Hello, Just a general question. Does anyone know if it is legal to do metal detecting on state land in New York? The answer will help me with purchasing or not. Thank you.
I know that most states that do allow detecting require you to get a permit to do so. Here in Indiana you have to get a permit from the park office for certain time periods when it is allowed and only in certain areas in the park. I think campgrounds and beaches are off-limits in the parks here during camping season. You will probably have to contact the parks you intend to hunt individually as the rules may vary from park to park. I know that here the state recreation areas are more flexible for detectorists than the larger state parks. Sorry I can't offer more help. Good luck and happy hunting.
I Just got a detector for Christmas - I was going to look into this myself. Where in upstate NY are you?
Stay away from National Parks with your metal detector. Don't even drive into a Civil War battlefield park with your detector unless you want to have it confiscated. You will have to check with the state regarding state lands. They may allow MDing on some state lands but I doubt they allow it in State Parks. In most instances you should obtain permission first. Sometimes it is easier to ask forgiveness than to obtain permission but you don't want to mess around with with state or federal property. Use common sense on where to and where not to use your metal detector.
Here in Texas forgiveness come with a large fine in state parks. You shoud check with the park officials before you even take your MD into the park. In some parks in Mississippi it is illegal to even have one in the park.
Actually, he never said he was in upstate NY. I always laugh/shrug when I hear that from a New Yorker & the person is maybe 2 hrs. north out of NYC at the most. Not saying that your are near the NYC, of course. I am a good 3-4 hrs. north from NYC in the "southern tier" & consider myself mid-state and that is pushing it. Upstate has got to start around Syracuse at best & then you still have a good 2 hr. drive north at least to the Canandian border. To answer the original question, in my area there are tons of state land where you can detect but the "Parks" themselves you have got to ask. Just my experience. Some say no problem, some forbid it.......Be nice to the park superintendent. Also, check the NY State Parks website. Cheers
Sorry jnp...I see he has "Upstate" listed under his Avatar. So where in upstate NY are you located?? Cheers
Thanks for all the information. I will check with the State Parks first before going. I'm a bit north of Syracuse, closer to Fulton or Oswego, NY. There are a few sites on the sides of the roads around this area that mark battles from the war of 1812. I thought after the snow melts in April I will give it a try.
Howdy Cat1026, Glad to see you are a true Upstater. Signs along the roadside marking a historical event doesn't mean it is State land or park. It is just a historical marker. Talk to the property owner. The sign is just on the roadside within the rightaway of the road. You know how the farmers & rural landowners are in mid/upstate NY, all ya have to do is ask. Poor Tug Hill this year, again, lol. Cheers
cat1026, I've been metal detecting for about 15 years. Be prepared to dig a lot of junk before you find anything of value. State Parks are a definite no no! There's a book that will tell you your rights and the laws of every state, it's called Treasure Laws of the United States. BTW, what type of detector do you have?
You now have been told. Best to be safe than sorry. True in some areas you can get into a lot of trouble with a metal detector. naturally if you do it at night, stay in the shade, watch for the cops, you might get away with it. It's the shovel, spot lights, metal detector noises that are a problem though. :smile During a construction site where the area under contruction was from about 100 years without being disturbed, many of the construction workers had metal detectors for old coins. Also, old cans, jars, bottles, old wood, etc. were found. Then one day a back hoe hit a cable and many workers were standing there with their metal detectors to see what it was made from. It was not on any documents. Suddenly a mass of cars appeared. They showed ID's as FBI, conviscated the metal detectors, drawings, any photos of the area and told everyone to leave and remember nothing happened here. The moral of the story is ask if it's OK first.
