nuggethunting

Hello TxGold, The outings are a great place to meet people and learn stuff, but if you're looking for 1 on 1 instructions I do them occasionally. Most of them are based around new detector purchases, but I would be willing to help you out for FREE . We would have to figure out a good date that would work for both of us. The weekends are the only time I have available for instructions or gold prospecting. Shoot me over an email at - auplacers@yahoo.com or reply back to this post. P.S. What type of detector and equipment you do currently own? Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello All, Well I just returned from the 2006 24K Gold Hunters Club "Super Pushes." Man, talk about a great turnout, there must have been at least 75-100 people that attended this weekend. I'm sure the weather scared some off, but they really missed out since the rain disappeared Saturday morning and the weather was great the entire weekend! This event wasn't just for the hardcore nugget hunters, but wives, girlfriends, friends and children all attended this great outing. QUEEN OF RICH HILL - "ELLY LOFTEN" All through the weekend nuggets were being found on pushes 1-5. The first nugget was found by Joan, which was a nice nugget attached in some schist bedrock. Finding the first nugget earned Joan a full year membership for FREE! Another FREE membership was issued to my great friend, Mr. Jim Pressley. Jim found the biggest nugget of the day, which weight almost 6 Grams. Approx. 20-25 gold nuggets were found the first day, most of them with the Minelab Pulse Induction Metal Detectors. There must have been another 10 nuggets located before I left Sunday afternoon. Total nugget count was around 35 nuggets as of around 2pm Sunday afternoon. I would expect many more nuggets to be found during the course of the week. I got to meet some great new friends and customers over the weekend. I finally got to met Earl and his family and several other local nugget hunters. Uncle Ron was also at the pushes and hunting hard with the Minelab SD2100. I spend most of my time talking with members and helping them work their metal detectors. I did end up hunting a few hours Saturday and about one hour today and located (3) gold nuggets from the pushes. Seems like pushes 2 & 5 were the hot producers of the week. No giant nuggets were found, but there is a good chance one could be buried at depth. Overall, the event was presented very well. Elly and the board members really came through on this event. I have to give a lot of credit to Jim Waddill (head security) and Larry (claims patrol) for keeping people of the pushes for a couple of weeks. The 24K Gold Hunters Club is really coming around. I expect more and more members to join as the pushes will continue and more and more gold will be found. The club has several lectures scheduled and some other great things! If you're looking to join a club where you have a great chance of finding your first gold nugget, or maybe even your 100's, this is the club to join. The members are very helpful and friendly and make you feel at home! Check out the pictures below - Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, Something must have happened to Jerry's back or something cause he wasn't there Saturday or early Sunday morning. I heard he was in Stanton, but wasn't coming over to the pushes for a few days. Sounds like he might have jacked up his back from what the guy told me that delivered the message this morning. Hopefully everything is alright with him. Talk with you later, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, I just returned home from the "Super Pushes" at Rich Hill. I seen Brent Skean Saturday morning and talked with him a bit, but didn't see Jerry anywhere. A friend mentioned today that Jerry messed up his back and couldn't make it over to the pushes, so I sent the stuff Jerry ordered back with the friend. I told him to tell Jerry I will settle up with him later. I tried to look for Brent later in the day and couldn't find him. There was a lot of people with Minelab PI's and it was difficult to hunt in the beginning. Later in the day people started to move around, eat lunch, take breaks and was a bit easier to hunt with them. The red clay really played hell on the VLF detectors. I think there might have only been a couple of nuggets found with VLF's, 99% of the nuggets located were found with the Minelab PI's. Talk with you later, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Well this is all news to me. Minelab keeps their secrets quiet until it's time to release something. From what I know the detector is called the MINELAB GPX4000 and will sell for just under $4,000.00 US. It comes with a LI-Ion Battery system that will only work on this machine, not any other SD/GP detectors. I'm still trying to find more information about it besides what is posted on Doc's Forum. I also heard the detectors will slowly come in, so anyone interested in one will have to contact me at - auplacers@yahoo.com to be guaranteed one right away! The Minelab GP3500 will not be discontinued, so they will also be available for sale at the normal $3,499.95 price. I still have a nice batch of them in stock if anyone is searching for a GP3500. The new machine sounds like it has a bunch of new features and the LCD screen will make it nice. I haven't seen a picture, but heard it looks nothing like the old SD/GP detectors! Will keep you posted with more information as I hear it. P.S. I won't use my GPX4000 this weekend in the push. I will let you get a chance first! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Bigfoot, I must say I can remember when Gary was on the forums and trying to find his first nugget. I'm not sure how many nuggets ago that was now, cause Gary is off to a great start! I know he must have a good collection of smaller Bradshaw nuggets and now a 1/3 ouncer! Some guys really pick it up fast, while others seem to slowly struggle, but end up catching up. Since you're in California, it's probably easier for Gary to pass the information onto me. Just razzing you both, great to know you're both here on the forums contributing. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Arizona Guide, I have to agree with you, they all make very good wages. Most of the Journeyman Electrician and Lineman make over 100K per year. They can pretty much go anywhere in the country to work due to the training they receive. It does open up some new country for hunting and prospecting also! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Brenda, No biggie on finding the screen. I will browse around and see what I can find. If you happen to find it again just let us know. On another note, have you decided on when you might return back to Arizona for some nugget hunting? You need to get that GP3500 over some more gold! Talk with you later, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Thanks for all the kind words. A CDL is just another tool for the employment world. I don't plan on becoming a trucker, but it's always good to have just in case. Grubstake - Good to have a friend like you that has driven all those miles. If I ever have any questions you're the first person I will come to. It's quite the accomplishment to be part of the "Million Mile Club." Gaine - Yes, I'm able to drive the big rigs now if I prefer, but will probably only drive Utility Trucks. The Utility Trucks have a GVWR of over 26K, which requires a class A CDL. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Brenda, Glad you got it all figured out. Any chance you tell us how you done it so other members can do it if needed? I don't receive any emails right now due to the fact I get anywhere from 25-50 per day from the website alone. However, for all the forum members there is a way you an set up your controls where you will receive an email everytime someone post on this forum. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Gary, Its' a good think to log stuff like you're doing. However, it's also best to get a good second opinion on the area, so go ahead and mail the information over to me. Just razzing you a bit. Wishing you more success out of that area. Rob Allison

