Yards vrs. Park

CoryTDF

Junior Member
Joined
May 26, 2020
Messages
80
Location
Walla Walla Wa
So, do any of you seasoned guys/gals find that you operate better and more efficiently when hunting a smaller space such as a yard or vacant lot verses a large open park?

The oldest and largest park in town is right by my house but it is so large i am having a had time figuring out a good way to hunt it?? Any tips or a good suggestion for a phone app that would track my search area?
 
You need to draw your focus down on any sized piece of land to a tiny area. Bring four markers out and make a small manageable square, work it, then move two of the markers to create a new square. If you focus on the huge property you'll end up in circles missing spots. When I did underwater evidence recovery, I could find you a shell casing in a river, but I had to check it inch by inch from a rope line, not swim the whole river randomly poking about.
 
I am currently working a massive park. I am talking at least 10 baseball diamonds, 8 soccer fields, multiple playgrounds, etc. I have found silver coins, a couple of gold jewelry items, and lots and lots of clad. I hunt it according to the traffic. I work shift work so I get days off during the week. When there isn't very many people, I hit the sitting areas at the ball diamonds and soccer fields. When there are a lot of people there, I hit the walking trails (my favorite). I find more good stuff along the walking trails than anywhere else. I am with Emu though - you have to section it off otherwise you will miss lots of areas.
 
I've been hitting a park near my home that isn't terribly old (60's) , but when the county took over the land, there were several homes and farms swallowed up by the park. I've been using some old aerial photos and comparing them to Google Earth to find out where the structures were. I have already found a few of the sites. Haven't found anything great there yet, but I am going to go back and recheck them now that I have the Simplex to see if I missed anything.
 
Yards, especially farmyards, can be a bust. City yards are great ‘cause if city folk dropped a silver quarter, oh well. Farmers didn’t have the money to lose and if they did, the yard was scoured and raked for that quarter.

Parks otoh, are gifts that keep on giving. Well, at least the majority.
 
You need to draw your focus down on any sized piece of land to a tiny area. Bring four markers out and make a small manageable square, work it, then move two of the markers to create a new square. If you focus on the huge property you'll end up in circles missing spots. When I did underwater evidence recovery, I could find you a shell casing in a river, but I had to check it inch by inch from a rope line, not swim the whole river randomly poking about.

Great idea! I am going to get some little cones and try this when I head out this weekend.

Side note: If you knock on a door and get permission what do you do when a person asks to see what you found? What if they want it?
 
If they are good enough to give permission and want to see your finds then you are kinda obligated to show them. It will hurt to hand them your finds but if you don't then they will tell their neighbors what a *&^&% you are and you can kiss any permission from people they know. I had one lady tell me sure you can detect but I get everything you find. I still haven't found the time to go detect that property.
 
I'd carry a couple old junk rings, a bobby pin, few zink pennies and some petrified rat turds. Keep in a small plastic box in the trash pouch.
Guess which targets I'm going to hand the little old lady who wants all finds? :lol:
 
Backyards, here in my area at least, are some of the best places to hunt. All the birthdays, graduations, barbecues and children playing in the backyard with coins and toys.
Not to mention lost rings from gardening.
I’ve found some awesome targets in the backyards of these mid century homes. Good luck!
 
I keep a bucket of junk in the back of the van just for those folks. I don't mind letting them see or keeping some finds but not all.
How many wheaties do I really need.
What I really need is Double Eagles and Morgan Dollars.:laughing:
 
Backyards, here in my area at least, are some of the best places to hunt. All the birthdays, graduations, barbecues and children playing in the backyard with coins and toys.
Not to mention lost rings from gardening.
I’ve found some awesome targets in the backyards of these mid century homes. Good luck!

That is interesting, your experience w/ back yards. Here in Western Montana, I can think of about 3 back yards out of 100's of yards I've gotten the OK to detect that produced even a single shiny or wheat pennies. Up here, the front yards seem to be where all the drops and action took place, and many front yards have produced 4-5 silvers each including half dollars. I usually don't even ask about the back yard so as to respect the privacy of the home owner, but maybe I should check more often!
 
