Health and Safety

[kamogawa]

I have read hundreds of forum articles each day from various sources and one of the things that I see each day are people who have physical limitations. From bad backs to sores legs, stiff necks, arthritis, illnesses, recent surgeries, etc. A lot of these people are faced with reducing their detecting if not give it up all together. It would be nice to see a category about how to help make metal detecting a more physically comfortable experience.

Such as:

Switching every so swinging detector with right hand for a while and then left hand to ease pressure off of back and hip.

Reduce the amount of time your are bent over while hunting. Standing straighter.

Buy a detector swing device to help extend the time you can detect.

Proper detector pole length. Pole extentions for taller people.

Keeping the search coil closer to the feet.

And then there are a multitude of safety issues:

Hunting in the park, being approached by intimidating people, hunting in the woods, hornets, yellow jackets, bears, ticks, snakes, camoflauged meth labs in the brush, nails, glass, aggressive dogs, cuts and rusty metal, flash floods, lightning, needles & syringes, night hunting, rough parks, gang territories, grafitti, cellar holes, bottle dumps, hot climate and winter hunting, poison ivy, bears, mtn lions, wolves, water drop-offs and currents, live ammo, can slaw, fish hooks, et al.

[Dimeman]

I use both arms when out detecting so just 1 arm doesn't get tired. My back only bothers me after 3-4 hours----only because I'm 62 now and my body is showing its age. No problems with my knees----so far.

As for safety while detecting..carry a cell phone, hunt early in the morning right at sunrise or a little later( before the thugs wake up). And better yet, hunt with a buddy or 2. Thugs might pick on 1 person--- and be wary of 2 or more with digging tools in their hands.....especially Lesche diggers. thumbsup01
Wear some type of gloves when you are using your hands in the dirt or tot lots. Most tot lots I use my garden trowel to dig or use my foot to move the gravel/woodchips around to get to the target. Too many sharp items in tot lots.
In dirt there could be broken glass, rusty iron, and other sharp items and gloves will help keep your hands and fingers blood free.

[size=1t]Be aware of your surroundings.....no matter where you are searching---------- every dozen or so swings-- look up and see what is going on.This also helps in areas of out of comfort zones.

I had 3 pit bulls come upon me once in a park area. I heard them coming and looked up--stood up straight and made sure they saw me look at them for a few seconds. Never stare at a strange dog but keep them in eye contact. They didn't bother me, and they went elsewhere.

I have dug some live bullets in the past and being careful in digging the target helps in not having it hit by the metal digger BANG !!!!!!!

This is a fun hobby-------practice a few safety precautions and enjoy the hobby.

[RobW]

Yeah...I'm getting a permit to carry....imagine that...them giving a crazy guy like me a permit.... lol

[russellt]

hogwash ................................ go till ya cant any more

[bob_e99]

Being on the wrong side of 60, there are some great points made here. I noticed that since I started detecting I have aches in places that never bothered me before. The points about being aware of the environment around you is absolutely, 100% correct and beginners should learn that very quickly.

As far as getting a permit to carry, I'd probably end up shooting myself so that's not on my list.

Thanks for this post. I found it very beneficial.

[MartinL]

hogwash ................................ go till ya cant any more

Problem with that advice, is that once you get the intensity of finding stuff, you forget what you can take. I found that out when I first got into the hobby last summer with the Whites 5900 in my own yard, and I am talking about TEXAS SUMMER! One particular time, I came to the door feeling almost like having a true heat stroke. You know what? I truely believe that I was THAT close! I don't push anything nowadays, including metal detecting. MDing is a fever to keep pluggin along though. I got over my fever though. It ain't worth a stroke or heart attack, and that is an easy thing to create :-( Thank God I had the air conditioning within 50 paces.

Be wise, take yout breaks, and just quit ahead of the big one. martin

[bob_e99]

Problem with that advice, is that once you get the intensity of finding stuff, you forget what you can take. I found that out when I first got into the hobby last summer with the Whites 5900 in my own yard, and I am talking about TEXAS SUMMER! One particular time, I came to the door feeling almost like having a true heat stroke. You know what? I truely believe that I was THAT close! I don't push anything nowadays, including metal detecting. MDing is a fever to keep pluggin along though. I got over my fever though. It ain't worth a stroke or heart attack, and that is an easy thing to create :-( Thank God I had the air conditioning within 50 paces.

Be wise, take yout breaks, and just quit ahead of the big one. martin

Very sage advice. I noticed that myself a couple of times though not quite as severe and not so close to AC. It is amazing how quickly you can get caught up with finding things.

[Lowjiber]

Planning a hunt strategy can help a lot. Here in the desert, I rarely hunt in the summer. When I do plan a trip, I hunt the open areas from daybreak until about 9am and hunt the tree lined, shaded areas for the rest of the hunt. That sounds simple and it is, but many folks don't figure it out until the temps are well above 100 degrees.

Sunscreen before the sun has had the chance to burn is again an obvious safety factor that many forget until it's too late.

When hunting hilly terrain, I try to avoid giving up any height to the hill. In other words, I hunt strips that cross the terrain in a horizontal fashion as opposed to going up-and-down. Zig-zagging up and down can tire one out much more quickly than a properly planned approach.

This may seem simple too, but learning to flip really enhances a hunt. Good pinpointing techniques and equipment can put one right on a target that (if shallow enough) can be easily flipped...thus avoiding digging, etc.