Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.

Gaining permission

IowaRelic

IowaRelic

Well-known member
When I started detecting, I lived in the Midwest and gaining permission was a 80% success rate roughly. Now I live in a more populated area on the gulf coast. There is some great places to go diggin but in one year I’ve gained one permission. No, I’m not working it like a full time job. Just randomly door knocking or going through people who knows someone. I’m a member of a club and have used that to try to gain permission for church yards and such. No luck. Everyone is so dang worried about “why I would want to dig there” or “what I know that they don’t” about their property. “If I do it then they all will want to do it”. Gotten that one a few times too. It’s just a total reversal. I can be very professional and have very good articulation of my ideas to people. But it’s like I’m asking them to bring in a dozer and get to work. Crazy. I just sent a long, extremely professional email to another church. We will see...
 
I agree the Midwest is a great place to dig. I’m traveling to Spain this weekend for 2 weeks to see my grandparents and do some digging. But get this I have to wait 3 months to get a beach permission and 1 whole year for the province government to approve a single field permission! No detecting for me I guess but I have some good sites where I eyeball Roman pottery and stuff. Luckily I have a great early farm permission for when I get back to Iowa or I’m gonna go stir crazy!
IowaRelic said:
That’s what I’m sayin! The heartland is the diggers’ paradise.
Click to expand...
 
You said it. People can be funny. You just never know. I was in Iowa this spring and was detecting in a small town city park and some guy across the street stands on his porch, gets mad and yells, 'Hey, can i go to your house and tear your front yard up?'
He was surprised and didn't know what to say when I yelled back. Yes, absolutely. You want my address?
99% of the people in the midwest are very nice though and I have had times years ago when one permission lead to a couple more.

laplander said:
People can be funny. I went detecting in a small mid west park this summer and people started coming over and asking me if I would hunt their yard. I had 5 yards to hunt in under an hour. 🤷‍♂️
HH Jeff
Click to expand...
 
IowaRelic said:
When I started detecting, I lived in the Midwest and gaining permission was a 80% success rate roughly. Now I live in a more populated area on the gulf coast. There is some great places to go diggin but in one year I’ve gained one permission. No, I’m not working it like a full time job. Just randomly door knocking or going through people who knows someone. I’m a member of a club and have used that to try to gain permission for church yards and such. No luck. Everyone is so dang worried about “why I would want to dig there” or “what I know that they don’t” about their property. “If I do it then they all will want to do it”. Gotten that one a few times too. It’s just a total reversal. I can be very professional and have very good articulation of my ideas to people. But it’s like I’m asking them to bring in a dozer and get to work. Crazy. I just sent a long, extremely professional email to another church. We will see...
Click to expand...
I believe it is the times we are living in with people scared of the unknown--if they think or you look harmful, approach without your detector & digging equipment first, you could be scaring them by shovels diggers & etc,; may dig holes & cause damages, or just jealous that you might find something value & not tell them & that would be the same as stealing to many!

What I recomend is get to cards printed up saying exactly what you will do or not do according to what they prefer with dates of when you can detect their properties by permission given & both sign--they need to inspect propertty & finds within a decent time limit so no worry of accusing you of any wrong doing later, should others detect & dig illegally!

I know this is a lot to do just to be able to enjoy your detecting hobby! I live in the Midwest & mostly hunted public property without permission (Did get permission from Park Rangers & workers whenever I could) which was easier back in the 80's & 90"s but did get permission for Church & private properties usually hunting with a friend in areas not familiar to me! People weren't on edge as much then as they are now with family & friends not agreeing on political party which has caused divisions by fraud, lies, destruction & killing one another; so get permission as much as possible, treat properties as you would your own & pray for guidance & permission before knocking on doors--beware of bad feelings that may be warnings of danger! God Bless & Good Luck--ask in faith & GO GET THE TREASURE! ! Ma Betty
 
Ma is talking a lot of sense here,getting cards printed and drawing up an agreement about finds is a good idea.Another approach is to put cards on public notice boards offering a free service to find lost items for people.....this can lead to permissions as you can be seen in a very good light after helping people find lost valuables etc.
 
Nauti said:
Ma is talking a lot of sense here,getting cards printed and drawing up an agreement about finds is a good idea.Another approach is to put cards on public notice boards offering a free service to find lost items for people.....this can lead to permissions as you can be seen in a very good light after helping people find lost valuables etc.
Click to expand...
I Like that idea, Nauti, good way to get a foot into the door in cities & neighborhoods--this way Iowa Relic will probably get permission from their neighbors, family & friends by finding lost jewelry, property corner stakes & other lost items like good tools & etc --they may see what you find & get interested or may want to detect for themselves but most won't by seeing how hard you work to maybe find a lot or very little or getting dirty, muddy & maybe don't have the time??? Worth a try--once someone becomes your friend & trusts in you, they will tell others & recommend their friends & family members to you--may take time BUT don't give up! Try different towns & smaller cities first! Check with the court house or police about rules & regulations concerning parks & public proprerty--in person--to easy to tell you NO over the phone! Be brave, friendly & nice! Happy Hunting!! Ma
 
I've seen that in many older people,my friends Grandad,when he was alive,hardly slept at all and seemed to have an abundance of get up and go.I also find that as you get older you seem to have less time to yourself which i thought would be the reverse.Like you say,we eventually have our rest.....until then we have to make the most of the gift of life we have been given.
 
Cards might be okay but a written agreement will turn off even more people. They will envision you needing legal protection due to tall the damage you will be doing to their property. A friendly greeting, an explanation that you detect as a hobby and are just interested in seeing what might have been lost over the years by previous occupants. Friendly is the operative word.
 
George,a written agreement is only needed for the sake of splitting any valuable finds,nothing to do with property damage.Over here we have the National Council of Metal Detecting and for a nominal yearly fee we get covered for any damage to property up to about a million pounds.Once you show this to a landowner it gives them more confidence to let you search their land,not less.Do you have anything like this in the US......it really helps detectorists build up relationships with landowners,maybe sonething like this could be set up over there if it isn't already available.
 
I hand out business cards I had made up. On the front I had a short quip printed, “ Where else do find someone willing to pick up trash for a $1 and hour?” The humor usually gets a follow up question which I respond that maybe out of all the caps, tabs, foil, nails, etc I get compared to clad coins it averages out to $1 an hour. You see the wheels turning in their heads now.
If I have my detector with me I can get a five minute demo done and usually pull trash up first, only once did I ever get a coin first 10 seconds in.
On the back of the card I have a bit about me (retired law enforcement, search and rescue, 4H instructor, historical society member, etc) and this makes folks feel better about me as an individual. Yes, you still get folks telling me to leave but not so much anymore. If its an older farm/home with “normal” folks living there I will approach but if its a rental and the folks look “shady” I pass.
 
Confetrit said:
best of luck to you IowaRelic.
Click to expand...
I’m gonna need it! Now that I have the green light, I stopped after work and scoped out the area. Slightly overgrown, and I see evidence of old dozer work. I don’t see any nasty red fill dirt. It I see some deep old weathered cuts and piles around where I know a Breast work was. The home sites are evident by the massive live oaks and thick brush in that area. This is my kind of hunting folks.
 
My Uncle (now passed) belonged to a club. Two or more of them would hunt together where ever . Once when we were driving by a nearby park, I asked him if he ever did any good in there? "Oh they don't allow any hunting there. Couple guys and Me asked, they said NO." Couple years later Im driving by on a chilly weekday. No one around. Township park. So went to hunting. 5 ball fields, playgrown (bark mulch) Nice consession stand. Been hitting it about 3 times a year for 15 years. Not a peep. Huh ? Just like beach hunting . Once it starts getting filled up, Im gone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top