Permission to hunt private property?

[cyberfish2]

What is the best way to get permission to hunt private property? How do you find out who to ask? Do you hunt with a partner, to be on the safe side? Run an ad in the paper?
I'm getting tired of working our Fairgrounds, all tho I did find a couple wheat pennies with the new sniper coil(AT Pro). There's always a fresh supply of clad after every event,
and a few other detectorists looking for it.
My AT Pro is in for repair. It was streaming something like Morse code in different tones, even after fresh batteries, and a full reset, and a couple locations free of possible
electrical interference. Still under warranty until Dec. 16, fortunately. I miss it; I've had to use my backup White's Quantum XT, which loves bottle caps.

 

[Johnny Cache]

Aaah, locations with permission to hunt...the never ending quest. I find the best way to get permission is to be introduced to a land owner by someone they know and trust. Yesterday I attended a huge estate auction at very old farm. At the auction, I ran into an elderly friend named Bud who knows that I detect. He also knows the relative in charge of the auction. He said "I bet you'd like to detect this place". Of course I said yes! He introduced me to the land owner, and things went well. I received permission to detect after the auction and house are all cleaned up and the new tenant moves in. He also told me I could look over the coins that the appraiser wasn't interested in.

On another note, I asked if there were coins in the auction, his response made me drool and then cry. There was a safe in the house, and they found he combination amongst the papers in the house. It was full of gold and silver coins. Piles of Carson City silver dollars. Lots of old paper money. They sold it all to a dealer for $38,000!

I'm hoping that maybe they buried some treasure in the yard...

 

[Chuck in KY]

This works for me sometimes. I'll talk to someone that has a place I'd like to hunt & if they say they always wanted to try that. I offer to let them use my Ace 250 back up detector & I use my At Pro & tell them they keep all they find & I keep all I find. Most get real interested & always seem to want to take me to a place they know, one thing leads to another. Some end up buying thier own detector.

 

[togamac]

Great question! I've tried several ways and agree with Johnny Cache that the best way is to be introduced by a trusted friend. Letters will go unanswered 98% of the time; you've got to do it in person and it helps if there is something in it for the landowner.

 

[cyberfish2]

Thanks. These are all good tips. Since I have a spare detector, I think I'll try offering to let others use it.
My AT Pro is on the way back home. I called Garrett; they did quite a bit to make sure it was working right. Can't wait to get back out with it.
I think I might have met the ultimate detectorist. He has a Whites MXT(?) with a large search coil, has only beem at it a little over a year, and just retired from his job.
He had with him some of the great finds he has made in a little over a year since he started. There was a nice gold bracelet loaded with rings he'd found, some of them
quite valuable, and a couple 1800's coins. I forgot to ask if he was active on any of the forums. He is a very careful digger. He gave me some exellent tips, mainly to
dig the deeper weaker, good signals. I tend to give up when the ground is too hard. He has also found a few meteorites, all in one area. I gave him my card; I collect
meteorites, but I've never found any. All mine have come from shows, or eBay, flea markets, and garage sales. Seems like the nickle-iron ones should light up a
detector pretty well...