nuggethunting

Hello Guys, Dwight - Lets think early for the field instructions if possible. Since we will be down in the lower desert area it gets hot fast. I was thinking no later than 5:30 or 6am for a starting time if that works for you. However, I know that means you have to be out the door at your place no later than like 4:30am! We will talk more in the meantime ... Hammer - Thanks for the comments about the sales. It's normally not this consistant during the summer months. I had to call Kevin @ Minelab USA and make sure I get at least 3-4 GP's on the next shipment. From what I heard, only like 16 of them are coming in .... Maybe some of the other locals dealers will let me purchase some from them! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Gary, As much as I love finding 11 nuggets for two short hunts, we both know it's not always like that. I'm happy just finding a single nugget on a hunt. I did hit two patch areas this year that yield a bunch of nuggets, but nothing really big. One patch produced about 75-80 nuggets and the most recently one about 125 so far. It's just too hot to hike in and spend more time there. I'm positive there are at least another 25 nuggets or so waiting to be found due to the size of the area. Looking forward to seeing Pirates of the Caribean! Didn't realize there was going to be a third one, but maybe I need to see the second to find that out. Wishing you the best of luck out there, Rob Allison

Hello Wes and Rex, Yes, Paypal payments are fine. I don't have a direct Paypal link, so what you need to do is "Sent Payment" through paypal using this email address - auplacers@yahoo.com Please send $11.45, which will cover the book and shipping. Rex- Your book is shipping this morning! Sent you an email about the details. P.S. You will love this book. A bit technical, but well worth the investment. Thanks guys, Rob Allison

Hello Dwight, Thanks for joining the forums and the purchase of a new Minelab SD2100v2. You will learn a lot here on the forums. There are some great contributors here. I'm sure you already have questions about the SD2100v2. Don't worry; I will answer all those questions along with showing you some tips/trick of the SD2100. I will show you why some people still consider the SD2100 the best detector for gold. I received your email and the field instructions are a go unless something tragic happens. Your wife is more than welcome to join and anyone else interested in learning about electronic prospecting. I will also have some friends with me that will just go out and detect while I conduct the instructions. I will do my best to get you up and running successfully with the SD and hopefully get you and your wife over your first Arizona gold nugget! Don't hesitate to call or email if you need help. Hope to see you contributing here more on the forums in the near future. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Gary, Congrats on the new nugget find! Heck, when you can find a "Sitting Duck" you better take it. Man, I don't know how you can handle that Lnyx Creek hunting. A customer just purchased a new Minelab SD2100v2 last week and was heading up there this weekend. I told him it was going to be trashy, but could be rewarding due to the amount of gold and nuggets that have been found there. I picked up 11 small nuggets this weekend, but I have to search for higher ground. The lower Bradshaw's are just too hot to hunt unless you're into a patch! On another note, how was the Pirates of the Caribean, Dead Man's Chest? Jonny Depp plays a good Captain Jack Sparrow! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, I agree with you about the hunt and friends. There is nothing better than doing something you really enjoy. I have such a passion for this hobby it's unreal. The best thing about it is the fact I get to do it with good friends. There is nothing like finding a nugget, but then not having someone around to share the experience with... I really enjoy chasing the ellusive gold with friends! Thanks for being a special friend. Rob Allison

