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Asked to Leave a Church

Robert JK

New Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2022
Messages
18
So I had a first happen to me last night. I was detecting a church that I had previously gotten permission to hunt. I hadn't been back to this particular site in a whole...maybe over a year.

While I was hunting, I had a church employee come up to me and asked what I was doing. I smiled, removed my sunglasses and headphones and explained I was looking for historic relics, coins, etc. You know, the basic response we give when asked that question.

She proceeded to tell me that I was on church property and that I should leave. I quickly explained that I had been granted permission to be detecting there. She asked me who I talked to (I didn't have the name), so I just told her the Pastor and said "I apologize, I cannot remember his name. It was a couple years ago that I talked to him." She then responded with "That would have been with (so and so) and he's no longer at the church. She then said I should leave. So I did.

I'm going to wait a day or two and then call and talk to the new Pastor and see if I can get reinstated. :)

This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

Thoughts?
 
I should add...it worked out in my favor nicely. After leaving the church I went to an old school I've hunted many times. Pulled out a 1923 Merc, and a 1909 Barber quarter! :)
 
So I had a first happen to me last night. I was detecting a church that I had previously gotten permission to hunt. I hadn't been back to this particular site in a whole...maybe over a year.

While I was hunting, I had a church employee come up to me and asked what I was doing. I smiled, removed my sunglasses and headphones and explained I was looking for historic relics, coins, etc. You know, the basic response we give when asked that question.

She proceeded to tell me that I was on church property and that I should leave. I quickly explained that I had been granted permission to be detecting there. She asked me who I talked to (I didn't have the name), so I just told her the Pastor and said "I apologize, I cannot remember his name. It was a couple years ago that I talked to him." She then responded with "That would have been with (so and so) and he's no longer at the church. She then said I should leave. So I did.

I'm going to wait a day or two and then call and talk to the new Pastor and see if I can get reinstated. :)

This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

Thoughts?

Sounds like you are approaching just right! Good luck!!
 
This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

As a matter of fact I DO keep notes on the name of the person giving me permission. Sometimes a relative of the owner will see you and decide to act like they own the own the place. The real owner's name comes in real handy then. Of course I also keep a log of all my finds, where I find them, and any names I need to remember. If I don't write it down, at my age the information will be lost after about 10 minutes. :laughing:
 
So I had a first happen to me last night. I was detecting a church that I had previously gotten permission to hunt. I hadn't been back to this particular site in a whole...maybe over a year.

While I was hunting, I had a church employee come up to me and asked what I was doing. I smiled, removed my sunglasses and headphones and explained I was looking for historic relics, coins, etc. You know, the basic response we give when asked that question.

She proceeded to tell me that I was on church property and that I should leave. I quickly explained that I had been granted permission to be detecting there. She asked me who I talked to (I didn't have the name), so I just told her the Pastor and said "I apologize, I cannot remember his name. It was a couple years ago that I talked to him." She then responded with "That would have been with (so and so) and he's no longer at the church. She then said I should leave. So I did.

I'm going to wait a day or two and then call and talk to the new Pastor and see if I can get reinstated. :)

This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

Thoughts?

Tell them you spoke to god, and in your prayers he said it was ok. Who's going to question God?
 
When I get permission, I immediately work the site day after day every day until I don't think that there is much left. You never know when permissions or ownership will change.

If it is a huge site, and there is a time lapse (my rule of thumb is about 3 months), I re-ask. I do not keep notes; if I have rapport with the pastor, owner, etc., I find I don't need to; if I don't, I feel perhaps I should have.

JMHO YMMV
 
This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

As a matter of fact I DO keep notes on the name of the person giving me permission. Sometimes a relative of the owner will see you and decide to act like they own the own the place. The real owner's name comes in real handy then. Of course I also keep a log of all my finds, where I find them, and any names I need to remember. If I don't write it down, at my age the information will be lost after about 10 minutes. :laughing:

When I get permission, I immediately work the site day after day every day until I don't think that there is much left. You never know when permissions or ownership will change.

If it is a huge site, and there is a time lapse (my rule of thumb is about 3 months), I re-ask. I do not keep notes; if I have rapport with the pastor, owner, etc., I find I don't need to; if I don't, I feel perhaps I should have.

JMHO YMMV

Good advice from both CMG and randy, depending on your tastes. I do a combination of both. I definitely keep notes on who I got permission from and when, and for which properties, and I’ll review it before entering the property so the name is fresh in my mind. As CMG said, you never know when a neighbor or relative will challenge you, even in a remote field. In fact, I’ve been challenged in farm fields more often than any other hunt location type. Sometimes those challenges are friendly, sometimes decidedly not - at least not until I mention the right name ;)

As randy mentioned, it’s not as big a deal for small, existing home sites because I’ll typically hunt those immediately, and usually hunt them until depleted within a day or two and rarely intend to return. Larger properties or farm fields are different: large properties may take significant time to hunt, and farm fields are often worth returning to over the course of several years because new targets get revealed as the ground is worked. In those cases, I’ll usually revisit the property owner at least once a year to make sure nothing has changed. Rapport with a property owner is important, and sometimes results in more leads or permissions.
 
I definitely keep all original emails between the two parties. If questioned i'll just pull out my phone and show them. Luckily I haven't been questioned. I have bee questioned though by lots of people passing by as to what i'm doing and then they follow me around while i'm trying to detect. I'm always nice especially to kids but i gotta say man is it annoying!! Just leave me alone!!
 
I got permission from a pastor at a church a town over from me once.

Went there the next weekend and someone pulled up and asked what I was doing and I responded the same way. He asked who I got permission from and I told him "Pastor Ron". He said and I quote "He ain't shoot" (well, not a direct quote :) ) "you need to get permission from the trustees." I asked who would be the best person to talk to and he said "I'm a trustee. It's fine if you detect here. You just needed to get permission from the right person".
 
I got permission from a pastor at a church a town over from me once.

Went there the next weekend and someone pulled up and asked what I was doing and I responded the same way. He asked who I got permission from and I told him "Pastor Ron". He said and I quote "He ain't shoot" (well, not a direct quote :) ) "you need to get permission from the trustees." I asked who would be the best person to talk to and he said "I'm a trustee. It's fine if you detect here. You just needed to get permission from the right person".

You could not give me a gold coin to put up with turds like that.
 
Being denied Permission

So I had a first happen to me last night. I was detecting a church that I had previously gotten permission to hunt. I hadn't been back to this particular site in a whole...maybe over a year.

While I was hunting, I had a church employee come up to me and asked what I was doing. I smiled, removed my sunglasses and headphones and explained I was looking for historic relics, coins, etc. You know, the basic response we give when asked that question.

She proceeded to tell me that I was on church property and that I should leave. I quickly explained that I had been granted permission to be detecting there. She asked me who I talked to (I didn't have the name), so I just told her the Pastor and said "I apologize, I cannot remember his name. It was a couple years ago that I talked to him." She then responded with "That would have been with (so and so) and he's no longer at the church. She then said I should leave. So I did.

I'm going to wait a day or two and then call and talk to the new Pastor and see if I can get reinstated. :)

This got me thinking...do you keep notes on who you talk to and when, when getting permission? I don't normally, but it might be nice in cases where someone is questioning you actions.

Thoughts?

I haven't been refused a huge number of times, but those who refused me or told me to leave in past decades I ended up being able to return to most of the sites later and search with various results. There is not a single instance where I was refused or told to leave that I think back on negatively today. It is just part of the experience. I do try to minimize the potential for rejection, though, by not carrying a shovel and not being dressed like a Swat team member.
 
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