nuggethunting

Hey Guys, I would have to agree, it sure sounds like Rye Patch has been hunted extremely hard at least in the known areas. I remember being there almost 20 years ago working some of the old pushes and there were still plenty of small nuggets if you wanted to crawl around in them. If I would of had a SDC 2300 or GPZ at that time, I would have cleaned house.

Hey Bsumbdy, Congrats on the success you have had so far, sounds like you're very close to getting that one ouncer. You know over the last 20 years, I seen guys for forever without finding a decent one, then some newbies with their first detector whack a ounce plus on the first day. Go figure ...... I guess it just comes down to being where the large nuggets are, being within detector range and maybe a bit of luck.

Hey Guys, Tom - That was one heck of wash you found there. Thanks for showing it to me many years ago. I think you will find another wash, just as good, so keep searching (then call me .... LOL). Jim P. - Tell Dennis to give that damn piece up! Yep, you sure did find it and it was a surprise from that spot as we dug many small ones from that are prior to that piece.

Hello All, Since the late 90's I have been metal detecting the Rich Hill/Stanton Goldfields. I always heard of big nuggets from this area, so figured I would give up on some of the other locations such as the Bradshaw's, Vulture, San Domingo and other districts where I was finding smaller gold. My goal at the time was just to find a one ounce gold nugget, which was not easy to do. I knew guys that had 20-30 years detecting experience, but never found a solid one ouncer. I was determined, so figured I would concentrate where the potential was the highest for larger gold. Historically, Rich Hill and the Weaver Mining District was know for large gold nuggets up to Potato size. I seen many pictures in magazines, old reports and such that proved they were there, but not knowing much about the area to start was a challenge. One major advantage I had back then was the price of gold was much lower, so the amount of non-patented mineral claims was minimal. You could practically go most places back then and you wouldn't see a soul, let alone any mineral claim signs. Places I worked back then that were open to claim are now heavily claimed and off limits. I guess if I knew anything about filing claims and the rising price of gold, I could have locked down a huge portion of that Mountain and probably sold them for a real fortune today. That all being said, I spent many months tromping around digging a few nuggets here and there along with handfuls of trash. I started to second guess if this really was the spot for large gold, maybe most of it was long gone. I had a lot of faith in the detector I was using, which was a Minelab Pulse Induction detector. I knew it had the ability to punch down deep, still find smaller gold to some degree, but the major factor was it's ability to work in highly mineralized ground. The Rich Hill placers are laced with iron stone, basalts and very mineralized red soils/clays, making it very difficult for a VLF metal detector to work effectively. I guess luck at some point fell into my hands, as I met an older gentleman that had a nugget patch map, which was being passed around for $50. The guy was somewhat struggling, so I worked a deal to make him more maps (photocopies) to waive the $50 he was asking. He agreed, so I got a hold of one of the original $50 Nugget Patch maps for free! The map was still pretty vague as I didn't know the area real well and I wasn't the one that discovered the patches. It took me some time wondering around in a few of them to say I really found the true patch location. I did pick up a few pieces of gold in most of the ones I worked. One evening I got a very weak single not far from finding a nugget that was around 2 Dwt's about 8 inches deep. I dug down a few inches and rechecked the location. The target increased in audio, so I figured it was another nugget around 1-2 Dwt's. After digging another 6 inches or so, I figured the target was probably out of the hole. I checked the pile of material I removed from the hole, no signal there .... so I rechecked the hole and the signal was booming. After digging down around 14-inches I got the signal out of the hole and it was a beautiful slug of gold! I jumped up in pure excitement, "I DID IT," my first one ounce gold nugget. I wish someone was there to share the excitement with, but I figured since it was nearly dark I better get the hell out of there. I was trying to guess the weight, but figured it was an easy 1+ ounce gold nugget due to the weight in my hand. One the way home, I was so excited I called just about everyone I knew. I even called my old-time detecting partner, Chris Gholson. I told him I finally got the one ounce gold nugget from Rich Hill. If I remember correctly, I took the piece over to his house not long after the find. We dropped it on the scale and I seen his look ...... I said "What?" I knew something was up, and he finally said, "Dude, it's 19.8 Dwt's!" You have to be kidding me, all that hard work, excitement and that damn nugget was 0.2 Dwt's from a true one ounce gold nugget. Chris told me later, you can't claim you found a one ouncer until you really found a "true one ounce gold nugget." It was kind of like, you were close Rob, but no cigar for you. I think I lost sleep that night knowing I really thought I had a one ouncer, but I was just shy (just my luck). Well, the moral of the story is to not give up. I set a goal to find a one ouncer, so that was what I was going to do, even if it took me my entire nugget shooting career to do it. Not too much longer, in a spot I found myself, I was finding a bunch of these 1/4, 1/2 and 1 Dwt gold nuggets. I figured it was another "Pennyweight" patch, but finally after digging down about 16-inch I unearthed a nice, solid 1.5 ounce gold nugget. Enjoy nugget shooting, it's a great hobby. The gold is just a bonus in my opinion. The thrill of finding something, exercise and to clear the mind from stress is what I like about it. You never know, that next target you dig just might be that one ouncer! Wishing you all the best of success. My next goal has been to find a solid, one pound (12 troy ounces) gold nugget. Heck, I know it's a huge goal to achieve, many never make the one ounce mark. Picture of the first solid, one ounce gold nugget I found.

