Humble Beginnings

November 2018 by Adam H

Right away I got a target, and it ended up being gold from a nice little bench. With only an hour left of daylight, I continued heading upstream and found five more tiny pieces of gold with my VLF…

Take a Kid Detecting

January 2014
I thought things started off okay until I realized I had forgotten some of my gear and had to return to the house. My troubled start was not helped when my boy came up to me a few minutes after my return to show me his first nugget of the day.

Tips for Effective Drywashing

January 2011
Back in October I read with great interest Chris Ralph’s article on the use of a metal detector while drywashing, and I wholeheartedly agree—I wouldn’t even consider going drywashing without using a metal detector in conjunction...

How To File A Mining Claim

April 2019

Filing claims is actually quite easy, though there are a number of pitfalls that you should watch out for. Over the years, I have made just about every mistake you can with a mining claim, and have learned a few things to watch out for along the way.

How to Stake Your Own Mining Claims—Part I

March 2016

Many new prospectors start out prospecting in public areas and club claims, and this is perfectly fine, but the next step in the progression of becoming an experienced prospector is to locate and stake your own mining claims. 

Detecting for Gold—Finding Nuggets Where You Least Expect Them

September 2012
Many friends have come up to my locale to detect for gold. I am writing this article hoping that it may help anyone who uses a detector to prospect for gold nuggets.

Mud Men: Pocket Miners of Southwest Oregon Part III

April 2011
The amount of gold in the traces from the low-grade scattered veinlets may be much more than the traces from the small but rich pocket, at least until the pocket hunter closes in on the rich pocket. Further confusion arises if the prospector stumbles across a placer deposit on one of the higher peaks.

The Winning Hand

January 2017
The operation and techniques employed are highly successful in producing free gold with minimal work involved while maintaining an environment protection process through the use of recycled water and a settling pond.

Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill   • Ask The Experts - Skim Bar Placers article clarification   • Ask The Experts - Is LR2000 working correctly?   • Ask The Experts - What claim papers am I required to file at the county level?   • Fall Drywashing—Just the Right Time of Year   • Understanding Large Gold Deposit Types: Discovering New Mines   • Roads to Nowhere   • Treasure Hunters Challenge FBI Over Dig for Civil War Gold   • Out of the Ashes—New Access to Gold   • Alluvial Paystreaks   • Arizona Prospector Rescued from Mine Shaft   • California State and US National Gold Panning Championships   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices

Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Doomed from the Start   • PLP Update