Permission Revoked (let's hear some of your stories)

xcopperstax · Oct 30, 2018

A year ago some friends and I detected a colonial era field that had been detected before. We received permission from the property owners. The only stipulation was that we show them our finds.... the other guys never showed them anything. They didn't want to keep them, they just wanted a look. We found 8 coppers between the three of us and a couple relics... things that would excite a detectorist but really nothing of any value. They didn't want anything even after we showed it to them. The grass was a bit long to detect but we did the best we could. We were already thinking about going back when the grass was shorter with larger coils. The dream was not to be. At the end of the day they mentioned that their kids who lived very far away technically owned the property and decided that no more detecting should be done there. We got the kids contact info. My friend great ambassador that he is put together a small display box and mailed it to them. No they insisted they would get their own metal detectors to do it. He broke it down to them: look you buy a cheap detector you won't find anything. You buy an expensive one you may lose interest. I'll bring some of mine and give lessons he offered. No dice. The damn meddling kids. It was such a great day with such a frustrating drawn out ending. I'll go back again someday and ask.

If anybody else has a good story please post!

GB1 · Oct 30, 2018

not yet and i hope never

gunsil · Oct 30, 2018

Actually, a cheap Bounty Hunter will find most of what your Garrett will find albeit they may dig more trash. Always a gamble with permissions, seems like you have just introduced to a couple of people that detecting is cool which is always a risk. I have lost permissions because others with lousy detecting habits have caused all permission to the site revoked. People using shovels in yards and parks has caused this and of course the main problem has been people who are not good at pinpointing making large messy holes and people who do not cover their holes nicely. Happens, not much use griping about it.

Truth · Oct 30, 2018

I had a 3100 acre city park with the rules saying Metal Detect and was allowed. I went so often and found so much stuff they change the rules in writing and told me never to come back. I got everything from gold rings to dropped .69 three ringers. My heart was broken.

Ammoman · Oct 30, 2018

Last year my son and i had an old farm permission dating back to the mid 1800s. We took several trips to the place and never found a single item older than the 1970's. Not even a wheat penny! Anyhow, the owner revoked our permission after talking to his neighbors. They convinced him we were coming back over and over again because we were finding treasure and not sharing our finds.

I suspect the old man saved us a lot of wasted time.

ConshyBoy · Oct 30, 2018

Only had verbal approval on new construction site that sat approximately 100yds outside of Whitemarsh PA. historic district where a makeshift hospital housed General George Washington and his men enroute to Valley Forge. Had done a spot check on the Friday work and was happy with what I found so quickly went back Saturday morning and after about 30 to 45 minutes 3 of Whitemarshes police vehicles rolled up on me and asked if I had permission told them yes but couldn’t produce any sound proof apparently 1 of the Snooty neighbors in that area had a problem with grown men playing in the dirt if you knew this location in PA and all the history that surrounds it you ywould understand how fired up I was and it still bothers me ( there were 2 other piles of moved dirt bigger than the 2 in the photo I know there is a bunch of great stuff there

SultansOfSwing · Oct 30, 2018

Ive knocked places where the husband says yes. Im gearing up and then he comes out and says he has to leave and the wife isnt comfortable with someone in the yard with her alone. Also got permission for multi generational farm in mass. Went about 4 times before the son said" didnt know you would be here every day". In reality it was one day in the fall and 3 times in the spring on weekends. The guy was weird. Didnt find much old stuff and apparently they had a lot of asparagus fields so a lot was off limits.

Ive had the opposite end of the spectrum where homeowners said come anytime even if we arent here. So take the bad with the good!

fistfulladirt · Oct 31, 2018

Went back after one hunt to an 1860 farmyard, this time, owner told me no, “the grandkids are going to try it.”

1870 one-room schoolhouse. Door knocked owner’s home down the road. “Nope, we’re going to try it.”
BTW, a year later, schoolhouse demolished and field plowed.

1800’s country church. Stopped and asked pastor’s wife for permission. “No, we’re going to try it.”

sprailroad · Oct 31, 2018

fistfulladirt said:
Went back after one hunt to an 1860 farmyard, this time, owner told me no, “the grandkids are going to try it.”

1870 one-room schoolhouse. Door knocked owner’s home down the road. “Nope, we’re going to try it.”
BTW, a year later, schoolhouse demolished and field plowed.

1800’s country church. Stopped and asked pastor’s wife for permission. “No, we’re going to try it.”

And of course they never do. Wonder how many times I've been told, "I'm thinking of getting one of those", and of course they never do.