Hey Guys, Just browsing some pictures and I know I posted this one years ago I believe. It was a nugget I felt was pretty interesting as it has several holes through it. You can see the large hole, then there is a smaller one. This piece was found back in 2003, so I'm not sure what Minelab I was using then. I can still remember finding it, as it gave a "trashy iron" signal response, which I believe is due to the character of the gold nugget. The piece is flat, several holes and non-typical shape overall. Just one example you might have heard me say, don't but too much faint in target responses - this is gold, that is not gold! The weight was right at one Troy ounce. Hope you enjoyed. Would love to see any unique looking nuggets with or without holes if you're willing to share.

Hey Guys, I think a part of GV Goldfiend burned, at least the Northern portion I think. I doubt in the burned area there will be grass or chiggers. That being said, I hate detecting through tall or thick grass and dealing with the chiggers. I found wearing Snake Gaiters are a huge help in preventing the Chiggers from getting into your shoes/socks. The last time I worked the high grass, I wore almost knee high socks, high top no metal boots, long pants with a rubber band around the bottom and the Snake Gaiters. Never got a single chigger bite ..... just don't sit down!

Hey Guys, I have a few customers that want instructions before it gets too hot. I might try to schedule something down there soon. Great seeing you all. Any luck on the Roadrunner claims?

Hey Nevada Brian, Congrats and thanks for sharing with us. Rye Patch has always been a fun place to hunt and the Chevron nuggets that hold even more value might be worth hunting for.

Hey Guys, Looks like it's about 89% contained now. I hate hunting after a fire, I end up all Black!

Hey Guys, For the ones that metal detect down South, here is a map from 4-27 of the Sawmill Fire in Southern Arizona. It's almost touching Greaterville, Arizona. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/AZAZS/2017-04-23-1410-Sawmill/picts/2017_04_27-12.03.19.527-CDT.pdf

Hello All, We just received in the new United States Coins 2018 Red Book. https://www.robsdetectors.com/united-states-coins-2018-book-71st-edition/

Hello All, We just got a small batch of this new Minelab item in. $162.00 plus shipping. https://www.robsdetectors.com/minelab-gpx-small-battery-control-box-cover-pouch/ This is the lightweight, Minelab GPX series battery that can be mounted to the side of your metal detector with the control box cover with pouch attached. This will allow the user to eliminate a backpack or harness and lay down the detector with ease. The battery is 1/2 the size of the normal GPX stock battery. This battery is 7.4v and 18.6Wh. The battery will last approx. 3 hours and is 46% lighter than the standard li-ion stock battery. Battery slot on the pouch can be adjusted to hold the stock, larger battery also. 5 Pin Power cord is not included. We also have just the battery by itself if needed for $147.00.

