Getting permission

[Darshevo]

I stumbled on this site a few weeks ago and let me tell you, my rock hounding hobby has been taking a serious back seat. After playing around with a couple detectors from the 70's I have finally committed to buying a modern unit (thinking ACE 250 since they seem to be pretty popular and are affordable. Once I am TOTALLY hooked I will have a better idea of exactly what I want. I will pass the ACE on to my lady and upgrade then)

At any rate, since reading 100's of posts here every drive I take is now a constant look out for potentially good sites to check eventually. Today I went to a farm auction south of town and noticed among the items for sale a bucket that was full of stakes that said 'camping' and 'one way'. Some years ago (like 3, not 30 ) this little town where the auction took place hosted a pretty good sized motorcycle rally. The town is the size of a postage stamp and couldn't even begin to deal with the traffic, accomodations, etc (the reason the rally is no longer held there). Apparently the owners of this farm were using a section of their property to allow camping (at a fee I am sure) for the people that came down for the rally.

I asked the new owner (a man who has been around this piece of land for years) about possibly running a metal detector across it. He pretty much looked at me like I was insane. Being a person who tends not to tip his hand I didn't point out to him that tons of drunk, partying, motorcycle lovers tromping around the dirt in the dark were likely to have lost all forms of change and jewelry (only to have them ground in in the morning when they rolled out to go back to the show). By this point I would imagine the field probably has even been plowed as I know they haven't had the event there for at least 2 years.

I guess the moral of the story is how should I approach people about detecting on their land? If I get the 'have you lost your even loving mind, son?" look should I just move on? This area (in general) was the site of quite a large indian war as well, I believe that a lot of really interesting stuff could be dug up on there

Thanks for taking the time to read my disjointed ramble

-Lance

 

[Iron Patch]

Well it seems you're not shy about asking so it's just a matter of getting your spiel down. Just tell them you have the day off and decided you would get some exercise to burn off some stress by walking around with the metal detector for a while.... (suggesting/asking) and thought you wouldn't mind if I took a walk down there >>>

What you do is play everything out in your head first... so you always have an answer and there is no awkward silence.. There's only so many ways the conversation will go. (and splitting the pot of gold is an old joke that never hurts)

So be ready when they ask you..... What is metal detecting?
How does a detector work?
How do you get the target?
How deep do you dig?
I don't want holes all over the place...
What do you expect to find?
Are the finds valuable?
You won't find anything here....
etc.etc.etc

 

[fistfulladirt]

IP said it all, hone your speech, get ready to get shot down, but more often than not you will be granted permission! ffd

 

[RPG]

Well it seems you're not shy about asking so it's just a matter of getting your spiel down. Just tell them you have the day off and decided you would get some exercise to burn off some stress by walking around with the metal detector for a while.... and thought you wouldn't mind if I took a walk down there >>>

What you do is play everything out in your head first... so you always have an answer and there is no awkward silence.. There's only so many ways the conversation will go. (and splitting the pot of gold is an old joke that never hurts)

So be ready when they ask you..... What is metal detecting?
How does a detector work?
How do you get the target?
How deep do you dig?
I don't want holes all over the place...
What do you expect to find?
Are the finds valuable?
You won't find anything here....
etc.etc.etc

Mostly junk and no.

Treat the land owner like he's a friend and you will go far.

 

[Dan Hughes]

I have a podcast (radio show you can listen to on your computer) with a lot of tips on getting permission to hunt private property.

Listen to program #046 here:

http://thetreasurecorner.com

Welcome to a wonderful hobby!

---Dan Hughes

 

[BuckleBoy]

OK, here ya go--and Dan, you may want to take some notes too, my friend...


Getting permission is one of the most difficult aspects of our hobby. It is not History. It is not Research. It is Psychology. Here are a few things that I have realized work best for me after 18+ years worth of metal detecting:

On Contracts:

Many New Detectorists seem to want to try and use written contracts with property owners. Unless it is required by law in your state, I wouldn't do it.

Now, I don't in any way mind offering the owner a percentage of the finds, but only if they bring it up. Most folks have no idea what you might find, and are not too concerned about it. If you start talking about splitting finds, then the owner may think you're going to dig a cache of gold coins on their farm! Also, that is the only case where I will use a written contract. If they would like to split finds 50/50 and they bring it up, I will draft a contract for them to read. My contract says "By allowing Buckleboy to use his metal detector on my property, I consent to the printed terms above." That way they don't have to sign anything once they say yes. I also don't make contracts long or wordy. Too much to read. Too suspicious-looking. Keep it simple. 99.999% of my permission is oral permission, not written. For this reason, I would NOT recommend using contracts at all until you have gotten a good handle on getting permission.

