nuggethunting

Hello Randy, The old-timers mainly used a gold pan for sampling. They probably sampled every wet and dry creek/stream around. Sample here ... sample there ... when they found a decent amount of color they might have stuck around a bit longer always looking for a good pan of color. I'm sure once they found somewhere worth working they would use a rocker or sluice if water was available, or a drywasher if the material was dry enough. There are a lot of other old methods that were used, some consisted of just screening if the gold was coarse enough to see (nugget type gold). I'm sure others will post some information. I will post more later. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Kevin, You're very welcome. I'm glad you called and we were able to get the issue resolved. When you're out in the field I recommend taking the charger with you just in case you would need to reset a battery. For normal day hunts if you take two batteries you will be set. However, for those weekend type hunts it's best to have the charger just in case. Heck, you might just get into a good patch and decide you have to charge your batteries again since you're not coming home, or back to work in my case! Speaking of JOB, that's my favorite book in the Greatest Book, the BIBLE. Maybe I learned something from JOB. I Largo has a good statement, remember that Minelab is number one! Always turn on the Minelab detector first then the Coiltek Li-Ion system. Thanks for your business and friendship. Rob Allison

Hello Scotty, I knew my ears were ringing! Good to hear people are talking good about me and also the fact they might be ordering your new "Nugget Shooter Logbook." The name of the game is to help others become successful. This is the secret to becoming successful yourself. Not all success is "Green," the best success is granted way above if you know what I mean. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Bob, Well I don't know about 12 types of Gray Ghost, but there are a few! I've been a DetectorPro dealer for a long time and proudly support their products. For years I used the Gray Ghost Originals then the Gray Ghost Ultimates with great success. However, once the Black Widow's came out I switched over to them. I think they are a bit more responsive. Here are the different types: Gray Ghost NDT (meaning "No down time") Gray Ghost Ultimate Original Gray Ghost Gray Ghost Deep Gray Ghost Dual Limiter Gray Ghost DMC Gray Ghost Underwater Heck Bob, you were almost right. Actually seven different types of Gray Ghost Headphones. P.S. If anyone needs prices on these phones just drop me a email - auplacers@yahoo.com or post a reply back here. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Dutch John, I agree the Alaska hunting is much different than lower desert hunting. I pretty much know the drill, but when I get up there I spend more time BSing, taking pictures and enjoying the Alaskan Outback. I always seem so pressured when I go just one week. Alaska is a beautiful place for all the people that haven't seen it. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Glen, Sorry that more people haven't stepped in and helped out. Being a detector dealer I talk with a lot of potential customers all around the US. The ones that I talked with around Northern California seem to be searching out the remote, overlooked Hydraulic pits off the beaten path. I'm not real familar with California, but I'm sure there must be some books or bulletins that show old locations of hydraulic mines/pits. What type of detector are you using right now? Wishing you the best on your hunt. Rob Allison

