Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;doug444, post: 1949720, member: 38849&quot;]A couple of tips.&nbsp; KEEP all the trash, nails, bottlecaps, etc., you dig up, in a little bag in your pocket or knapsack.&nbsp; Then you can show a cop that you are helping the environment.&nbsp; You think I&#039;m joking?&nbsp; I&#039;m not.&nbsp; Go to your local police and <u>volunteer</u> to search crime scenes for bullets, etc.&nbsp; After a couple times, especially if you find something useful, they will recognize you and leave you alone.&nbsp; When they call, drop what you&#039;re doing and respond; it will pay off in the end.&nbsp; Also volunteer to make informal appraisals of coins confiscated from criminals, etc., etc., and help identify Chinese fakes.&nbsp; Anything you can do to assist the cops is worthwhile.&nbsp; Cops are your best friend BECAUSE you don&#039;t want them to be your worst enemy.</p><p><br /></p><p>More tips.&nbsp; Print up a Search Agreement, and carry a couple in your car.&nbsp; I will post a sample upon request.&nbsp; It contains a clever clause that will benefit you.&nbsp; In your spare time, you can advertise to find lost rings, keys, etc., in people&#039;s lawns; you charge one fee if you find the item, a lower fee if you don&#039;t.&nbsp; You retain the right to retain &quot;other&quot; items you may dig up, but this must be in writing, usually per the Search Agreement mentioned above.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a mistake newbies make.&nbsp; Yes, you swing the head (coil) back and forth, back and forth as you walk along.&nbsp; Many folks tend to raise the coil 6 or 8 inches as they begin to move the coil the opposite direction.&nbsp; When it&#039;s that high, it&#039;s not detecting anything; you are missing 20% of what &quot;might&quot; be there.&nbsp; Keep that coil tight to ground level, just 1 or 2 inches or whatever the instructions recommend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Carry a little squeeze bottle of flour with you, to mark where you&#039;ve been, or to a circle an area you want to come back to.</p><p><br /></p><p>Out West, especially, don&#039;t pick up eagle feathers and certain other items off the ground as souvenirs.&nbsp; It&#039;s against the law, big-time.&nbsp; Wikipedia:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;...Under the current language of the eagle feather law, individuals of certifiable American Indian ancestry enrolled in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_recognition_in_the_United_States" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_recognition_in_the_United_States" rel="nofollow">federally recognized</a> tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers. <u>Unauthorized persons</u> found with an eagle or its parts in their possession can be fined up to $25,000.&quot;&nbsp; There&#039;s also bird eggs and turtle eggs that are considered contraband, and fines for willful destruction of endangered species or their habitats.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you find something valuable, <span style="color: #ff4d4d"><b>KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT</b></span>.&nbsp; No photos, no interviews with the newspaper, don&#039;t tell your friends, nothing.&nbsp; Even the IRS is interested in &quot;finds,&quot; as they are taxable income.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most metal detector manufacturers will send you a free video (or download) about using their equipment correctly and skillfully.</p><p><br /></p><p>In some parts of the West, if you wander into some dude&#039;s marijuana farm, way out in the boonies, you WILL be shot, especially now that it&#039;s legal to sell in the States of Washington and Colorado.&nbsp; It&#039;s a CASH CROP, and in the dude&#039;s eyes, you&#039;re either a thief or the law.&nbsp; Waving a metal detector doesn&#039;t impress them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch for snakes.&nbsp; You think you can ward off a snake with that coil on a stick?&nbsp; Wrong.&nbsp; Don&#039;t lift rocks or probe brush-piles with your bare hands.&nbsp; I have about a thousand more tips, but it&#039;s 5:20 a.m. and I&#039;m still up.&nbsp; Good luck.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in