As a guide to those who are thinking of taking up this activity or those who currently practice this trade, I have created a listing of the primary tools and equipment I use when nugget hunting.

Once you have determined that the land is locatable, the next step in the claim research process is to determine if the land has already been claimed by a previous locator.

While a large number of locations have yielded some placer gold, most of the state’s placer production has come from a few productive districts.

“I heard him hollering down in the hole as soon as I got there,” he said. “I was just glad to see him alive.”