Hello Guys, I also received the International California Mining Journal (ICMJ) yesterday and read the Moore Creek article written by Chris Ralph. I guess everyone was mentioned besides me in the article ... Oh, I see since I only found a few ounces I'm the Black Sheep! Just kidding, great article on Moore Creek and should get some people fired up about next year. I'm just debating if I'm going to do another Alaska trip or maybe a week or so toward Northen Nevada or such. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, You lucky Devil! Here is the link to Doc's Yank-Aussie Prospecting Forum - DOC'S YANK-AUSSIE PROSPECTING FORUM Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, Karl - Just received an email confirmation from the book publisher. I will have the books before the end of the week and will contact you. Let me know when you're coming back down this way so we can set up a trip. Scotty - I did get burned pretty good, but not as bad as I thought it would be. How are the sales on the new Nugget Shooter Logbook going? When I get the new PC I'm going to order the program from you. Big Ed - You have a PC now? Yahoo .... Shoot me over an email today if you would. That WebTV is nothing but trouble from what I have heard over the years. Congrats on the new PC. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello JP, For the price of DVD video's they are well worth the purchase. I know when Chris and I first started swinging detectors there was very little help available. A few books and one VHS video that didn't even show you how to detect, but rather showing footage of nuggets being dug up. Also today we have the use of the Internet. There are a lot of dealers that don't offer field instructions, and even the ones that do can't get all the customers to come visit them for instructions. Some customers are across the globe. The "Nugget Hunting Essentials" DVD videos are top notch. Not too advanced, but just perfect for the people just starting or people looking to fine tune and learn more detecting, technniques and what to look for. Going back to your DVD's they are also top notch. "The Latest Update," is a must see for anyone that owns and operates a Minelab GP3500. This DVD video will give you everything you need and more to get the most out of your GP3500. Your previous DVD is great for anyone owning an SD, GP Extreme and GP3000. I'm excited to be selling the new DVD's cause I know they are great and will help anyone learn more .... Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, I would love to find a small Arizona Platinum nugget, so I always check my targets. If I find something that is "strange" looking I will pocket the piece and continue. I will later examine the piece under a high powered lighted loupe or microscope. Over the years I have found some strange stuff, some just ends up being burned metals, alloys and other scrap .... However, you never know, so it's best to pocket the strange find(s) and check them out later. Wouldn't you hate to know that you tossed a Platinum nugget or maybe even a rare meteorite? True Story: Approx. 10 years ago out around the La Paz, Placers I detected a strange looking piece of iron. This was the only piece of what I thought was an ironstone, so I picked it up. The weight was stunning for the size of the piece and even had some strange shape and design. Thinking it was an ironstone (from unexperience) I tossed the piece in the nearest ravine. About 3-4 years later I started to read about iron meteorites and realized the damn thing was a "Thumbprinted Iron Meteorite!" Probably worth a pretty penny since it was iron, good size and has flow-lines and thumbprints. Still to this date can't remember the exact location, but have been back several times looking. No telling if another prospector found it since I tossed it into a small ravine, which would be a prime target for detecting ... Live and Learn, the hard way that is. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, For all the people out there that haven't purchase the "Nugget Hunting Essentials" DVD set are missing out. I know many people including myself are very visual/spacial, meaning we like to see things rather than reading them in a book. Seeing demonstrations or video in general is almost like hands-on training. You get to actually "SEE" and "HEAR" what is going on. I must say this DVD set is top-notch and I have personally watched the entire series three times now! Customers still ask me, "What about this, or what about that ... What should I look for ...." Well my answer is simple, purchase the "Nugget Hunting Essential" DVD set and most, if not all you questions will be answered. Yes, I know there isn't a DVD or Book that will answer every single question, but these vidoe's are very informative and consist of great Arizona Nugget Hunting footage. Anyone interested in this DVD set can contact me through email - auplacers@yahoo.com, the forum PM or phone (number listed below). Package Price on both DVD's - $59.90 Arizona Sales Tax (if applicable) & Shipping not included in price P.S. I will also have Mr. Porter's DVD's soon! Don't miss out on these great Metal Detecting DVD's. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, I would be lying if I told you I didn't know about it for some time, but was waiting for it to happen. You have a great friend there! Jerry is also a great friend to me and I don't even know him personally. He's also been a awesome customer. Congrats on the new PC! You been getting some freebies lately. Hehehe ... Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Dwight, I heard the Gila River has some gold, but probably mostly fine. Plus the fact the River is so wide and deep if there are nuggets you would never reach them with even a good detector. Don't know much about the area in general, but if one was going to poke around they would have a much better chance in the side drainages and potentially old benches of the Gila. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Karl - Glad you received the two boxes. I'm hoping the book order went out already, the publisher said they were way behind on shipping. I actually ordered 6 of those Arizona 4x4 Trail books. I'm going to keep a copy and then sell the other ones. I will let you know the minute the book arrives and then find out what esle I can sell you! Talk with you soon. Kamakazi - It's nice living close to the Goldfields. I would go nuts if I was you. You're welcome to come and join Glenn, Leaverite and the gang anytime this winter, just let us all know. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Steve, Well it's about time you post! I know I've seen you logged on a bunch and been waiting for a post from you. Tell Kitty congrats on the new nugget/specimen find. Looks like a sizeable piece with a good amount of gold through it. Hard to believe there is just one piece in the area. I would really check out that spot more closely if you haven't in the past. The pictures came through fine. Just one small suggestion, see if you can resize and future pictures to under 600x600 if you can. I seen you have them hosted at photobucket, so I'm not sure if they allow you to resize or edit the pictures. The pictures you posted were 1040 x 684. Thanks for sharing your experience and find with us here. Rob Allison

