Montgomery said the treasure hunters are only allowed to search on private property, but he wishes laws and regulations weren't so restrictive.

"It's sad because a lot of things are going to be lost because of it," he said. "There are things in the ground now that are already deteriorating and if they are in the ground another 100 years they are going to be lost forever."

Kyte said the hunters always make it a point to get permission before they hunt.

A few years ago, the hunters were able to search some ground that had been removed from Fort Douglas and placed onto private property. Montgomery said they were able to find thousands of artifacts from that soil. But, he added, there are thousands of more artifacts that will never be brought out.

"They look at us as scavengers and actually what we are trying to do is recover this history," he said. "That's what we're trying to do. We're not in it for the money."

Retrieving artifacts from the ground helps preserve unrecorded history, Montgomery added.

"There's a lot of history that isn't written and you find out more information when you go out and find those things," he said.

Montgomery said he likes his membership in the Utah Treasure Association because it allows him to see what the other association members have found.

Urses said joining the Utah Treasure Association was a natural thing for him to do. He has been treasure and gold seeking for nearly two decades.

"It's basically what I do, instead of playing golf or fishing or hunting, which I used to do all the time," Urses said.

Membership into the Utah Treasure Association is $12 per year and comes with a monthly newsletter. The association hosts group digs and a yearly picnic.

Kyte said he's always been interested in collecting things and when he was a young boy he collected rocks.

"I love it," Kyte said. "I'm a collector and I'm a treasure hunter. I just thoroughly enjoy it all, and I enjoy the history of it and the older I get, the more I enjoy the history."

---

E-mail: nclemens@desnews.com