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I don’t know about you, but out here in Oklahoma there are a lot of division orders being sent out to mineral owners for the recently-completed wells that have been drilled in Beckham, Roger Mills, and other nearby counties. I expect the same is true for other areas of the state with activity as well.
The "Duhig" rule was developed to deal with the frequent problem of people accidentally drafting deeds that attempted to convey more property than they actually owned. There was actually a case called Duhig v. Peavy-Moore Lumber Company in 1940 (Texas) which is the namesake of this rule.
THE LEASING PROCESS: An oil and gas lease is essentially a contract between you, the “lessor”, and another party, the “lessee.” In most states a lease is also considered a conveyance, since you are essentially signing over your right-to-drill for and produce your oil and gas to an oil company in exchange for the agreed upon terms in the lease. They will in effect “own” the minerals, but only for the term of the lease.
I have been asked whether a reservation of "Oil, Coal, and Other Minerals" in a Pennsylvania Warranty Deed would also include natural gas and therefore allow the seller to retain their natural gas rights as well as oil and coal.
If you want to know how to find out who owns the mineral rights under your land, or find out if you do, then the first stop in your quest should probably be the county clerk's office (free) and/or a private abstract office (not free) in the county where your land is located. Both are usually located in or near the county courthouse, and are where you will find all the filed land records having to do with your property.