National parks

[wingmaster]

Is metal detecting allowed in national parks? I have read that coins are not protected in the archaeological protection act as defined by the national parks service, so if your only hunting coins is this permitted? The place I have in mind to hunt is actually a state park but was bought by federal money so they had to go by their guidelines when developing the area and they had this in the outline for the park. I'm sure people in charge of the park system here are not even aware of what is protected and what isn't, its amazing that the people in charge of such places do not bother to read or know what is and isn't protected under such laws.

[greg]

You will need a permit. if they even issue one

[Bubba707]

As a rule national parks are off limits for detecting. Here in Wisconsin state parks and any DNR controlled land, including navigable waterways, are also off limits.

[RounderRick]

Same here in Tennessee state parks is off limits, tva property detecting is allowed in certain areas but a permit is required.
City and county parks depends on the local gov for that area.

[wingmaster]

I'm going to contact the park and ask if a permit can be granted for the area, the area used to be private property its only been bought by the state a couple years ago. From what I've read in the archaeological protection act anything thats one hundred or more years of age is protected with the exception of coins, bullets, rocks,and minerals, though rocks that have been worked by man(arrowheads) are protected.

[Bubba707]

In Wisconsin it's 50 years old. Heck, I'm almost afraid if I go into a state park they'll never let me leave.

[RaZR]

So, if you find something that's over 100 years old. Do you stuff it back in the hole and cover it back up? :dontknow:

[DAN03USMC]

Wingmaster, I bow hunt down in the Delaware watergap in NJ, it is Federal land. I had noticed that their was quite a few cellar holes in there. I asked a federal warden if it was ok.....he asked me if I had my detector with me. I said no ( i didn't) He said that's good because mere possession of a metal detector was a crime and he would have written me up and taken my MD. Be careful...know the laws, and abide by them. HH, Dan

[Bubba707]

Wingmaster, I bow hunt down in the Delaware watergap in NJ, it is Federal land. I had noticed that their was quite a few cellar holes in there. I asked a federal warden if it was ok.....he asked me if I had my detector with me. I said no ( i didn't) He said that's good because mere possession of a metal detector was a crime and he would have written me up and taken my MD. Be careful...know the laws, and abide by them. HH, Dan


Makes ya wonder what they're hiding, don't it.

[Nitro 54]

You can ask ... Here in Oregon you do need a permit for the state parks as long as it's not a State Heritage Park... They are off limits do to the history of the site.

[DAN03USMC]

Nitro, you are talking state, federal is a whole other deal. Finding out the law is a must.

Bubba 707, I don't think they are trying to hide anything.....they just have strict rules, and they enforce them. The weird thing is, down there ( DWG) is that people still own homes within the boundries of the federal area.

[wingmaster]

Its a federal law called the archaeological protection act you still need a permit though, but coins, bullets, rocks(as long as it hasn't been worked by man as in arrowheads, and minerals are ok to take as long as you are granted the permit. Its the archaeological protection act if its older than 100yrs then its off limits other than the four things listed there it seems.

[Spiderwort]

On any public lands, local, state and federal, I would ask for a permit first. If you get one, cool, hunt away under their restrictions. Otherwise you can be in a heap of trouble. Of course while we are still a democracy you can try to get the laws changed. I haven't been living in Arkansas long but I understand that hunting in any state parks was not allowed a few years ago. Now they are running a pilot project on select state parks in very specific areas between certain dates. Mostly at some beaches during the winter and early spring period. If this is so thanks to those in the state that got involved and are trying to make some changes.

[Bell-Two]

Wingmaster, I bow hunt down in the Delaware watergap in NJ, it is Federal land. I had noticed that their was quite a few cellar holes in there. I asked a federal warden if it was ok.....he asked me if I had my detector with me. I said no ( i didn't) He said that's good because mere possession of a metal detector was a crime and he would have written me up and taken my MD. Be careful...know the laws, and abide by them. HH, Dan


Well I understand why they are concerned about protecting the area...but it seems to me, if I am reading correctly the tenor of your post, the warden had that In your face attitude I have asked for permission at places and have been told No the rules don't permit it but thank you for asking now that is saying the same thing and getting the same result without all the posturing and flexing of authourity muscles. The laws that allow of confiscation of anothers legal property in such cases is ridiculous. Some silly laws are enacted to please a lobby group. In this state if you fill your car with gas and drive off they can take your liscense away, but if you went into the gas station and put a gun in their face and took money and drove off...they wouldn't take your liscense!

[RobW]

As an attorney who has reviewed over the laws regarding Federal lands..because we all know there are some great things there.....The law does allow for amateurs, however you MUST obtain a permit, then anything you find belongs to the federal govenment. Failure to comply could reult in prison, fines, or both.......I've never found anything worth that risk. State laws vary by state.

[wingmaster]

Under that protection law it does state that coins, bullets, rocks(unless worked by man as in arrowheads and other artifacts), and minerals are not protected though. It would seem by that statement these would be ok if a permit was granted and I'm sure that would be a long shot at best.

[coinnut]

Under that protection law it does state that coins, bullets, rocks(unless worked by man as in arrowheads and other artifacts), and minerals are not protected though. It would seem by that statement these would be ok if a permit was granted and I'm sure that would be a long shot at best.


I bet those laws are written so they could be viewed two ways. Let's say for arguements sake, you could detect that park based on your understandings of the law. It says it excludes bullets, coins, etc... so it sounds like a go. :clapping: But on the flip side, it never said you could keep the items :dontknow: So it could be said that permission is granted to metal detect (for pleasure?) but since the land is owned by the Government, everything on or in it, is theirs.