Hello All, This morning Jim P., Leaverite and I all met up for an early nugget hunt. Leaverite and I decided to head back to the second spot we located yesterday. I pretty much concentrated in a small drainage, while Jim P. and Leaverite wondered the hills and smaller tributaries. Within no time I had a small nugget near where I left off yesterday. Within just a few minutes Jim P. found a nugget on the side of the hill. This particular area is not noted for any real gold production. Most of the nuggets seem to be under a Dwt in size, but there are a lot of small ones. I believe this area is going to hold great drywashing potential due to the amount of fines and small pickers I have seen on the bedrock. We all poked around for 3-4 hours before the heat ran us out. I managed to find (5) nuggets, while Leaverite and Jim P. found (1) each. We all were using Minelab GP detectors (Extreme and 3500's) Who said the Minelab couldn’t find small gold? I seem to hear that from time to time. Pictured below are the nuggets we found today. The nugget to the far left is the one Leaverite discovered. The five nuggets in the middle are mine. The nugget on the right is the one Jim P. found on the hillside. Kind of a strange spot and might need further investigation. P.S. My new name is Captain Dink! Hope you're all doing well, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, That is what Leaverite mentioned to me. He took me to a patch area about a year or so ago and I found a nice solid one ouncer. Then just recently he found a beautiful 1.6 ouncer at one of my spots. He said I'm due for a two ouncer out of his next spot. I would hate to find a two ouncer at anyone's spot though. If they hunted hard and found the location it's hard to take the prize away from them. Ok, I will take the nugget .... heheh.. Jim P., Leaverite and I got out today for a short hunt. I found (5) small gold nuggets, Leaverite and Jim both found (1). Hope we can get together for a hunt this winter season. P.S. I sent you over a Private Message. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Wirechief - Thanks for the comments. How is your detector business doing out there? Hope the Minelab sales are well on your end. Someday you will have to come out to Arizona and hunt gold with me! Lamar - I don't know about the #1 dealer, I'm just a small "Ma & Pop" dealer. However, what you get is honestly and 110% customer satisfaction here. Sales are good once again with the price of gold slowly rising and my bundle packages. Customers are making out like bandits on the July GP3500 Package. If I couldn't detect I would go nuts, Lamar. I really look forward to detecting once a week. Thanks for being a special friend and long time loyal customer. Talk with you all soon, Rob Allison

Hello Gaine, Seems like I'm good for dinks! I need some ounce lumps now. Glad you received the DVD's in a timely manner. Have you watched them yet? Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake/Shep, Glad to see you guys back in action at the patch. Just seems like that patch keeps producing good gold! I found 6 small gold nuggets today, but really had to work for them. I think it was 150 degrees in Arizona today ... P.S. Do you like the Coiltek Wallaby DD Pro I sent you? Congrats on the new finds. Rob Allison

Hello Sandy, Yes, still have several sets in stock. Sent the invoice and payment information through email per your request. Thanks, Rob Allison

Hello All, Today Leaverite and I decided to head back to the location where he found the 1.6 ouncer. We figured the cream of the crop was gone, but there was a few spots nearby that needed a quick check. I decided to target a trashy zone and just fight through all the trash in hopes for a nugget or two. Well, luckily fighting through enough trash I was able to find (2) gold nuggets. After a couple hours of hunting I sucked down all my water and thought it was best to get back to the vehicle. By this time it must have been 110 degrees! Leaverite and I both decided to make it a short trip and head back into Black Canyon City for some lunch. We decided to stop at the Byler's Amish Kitchen. The food was good, but make sure you bring your own fly swatter! I'm serious ..... After spending about an hour eating, we both felt somewhat refreshed and decided we would check one last spot on the way home. Luckily we did, I found (4) smaller nuggets in a small wash that I never hunted. Leaverite found 3-4 nuggets here in the past. There are some huge quartz blows bleeding down into this wash, some of them very rotten. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say they are the contributors to the nugget gold that was found in the wash. I ended up with (6) small nuggets for the day. Leaverite got the good ol' skunk, but heck the 1.6 ouncer will hold him over for a few weeks. Check out the pictures below. Rob Allison

Hello All, Over the years there have only been a few books that I consider GREAT! Without a doubt, Jim Straight is one of the best authors out there when it comes to electronic prospecting/metal detecting. Jim's an Icon in my eyes along with a Mentor. Many of his books over the years gave me more than just information, but encouragement to continue the great quest for gold. Having a great passion for precious metals and rock geology there is no book that will touch "ADVANCED PROSPECTING & DETECTING FOR HARDROCK GOLD." This booklet talks about regional geology, types of gold placers, associated minerals, and various gold bearing deposits and on and on ..... If you have an extra $10 lying around, this book is worth every penny of it. I guess I was just born 30-40 years too late. I would have loved to been on one of Jim's Magnificent Quests. I have this booklet in stock, and your price here is $8.95 +$2.50 Media Mail. Order today. Rob Allison

