help me!!

[neu]

hey everybody, im new to this forum but would like to share something with you. ive been in and out of the metal detecting scene for about 8 years now, usually into when i have the time and or money to spend. but anyways, i grew up in middle tennessee on a farm that my family had owned for years. there are many great spots out here, but i came back to visit yesterday and found something that was both amazing and terrible. i was walking thru the woods when i came apon an area with a rock fence around it, and what appeared to be an old wagon road, of which there are many out in these parts. i started poking around, looking for any old building and found the remains of an old house, all of it was gone but the chimney revealed it to me, i used that as a searching point and looked around more, i found an old well, several outbuilding all in about a 3 or 4 acre rock wall. this was amazing to me, just thinking about the possibilities of what i can find there, as the farm i lived on was used by both union and confederate soldiers to camp and the wagon road was used to travel for centuries. but what was terrible, is that i did a little asking around, and the property that the house was on was recently sold to a company planning to make it a rock quarry.... any advice on what i should do hunt it regardless and hope not to get caught is what im leaning towards, this is something that i cant just stand by and see it destroyed, all the history that is burried in this place is too much to think about losing.
what would you guys do
thanks - alan -

 

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[Darren in NC]

Hello Alan,

I think you'll find two extremes on this forum. Those who think asking permission is silly if you can "get away with it," and those who wouldn't detect at all on property they've not secured permission for. While most of us are somewhere in between the two extremes, the code of ethics for our hobby favors the latter. I see your dilemma, but there are so many other places you can find that are just as great for detecting. You also instill respect in yourself and in our hobby's future by respecting other people's property (even if you don't like what is happening there). Go find some great spots!

 

[bergie]

I respect the post of Darren and it's hard to argue against, but I'd say unless you have evidence or strongly believe that you will be prosecuted vs. just asked to leave and not come back, there's not a great risk in going for it. The arguement about instilling respect for detecting is a nice thought, but let's face it, your one action in this one situation is not going to make a difference and if it's that good of an opportunity, then you'll kick yourself for not giving it a shot. Again, you should be certain you won't get in any major trouble. First, is it posted no trespassing (if so, then you should ask permission for sure). Note that many property owners looking to develop or do anything there like they are doing would have no incentive to let you search if they are worried you will discover something (cemetary, old historic site, etc.) that could deem the land protected or make them go through some bureaucratic nightmare to get their project done. Hope this helps.

 

[Doug Mauck]

In Kansas, if property isn't posted and you haven't already been told to keep out, you may be asked to leave but you won't be prosecuted the first time.
One approach, even if it is posted, would be to go to the County Clerk's office and find out exactly who owns the land and get their address. It sounds like it will be an absentee owner and that nothing will be done on the property for months or years. You could write and ask permission to look for relics and promise to remove trash and debris you find. You could also volunteer to watch for and report any illegal trash dumping or vandalism on the property. Chances are, you'll get written permission. If permission is denied, though, you could be prosecuted if you do it anyway.

 

[outdoorsup]

Just a quick question, I hunt in Smith and Dekalb Counties when I can get home, do you live anywhere close and do you have a hunting partner? Just thought I would ask because I know several areas to hunt but I dont care to hunt alone. Drop me a line if your interested.

 

[neu]

im very interested in finding a hunting partner also. if u would like to set up a hunt anytime , i would be very interesting in going with you. what kind of hunting do u do? and if u might be interested in hunting the place i was talking about with me. i would like to have someone else along, that knew more about hunting than i do. hh.
Alan

 

[neu]

well i found out a little more about the place i have been talking about. the place was owned by a family that owned over 500 acres out here, they settled here in the late 1700's and moved all their relatives to the area, i was told that their are 4 houses out here of the same age, along with a cemetary, with graves both marked and unmarked, my father was friends with the man that till recently owned the land i mentioned, the man died 4 years ago and sold 60 acres of land to various people, he did not sell the land with the house on it. which is some good news, its still in his family. the family showed me some old pictures of the land out here, and told me about several things that interested me, they told me that union troops after the battle of stones river, camped in my back yard, 5 of them died and were buried in the woods near my home. ofcourse this is all family stories past down over generations, but there are some things that make it seem realistic, ive found relics from the civil war era in my yard on many occasions. so now im thinking that the property i live on, that i have been detecting on for years, and always thought it had little to offer, may actually have something to offer. i also got the families permission to hunt on any of their land, as long as i show them what i find. they said i can keep anything that's not relitive to their family's history.