ToddsPoint · Nov 1, 2018

I tracked down the owner of a farm field that looked like it might have an arrowhead. Wife was there and was nice as could be. Hunt all you want. I headed straight for the field and hunted for a couple of hours. Little or nothing there so went home. The phone rang and it was the husband. He told me it belong to his aunt and she didn't want me out there. I said no problem. Glad it wasn't a hot spot. Gary

dirtdigginfool · Nov 1, 2018

Knocked an old country farm house I'd had my eyes on for a minute...I had probably driven past there a zillion times. But the lady was out in the garden and I stopped, she was awesome nice and I explained why I stopped, what I do and what I wanted. She said sure! You know that feeling you get when you finally score a permission you've been drooling over. I'm out there for a half hour or so, she comes over to see what I've found, one keeper was a Merc, which i did offer to her, but she said nope, that why you stopped, you keep it. Then she told me her husband asked her what was going on and she expkained. Then she said that Hubby would have said no, but since she already gave the green light I was good. I was there about 2 hours, not wanting to wear out my welcome, loading up and she walks over with an armload of fresh cukes and zucchini!..and tosses them in the back of the war wagon. Don't get any better than that...Ddf.

Switchblade · Nov 1, 2018

That sucks bro!

BLK HOLE · Nov 1, 2018

I hate door knocking but finally stopped by some houses that I had been eyeballing for awhile and got permission from the owner then hit the house next door and got their permission also. I told the owner of the first property that I would call in advance when I was coming over, so that weekend I called her and she said that her daughter and son-in-law (who live with her...parasites) were going to detect it so permission revoked....to top it off I checked in the neighbor and she said she was going to let her neighbors daughter and son-in-law detect her property first.... :censored:

Holyground · Nov 1, 2018

It's eaiser to ask for forgiveness than permission.

dirtdigginfool · Nov 1, 2018

BLK HOLE said:
I hate door knocking but finally stopped by some houses that I had been eyeballing for awhile and got permission from the owner then hit the house next door and got their permission also. I told the owner of the first property that I would call in advance when I was coming over, so that weekend I called her and she said that her daughter and son-in-law (who live with her...parasites) were going to detect it so permission revoked....to top it off I checked in the neighbor and she said she was going to let her neighbors daughter and son-in-law detect her property first....

Aaargh...that is so wrong on so many levels that it pi**es ME off!! Ddf.

xcopperstax · Nov 2, 2018

BLK HOLE said:
I hate door knocking but finally stopped by some houses that I had been eyeballing for awhile and got permission from the owner then hit the house next door and got their permission also. I told the owner of the first property that I would call in advance when I was coming over, so that weekend I called her and she said that her daughter and son-in-law (who live with her...parasites) were going to detect it so permission revoked....to top it off I checked in the neighbor and she said she was going to let her neighbors daughter and son-in-law detect her property first....

They hit you with a double whammy.

A2coins · Nov 2, 2018

I have a chesp bounty hunter thats goes deeper and solid than my equinox but not even close to how deep and solid my at max goes lol the equinox is a little better in water. sorry you lost your permission thats a bummer

A2coins · Nov 2, 2018

This is one reason I dont ask permissiond to each his own

Gare · Nov 9, 2018

I have been given permission to detect places then called me back and cancelled it. When we mention metal Detecting people start thinking maybe them selves or a relative would get a detector and find the stuff ( I understand this and do not blame the people) Some deny it because they are afraid of getting there lawn all tore up and i understand this also. When i go ask a place for permission i always take pictures of my finds i have donated back to the Historical Societies and share them with the owners. I try and converse with the owners and ask what they know of the area . I do not come right out and say (Example) This area was a early settlement and make have valuable coins or relics there. This is just a short view on my part . Hope you don't mind my opinion !!

xcopperstax · Nov 13, 2018

Gare said:
I have been given permission to detect places then called me back and cancelled it. When we mention metal Detecting people start thinking maybe them selves or a relative would get a detector and find the stuff ( I understand this and do not blame the people) Some deny it because they are afraid of getting there lawn all tore up and i understand this also. When i go ask a place for permission i always take pictures of my finds i have donated back to the Historical Societies and share them with the owners. I try and converse with the owners and ask what they know of the area . I do not come right out and say (Example) This area was a early settlement and make have valuable coins or relics there. This is just a short view on my part . Hope you don't mind my opinion !!

I appreciate your opinion. In my case they were my dad's neighbors so we had that connection and we had a good report with them, talking about their history and in general it felt like a win as they were happy to see what we found and we even offered them stuff. Then the kids got their own ideas about what could be there. I don't blame them for it, but it was frustrating to have the script flipped on us and we could not return. There's always another place though!