Hello Bugler, I will have to look at the claims guide to see what exact claims they are, but the are in the heart of the Devil's Nest Group. This area is probably one of the richest placers in Arizona, so some good nuggets should turn up. I will be driving a Pewter colored 2000 GMC 4x4 with a shell. Make sure you come up and introduce yourself. I will give you a quick heads-up on the area and claims. See you there, Rob Allison

Hello Chris, I have one word to say .... LOL Take care, Rob Allison

Hey Gary, Way to go Master Nugget Hunter! Everywhere you found a nugget you should log down either in your mind, or in a logbook of some type. When technology (detectors/coils) and the area changes (weather, water, errosion) you can go back and find more nuggets in that spot. I have hundreds of spots I check every so often when a new coil/detector comes out and after good winter & monsoon rains. Looks like you're finding more nuggets than some of these well known nugget hunters. Congrats, Rob Allison

Hello Jerry, Make sure you save me a camping spot up there, I would hate to have to camp right in the middle of one of the pushes! Maybe right next to the nugget Jim W. seen during one of the walks. Can't wait to meet you, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Thanks!! I'm not planning on being a trucker by any means, but I know it's good to have. It does open more doors out there in the employment world. I actually needed it for a job that I'm applying for. The job is a Substation Electrician and they do drive the Utility trucks which requires a Class A CDL. Journeyman Substation Electrician's make 75 - 100K a year easy. The first year most make around 80-85K with overtime and some out of town work. Might even consider some line work in the future. Just been burned out taking all this Electrical Math and Electronic Classes, but hopefully it will be all worthwhile in the end. P.S. I know what "LOT LIZZARDS" are, but not interested in them! I used to live right down the road from one of the biggest Truck Stop in Phoenix. The Lizzard I know is collard. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, Just wanted to let you know I knocked out the CDL today with flying colors. I'm heading up with the 18-wheeler to load up the Mariposa gold! Breaker 10-4 Rob Allison

Hello Uncle Ron, You can pretty much use whatever detector you like in the pushes. However, I can bet there will be a good 100 or more Minelab PI's, so I doubt anyone will tempt using one right away with all the interference. I done some experimenting last weekend with some coils and it's pretty much worthless. I'm sure the majority will just start with VLF's and then when the pushes clear out (probably wont the entire weekend) guys will jump in with the big PI's. We're currently working on having a board member act as a push moderator at each push. This will allow everyone to get up there, get established and start hunting all at the same time. More to come before the end of the week ... Rob Allison

