ask permission...then ask some more...

[Wyatt Earp]

No, I'm not talking about begging if somebody says "no".....

I tend to ask around for permission to detect more than one place. That way, once somebody says "yes"....you can ask about that special place you've been hesitant about asking permission to hunt...with an air of confidence, a little wind in your sails. I lined up 2 more places this morning and the second was one I had been reluctant to ask about, but have been eyeballing for a long time. Got permission for that one...and maybe the farm next door too!

Just in time...as this schoolhouse can't keep giving 4 or 5 silver coins a day forever. Eventually it's going to get much tougher there.

Wyatt

[cjoej]

I was sure you were going to tell us to inquire about the property history, events that had taken place there (family weddings, reunions, birthday partys, socials or whatever) where were they held? Maybe under the big shade tree, or in the side yard instead of the back yard...

Often, once you have gotten permission, you are on the verge of a good conversational start to learn about the family history and the history of the property and what changes have occured over time. Many home owners are proud of their history on the property and welcome a chance to share it with an interested party.

Where was the well? Were there any other buildings such as sheds, barns, chicken coupes, or garages? Have any buildings been moved? What about trees or former garden patches (vegatable or flower)? These were sometimes used to stash a cache of egg money under the disguise of working in the garden.

How about the 'clothes line' where has it been located or re-located from. This is an area you don't want to skip, as many coins and other items end up under the drying clothes.

Even in the large cities there were such things as chicken coupes in use into the 1950's, and vegatable gardens were common even later (remember the "Victory garden" of WWII, these families continued to garden years afterward).

If we think about it there is a lot more to ask.

Joe J.

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.

[Wyatt Earp]

Those are all good things to know about a property you're hunting, but the coil tells me most of what I really want to know once I get the folks to agree to let me hunt. It's real easy to spend a couple hours talking to people, and yes I will take some time, but watch the oldsters especially...they'll engage you in converstion until the sun goes down.

Many of the yards in this old town still have the old posts from the clotheslines...and the privy.....was downwind, ususally no more than 50 yards from the house.

MY point was for those folks who are scared to ask.....and there are lots of them. You just have to be able to talk to people. If you have the gift of gab, then getting permission to hunt isn't usually that difficult. Some folks will say no....and if they do...it's no big deal, there are lots more places.

Wyatt

[TwoDogsBob]

We have a small fairgrounds up here, used mostly for horseback events and cattle auctions but there is the Intermountain Fair in Sept. I happened to run into the fairgrounds director the other day and asked if there was any problem with me detecting on fairgrounds property.. He gave me a kind of odd look then said "Ok by me, everyone else does, but your the first one to have the courtesy to have asked permission." He and I are now friends.. Bob

[Wyatt Earp]

In my experience in this little "burg"...it's unusual for somebody to say "no". I try and ask if I can. In the case of the schoolhouse, I asked one of the neighbors if she figured anybody would care...and she said "heck, it's public property....why not?" I decided that all they could do was ask me to leave if anybody was upset by it....so I opted to detect the site without asking further. LOTS of people saw me there....nobody got their knickers in a knot.

Returning from the post office this morning, I caught the man who lives next door to the yard that gave me th 42 walker and 4 silver dimes saturday. We talked a little while, I showed him the half I'd found next door, which was in the car....and he gave me permission to hunt his place anytime.

Wyatt