advice on permissions

[mmocha2905]

I have been metal detecting for about 5 years. I have yet to dig at a home that is currently standing that isn't a relatives or my own. What's the best approach to get permissions without being too pushy, or on the other hand, too passive. I don't really want to do random door knocking for on the spot detecting, more of a planned out thing.

 

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[Dirtslinger]

Private property is the key to most success. Make business cards with your phone number and email and some kind of memorable image. You can get into some of your personal friends properties pretty easily and those can branch out. In my area, farms with old houses old schools and churches are pretty much forgotten so it’s 80% research. When I get permission they get a card. If they lose something sometime, you may be called upon to return a favor. Only once have I ever been successful at retrieving anything, but it was retrieving a very expensive key fob. That felt pretty good. You have to make connections. Lots of them. If nothing else, go hit public parks. Those will brush you up on skills.
No matter where you hunt, always leave it cleaner than you found it, get dang good at plugs and stay positive.

 

[SultansOfSwing]

Theres no real way around it. Just identify a home youd like you detect. Some people wait to see the homeowner outside and then pull up. Some break the ice with complimenting the houses fine age and condition. Others mention the history of the area. Then transistion into your intentions. I just pull up to a house, knock, immediately apologize for bothering them and say I have a quick question. Follow that with, I'm not selling anything and gove a quick chuckle. I then say I do metal detecting for a hobby and ask for permission to detect. I have better luck with men answering the door vs women. Women tend to cut you off quickly and say no. I also say I'm only interested in detected for " about an hour". Depending on how thats received I may drag it to an hour and a half.

Tonight I was chatting with a manager at my work at she mentioned her boyfriends "farmhouse" I waited til later in the evening to bring up this farm house again. I asked when it was built. She replies 1776. Then says 20 years ago when he bought it, he did a lot of "cleaning up of the property, including the fields. I said, what was he cleaning in the fields? She says glass. I said how about any bricks or pottery? Shes says oh yeah lots of pottery. BINGO! I said can I come detect it sometime? I'll bring a spare detector. She says sure come mess around whenever.

 

[A2coins]

Great advice it all depends on the type of person who answers the door I tried once gat a no and never tried again but I will

 

[BigRay]

I live in northeast wisconsin and ill be honest if your not a local it will be hard. Its who you know or who knows who.I have only been detecting a year but peeps seen me an the wife out an stop by an talk ( get very little detecting in ) But your local church or barber or watering hole ice cream socials might be places to start a conversation an go from there. To me it seems the more peeps see us out there the more places i can go ask or they ask me.

Like they posted above leave a clean plug, clean up ANY JUNK you find or dig an take it with you. The more respect you get the better it is for you and the rest of us.

 

[cttodd]

Permissions are a hard thing to get good at but it gets easier. My site has a tab for permission and in there it gives my exact talk that I use. Give it a try cttodd.com

 

[danloop]

If I see an interesting place I just stop and ask about it. The advice I have is keep it simple and be yourself.

 

[Varianttyer]

If you are in New Jersey DO NOT DETECT ON ANY PUBLIC LAND unless you have written permission from the municipallity. Otherwise you will very likely be dealing with a trespassing citation. This is not a detector friendly state. Private property or the beaches are the safe way to go.