General Tips:

I always explain exactly what it is that I will be doing, and also let them know that I will be actually recovering the items, which will require a small amount of digging. I explain the process, sometimes even offer to demonstrate it for them, and let them know that the grass will not be damaged and that afterwards there will be no sign that it was ever distrubed. Better to be up front and honest and get turned down than to cut that first plug and get kicked out! Property owners all talk to each other, especially in rural areas. Keep your excavations neat! If you get a bad reputation for ransacking someone's yard, you may unknowingly lose permission to hunt other awesome sites close by. When I get permission, I usually like to say "Hello, I'm Buckleboy, and I was wondering if you would allow me to use my metal detector in your yard for an hour or two this afternoon/evening/morning." I like to put the limitations on the amount of time when I talk to them. I might bend this estimate slightly longer than the stated time if I find some great things, but at least this way they know I won't be in their hair all day. (Hence, they're more likely to allow me to hunt in the first place.) Besides, I look forward to coming back. Sometimes I do bring a fresh-baked good or a basket of fruit when I pay a second visit just for a thank you.

On "Show and Tell"

Many property owners are curious, and say that they'll let me detect if they can see what I find. I am happy to do this, and I usually offer rather than waiting for them to ask (it piques their curiosity, and I've found that I'm more likely to get a "yes.") I also want to make this clear: I don't "salt" what I find (add to it before showing the owner), because if I return they may want 50% of what I find next time. When I am certain that a site is pretty well worked out, I like to insist that they keep something on my last visit as a gift and final "thank you."

If anything, I am more concerned that I will NOT find the site and will have nothing to show--which may look or sound suspicious to them if I ask to try again in the future. And I do always show them what I find and thank them for letting me spend an enjoyable afternoon out of doors. I want to show them most or even all of my digs and say goodbye if they are inside or absent while I am metal detecting. When I'm done, I want to make sure they know that I am finished intruding on their property. If they leave and I have to go while they are not at home, I leave a thank you note. Regardless of our gasoline, coffee, batteries, etc., property owners don't owe us a thing. We have invaded their lives. I try to approach the situation with humility and respect, and it has worked well for me so far.

First Impressions:

In terms of permission, How you ask is everything. I prefer to "cold visit" folks--just knock on their door and put them on the spot. I don't immediately pop the question when they answer the door, but I have worked out a system that works, and I don't waste their, or my time--while at the same time I don't seem rude by being very blunt.

For farm fields, I figure I have about 80% permission rate. Sometimes there are strings of 20-25 hunts where we get a "yes" every time. For the woods, due to hunting, and the fact that owners can't see what I'm doing or check on me, the permission rate falls to 30%--but that's to be expected.

For those who normally wear camoflage when detecting--my advice is this: Don't wear it when you ask permission. I could tell you why, but those of you who will be able to make good use of this tip will understand without me having to explain. Those who live in cities and ask permissions for yards, then this tip is probably irrelevant to you.

It is what you wear, how you act, and what you say that will get you a "yes." Plain and simple. And don't let one "no" ruin your day. Keep asking owners and you Will get a "yes." After hundreds of "Yes's" you will start to see patterns of what works best. Stick to the things that seem to be working, and get rid of the things that seem to be Permission-Killers (anything from a specific shirt to a certain phrase or pulling up way to far into the owner's driveway can be a "permission-killer")

On "Cold Calls" :

One more thing: I don't make "cold" calls on the phone to owners, unless it is absolutely impossible to track them down and speak with them in person. I prefer to talk with the property owner in person. So I am also NOT the type of hunter who will stick a piece of paper in a mailbox or in a screen door. This becomes one more piece of Junk Mail for the owner. Meet them in person. Put them on the spot with your odd request that they haven't ever considered before. You are MUCH more likely to get a "yes." I do research on many different spots in the same general area--that way if I'm in that area already hunting, eyeballing spots, or tracking down other owners I can stop by and knock on the door of someone I'm trying to track down. My digging buddies can attest to the fact that I will knock on a door an hour's drive away from my home three separate times and get no answer--and still go back the fourth time and try to catch the owner at home. (Varying the days times you knock on the door will give you a better shot at catching them. People are VERY routine-oriented. ) Of course, I go to an area to detect as well as get permission--so Mr. John Doe that's never ever home isn't going to be the only thing on my agenda. I just think it's better to talk with someone in person--and folks are much more comfortable with strange folks like us if they get a chance to size us up before having to give or deny permission. Anything you can do to boost the likelihood of them saying yes is worth a shot. This includes everything from what you wear when you approach their door to making sure to talk with them in person rather than over the phone.


I hope this will help. You may want to bookmark this thread. I have topics on here from how to find old homestead sites to how to discover civil war camps. I am more than happy to PM you links to those if you need. Just ask.

In the meantime, here's one that I could find pretty easily and may be of some use to you:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,102061.0.html



Best Wishes,


Buckles