Getting Permission

[MADJOKER]

Hello all! I am new to MD and this forum and after reading some of the post here, I hear people saying that they got permission to MD on someones property and was wondering how you go about asking people for that permission. Really what I am asking is what do you tell them you will be doing and do they ask things like"Are you going to split what you find" and things like that.

Thank You,
Mark

 

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[mfitzy111]

Mark,

I can tell you what has worked for me- and I learned some of these tips here. go with your wife or girl friend and introduce yourself- after knocking on their door or seeing the person out walking their dog. let them know your in to coin finding/hunting, and ask them if you can coin hunt on their property. do it in person - as over the phone and e-mail people tend to give lame excuses, like my insurance won't let this type of activity be allowed on my property (when they have boating/camping/cook outs and swimming- all way more dangerous then my coin recovery on their camp/lake site- but like I said lame excuses happen if your not in person).

when you first approach a person don't bring your detector. come back later with it.
carry business cards with your name and address -explaining your a coin hunter- or hobby metal detectorist- if that is what you want to do- as your asking it's good to have them on hand....

never use the word 'dig' in your discussion with the person your asking. (it tends to give the person the idea that your going to mess up their lawn with a shovel- working on a tunnel going to china.)

when you do pinpoint and dig -don't ever make a mess/ don't leave a hole unfilled... (basics if your new- no offense, but digging is work- and some people think it's ok to make everyone else who metal detects look bad, by not following through and making it look like they where never recovering at that site. - it's part of the code as a metal detector everyone should be talking about- make the place you dig look like you've never been there. ) there was a really good video of how to dig a plug on Tnet- you might have to search for it....

smile when your asking for permission -
be honest if someone wants to see what you found and show them. I always keep in mind that if someone gave me permission to hunt on their lawn - it's their stuff- until you leave that lawn...I've seen some people on here carrying clad change and just show junk - I show good and bad stuff found, and I have heard some stories of people who would get mad over not seeing the real treasures found - or worse asking to 'look at' all the silver/clad and walking in the house with it and then not come back out basically saying it was all 'theirs' - leaving the poor guy who dug it all up standing in their yard like a fool. that is some mean/grimey stuff, if your first impression of the person is run away- it might be best to follow that instinct.

(I've never personally had to deal with just plain mean people -aside from crazy kids that wanted to cause trouble. they started questioning why I was there and I just waved at them as they drove away...ignorance is bliss.)

basic fact of life - everyone wants to feel important! most of the stories on here I hear people are being honest and finding a few silver coins/ they let the property owner know what they found- they get told just to keep them, they worked for them. not everyone is mean. personally I've found a few good rings on public property at the local parks- but nothing I'd have to really worry about- I even had one old property owner ask me what I was digging on his property (as he owns a public beach) I said mostly trash and some change. He was happy I was cleaning up the trash- he didn't care about the change- and since I had swam there as a kid I didn't do the 100% legit thing and ask permission before I started digging- as a group of kids was already there swimming (and drinking) at the location when he showed up checking to see what we were all doing. I was friendly and would have given him the change if he asked - after all it is his property. the last time I was there I found a sterling silver ring with fake CZ and a fake emerald on it. the kids that were fishing that day were watching and asking questions- I showed them what I was doing and how much clad change I dug up- then asked them if they saw any holes?
nope.
right.
the one boy there had a metal detector - and wanted to get back in to it- but had no place to go- I explained that it's best not to leave a mess if you want to keep doing this for fun...

it's best to think of asking for permission as a practice technique - if you make a mistake you don't get to search-
just remember if you don't ask it's 100% certain that your not going to be hunting that site. if you get turned down by someone in person give them a card and let them know if they change their mind or know someone who lost anything metal you'd be happy to help them in the future.

....this word of mouth might be really important for a few reasons - 1. everyone knows about 1000 people by the time they are in their 20s- older people know way more people then younger people.
2. if your a good person and you say return a ring with an inscription on it - do you think that person you returned it to is going to tell all 1000 people? probably not, but they will tell their in-laws and the good news travels about half as fast as bad news...another reason to be neat and fill those holes...if you are new and accidentally trash someone's lawn- that bad news will travel fast and the angry person will likely tell everyone they know - closing a lot of doors and keeping you from hunting some prime older homes.


just my observations and some of the ideas I've picked up from here on T Net.

I've been pretty good asking in person I've managed to get permission from all the people I've asked - via e-mail I've managed to get turned down or ignored by all those people. I might have to just request a meeting with the property owners and then ask in person to get better results - it appears that asking for anything online/ on a phone/ or via e-mail is a waste of time.

I do have another idea - one that I'm going to share with you. I started noticing a local complaint web site that basically has people turning in drug dealers, complaining about pot holes and lastly over grown abandoned lots. one of the local complaints for my area was 'no one has been on this lot for 5 years- the grass is as high as my fence' ...my idea is go and mow the lawn - then detect that property- if the city doesn't care, the owner doesn't care, mowing it (may take 30 mins- or $20 -and someone else's 30 mins!) and detecting on it isn't going to matter to anyone...-(only if it's not posted property.) this might be a really good way to open doors using charity and passing out cards. having a friend that is a landscaper is also a plus.