Hello Gary, I think Leaverite should just give me his gold for the next couple of months to make up for the big one he found! I got "Lucky" to find (6) nuggets. Many say there is no skill involved, it just consists of getting lucky. I'm not going to start a pissing match, so I guess I'm "Lucky!" Funny, the ones that say we are just "Lucky" never seem to find gold! P.S. I'm just trying to be funny with a very small percentage of seriousness. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Dwight, I personally haven't found a Platinum nugget here in Arizona. I don't know anyone that has found one here in Arizona either. I'm sure it's possible, but they are probably really small. Heard of some pretty sizeable ones found in California over the years by gold dredgers though. I attached two pictures of a small Platinum nugget I purchased a couple of years ago at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. The piece is from Russia. Did you get out this weekend? I got out Saturday and snagged six little ones. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, For years I have been using a simple Spreadsheet to log finds. I would include the date, amount of nuggets found, weight of each nugget, location and other general information about the find. I just recently seen on another forum that a forum member named "Scotty" just designed a slick program. The program is called "Nugget Shooter's Logbook, inventory database for the gold nugget hunter." This program makes it very easy to log new gold nugget finds. This database has tons of fields that allows you to store all the detailed information about your new nugget(s) finds. This beats the hell out of using the Spreadsheet. I will be purchasing the program in the near future. You can view and purchase the program here - Nugget Shooter's Logbook Great job Scotty! Rob Allison

Hello Gary, Let me tell you a brief story about missing gold my friend. Many, Many years ago Richard Doherty (now passed) found a nice nugget behind me. I was "programmed" to just work the exposed bedrock stretches and not the deeper areas. I heard someone yelling behind me so I turned around and saw Richard running towards me. Richard asked me, "Rob, do you have your gun on you?" I replied, "Yes, why ...?" Richard stated, "I don't want you to shoot me over this one!" Richard dropped a beautiful 1/4 ounce solid gold nugget in my hand. He then mentioned my foot print was practically right on top of it. The nugget was in a sandy pocket area and I just walked right over it figuring it was too deep to find anything. Just goes to show if the nuggets are large enough, and they are there you can find them. This was a lesson hard learned, but then again I have found hundreds of nuggets in those spots since I missed that one. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, Leaverite and I hit an old placer location that is now pretty hammered. He wanted to see some of the workings so we planned on this trip today. I decided to use the Coiltek Joey Mono today on the Minelab GP3500 and managed to score (6) small nuggets. Leaverite scored one small nugget with the Joey Mono on his GP3500. I think the area is pretty much beat down .... My (6) nuggets are on the left side of the coil. P.S. Big mistake on my part to not apply Sunscreen! I'm burned to a crisp. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Gary, Congrats on the new nugget find! However, if you're "programmed" to just hit those bedrock stretches you missing a bunch of gold. Just a wise note, some of the best gold is not lying on those bedrock stretches. Recently, Leaverite found a nice 1.6 ouncer in one of those washes where most just hit the exposed bedrock zones, but leave the deep sandy locations alone due to the usual trash. Prospecting just the bedrock is a good way to find gold. However, it's best to go back and work the sandy/gravel stretches with a bigger coil to make sure you're not missing any goodies (nuggets) at depth. If I told you the "Master" and several other good detectorists missed this nugget you would shit! Just goes to show, even the "Master's" miss nice gold. Don't allow yourself to get programmed. Keep an open mind, "Gold is where you find it!" P.S. There's no doubt Bob "Montana" Danise is a Master Detectorist! Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, Good luck out on Carmel Beach. Do you have a Coiltek 15-inch WOT for your Sovereign? Talk with you later, Rob Allison

Hello Gary, I'm sure when you were tromping around all those spots you mentioned the snakes were there just hiding! What scares me the most is when you're climbing those waterfalls and such and you have to place your hands in small pockets to climb up. If you would happen to grab one accidentially it would be all over! I'm sure he would give you one hell of a dose! Make sure you're wearing those Snake Gaitors for protection. Good Rattlesnake pictures. Rob Allison

Hello Allen, I thought they legalized Marijuana in California? Gaine - You might get a good buzz if you stand down wind! Wacky Weed .... Take care, Rob Allison