Some good comments here! I don't detect parks as none are old enough where I live, and others up in Missoula are off limits.

Yes, pick small areas and grid them and hunt slowly listening for good deep high tones if chasing silver. Sometimes if a lawn has been freshly mowed, you can use the mower lines as guides to grid out a lawn and check it well.
 
Great idea! I am going to get some little cones and try this when I head out this weekend.

Side note: If you knock on a door and get permission what do you do when a person asks to see what you found? What if they want it?


You definitely want to check out the historical aerial photos to identify any old structures. Houses, gazebos, ball fields, etc...

As to your question about ownership of finds, once you've received a few private permissions you're basically the expert in the subsequent interactions with property owners. You'll find some property owners who understand what you're asking, but most only have the vaguest idea of what you're asking. You can either use that experience to make self-serving assumptions to take advantage of them, or use it to make sure everybody is on the same page and happy.

I've worked out lots of arrangements. Everything from "I get to hunt and keep whatever I want without showing anything" to "I'll show you everything I find and let you pick whatever you want to keep." Whatever the deal, I stick to it.

A property owner is making things easy for you if THEY bring up the finds ownership issue before the hunt has even started. Don't like their terms? Negotiate, or don't hunt. Agreeing to their terms and then hiding your finds is trashy at best and theft at worst.

Metal detecting is much more fun when I don't feel like I am looking over my shoulder trying to hide something. I also hope I can find something I think the owner would like to have, even if they don't ask. I already know if I ever found the proverbial jar of gold coins or a significant historical artifact, then there's no way I would hide it from the property owner. I'll hope the person is willing to throw a few of the coins my way. So, for everything else, none of it is more valuable than my reputation or peace of mind.

But, what about the gray areas? What if nobody clarifies the issue of finds ownership before the hunt starts? That's what a lot of people seem to do. That's fine if you want to take that risk, but take your lumps if it turns out the owner does want to see the finds and possibly have something before you leave. No need to be a liar just because you took the chance that they wouldn't ask and this time it didn't work out. I'm sure there will be other times when you'll incorrectly assume the person wasn't interested and leave.

Some property owners won't ask about the finds because they truly don't care, and some can't imagine you'd ever find anything they'd be interested in seeing or owning. (We love these people!) But, other owners might make the reasonable assumption that you'll check in before you leave. Imagine their surprise when they look outside to check on your progress and you're long gone. (I've had permissions denied because they said a previous person did it to them.)

That detectorist poorly represented the hobby AND missed out on potential leads to other properties. Suprise the owner with your honesty and skills and the next thing you know you have permission to dig on their family farm or a historic property they just purchased to renovate. It's happened to me more than once.

An indirect way of clarifying the finds issue up front is to simply ask "Would you like for me to knock before I leave?" If they say "Don't worry about it." then that's all you need to know. Go have fun. If they say "Yes" then you can either say "OK" and continue to take your chances, or go ahead clarify the finds issue.

What I've been talking about is door knocking when the property owner is home. If I'm still detecting and they leave without saying anything about following up, then that's a pretty good indication they didn't expect to see the finds! Similarly, if it's a property where they don't live, such as a rental property, vacant lot, or abandoned home, then I think the responsibility is theirs to "speak now or forever hold your peace" when they grant you permission. Still, I have often followed back up with those owners with photos of finds, including things I'd prefer to keep and nothing has ever come up where I had to give up something I wanted. I'll even send them one of the older coins or a relic I've researched.

So, what happens when a property owner actually does want something you'd like to keep. If and when this ever happens to me, I'm just going to tell them I'd like to have it for sentimental reasons and not because I'm going to sell it. If that's not good enough, I'll give them my card and tell them I'll follow up in a week after they've had a chance to research the item or run the decision by a family member. Hopefully they'll have a chance to be satisfied I wasn't pulling one over on them and they give it to me for free or offer a fair price for it.