Hello Rex, Are you going to be at the 24K "Super Push" outing? At our last board meeting there was 143 active members, but what I heard yesterday on the claims there is almost 200 now! I'm sure there will be a good 100-150 members on the claims this weekend hoping for a nugget out of the pushes. Going to be fun watching all these guys hunt with various detectors, but I'm sure someone will find a very nice nugget. Nuggets over a pound have been found in this area, and multi-ouncer were common at one time. People are still asking me to bring misc. accessories to the push. However, you must get a hold of me before Tuesday to make sure I have the item(s) in stock to bring. Thanks! Rob Allison

Hello All, Today I had to meet with the rest of the 24K Board to inspect the pushes. It was pretty much my job to walk all the pushes to make sure they haven't been tampered with (no detector digs). I must say there wasn't a single footprint or dig in any of the pushes! Larry and Mark, which are both part of club security are doing an outstanding job watching the claims until opening day (Oct. 14th). During one of the walks, Jim W., head of security seen a nugget lying on the surface of one of the pushes. He said if he had to guess the nugget weighed about 1/2 ounce~! The pushes are very well done Thanks to the Dozer Man John. He has been working on the pushes for about two weeks solid and is now working the second to last push. The last push will be the easiest to move since there are very few boulders in that spot. You're going to be surprised when you see all the spots that have been opened up by the dozer. Later in the day Leaverite, Ralph Bond and I did some detecting around the Roadrunner Claims. I found (3) nuggets, Leaverite found (2), but Ralph was unable to score this time. Pictures: (1) Part of the Board for the 24K (from left to right), Larry, Elly, Me & Jim. (2) View of one of the dozer pushes (3) View of another dozer push (4) First nugget I found today using the GP3500 and the outstanding Coiltek 14-inch Round Mono (5) Nuggets Leaverite and I found today. Three on the left are mine the two on the right are his. Hope to see you all at the push next Saturday. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Grubstake - Nope, I don't need Hazmat or any other endorsements besides Combination. I've heard the same thing, the shorter the trailer the quicker the response time, the longer trailers will move much slower and easier to backup. Wish me luck you old Trucker! Arizona Guide - It's funny how that works, but it's the same for nuggets. I know when I find a decent nugget I get on the 2-way radio and tell everyone I hit a nice one. The nugget might only be a 2 Dwt piece, but it looks like a half ouncer. By the time your friends come over to view it the damn thing shrunk down to a dink!! At Rich Hill it can be the opposite, the last nice nugget I hit there I thought was about 4-5 Dwt's. A couple of friends said 3-4 Dwt's. After an official weigh in the nugget was 6.8 - 6.9 Dwt's. The gold there is just dense as hell. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, Thanks for the encouragement. Actually, Monday I'm going down for a 2-hour training session to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm not worried about the Pre-Trip or Air Brake Test, but haven't driven a big truck and trailer before. The truck will be automatic and the trailer is about 20-25 foot long from what I'm told. I will know more Monday after I finish the training course. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello 29Prospector, Would almost have to see the drywasher working to see the problem. I never had a problem with my Keene 151 years ago. A good friend and I used to use it a bunch on some old river benches working the bedrock. The both of us could shovel as fast as we could and we couldn't overload the Keene 151 Drywasher. This unit is definitely a production type unit for when you find a good producer. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake and Shep, Grubstake, you using that stretchy ruler? Regardless, the Minelab PI's punch down deep, much deeper in the ground than any VLF. Good to hear the ORANGE coils are still hitting them up there in the patch. Is the patch getting worked out now? Still waiting to see that big one. I stuck around home today working on the office, checking inventory for the winter season and working on my CDL. Have to take the driving part of the test on Friday the 13th at 4pm. I don't think anyone wanted that time figuring it was Friday the 13th and during rush hour traffic. Leaverite and Ohio went out prospecting some new locations today. Haven't heard anything from them yet, so they probably hit a patch. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Doc, Looking forward to receiving them, Thanks! Just call me Beetle juice, since I have a small head. Most of the fitted caps I wear are 6 3/4's or 6 7/8's. Dawn is getting pretty burned out with the Accelerated Nursing Program and has been talking about detecting again. I'm sure she will put good use to the hat you sent her. She said she is ready for a GP3500. Thanks a million Doc. Rob Allison