Beep Beep Beep

[Bazza]

I don't know how many times I have been greeted with this comment whilst metal detecting by passers by, my detector doesn't go beep beep beep, my response has usually always been a wry smile, or simply ignoring them.
So if you were going to take the bait, what would you say, or have actually said.
I thought of a good one liner, I'll tell you mine when you tell me yours.
Cheers
Bazza

[Oldpenny]

Goody Bazza.
When I get asked "what are you looking for" I get a few weird looks when I tell them...old land mines!
I have never had a second question fired at me, they think I must be insane..

Happy hunting.
Rob
 

[Findem]

I guess the one I've heard most often is "Have you found any gold?" or "Are you looking for gold?". My usual answer is to ask them a question: "Did you lose some?". After that, it's usually OK. 

[Meggie]

Someone asked me "if i had permission to do that" I replied "do you have permission to ask me that" 

I also had guy come up to me and say, " Do you find anything with that? and I told him no, I never find anything with it.What a stupid question that is. If they only knew:)

Meggie ....

[deb]

I have only been pestered once at the park, but as I haven't been mding for long, I got a bit flustered- typical girl!
I'm just glad to see this post and know that it wasn't just the fact that I was a female, and that everyone gets bugged just the same.
Looking forward to reading the responses, so that I can keep them under my hat for future use.

[Snoopy36]

People don't usually bug me. What I find is that if I make eye contact with a passer-by and greet them with a smile and a nod, they usually politely ask if I've found anything yet. I usually reply with a "just some loose change so far".

I did have one guy do the beep beep beep thing and I just smiled at him. I do carry a knife looking digger, which is awesome by the way - made by PATIO (Jamie Durie) - available at Big W for $20. Anyway, I don't think anyone with mess with me while I have that in my hand 

[lazyaussie]

the best reply is "why don't ya beep off"    I've got a system with nosie/stupid people - it's the three question rule, every body who starts asking stupid question gets three then i walk, that's it, I've had a few people get upset with this i then i ask are you paying for my time the answer is allways no then i walk on again, then theres no more problems  . kids are a problem & can ruin a days hunting very quickly by getting in the way or standing on your coil & wrecking your detector so i tend to deter them by asking if there mom or dad would be happy if they talked to strangers this works most times, don't get me wrong i don't mind having a nice chat once in a wile about the history of an area or the fundamentals of detecting with normal people it's just the drop kicks that think I'm there for there entertainment that gets my goat, also i don't mind showing the "nice" kids how a detector works, at the end of the day I'm there to hunt not explain how a detector works.
just call me a grumpy old man  .
lazyaussie       

[BAZ]

G'day All,
My experience shows that most people are genuinely interested in what you are doing. Yes, there is always the smart a**e who will try to take the mickey out of you, but only if he/she has company.
 It does'nt hurt to be polite, even to a smart a**e. Usually if you can show these people you are smarter than them they soon shove off.
The inevitable questions " Found any gold " or "what ya finding " can be answered by enthusiastically digging in your pocket and producing a grotty old penny--the ugliest most corroded one you can find. Most times that satisfies their curiosity and they just walk away. Certainly don't produce goldies.
Any questions regarding the legalities of whether you can do what you are doing can be answered " I have as much right to be here as you, it's public recreation land and MDing is my recreation.
Recently I had a smart a**e ( accompianied by several others ) yelling at me from about 50m away. I indicated I could not hear him clearly and after several attempts he gestured impatiently and walked away. They were all laughing, probably saying " stupid deaf old B****r ". I smiled to myself and went about what I was doing.
No confrontation, no stress.
Baz

[NewSouthCroweater]

Gday,

As  I have my  headphones/earphones on and if I dont feel like being soicial I just point to them and say "sorry I cant hear you" and  put my head down and keep swinging.
A few say stuff like found any gold yet ? I usually just smile and dont respond.
Sometimes if they seem interested I will chat for a short while and direct them to their nearest club.
Smartaleks get ignored.

NSC

[hungry]

I get that Beep Beep Beep at least 20 times a day, the thing that amazes me is the girls are just as ignorant as the boys. The overweight boys about 10 to 12 i find the most irritating , they come up and ask "what are you looking for, and then .Can i have it.  Every time i see a fat kid, I shudder, and usually head off in another direction.  I have had kids kick a soccer ball at me,sneak up behind and throw sand all over me, throw rocks, until i had to go to the life guards to have them intervene. I have had kids constantly run past and deliberately kick the coil or try and jump on it. Some days i have had to leave the beach to get away from them. I think a taser would go well, some thing you could fire from your detector.

[Coin Ranger]

Hee Hee Hee,

For once I'm glad I'm 2m tall and solid built. Amusingly none of that's ever happened too me Hungry. I can see how that kind of thing would put a real dampener on detecting.

As for smart things to say ... well I can think of several that would probably lead to a punch up ... but that's not really the aim of game.

