You guys all live in a very historical area. Your biggest challenge is convincing the landowners and property owners that you are responsible and dedicated to the preservation of historical artifacts. Be open and honest and be willing to show and sometimes share your finds with the landowners. Be willing to sign any liability forms so the landowner feels covered (though these will no hold up in Virginia Supreme Courts due to a 1890 ruling in Fairfax County) It still makes them feel better. I know that some of you are not familiar with the area, but as a lifelong Virginian (my family came of in 1650), I am telling you that any field in Petersburg, Mechanicsville, and Chesterfield will have Civil War relics in them. Maybe not a lot because of the amount of metal detecting that has taken place since the late 1960's, but the newer machines are getting better depths so anything is possible. Being from the same area as each of you and metal detecting for 15 years, most relic hunters are a secretive bunch and unwilling to network and meet new people outside of their small groups. Just the way things are. You can see from all the post asking to hook up or asking other relic hunters from the area to chime in and meet. It is almost a 99% failure rate. Knock on doors, network the community, and talk to people in church especially the older members. These are just a few examples that I have had success with. Just remember be open and honest! Good Luck!
Wes-N-VA
Mid Atlantic Relic & Coin Hunters (Facebook us)