Hey Tortuga, Rumors of another firmware update coming. Not sure what it might include, but it's nice you have the firmware/software update ability on the GPZ 7000. Something on the GPZ 7000 vs. GPX 5000. Some time ago I was spending more time with the GPX 5000 with the Coiltek 14-inch Elite searchcoil. I worked the area pretty well, figuring I didn't miss much. I revisited this location with the GPZ 7000 with the 13x14 Super D and found 2 small nuggets around 1/2 Gram each at a great depth and they sounded really well. Due to the response, it really thought they were trash that might have fell off my pick. I was using these settings on the GPX 5000 (Special-Sensitive Extra) & (High Yield-Normal) on the GPZ 7000.

Hey Tortuga, Great to bump into you guys. If I didn't have to work on equipment, I might have been able to go out and detect with you guys. After working on equipment for most of the day, I did run over some spots with the GPZ 7000 and found a small one. Great meeting Mike, Bob and seeing you again! Lets get something going down South like we talked about.

Hey Tortuga, Yes, still trying to figure out a good date this coming Fall. I have a lot of guys interested, so it's just a matter of picking a date that don't interfere with other outings or events.

Hello LipCa, Yep, I agree with you. Several VLF's already in that freq. range. I can get my Makro Gold Racer with the small coil to get near the same performance as the Goldbug 2 on small gold. I think the advantage of the 48khz vs. very high (like 71khz) or very low (18khz) is you can get slightly a bit more depth, better ground balancing on high mineralization and still get 1-2 grain nuggets on bedrock. We will soon find out as the new release date is May 8th, 2017.

Hey Walker, One heck of a collection of gold nuggets you rounded up with season with the GPZ 7000. Wishing you much more success with the "Z."

Hello All, Below is a picture of where the Minelab Gold Monster 1000 falls in the detector frequency range. Minelab Electronics settled on the 45khz range for this reason - Up until now, there has always been a compromise between frequency and sensitivity when optimising detector performance, because lower frequencies are more sensitive to larger gold nuggets and higher frequencies are more sensitive to smaller gold nuggets. When comparing detectors, the three curves in the diagram represent each detector’s ability to find small gold nuggets of a certain size, at a maximum possible depth. Most detectors will find a very large nugget just beneath the surface, however a detector’s sensitivity to gold determines how many smaller nuggets will ultimately be recovered in difficult (noisy) ground at greater depths. An 18 kHz detector will normally have a depth advantage on nuggets ≥ 1.0g over a basic mid-frequency detector, and a 71 kHz detector will have a depth advantage on nuggets ≤ 0.1g. The advanced GOLD MONSTER 1000 uses an intermediate 45 kHz frequency AND a high speed 24-bit signal processor. This primary combination greatly boosts sensitivity to gold beyond that of other single frequency VLF detectors over a wide range of nugget sizes, without introducing excess noise and false signals. The GOLD MONSTER 1000 also has improved ferrous/non-ferrous discrimination and copes better with conductive (salty) soils than higher frequency detectors, making it the perfect choice to maximise your gold recovery! This is from Minelab's website at - http://www.minelab.com/usa/metal-detectors/gold-detectors/gold-monster-1000- Going to be interesting to see how it performs against the Fisher Goldbug series, Makro Gold Racer and some others on smaller gold.

Hey Chuck, I would understand. I wish I had more time to swing with it. Congrats Walker on your success with the GPZ 7000. We would love to see some GPZ 7000 finds if you're willing to post them.