CR

[Killer]

I detect at night only after the pubs close, normally start after midnight and see very few people. The local coppers often stop for a chat and have even had a go with my detector, as long as you do the right thing they give you no hassle. Only problem i have had was with a drunk the other night, and after i offered him a free tracheotomy with a coin probe he decided to bugger off. Im too short tempered to answer dumb questions from people during the day so ill stick to night detecting. killer

[wildgoldhunt]

I'm like you CR, 6ft3 and 140kg with a bushy beard and usually can be found in a flanny. I have never been hassled, except this one bloke only a couple of weeks ago. I saw him out the corner of my eye walking slowly, staring, when i looked up he gave me the nastiest look like i was stealing from him or something. I turned my head back to what i was doing. A couple of swings later i looked back over and he'd nearly stopped walking and with that look on his face that he obviously wanted me to see, so i stopped swinging grabbed the detector by the shaft, stood up straight then i held my spade up and looked at it and then back at him. Well the look on his face  soon changed as the reality of the situation sunk in
Almost dark deserted beach trying to upset someone that looks like me holding a spade. He did the quick step up the beach checking over his shoulder that i wasn't coming 

Brett

[Bazza]

It's amazing the range of responses people of all ages, shapes and sizes get, as does different places, and the times we choose to conduct our hobby.
At times I feel like the Pied Piper, with children swarming to find what I'm digging up, sometimes the solitary soul shutting out society, sweeping remote places alone, and other times the nerd, or the object of some Muppet's wit.
I have told many people the following when they ask me what I'm doing:
I'm in bomb disposals
Told tourists that this machine measures seismic activity, and it looks like there's a big one coming!
I've told people that I lost my virginity on this beach and I'm trying to find it
But.... beep beep beep, for me is so lame, so inaccurate and obviously very un original, "let me guess, your a pedestrian crossing", or, "jeez your funny, are you a clown".
I have to say nearly every person that approaches me is genuinely interested, and I respond likewise, and those who don't haven't a clue how much I enjoy what I do, so I usually do what ever it takes for them to continue on so that I can.
Cheers
Bazza
 

[Detrackozi]

Love all the above post and will use some of them.

I have been asked most of above but my best reply was only a few weeks ago I was in Geelong doing a main park near a station and 4 young drunk bloke's ask me over here over here is gold then ask any luck I reply the quicker you get to the night club and pick up the quicker you both can come back here in the park and so I can found all your $2 and $1 that fall out of your pockets I will be home.
They took it with a smile must of been to drunk to understand what I said.

[Bolt]

Great topic this one lol keep em coming everyone!

I have had many interesting interactions with all kinds of people while on the beach and in the parks.

I was at the beach with mod Balf over christmas when a group of japanese tourists caught my eye, They were pointing at me and balf and generally talking in thier own lingo when one of the group approached very cautiously towards mod Balf and asked "is this part of the beach safe to walk on and had he found many land mines sofar?" that really happened.

Another time Mod balf and i hit a well known park one night and were spotted by the divvy van which sped over to us and pulled up.

Out flew a rather large police man and police woman.  Who with torches a blaring were interested to know how many miners holes we had dug in the park.

The cop said to me "looking for old coppers ayy boys"!!  I mean what do you say to a cop that says that lol 

After finding many neatly filled in holes and confiscating our digging pick because it was a dangerous concealed wepon they decided to take our names and let us on our way.

Anyway nice reading guys and gals keep those storeys coming 

Kind regards Ray

[Red]

 A cop with a quick sense of humor caught you off guard! 

  Dare I ask, "How were you concealing your dangerous digging pick?" 

I would have thought one was more likely to be a danger to themselves (than others), trying to conceal a pick!

So you'll be needing a new one to brandish about!

[Sskim]

I was on the beach last weekend and a young fat youngster praps 12 comes over wiht about 3 of is mates and asks what I am doing etc. Told him I ma findings coins. can I see ? take a hand full out. can I see one of them. Give hime a 2 dollar to see and he immediately tienrs around to shove off with it. I tap him on the shoulder and told him to return and to bugger off. That was it. Lying thief - hwat kind of education or upbringing do they get ?

[Meggie]

Just thought I would resurrect this old thread by Bazza to see if anyone as anymore stories to add.

Meggie ...

[TeeJay]

Good idea Meggie. Have been through most of what others have said but this tale is a lu lu. A few weeks ago I was on a local beach about 4 in the arvo and having a great time digging tabs and tops when I noticed this little over weight 11/12 year old giving me the evil eye up on the footpath/bank of the beach.He's all dressed up like he's going to town and I could see his parents sitting on a bench seat looking at him when all of a sudden he jumps down on the beach about 20 mtrs away, turns his back to me bends down and plants an item in the sand and then climbs back up on the beach squats like a chook and pretends not to be there . Well I wasnt going to fall for that plant and went right up to about a metr off it, turned around and started detecting back to where I had come from. Yep you guessed it, the little bugger ran up in front of me about 15 mtrs and did the same thing again. I in turn did not oblige him. This went on for about half a dozen time till I could see his was really pissed off. The last time he did it I pulled up almost on top of it , switched off the ET and climbed up the bank. He had a blank look on his face and I had a grin from ear to ear. Gotta be a bastard some times in this hobby. LOL Told the wife when I got home and she felt it was a terrible thing to do to a child

TeeJay

[corydale]

good on ya mate,
its nice to get your own back sometimes. you and i have to put up with this more than most due to our other interesting 'hobby'!
i havent been md'ing for long but man i feel like every eye in the are is trained on me when im swinging. sometimes you gotta hold back the WTF are you looking at comment.

[jm94]

In my short time detecting, I was asked the first time I hit a public place (beach at Ballina) I sat down at a bench to have a drink and an old bloke asked me if I'd found any gold.

I looked left and right as if to make sure nobody else was in ear shot, and said "I'm on my second million" took a drink and looked out to the beach. I could just about hear the cogs turning in his head. It must have been all too much for him and he said "Second million, you're not serious?" (or along those lines)

I got up to leave and said "Yep, second million, gave up on the first one."