Hi My TH'ing friend
My suggestion is to go to the courthouse and look through the land titles to get the name(s) then hunt them out to get permission to search. I have found that most people are currious to see what can be found on their land with a metal detector so have no problem with allowing you to search; but you have to approach the owner with something that is benificial to them. I use the approach that I clean out all trash, nails, glass, plastic, and metal from an area thus making it safer for their animals and vehicles. I show the owner my buckets of junk after I finish for the day and most of the time they can not believe I dug up so much trash from their land. I explain that I recycle everything that I can and feel obligated to do what I can to help the environment.
I wish you all the best at locating the land owner and getting an OK to search.
Dave
'Digger-Dave'
THing4CSA
PS: Remember; Don't leave it in the ground!