I'd also suggest reading a book called 'how to win friends and influence people' - it is written as a salesman's guide, but dealing with people in general it is helpful to understand what makes someone tick.

anyhow - good luck man- share your stories with us about your finds when you get out there...

 

[relichunters]

Welcome to the forum. The way to go about getting permission depends where you are planning to detect.

Here in Central Virginia the people could careless about metal detecting, I go to public parks, schools, etc. I don't need permission because there is no laws about it in my county, other than the official law for the whole united states which no one abides by anyways.

Back to private property. The state cannot touch you on private property, which is a good thing.

Anyways! You could walk up to the house, without your detector, and say "Hi my name is Mark, I live down the street, and do metal detecting as a hobby, and I saw you have a big field behind your house, would you mind me being on your property for a day or two to search around? I will respect the property and will not leave any holes"

Some people you can bribe with a land fee of like $20 for the day, some may want part of your finds.

You can post on craigslist saying you will do yard work in exchange on land use. Like I will rake your leaves in exchange for letting me spend a day detecting your property. I've gotten yes replies to this before.

Be prepared for many no's. Also if you get permission at one house, you could say, whats your neighbors name? and go there and be like "Hi, I was just over at Mary's house, I do metal detecting for fun and she let me detect on her land and said you might be interested also."

Make up your own words, but always be extremely nice, and if they say no, thank them for their time and walk away, don't pester them. If they scream at you, say I am sorry for bothering you and walk away.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Mfitzy and relic-hunters have great advise so far. I would add the best way to approach them, if possible, is when they're out and about. Like, you know, on their front porch, or watering their lawn, or out-front working on their car, etc.... This is much more preferable than having to knock on doors to start whatever pitch/lines you've decided on. Because ......... let's face it, what do most of us do when we see a perfect stranger knocking on the door, through our peak-hole or through the cracks in our blinds: we think "uh oh, a door-to-door salesman, or someone's gonna solicit me or give me their religious pamphlet". And a lot of people just don't answer the door nowadays, for anyone they don't know (ie.: pretend no one's home). I know my wife is like that anyhow

And when you've knocked on someone's door, you've sort of "invaded their personal space", and drawn them away from whatever it is they were doing, etc... Therefore, if there's anyway possible to "catch them out front" as you "happened to be walking by", is much less intrusive.

Besides that, the two answers you've gotten so far are spot on as well.

 

[MADJOKER]

Thank you all for the great advice. It was a huge help to me. I will certainly share my findings with the group.

Not off to a great start yet as I got my MD yesterday and was working with in my back yard and I found what read as a dime on my MD but when I dug it up it was half of an can that ended up slicing my finger open. But I will not let that discourage me. I will be back in the backyard today to get my self more familiar with the unit.

 

[Dan Hughes]

For some more ideas, listen to my podcasts on getting permission - show #002 for public property, #046 for private property. And shows #038 and #039 discuss what to do if a policeman approaches you.

They are all short - three to five minutes - and you can listen at http://thetreasurecorner.com.

---Dan Hughes

 

[Dan Hughes]

...my idea is go and mow the lawn - then detect that property- if the city doesn't care, the owner doesn't care, mowing it (may take 30 mins- or $20 -and someone else's 30 mins!) and detecting on it isn't going to matter to anyone...-(only if it's not posted property.) this might be a really good way to open doors using charity and passing out cards. having a friend that is a landscaper is also a plus.

I read about a guy who carried a lawn mower in the back of his pickup truck. He had done some research to find some promising old sites, and he offered to mow the grass free if the owner would let him search afterwards. Found a lot of great stuff that way!

I'd also suggest reading a book called 'how to win friends and influence people' - it is written as a salesman's guide, but dealing with people in general it is helpful to understand what makes someone tick.

The book that changed my life. It was written by Dale Carnegie, and I used to recommend it to my students (I use past tense because I'm retired now). No joke - this book can do some absolute wonders for you.

---Dan Hughes, http://thetreasurecorner.com

 

[relichunters]

Also since you're brand new to the hobby. Please watch this video to learn how to dig a proper plug. This way you won't totally destroy someones yard who gave you permission.

 

[Goes4ever]

I have a getting permission FAQ on my website, click the banner in my signature to check it out, I hunt private yards over 90% of the time, I just knock doors every time I go out, most times I have no idea where I am going to hunt, just get in my car, drive around and find an old house. I have asked permission so many times it just comes natural for me now

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Knock on their door, don't get too close to their face and reach out your hand, smiling introducing yourself. Being clean cut doesn't hurt either. Tell them where you work, and on your days off, you like to look for old coins and relics with your metal detector. Assure them you will leave no trace, and offer anything you find. The worst thing you could do is overstay your welcome or bug them into saying no. If you have ever been in sales, it is the exact same approach. It's that easy. They will either say yes or no

 

[Goes4ever]

and remember one important thing...if they say NO, THANK them politely for their time before you leave!!! Two times now I asked permission and the owner said NO and I thanked them and turned to walk to my car, I got about 10 ft away and they called to me and said "you know what, go ahead and detect the yard I changed my mind." So being polite DOES pay off!