forum finding old silver coins and whatnot, and I'm limited to tot lots because of my location. I'll just keep researching, I'm bound to find some old location I can detect. Again, thanks for the info, greatly appreciated.

Joe
 
Check out the forum here, there was a post on links to rules and regs on National Forests. Sorry I cannot locate it right off the bat :roll:
 
Dutchroots wrote;"But anyway, I've been told you can detect the waterlines on the beaches too, but only the beaches of the Great Lakes. Not inland lakes, where I guess a property-owner's rights extend to the center of the lake.
I live in northern Michigan, and I hunt a lot of the inland lakes up here. If the property is private, I just ask the landowner for permission. I've not been turned down once. A lot of the inland lakes are on state property and you can hunt there as well, as long as there are no historical digs, or sites right there.
 
Hoser,

I'll be staying on the Stonington Peninsula, across the bay from Escanaba. According to several websites, all of the peninsula is part of the Hiawatha National Park. But a relative of mine lives there and has for 25 years. Apparently, the 25-odd acres of land she has is part of the National Park. I don't think I'd find much there (it's very rural), but nearby there are some older abandoned houses. Maybe I can find a number to call to inquire about detecting there.

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it. I'd really like to find some old coins and so far this place looks the best of all I've seen.

Joe
 
Hoser...

have you ever hunted Old Deward? I have made several trips over there and only found 3-4 old coins. It seems pretty well hunted out.

Tom
 
have not hunted yet . we are just getting started in this hobby. we travel all of michigan and wanted to add this to our outings. i just got a md for her and im waiting a few weeks to get another. we want to do beach searches and shallow water since we have a boat and we can get to some areas the boaters use to play in . about a hour away from wgere they hold the jobbie/nooner partys. lots of kids and booze so im sure the water will hold some good finds.
 
also from michigan here is a link that will help you

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10365-97922--,00.html

So I was at one of the parks listed here under “designated metal detecting areas”
I had no idea their were designated areas..

Anyway I was hunting one of these “designated” areas by chance, and a DNR worker stopped to chat with me..

This DNR officer recommended to me that I go down the beach a ways and detect a different area “where more adults hang out”..

Looking at this map now, where the DNR officer recommended is OUTSIDE of the designated detecting area..

So so much for that..


I’m thinking hard and looking for places to detect..
If I don’t see any sign that says no detecting, I’m detecting..

Just thought that was funny and thought I would share..
 
.....
Looking at this map now, where the DNR officer recommended is OUTSIDE of the designated detecting area.......

I have a sneaking suspicion why there was ever any such "map" invented .... IN THE FIRST PLACE ! Care to take a guess ? :roll: And as your experience shows : MD'rs "knock themselves silly" when they find some minutia like this. Yet as your experience showed, you'd likely never run into anyone that cares one bit, nor knows anything about it. :roll:

For example : Even though it's very rare that any cities anywhere ever dream up "permits" for this, There's one very large city in CA that dreamed up a "permit" decades ago. And once this information got out in social media CA md'ing scene, md'rs in that area seek to get this "permit".

But humorously, no one can recall anyone ever getting "carded" for their permit in that city. And another time I heard of someone roaming city hall for an hour trying to find someone that even knew what they were talking about.

So you ask me : Do you really need that "permit" ? No. Same for places like you're discussing : You almost have to ask yourself : "Does anyone *really* care ?"

So My opinion is this : Just avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments. Presto, problem solved.
 
I have a sneaking suspicion why there was ever any such "map" invented .... IN THE FIRST PLACE ! Care to take a guess ? :roll: And as your experience shows : MD'rs "knock themselves silly" when they find some minutia like this. Yet as your experience showed, you'd likely never run into anyone that cares one bit, nor knows anything about it. :roll:

For example : Even though it's very rare that any cities anywhere ever dream up "permits" for this, There's one very large city in CA that dreamed up a "permit" decades ago. And once this information got out in social media CA md'ing scene, md'rs in that area seek to get this "permit".

But humorously, no one can recall anyone ever getting "carded" for their permit in that city. And another time I heard of someone roaming city hall for an hour trying to find someone that even knew what they were talking about.

So you ask me : Do you really need that "permit" ? No. Same for places like you're discussing : You almost have to ask yourself : "Does anyone *really* care ?"

So My opinion is this : Just avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments. Presto, problem solved.

Tom, I was watching the news lately about an artist making sand art at ocean beach in SF and there was a guy with a beginner detector on the beach!:lol: No park ranger in sight. Probably because they are understaffed right now?
 
Tom, I was watching the news lately about an artist making sand art at ocean beach in SF and there was a guy with a beginner detector on the beach!:lol: No park ranger in sight. Probably because they are understaffed right now?

The dirty-little-secret , on GGNRA beaches, is that you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who cares.

I knew a guy who unknowingly detected those beaches there for several years, un-bothered . Yup, waltzing right in front of life guard towers, etc..... No one ever said so much as "boo" to him. He simply couldn't believe how many targets there was to choose from. As if none of the locals were aware of the action ? He couldn't believe that local md'rs hadn't been exploiting the various beaches. It was like shooting fish in a barrel .

Finally, one day he joined a club. Fellow club members enviously eyed his pile of show & tell finds each month. And tried to get his to drop his guard and tell them his spots. But he was tight-lipped :cool3:

Finally, he let his guard down and told a few fellow club members where he hunts. And one by one they began to tell him "Isn't that off-limits ?" At first he figured they must be mistaken. After all, what harm can you do to a beach ? :?: And after all, if this were true, then *certainly* someone would have said something by now, eh ? :?:

But after hearing this rumor for the 3rd time, he began to look into it himself. HHHhhhhhmmm :roll: You can bet he had half a mind to simply continue. Since by this time it was obvious that it was a non-issue.

That was 25+ yrs. ago. Perhaps by now things are different . Perhaps more rangers are "appraised" now ? If so, I have a sneaking suspicion why it would have changed. Care to take a guess ? :roll:
 
I wade inland lakes in michigan all the time. I hope in at any access point and wade in front of cottages. Only had home owners yell at me a hand full of times and twice found gold rings walking away
 
Because people were breaking the rules?

Nope. People "broke the rules" back then . Waltzed right in front of lifeguard towers, and right past rangers, oblivious to any rule. And no one in authority cared or knew any better. Thus no, it was not "md'rs md'ing" (since, as said : They were ignored).

There is another reason why all-of-the-sudden there's "sudden awareness" and scrams. It's because enough people go asking "Can I ?" (as if they need to clarify, and/or get permission). Rangers and authority (who apparently previously never gave the matter a moment's thought), are required to go research this 'pressing question'. And presto: B.O.L.s become the order of the day.
 
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