What Time Do You Guys Usually Do Park Metal Detecting?

[equinoxonetrick]

As someone that prefers to go when not many people are around, what times would you suggest? Also would rain/stormy weather be worse for plugging hole using digger tools?

[dogodog]

For me it depends on what park I'm hunting and what time of year. Some of my parks get a lot of people in the warmer month's, so I usually try to go early and leave by 9:00am. In the cooler months I pretty much roll in around 11:00am and hunt the rest of the day. It will take a little time to get all of your parks schedules figured out. One thing I do is check and see if the park has an online calendar to see if they have scheduled events for the month. Nobody wants to start hunting and find out a soccer game is starting on the field your in.

As for the rainy day hunts I just don't bother unless it's a one time only hunt. I'm not a big fan of digging mud and getting soaked. 

[Tom_in_CA]

I do all of my "nice manicured turf" park-hunting @ > 9pm.  Because that's when restaurants close, traffic on streets dies down.  People are done walking their dogs, etc...   Full moon nights.   So peaceful.  So serene.  

[Rick N. MI]

When I hunted a local park I would go there on Sunday in the morning or afternoon.

[rvpopeye]

Times can vary greatly subject to things like events , weather and tides.

Wet weather provides some increase in depth sometimes but isn't the best for making the hole disappear ! Except on a beach.

[GB_Amateur]

Think of when people who frequent parks are active:

1) hikers, runners, and dog walkers:  before work in the morning; after work in the evening.

2) young people getting in fun and exercise:  after school, and particularly in the cool months since it's warmer in the afternoon.

3) people on lunch break just trying to find a hiding spot or escape from the rat race.

It's kind of like when is the best time to go shopping.  9-11 and 2-4 seem to be less busy.  But even at busy times you can detect in less the busy parts of parks.

I (being retired) like to hit the parks during the week and the schools on weekends.  In fact I'm getting ready to go to a school shortly!

As far as weather, the worse the weather the less people that will be in the park.  Even cold (but still above freezing), cloudy, and windy days are decent for detecting (possibly preferred) but not for fair-weather 'athletes'.   Regarding digging, I prefer the slopes and hilltops (which drain quickly) in the first day or two after a rain.  And plugging before a rain is the optimal time if your climate or the time of year is such that such activity might lead to damage.  Right now here in my part of the Midwest it's not much of an issue since the ground is still moist and we get rains frequently from now until the summer heat season.

[Tiftaaft]

I usually target parks during the week days, either early in the morning (daybreak until the park goers start arriving) and some in the evening.  Usually parks are a little less busy during the week.  On weekends, I steer clear of parks for that same reason.  I look for aged school grounds on weekends and holidays.  Of course, my work schedule doesn't always cooperate with that plan.  

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I am careful to look after our rights, and so prefer not to detect grassy areas when bone dry. Too much risk of turf damage. So I actually like the rare rains in my area, and hit the parks hard when the turf is moist. Easier digs, and less likely to leave dead spots. As far as time, I am rabid about avoiding people, so a rain storm helps me more than hurts. Early, late, whenever.... my main goal is to avoid eyeballs, and I generally leave when more than a few show up. I do not like at all being watched when I'm doing any kind of urban metal detecting.

 

[Valens Legacy]

Always remember to bring plenty of water when the ground is dry as a bone. Once you have the item out of the ground and hole filled in add a little water to help everything seal properly. That way it is less likely to kill the grass in a nice area of the park.

Good luck and happy hunting

[kac]

Usually towards dusk. Some the parks here close at sunset but most of the time people don't care. Digging mat and hand digger is good around here. I use a 12x12 piece of rubber roofing for my mat, it doesn't blow around, always lays out flat even after being rolled up in my pouch and it's water proof so dirt doesn't stick to it.

I don't mind chatting it up with some the people if they are curious, got some good leads on different places from them and even permissions on places.

Probably the worst time to hit a park is during the day on a weekend when most are packed.