So do you folks just ride the road and notice a place that looks very old and decide to go thump on the door or what? How do you determine where you would like to hunt?
Get some old maps from the 1800's and compare them with new maps. Look for homes that are no longer there or for the houses that are still there. Find who the owner is and ask!
Yes I do look for old homes and just knock. All they can say is no. If the house looks abandoned and no one answers I just go for it. Did it yesterday and pulled three silvers.