Fail to plan = plan to fail

steve in so la

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Do you plan out each detecting trip around town - or do you just start driving, hoping for a site ? While keeping a brief record of places visited, I pick out sites in a general section of town. Then I put a pin in the city map on my wall. Then I make a "milk run" of them all - usually between 4 and 8 sites. If I dont make it to all it's ok.

With this set of directions I head out and feel that I dig more, travel less, etc. Of course if you are in a small town with limited sites then this might not apply. Sometimes I also select several nearby towns to visit in a gas saving manner.

What do you do ? Steve in so az
 
I almost always plan the day before, a "route" that Im going to take. I just started to MD so Im trying to get as much sweep time as possible. I usually check out google with sat imagery to look at parks and plan a route with however many spots I can hit depending on size and the time I have available. Then depending on the location, Ill contact whoever I need to when I arrive to ask permission if need be. However, sometimes if I have the time Ill just cruise a rural part of town to find the something new. Sometimes its more fun when you stumble upon and area that looks promising. Then when I get home I start doing some research on it.
 
I do both. Sometimes I will be driving to no particular spot and find a fantastic place to detect. Just depends on my time frame.
 
hey glen

the answer is all of them...

part of what we do is knowing in advance the rules for parks and public property.

also you should have a stable of private properties that you have permission at. I have a dozen right now, and just dont have time to hit them all.

Steve is the master at finding stuff in public places. And I am sure he has lots of private permissions too, he has always been a fantastic ambassador for this hobby.
 
Glenn - Why do you assume I am going into places without permission ? Is that what you do ?

I was referring to parks & schools only. Of which they are open to the public in my city. Steve
 
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City atlas -

Get a city atlas of your place and it will have every park, school, etc available. When in a new town look in the phone book and usually they have a city map showing these things also. Steve
 
I my best big silver coin day (dollar and half) came from literally hopping in the truck and doing a random drive. Found a non-descript park, bingo!
 
Well here I have been researching the area and hitting a couple of the parks on and off. I have one main park I want to finish first because it is where the old mill worker housing was at. In my research I am also looking for what properties the city has assumed due to unpaid taxes. That makes them public domain and therefore huntable. THe one old mill here is such a place but Im not ready for that one, it will be a disaster to hunt due to the amount of iron trash. If you area is listed then this is a good resource Beacon Home

http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/Default.aspx
 
Glenn did have a point to be made. Just because a park or school is public property by definition, does not mean we can just rush out and start poking holes in the ground with no concerns. A standard rule in the code of ethics is to at least call city hall and/or the park manager first. Besides, some city parks are historical markers within themseves. Do you think you could go to Central Park in New York and detect? Many smaller cities are more uptight as well.

It's simply not as easy as charting a course to public access spots and digging around. That mentality has surely gotten lots of public parks off limits to detecting. martin
 
Glenn did have a point to be made. Just because a park or school is public property by definition, does not mean we can just rush out and start poking holes in the ground with no concerns. A standard rule in the code of ethics is to at least call city hall and/or the park manager first. Besides, some city parks are historical markers within themseves. Do you think you could go to Central Park in New York and detect? Many smaller cities are more uptight as well.

It's simply not as easy as charting a course to public access spots and digging around. That mentality has surely gotten lots of public parks off limits to detecting. martin
Or you can look online like I did and read the Ordinances. That is what I do, if it is restricted I dont hunt, if there is nothing against it Im all over it. I never ask some city lackey because many of them are on power trips and say no without even knowing if it is or not. Everything you need is in the Ordinances no need to ask for permission.
 
everyday I go out, or at least 90% of the time I hop in my car and drive looking for an old house that catches my eye, hop out, go up and knock on the door and ask permission to detect. Been doing it this way for 5 yrs now.
 
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