How close is to close

You have just arrived at a area you wish to detect in and see another detectorist swinging away already at work. ( you may be sociable or not doesn't really matter ) The question I'd like to get some feed back on is how close is to close? Is out of eyesight the go? Or 100 meters away ? Or 200 meters ? Or jump back in your car 4x4 and go elsewhere.

Hi
Happyness is a head shot at 200metres so I would say 300metres to play it safe

Regards Neale

If its open land its all fair game in my eyes.
Stay out of interference range I look at it like this, if i was on a patch that was Crown Land and someone rocked up what would i do.

Most likely id stop go over and have a bit of a yarn with them and explain my intentions of where ill be detecting, this way no one steps on any toes and you might get a new friend out of it.
If you rock up and they don't come over first just setup and stay out of interference range, if they have an issue I'm sure they will come over and have a chat There should be no reason for aggroness. Saying that though there are people out there that think they own ever bit of gold in the world and its theirs for the taking.

My 2 cents

hhhmmmm a curly one and as I don't detect I cant help you on that one but im sure this Question is goin to get a few reply's I Banjo for my gold so I do get well cheesed off when someone comes down to where Im working and has a look --dosent come and ask "what line are you working coz I don't want to jump in on your lead" that's only happened once to me and I was happy to give him the heads up to where another line was !! he was happy and so was I but so many people just plonk down their sluice a shovel length away from you and think that you are not going to say anything!!!!! AS IF!!!!!!

How close is to close
Get back in your ride and drive for 1 hr, pull over and check for other detectorists, if none, you may proceed to detect in that vicinity.

Just kidding, you need to drive for 2hrs.

100mtrs if prospecting with mates is the norm, sometimes a little closer, as for strangers i think it would be a little rude for anyone to pull up within 2-300 mtrs and start detecting as this would be in your general detecting vicinity of the ground you would cover.

Hi All,

How many millions of acres of detecting land is there, it's not too hard to work out, if someone has taken the spot you were going to you need to move on and find another

If it is where you like to go don't give it away by going in as well, leave them to it and with a bit of luck they won't have a clue and leave most of the gold behind

If it is a real good spot and you don't want to give it up it's time to do a night shift and get up early the next day or take it in turns and stay on the patch

You shouldn't be able to see anyone if you are on gold, we don't own the land so we have no rights BUT if anyone moves onto my patch they get the wrath of RON!!!!!

These detecting club outings spoil it for everyone, just because the club works close together and if one person finds a bit of gold they hoard around and clean the patch out in an instant it doesn't meen that's how it happens in the real world

A person or persons do all the hard work patchfinding, it can take days and sometimes weeks and then some dipstick wants to muscle in on the patch!!!

We get people driving around looking for other peoples tyre tracks...lowlifes!!!!!!

We get people listening on the two ways trying to find out info... for f....s sake go and find your OWN patch

Bewildered RON

When your coils touch & the picks start a flinging!
Out of eye sight with a clear view of the distance. Nothing worst, your heads and brain are trying to concentrate on detecting,
yet you have this wary feeling in the back of your mind.
I'd rather put up with wild dogs/ snakes/ Roos/ Shooters.

after a trip down to vic over easter i found a new patch. on the same day a group came down the track and set up camp about 200 m away from were we were camped wright in the middle of my new patch, very rude, we do not own the land but give people some space, and if all if all fails turn the ham radio on drop down to 40 meters and starting dxing then no one can use, there machine,have no problems with other people but when you see them walking around your new dig holes pulling gold out because you have gone back for lunch and a beer, the mind begins to think of the chain saw, i do not own the gold there but worked hard to to find the little run , at least talk to people to see whats going on and if u are
staying there

Hi wickerman, as you mentioned you are the one arriving at a spot where someone else is. I would say the minimum distance is 400 metres in the woodlands with scasttered diggings in Victoria, 500 metres at a flogged well known area in WA or 1km and out of sight (most of the time) in the wilds of WA. People who say you can work up to a hundred metres away when you are the new arrival are either not experienced, ruthless hungry dogs or are coming back to a spot where they got gold before.
Tributer

Lets face it. There are those out there who will spot you detecting, and, because they have no idea of where to look, will think that you are onto gold and they will muscle in as close as they can. I have found some people can be damned annoying and keep trying to talk to you when you have headphones on. In some cases I have just packed up with the comment that "this place is flogged to death" and go to one of my other spots. These people don't hang around for long and you can usually go back after an hour or so and they will be gone. If you do get too close to a mate and your detector chatters, turn your back to him/her and keep walking until your machine is quiet. I expect others to do the same.