I had an incident on state land a while back. I didn't realize that this particular area was off limits. Joggers, hikers, bicycles everywhere. Cellar holes too :drool: So I have my GPS and old map and my detector and am walking the trail between detecting a couple holes and looking forward to the next one up ahead. All of a sudden that green truck pulls up and he asks me What are you doing? I could see by the look on his face, my answer was not going to make him happy lol So I just told him and then mentioned about this old map I had and my GPS and I then awaited my fate. |:confused:) I gave him zero slack and mentioned nothing about having no signs or anything else. He listened and finally said OK, but I could have had you arrested and confiscated your machine. My advice is, regardless of the written law, it's a real good idea to approach the person in charge with some maps, history and then ask permission. If he says no, it just saved you a very uncomfortable couple of hours if he caught you there. Just my experience with it :thinkingabout:

[DAN03USMC]

Bell-Two, No, he wasn't in my face at all. We had just wrapped up a morning hunt and were gathering our things by our vehicles. he rolled in and and wanted to check us out- Lic's tags etc. we were all good. he then just started chit-chating with us about this and that. I asked him about detecting, that is how it came up. When he said what he said, he was kinda smiling. I think he just wanted to impress upon me that there is no detecting there. No harm no foul.

[exsquid]

Makes you sort of want to ask who was asleep at the wheel when all this craziness was quietly being written into laws..... Sort of dumps all over the framers intentions of the Constitution and limited government. What a shame, it was probably much nicer when Americans were citizens rather than subjects… :hairpulling: crying01 :ticked: :ticked:

[Bell-Two]

Bell-Two, No, he wasn't in my face at all. We had just wrapped up a morning hunt and were gathering our things by our vehicles. he rolled in and and wanted to check us out- Lic's tags etc. we were all good. he then just started chit-chating with us about this and that. I asked him about detecting, that is how it came up. When he said what he said, he was kinda smiling. I think he just wanted to impress upon me that there is no detecting there. No harm no foul.


Well I am glad to hear that, because a simple word is just as efficient as a beligerent attitude. I and a friend were hunting in a park when a ranger pulled up and started hollering at my friend telling him Get over here right now, what are you doing? His tone of voice suggested he was having a crappy day and somebody was going to pay for it. He started to bluster about our hunting there but when I mentioned I had permission from the director of the park system all of a sudden everything was peaches and cream with him he even went so far to tell us we should go sometime to another park in the district because he had never seen anybody hunting that one so we might make good finds! If he would have pulled up and made an enquiry about what we were doing in a reasonable tone it would have ended up exactly the same but he would have saved himself some embarrasment.

[wingmaster]

Alot of the time if you call to ask if its ok even at a city park if the person you talk to doesn't know if it is or isn't ok they will tell you no I guess to error on the safe side so it doesn't come back on them telling you it was ok when it isn't, then to find out its fine to hunt there. Most county and city parks around here its fine to detect and there are no laws against it. I have a few private places to detect I didn't get to last year because of it being so dry and its nice yards I didn't want to hunt because it was so dry you couldn't even keep a plug together the dirt would crumble and the grass would just fall apart not to mention it was like concrete. I even had one guy say he didn't care about the yard but I told him I do, he might have cared if the lawn mower started throwing grass chunks out, I told him I'll talk to you in the spring. If I get all my private places done I'll check in to that state park to see if they will give a permit but I doubt it.

[russellt]

i would say definately NO

[giant056]

Probably the only way that you're ever gonna get permission in a National park would be if someone you knew lost something there in a certain area that you would could probably get permission to hunt for the sole purpose of finding that particular item but that's probably it. 2old I'm pretty sure had to acquire permission to hunt for a ring for someone on a National Park but I might be wrong.

[wingmaster]

This is a state park that was bought with federal funded money so I'm not sure how it plays out and I'm pretty sure the state will say no anyway.

[RobW]

According to The Archaelogical Resources Protection Act of 1979 as amended, Section 6(a) No person may excavate, remove, damge or otherwise alter or deface or attempt to excavate, remove damge or otherwise alter or deface any archaelogical resource located on public lands or Indian Lands unless such activity is pursuant to a permit issued under section 4 of this act.

It is up to the Federal Land Manager who gets permits

It does state under Section 7 that if you find and remove arrowheadson top of the ground there is no penalty....but there are no other exclusions in this Act.

Ultimatly, you need permission whether on Private land, or State or Federal, and even in some municipalities on public land....be familiar with your local laws.

As everyone has been saying, there are enough places to hunt, just get permission first. It does ALL of us good.

[Trigem]

Every body needs to write their congressman & senators , ask them to lighten up on the rules,
Here in Tennessee, we have gotten gun carry laws changed for the better just by letting them know our wants
But it takes numbers, stop talk and take action...
2012 is just around the corner...

Write Your Representative
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Your Senator
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Maybe someone can makeup a letter we can all email in?

[Bubba707]

What's frightening really is the gradual take-over of land by Govt. It was bad enough when the Govt took ownership directly, but now they can simply control land without ownership leaving some poor schlep stuck owning land with an inflated value that he can't do anything with. This means, of course, the owner is still stuck paying taxes on it while the Govt forbids any use of it. Wisconsin just pulled a dandy by decreeing the DNR controls all land along all navigable waterways. For us this means no metal detecting allowed. It's not done through legislation of course, it's done by policy and regulation. Purely arbitrary directive from unelected officials answerable to no one.