Hello Bob, I can't tell where I got the sets from, but they aren't printed anymore. They will eventually become harder and harder to find. This is the reason I'm keeping an entire set for myself. There is a lot of information, too much for me to retain! I've seen them sell as high as $200 for the entire set in the past. I think the $125 including shipping is a good deal on them. I'm going to start reading the one on Arizona soon. Maybe I might do some coin/relic beeping. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Geno, The White's MXT is more for gold nuggets than the DFX. The White's MXT has a "Gold Prospecting" mode stickly for electronic prospecting. I used the White's MXT in Arizona and Ganes Creek, Alaska. I found some small gold with the unit, and some mid-sized nuggets at depth. However, it struggled in highly mineralized ground conditions. If you're stickly going to stick with the White's line, you might consider the White's GMT, which is designed strickly for gold nugget hunting. Hope this helps a bit, Rob Allison

Hello Big Ed, Must be nice to trade "big nuggets" for toys! Hope all is well, Rob Allison

Hello Whatsforsupper, I'm not disagreeing with you, and I agree that people should look into every detail before a purchase like this (especially out-of-state). It's my understanding (hear-say) that the seller has re-claimed several claims after selling them. The buyers didn't file in a timely manner, maybe didn't know the details and lost the claims. However, this is just what I heard, I don't know for sure. Always appreciate your valuable information. Rob Allison

Hello WhatsforSupper, The BLM will allow you to "Quick Claim Deed" the claim(s) over to someone else. It's a pretty simple process. When I used to research, stake and sell claims I did it all the time. The BLM don't care how many times a claim trades ownership. As long as the claim is active by someone they are making money. If the claim is an "Associated Placer" claim, I doubt the BLM will make you break the claim up. However, what the new owner might have to do is find others to put on the claims. For example: If you claimed a 80 acre associated placer you would need 4 people total. Although, you get all the claims for a single claim fee. Most people that file them just put down their family and friends. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Earl, I love Pieter Heydelaar's book, but if you're looking for the most informative book out there, I would strongly consider Jim Straight's new 7th Edition "Follow the Drywasher." This book is roughly 300 pages of valuable information. This is one of my favorites besides "Advanced Prospecting and Detecting for Hardrock Gold." This book is $8.95, but should carry a price tag of about $100 for a book. The most informative book on Advanced detecting in my opinion!! You might have both already. If not, I have them in stock at all times. Talk with you later, Rob Allison

Hello Geno, Thanks for joining the forums. There has been several posts in the last week or so about "What detector is best for me." It's all about preference, type of gold you're searching for, ground conditions (mineralization) and ultimately your budget. If your price range is under $1,000 you will have to stick with the VLF Technology detectors. Great on small gold, fair depth, but tough to work in mineralized ground conditions. You will experience a lot more frusterations, false signals, hot rocks and such with a VLF detector. If you're price range is between $1,200 - $3,500 you can get into a used or new Pulse Induction detector (PI). This range would go from the Garrett Infinium, GoldScan, used SD's, new SD's, used GP's and then up to the new GP3500. Pulse Induction detectors are practically immune to some of the worst mineralization and get up to 2-3 times the depth of a conventional VLF detector. If your budget allows you a PI, I would strongly consider one. If you would like to email me - auplacers@yahoo.com or call feel free. Hope this helps a bit, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Doc - You have to love those Coiltek coils! Now, get John G. off his butt and allow Trev to start some of those great ideas. You and Trev have been very good to me over the years. Thanks for sticking by this "Ma & Pop" dealer. Lotsa Luck - Don't tell me you got into some gold! You know I always have detectors in stock, just let me know when you're ready. Any updates on the mine you were searching for? Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Karl, I didn't pay much attention to the name. I know Ted runs under "Red Spider Mining" and several other names from what I heard. I've seen a lot of the Red Spider Group claims up around Triliby Wash in the San Domingo Placer District. A lot of people have had problems with Ted, but personally I haven't. He actually gave me permission a long time ago to work some of the claims. Maybe I'm just a likeable guy! Hehe ... Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Karl, Didn't even see the message until this morning. However, did receive your email. Give me a call tonight (Friday) and we can chat about those products. Thanks for sending the pictures over also. Talk with you later today, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Ted Bigelow is the owner of those claims. I'm sure the claims have gold on them, but I seriously doubt the entire claimed areas does. I know the area well and I know there are several small drainages that once contained nuggets (probably some left), but a lot of barren zones in there also. I think I would rather have a good 20-acre claim vs. 160 acres with 100+ acres that are barren. I think Ted would have a much better turn-over rate with claims if he would keep the claims smaller and on some of the better spots. Just my opinions, Rob Allison