New to the hobby and have some questions

[Flanker]

I've been watching nuggetnoggin and Quarter Hoarder vids on YouTube for a couple years with no intention of buying a detector but just fascinated with their videos and what they find. Recently, to my surprise... my 9 year old son has also been watching metal detecting videos and he is really into it so I bought a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. I didn't want to spend too much money as a 9 year old's interests are constantly changing. I also got a pinpointer, digging tool, and a bag for his finds.

I did some research and was discouraged to find that metal detecting is viewed by some as a boarder line criminal act in certain areas as it seems like a harmless hobby to me. So we went to the fenced in pool area of the apartment complex (built in 1972) I manage and got hit after hit in just the 10x10 area that we tried. We found lots of pull tabs, nails, trash, a toy car, multiple modern coins and a women's diamond ring which turned out to be fake. The ground was very hard and the shovel I ordered wont be here until Monday so we went to our local lakes beach where metal detecting is allowed and digging is easy. We found some trash and a dime

- My main question is about door knocking and asking for permission on private property. Is there a pitch you guys use that works better than just asking? I'm sure you get some "hard no's" and end of discussion. I do bring a five gallon bucket and a grabber to pick up trash while my son is searching and we leave all our holes as we found them.

- My other question is about city parks in my area that do not mention metal detecting in their rules but do mention digging and removing things as against the rules. How has that worked out for you guys? Obviously, if someone asks us to leave we will but I'd like to test the waters a bit.

- My last question is about 4 old farm house sites (house is no longer there) in my area that 2 of which are along a 2 lane road and mowed by the city. The other 2 are not maintained and well grown over... all 4 are just a gravel roads that leads to the old site. Is this illegal and if so what are your experiences in a similar situation?

Sorry for the long post and any advice/tips would be appreciated... Thanks

 

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[vpnavy]

I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard Flanker! You didn't list your state (or country) in your profile. So, you might consider jumping over to Sub-Forums: Select Your Area.... and selecting location information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state (or country). You might also consider adding your state (or country) to your displayed profile (SETTINGS -> EDIT PROFILE) so if you ask a question, etc. - people may have more success helping you (if necessary)...

My main question is about door knocking and asking for permission on private property...

I searched

and found a bunch of threads - here are a few...

• 
  [*=5]http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...rivate-property.html (Aug 03, 2012, 05:46 PM)
  .
  [*=5]How can I get permission to metal detect on private property? (Jul 02, 2017, 12:13 PM)
  .
  [*=5]Recomendations/asking permission help? (Mar 22, 2013)
  .
  [*=5]Recomendations/asking permission help? (Mar 22, 2013)
  .
  [*=5]Asking permission to metal detect private property (Aug 03, 2012)
  .
  [*=5]Asking permission to detect on other people's property (Sep 14, 2011)
  .
  [*=5]Letter requesting permission to hunt (Jan 10, 2005, 06:14 PM)

My other question is about city parks in my area that do not mention metal detecting

This falls back on your location (which you didn't list). The best (and safest) way is to just go to the park in question and ask, leave a question on the Forum that reflects your current state or country, etc. Here is an example of Florida...

I recently had an encounter with an employee of a Florida State Park employee who told me that metal detectors are illegal in ALL Florida State Parks. I was hunting along a salt water beach, in a State Park, west coast of Florida.

I received the following information, which I have printed out and will keep with me while hunting. Some of the rangers are not familuar with the laws they enforce. The blanket answer is generally NO because it is easier that way. I suggest you talk to the park manager first and show him the information. They are OUR State Parks, for our enjoyment and recreation.

HH,

Larry

----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------------- --------------------------------

Regards,

Metal detecting is prohibited in the Florida State Parks except for the coastal parks. At the coastal parks, metal detecting is permitted in the beach areas between the tide line and the toe of the dune. This however, is up to the park manager’s discretion so it is recommended to contact any parks of interest prior to arrival for metal detecting. I have provided an excerpt from our operations manual describing this matter. Egmont Key may be an archaeological site within the zone designated by DHR or the Park Manager. Thank you for your interest.