Panther

.

Most of you blokes got it right ; You donot own the gold that is in the ground. and if someone rocks up and starts detecting close by then you just have to ware it although personally I tend to agree with the "Within pick throwing distance" bit.... yeah I kind of like that coz I reckon I could chuck a pick a fair way

This is quite simple if your out driving around searching for a new spot and you see someone detecting, have the courtesy to keep driving and find your own, there is so much country out there, im sure that person has walked klms & klms looking for new ground and the last thing you want is for someone to rock up and take your glory disturb your concentration looking up constantly and seeing if the intruder is possibly digging up gold that you worked hard to find, keep driving a klm or two and go for it. If gold has been found in that area im pretty sure that there would be numerous small or larger patches around that area.If they insist on staying i always carry a bag of golf balls and an old five wood and let rip, ha Ha na just kidding,
Thats my point of view anyway.
Cheers Balony
DONT FORGET YOU JUST HAVE TO WALK OVER IT.

I''ll go with rarebreed on this one..go over have a chat, you are not ASKING his permission to detect there and as rarebreed said..you may find a detecting buddy..and lets face manners cost zilch and NOONE likes someone watching their every move when detecting..I know I dont.

Couple of weeks ago i was out in Vic GT,
Heading to a little patch of mine. Nothing major, a few bits for a few grams.

I arrived at the spot and started detecting, but about an hour later 2 guys turned up at the same area.
I was well hidden in regrowth, and had mostly camo and green-brown clothing on.

These two guys had speakers for sound, no earphones. They went all around me for the next 90 minutes or so, but did not venture into the regrowth.
I could hear their movements though, thanks to the speakers. At one stage had to turn off my machine and take a lay down on the ground one of them was getting very close.

Whats the moral of this story?

You all should get speakers and orange safety vests.

Also, the answear 2 original question of how close you should stay to another detectorist:

Far enough so he never sees you or is aware of your presense at any stage. If i ve seen you or heard you - you were too close.

Cheers!

Jeez i dunno; You blokes drive a hard bargain.
How do you know that the bloke rocking up to where you are working has not just spent the past 6 months planning and researching a trip to that exact spot and then arfter all that preparation discovers somebody else on his researched spot, you can imagine how down he is going to feel. He will curse and swear that there is somebody there already and then he will get out and start detecting and try not to get too close.]It's a bloody big country and a ton of room for everyone. So don't be so narky if somebody comes by, say G/day mate, had any luck? ......Naaa not yet! ......... no worries mate there's a bit kicking about here, see how yer go, don't come any closer but or I'll av ta chuck me pick at ya. ........Wot !that pick ther?...... Yeah this pick ere!........Looks like a good pick, I could do with a new pick!!........Well come any closer an ya will be pullin out ov yer a...s

Well there are a few good replies to that question if you are detecting but what if you have spent some time proving a lead in the bed of a creek? wet prospecting is not like detecting as in the fact yes you might pull say 1/2 an oz in a few days from a spot or only a few grams but you will have to dig the line for a considerable time to get it unlike detecting where a step in the right direction will get you the same amount of gold!! I think the rules will be a bit different in the scenario im talking about as a wet prospector. I would appreciate your thoughts.

How many of our gold fields were found by people finding Leads?? Bluddy near all ov em.
Once the lead was located and word got out then the whole country rushed to that spot and pegged their bit of the lead if it wasn't already pegged.

I understand what you are driving at but unless you put a claim on the ground then you don't own the entire lead no matter how long or short it may be. If you have sunk a few holes to bottom along the lead trying to work out where it is going then Yeah I would get a bit peeed off if somebody tried to dig along the same line.
Unfortunately you cannot legally stop them?...... or ya could just chuck yer pick at em and tell em ta p off.

yep I agree there's not much you can do but it does urinate you off I tried the camo thing --but it didnt work to well --tried the arm waving (in an unfriendly manner) -but it didnt work wit everyone---- now I light myself with bright fluro strips and green strips on the side on the ute ! its working well i duno ppl must think im DPI

[quote="Adrian SS"]How many of our gold fields were found by people finding Leads?? Bluddy near all ov em.
Once the lead was located and word got out then the whole country rushed to that spot and pegged their bit of the lead if it wasn't already pegged.

Yes Adrian, because they didn't have Minelabs back then.....

P