Some of the advice I have heard and tried is as follows.
1) don't get a reputation of hunting without permission. Once a farmer finds holes in his property he is on the lookout for trespassers.
2) don't walk up to the house with the metal detector in hand.
2) Know the property owner's name. Research this in the tax assessor files. Or if you are on a road trip ask the neighbors. Corporate owners forget about. Its not worth it.
3) be direct as possible and keep it simple. I identify myself as a "treasure hunter" this usually gets a smile out of them. "Hi I'm Chuck Smith and I'm a treasure hunter. I would like to have permission to go over (xxxxx) with a metal detector.
4) Be very specific about what you want to do and where. "I would like to go over the lot at (xxxx) and look for relics."
My success rate is better than 50% and the ones that refuse often have had a bad experience with detectorist or trespassers.
5) Don't mention digging but if it comes up tell them you dig no deeper than a possum and cover up all holes. (possums dig 10 inches). I carry a rake with me to make diggings less visible.
6) I never mention the split unless I am hunting in a known profitable location. Then I tell them I will give them every other coin found. The problem with splits is no two items are worth the same so there is no way to split evenly. I sometimes say that any single item over $1000 is property of the land owner. I have never found anything over $1000 but it is another inducement for the property owner.
7) Be prepared to put any splits in writing if the owner wants it. I have a pre printed form.
Be prepared to give a liability release as well. If the owner objects because of insurance, giving him a signed release exempting him from any liability is a last ditch effort.
9) After you are finished go back to the owner and show him what you found and ask if he knows of any old house sites, recreation places, swimming holes etc that may be profitable. A good thing is to have a map showing his and his neighbors properties when you do this.
When I first started doing this I dreaded going up to property owners and asking for permission. Now that I have worked out my technique, asking for permission is one of the best parts of it. You get to meet all sorts of interesting land owners and talk with them about the history of the region. It is suprising how much some of them know about the history and how much they like to talk about it. I had one refuse to let me on his land because he said there was nothing there but he made arrangements to hunt an old house site on a neighbor's property There I found two silver coins and a gold ring. Good luck. Gambol
Linkback: You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login
http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,21575.msg147966.html#msg147966
|
|
Logged
|
|