Hey Chuck and all, I haven't received an email or anything about the Gold Monster 1000's release, but seen this on Minelab website - GOLD MONSTER 1000 - Available for purchase worldwide from May 8th 2017 onwards http://www.minelab.com/usa/customer-care/product-notices?article=309482 Here are a couple of new Youtube videos showing it on small gold and a specimen -

Hello All, We now have this new Coiltek 14x9" DD Waterproof Searchcoil for the Minelab CTX 3030. Your price now $395.00 with free shipping. Purchase now at - https://www.robsdetectors.com/coiltek-14x9-dd-search-coil-minelab-ctx-3030/

Hey Chuck, I have always respected your opinion, as I do this one. No question the Minelab GPZ 7000 is high priced. There is still a lot of grumble over when it was first released as a "Flagship" metal detector at the price of $10,000 MAP (minimum advertised price). Somewhere about a year later, could be more, the price was reduced down to $8000 MAP. I'm sure there were many customers that purchased several months prior to the price change and freaked out. I can't speak for Minelab, nor will I, but many customers questioned that. Many believed they should have gotten a FREE 19" GPZ coil when they were released, or at least a huge savings on this coil. That all being said, I have been impressed with the GPZ's performance in many Arizona goldfield on "non" typical gold nuggets and specimens. I have found many ounces of spongy and very porous nuggets along with specimens I missed at various depths I should have gotten with the GPX. The ZVT technology of the GPZ allows you to find a lot of stuff overlooked, even the more solid stuff. I think the new 19" GPZ coil will open up even more ground for the very methodical nugget shooter on the same ground. The debate to date is the GPX series with the Nugget Finder Evolution (EVO's) or the Coiltek Elite's of similar size as the GPZ's 14x13. Many believe they can get the same, if not more depth on the more solid pieces of gold with the GPX and newer technology searchcoils. Another discussion could be - "Will there continue to be more firmware updates" that allow the GPZ to add more and more functions and performance down the road? If this is the case in the future, then this might somewhat justify the price of not having to purchase a new high end detector every 2-3 years to have the latest and greatest. I have had great success with the GPX series along with the new GPZ 7000. I have always told customers, in my opinion, the GPZ 7000 is more for a person that has some experience detecting along with a handful of gold locations where they have found nuggets before. This allows the new GPZ 7000 user to revisit some of their old patches and potentially find gold that is missed. This seems to offset some of the cost of the unit the more places you have to revisit and find missed gold. Trust me, we have sold plenty of GPZ's to new users that insisted they have the best detector around! Just my quick thoughts.

Hey Jen, Ya, I guess I had searchcoils rather than skidplates/coil covers. Thanks!

Hey Whitebutler, If you ever dig up any pictures, would love to see them. Some of my best days with the GPZ were over an ounce per day on old patches with no biggies found. I only had the opportunity to pay for a detector with one single find back when the Minelab GP Extreme was released. It was a solid 9.1 ounce beauty at around 28-inch deep with a Coiltek 14-inch Mono Round (Old Orange Original one). Most days on old patches were similar to this picture below. Hunting all day on old patches for anywhere from a few nuggets to maybe an ounce on a really good spot.

Hello All, Was going through some of my pictures and found some of the first nuggets I found with my Minelab GPZ 7000. These three nuggets were found on one of the first couple of hunts with the new detector. I picked a handful of old nugget patches that were hammered, but also had potential for some deeper nuggets. I remember the first month or so since I was learning the detector, I was hunting in High Yield-Difficult. This particular patch was hunted pretty hard with the GPX series with coils up to around 14-inch round and 17-inch elliptical. The three nuggets found were faint, but missed as they were right out in the open and between other older nugget digs. Total weight of the three nuggets was 9.5 Dwt's. The largest was 4.4 Dwt's in weight. I didn't pay for the detector the first day, week or month, but I added $500-600 towards the purchase of this expensive detector in a single day due to it's depth ability. I find the GPZ 7000 to be a bit less ergonomic then the GPX series for me, but it's hard to not use it due to it's ability to find very tiny and large gold at depth. Since I have owned the Minelab GPZ 7000 metal detector (mid 2015 - current) I personally have found hundreds of nuggets ranging from just a grain in weight to the largest being a 6.8 ounce gold-quartz specimen in the Youtube video below. This piece was pushing 3 foot in depth and took my partner and I well over an hour double teaming with picks to get down through the hardpack to extract the piece. The response was just a faint signal with the 14x13" coil from the surface.