Scout, don't let the private lands and locked gates discourage you. For one thing, over 80% of all the land in Arizona is public land, not private, and although it requires different permits you can prospect on state lands too, where BLM or Forest Service requires no permits. It does mean you need to do some research on who owns what lands, and if the place you wish to search is on private land, it will not hurt to ask permission. Some landowners are happy to have someone search, so long as you split the proceeds if and when you make a find, and the worst they can say is H-LL no. In fact across most of the western states of the US, most of the land is public lands and no permits are required to hunt for treasures on them, just study your maps, learn what lands are public and go prepared.
If you let these land grabbers discourage you and stay home, they win. You can't find a lost treasure by sitting at home. Life is short and as far as we know, we only get one shot at it so go after that treasure! Most people at the end of their lives, regret most the things that they did
not do, more than anything they did. Don't wait until they outlaw prospecting and treasure hunting, go for it. Good luck and good hunting Scout, I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco