I realize in some locales, that parcel of land between the sidewalk and the street belongs to the City. In fact it does in my town. I "renew" my permission to hunt on City property each and every year. And I NEVER hunt that strip of land without also getting permission from the person who owns the land on the other side of the sidewalk. You know, the person who mows and maintains that strip along the street. Seems like the right thing to do, from my perspective. I know there are those who say they have the "right" to hunt on public property. And technically, since this strip belongs to the City, it is public property. But I wonder how they'd react if you or I pulled up in front of their house, got out of our vehicle and started digging in that strip along their sidewalk?
When I find a strip that I want to hunt, I will introduce myself, tell them that I enjoy the hobby of metal detecing and then say: "I realize the strip of land between the sidewalk and the street is technically City Property. I have received permission from the City to metal detect on land that they own. But since you are the one who has to mow and take care of that ground, I wanted to make sure it was alright with you, before I detected. " This accomplishes two things.... it lets them know you have already received permission from the City. And it also let's them know you are considerate of other people's property. If they say they'd rather you didn't detect that area, thank them and go on. If they say yes, ask them if they ever lost anything that you might be able to retrieve for them. That will lend credibility to you and our hobby. And, more times than not, it has gained me access to the remainder of their yard. JMHO HH Randy