Also, don't forget to get photographs before you hand anything to a property owner.
 
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You definitely want to check out the historical aerial photos to identify any old structures. Houses, gazebos, ball fields, etc...

As to your question about ownership of finds, once you've received a few private permissions you're basically the expert in the subsequent interactions with property owners. You'll find some property owners who understand what you're asking, but most only have the vaguest idea of what you're asking. You can either use that experience to make self-serving assumptions to take advantage of them, or use it to make sure everybody is on the same page and happy.

I've worked out lots of arrangements. Everything from "I get to hunt and keep whatever I want without showing anything" to "I'll show you everything I find and let you pick whatever you want to keep." Whatever the deal, I stick to it.

A property owner is making things easy for you if THEY bring up the finds ownership issue before the hunt has even started. Don't like their terms? Negotiate, or don't hunt. Agreeing to their terms and then hiding your finds is trashy at best and theft at worst.

Metal detecting is much more fun when I don't feel like I am looking over my shoulder trying to hide something. I also hope I can find something I think the owner would like to have, even if they don't ask. I already know if I ever found the proverbial jar of gold coins or a significant historical artifact, then there's no way I would hide it from the property owner. I'll hope the person is willing to throw a few of the coins my way. So, for everything else in between, none of it is more valuable than my reputation or peace of mind.

But, what about the gray areas? What if nobody clarifies the issue of finds ownership before the hunt starts? That's what a lot of people seem to do. That's fine if you want to take that risk, but take your lumps if it turns out the owner does want to see the finds and possibly have something before you leave. No need to be a liar just because you took the chance that they wouldn't ask and this time it didn't work out. I'm sure there will be other times when you'll incorrectly assume the person doesn't want you to follow up before you leave.

Indeed, while some property owners won't ask about the finds because they truly don't care, and some can't imagine you finding anything they'd be interested in seeing or having, other owners will reasonably assume you'll check in before you leave. Imagine their surprise when they look outside to check on your progress and you're long gone. (I've had permissions denied because they said a previous person did it to them.)

That detectorist just poorly represented the hobby AND missed out on potential leads to other properties. Suprise the owner with your honesty and skills and the next thing you know you have permission to dig on their family farm or a historic property they just purchased to renovate. It's happened to me more than once.

An indirect way of clarifying the finds issue up front is to simply ask "Would you like for me to knock before I leave?" If they say "Don't worry about it." then that's all you need to know. Go have fun. If they say "Yes" then you can either say "OK" and continue to take your chances, or go ahead clarify the finds issue.

What I've been talking about is door knocking when the property owner is home. If I'm still detecting and they leave without saying anything about following up, then that's a pretty good indication they didn't expect to see the finds! Similarly, if it's a property where they don't live, such as a rental property, vacant lot, or abandoned home, then I think the responsibility is theirs to "speak now or forever hold your peace" when they grant you permission. (Still, I have often followed back up with those owners with photos of finds, including things I'd prefer to keep and nothing has ever come up where I had to give up something I wanted. I'll even send along one of the older coins or a relic I've researched.

So, what happens when a property owner actually does want something you'd like to keep. If and when this ever happens to me, I'm just going to tell them it's the first XYZ I've ever found and I'd like to have it for sentimental resasons and not because I'm going to sell it. I'll give them my card and tell them I'll follow up in a week after they've had a chance to research the item or run the decision by a family member. At that point, hopefully they're satisfied I wasn't trying to pull one over on them and they give it to me for free or for a fair price considering I found it.

If all else fails, make sure you get a photograph. I have photographs of all the coins and relics I've given away.

This seems to be very sound advice. Walla Walla operates on that small town way of thinking most of the time so no sense burning bridges before they are built. Thanks for the wisdom!
 