7) Use of Metal Detectors

a) Use of metal detectors, magnetometers or other metal detecting devices is prohibited on all state park lands, including sovereign submerged lands under lease by state parks, except for the following:

(1) Coastal parks, in a zone between the waterline and toe of the dune, as determined by the Park Manager, except at archaeological sites within the zone designated by DHR or the Park Manager.

(2) Archaeological research projects authorized by DHR.

(3) As provided for in Chapter 4, section 28, for the recovery of lost personal items.

b) Any dug hole associated with the use of a metal detector must be refilled to the contour of pre-dig conditions using the excavated material.

c) Any excavations within designated archaeological sites require permits from DHR and Bureau of Natural and Cultural Resources. Objects found or recovered under the terms of a permit issued by DHR are property of the State of Florida, with title vested by statute in DHR. Such objects are normally curated by DHR and can be made available by loan to the Division upon request.

Colin M. Dooley
Information Specialist
Florida Division of Recreation & Parks
Department of Environmental Protection
3900 Commonwealth Blvd. MS535
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000

My last question is about 4 old farm house sites...

This falls back on your location (which you didn't list). Different areas have way of finding out who owns the property, etc. Here is an example:

The property tax assessor has a map.

Go to office, look at map.

Since you gave no clue or indication of where you are- it's hard to answer your question.

My county is online. I can zoom in on any spot of land and it tells me who owns it, what the tax is- so on and so forth.

Hopes this helps for now...

 

[Ghost777]

Flanker, Im new to the site but have been around metal detecting for along time now. Back in the day, i actually never asked permission simply because it was not generally appropriate to me in those days, so I stayed with the standard school playgrounds, parks, etc etc as allowed by that particular city. But now with detectorist today having to become more creative to find more fertile ground so to speak...they are going to peoples doors and asking permission which in some cases i hear can be very fruitful....sometimes not. There are blogs hear im sure and on other sites that address this by providing templates for a permission letter, and how and what to say when approaching a property owner. So, give it a try and see how you fair....As far as question 2....It depends on that city, county, and you always want to ask local metal detector enthusiast about whatever area you are going to hunt.....usually they will know what the local rules are and how they enforce them. For example, In my town, they have no issues with detecting in any of the parks, yet in a city 60 miles away....its spotty on their rules.....Ive been told not to detect in a school area there and yet in another part of town...they dont care...so you just have to do your research...find someone that can give you first hand information for that area and follow up with some common sense and research.....try to find local regulations and laws of that area and read them....There are alot of people on this site that are from generally all over the world that can inform you as to what the situation is in the area you are interested in. Last question....depends on where this locality is at.....and everything above applies.

 

[against the wind]

Welcome to the forum from Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania

 

[Rookster]

Welcome from Mississippi.

 

[digging440yrs]

Welcome aboard

 

[Flanker]

Thanks for the info and I live in Centerville Ohio in Montgomery County which is a southern suburb of Dayton Ohio.

 

[smokeythecat]

Welcome! As a rule I do NOT do parks. I have a permit for one county here, but rarely go. You have to ask individually of any public entity. Most states do not allow detecting in parks, with some exceptions. Forget Federal land. They will get you. Big time.

I like private permissions the best. No one is looking to "get" you, you know it's ok to be there. And some of the best places are on private land. Think out of the box to find the best, untouched spots. Research is the key.

 

[sugarcreek]

I knock on doors all the time. I would say my experience is over 50% say "sure". Some days it's 75%. Recently in Chattanooga, in a couple neighborhoods, I asked 8 homeowners, got 3 "hard" no's, and had one yes become a no, once they realized I had to dig little holes.

 

[smokeythecat]

My success rate here in the wilds is about 90 percent. No competition and I look harmless. I guess that's it.