Interesting advice and write up on permissions and door knocking arrangements. I don't really have 1st hand experience in this area that most of you do. But , common sense would tell me : why would I really want to put all my sweat equity and knowledge into hunting a yard , only to give it all /cream of the crop to the owner ?
The worst part would be working a yard for 2 hrs , find a few wheats and silver ( that aren't worth much) and have to give it ALL to the owner. Maybe this doesn't happen often.
Either I don't have common sense or you guys are crazy !
 
Great post.....

When talking with a potential permission I always emphasize the amount of junk and garbage that I'd dig that would not be reburied.

On one permission that I hunted the home owner insisted on everything and received everything....to include all the junk, slaw, nails....they knew upfront about the junk...I normally have a few bags/boxes ready...

Turned out to be an integrity check that lead to a much better permission.....and I was permitted to keep all the good stuff....

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Interesting advice and write up on permissions and door knocking arrangements. I don't really have 1st hand experience in this area that most of you do. But , common sense would tell me : why would I really want to put all my sweat equity and knowledge into hunting a yard , only to give it all /cream of the crop to the owner ?
The worst part would be working a yard for 2 hrs , find a few wheats and silver ( that aren't worth much) and have to give it ALL to the owner. Maybe this doesn't happen often.
Either I don't have common sense or you guys are crazy !

If the small chance of losing finds to the property owner is so intolerable, then who is being forced to hunt where there's a small possibility of not keeping the finds? Common sense tells me working that detail out in advance is the solution to avoid any remote chance of wasting my time.

More than anything, I'm just saying not everybody agrees it's OK to get a permission under a false pretense. That is, to agree to show or share finds never intending to make good on it.

As far as what to do when the finds ownership has been left unclear, we could debate scenarios all day. Is it fair to assume a property owner who is home is uninterested in seeing or sharing the finds just because they didn't mention it up front? Is it fair to hide finds from them if they do end up asking about the finds before you leave? Is it fair to leave before checking in with them if they are home (unless they've already said there's no need to)?

I'm not talking about homeowners who clearly renege on a deal. If the deal was to give them jewelry and I keep the coins, then it serves no purpose to get them upset when I honest to goodness come up with more for me than them. It's also unfair if I'm not honest when it's the other way around. A deal's a deal.

Frankly, I like to show owners what I find. I like learning about local history, the neighborhoods and meeting new people. I want to find something I think the owner would like to have. In fact, I think a lot of relics should stay with the home. If the only enjoyment I got out of detecting was the coins I found, then I'm wasting a massive amount of time. I could get much nicer things at the coin shop and antique store.
 
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If the small chance of losing my finds to the property owner is so intolerable, then who is being forced to hunt where there's a small possibility of not keeping the finds? Common sense tells me working that detail out in advance is the solution to avoid any remote chance of wasting my time.

More than anything, I'm just saying not everybody agrees it's OK to get a permission under a false pretense. That is, to agree to show or share finds never intending to make good on it.

As far as what to do when the finds ownership has been left unclear, we could debate scenarios all day. Is it fair to assume a property owner who is home is uninterested in seeing or sharing the finds just because they didn't mention it up front? Is it fair to hide finds from them if they do end up asking about the finds before you leave? Is it fair to leave before checking in with them if they are home (unless they've already said there's no need to)?

I'm not talking about homeowners who clearly renege on a deal. If the deal was to give them jewelry and I keep the coins, then it serves no purpose to get them upset when I honest to goodness come up with more for me than them. It's also unfair if I'm not honest when it's the other way around. A deal's a deal.

Frankly, I like to show owners what I find. I like learning a bout local history, the neighborhoods and meeting new people. I want to find something I think the owner would like to have. In fact, I think a lot of relics should stay with the home. If the only enjoyment I got out of detecting was the coins I found, then I'm wasting a massive amount of time. I could get much nicer things at the coin shop and antique store.

I would think anything historical related to the property should stay with the current owner. But what if you find your 1st gold coin ever , you show them your finds , and they take everything ?
 
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