Ridge Running with The Placer Piper.

[The Placer Piper]

Hello everybody,

Had a fun weekend with the SD2100v2 nugget shooting from Rich Hill all the way to the top of the Bradshaw's.

Well, I loaded the car Thursday night and got an early start at 4:30AM as I headed east of Wickenburg, AZ to Rich Hill. I have read so much about this area I wanted to give the Mindlab's a chance to sniff out some of those overlooked nuggets. Well, I was quickly educated by the local's of the importance of joining the clubs in the area if I had any aspirations of getting to go nugget shooting. I was told about the 5 local clubs as well as a warning about accidentally nugget shooting on BLM land (I didn't like the sound of a $395.00 fine and my MIndlab's getting conficated.)

So, I was allowed to do some Nugget shooting with one of the club members there who had a MIndlabs 3000 w/ a huge coil. (Rich Hill Area pic.) The ground I was told had been picked over by 100's of nugget shooters but I was not detered. The ground was covered with rose quartz with iron stains. The signs looked good to me. about an hour into sweeping I found great pile of ancient nails. another hour went by and I got a faint tone. I started digging and found whatever I had found in about a 10" sedimentary rock. I started picking away on it till I got to the center where I found either a piece of Lead or Silver (see pic of metal piece to the right of the penny). After backfilling in the dig hole I found another sliver of metal under a cactus. (piece to the left of the penny). Now if I had found a nugget of anything to date I would be able to tell you what I had but I am not sure. I hear tell there's silber in the area but I think it's lead. that one piece of metal in the rock, that deep would be a strange place for a slug to be found.

Well, I packed up after sweeping the fields below Rich Hill for 3 hrs and headed south of Prescott, AZ to a lead I had in Groom Creek area. I heard there was a ledge there with a 6 inch ore bearing quartz vein on the hillside somewhere in the area. Looking for leads I happened upon a road named "Old Miner's Rd.". With a lead like this I couldn't pass up a look-see. Sure enough I went up the road about 200 yrds where I saw an overhanging rockface with a quartz vein.

Problem was, there's a house now above it and below it and it's in someone's backyard. (used the binoculars to see the vein.) Well not too disgouraged I followed the cliff down and around the corner wheere I found the same vein but broken up as the cliff had a rockslide breaking up that end of the quartz vein. sweeps yeilded nothing. I was not done yet and I proceeded south again on Senator's Hwy in my 2wd Ford Taurus (I know, I am going to get a worthy 4WD soon) on a stage route heading to the back of Crown King. I checked 2 or 3 locations along the Bradshaw Schist. I came upon a mine that I saw across a canyon. The tailings were bright Yellow with all the old mining equipment rusted and caved in. As I moved around the road I caught good angle on the mine entrance. (see pics) Talk about a perfect looking mine entrance. The site was marked No Traspassing, Keep Out!" So, I did. Would have loved to have scanned the tailings.

It was a great day in the beautful Weaver's and Bradshaw Mountains. Can't wait till I hit my 1st nugget though. I'm not giving up !

Mike McDaniel

[nuggethunting]

Hello Mike,

Most of the good areas around Rich Hill are heavily claimed and it's probably smart to join a club. However, keep in mind there is also a lot of open BLM Land around, so I'm not sure who told you that you couldn't hunt BLM ground. Also, the BLM would never take your detector, so don't fall for that "Buffalo" BS. There would be a larger lawsuit if someone took your detector on public land with no signs or notifications of "No Prospecting." Not trying to encourage hunting anywhere, but don't buy into what a lot of people tell you when you're new. Hunting on BLM ground is 100% legal unless it's under Federal Mineral Claim or there are other restrictions posted. When it comes to State Trust Land, Privaite Property (patented land), Indian Reservations, Refuges, Wilderness Areas, National Parks, Bombing Ranges and such, then it's a different story.

Rich Hill's a great area to hunt for nuggets and there are nuggets still to be sniffed out.

You kind of sound like me about 15 years ago driving a 89 Firebird out prospecting! I managed to get it stuck out near the Vulture and luckily a Rancher drove by and pulled me out. He thought I was crazy driving a sports car that far down a sandy road. Well I was .....

Keep up the hunting,

Rob Allison

[The Placer Piper]

Hello Mike,

  Most of the good areas around Rich Hill are heavily claimed and it's probably smart to join a club.  However, keep in mind there is also a lot of open BLM Land around, so I'm not sure who told you that you couldn't hunt BLM ground.  Also, the BLM would never take your detector, so don't fall for that "Buffalo" BS.  There would be a larger lawsuit if someone took your detector on public land with no signs or notifications of "No Prospecting."  Not trying to encourage hunting anywhere, but don't buy into what a lot of people tell you when you're new.  Hunting on BLM ground is 100% legal unless it's under Federal Mineral Claim or there are other restrictions posted.  When it comes to State Trust Land, Privaite Property (patented land), Indian Reservations, Refuges, Wilderness Areas, National Parks, Bombing Ranges and such, then it's a different story. 

Rich Hill's a great area to hunt for nuggets and there are nuggets still to be sniffed out.   

You kind of sound like me about 15 years ago driving a 89 Firebird out prospecting!    I managed to get it stuck out near the Vulture and luckily a Rancher drove by and pulled me out.  He thought I was crazy driving a sports car that far down a sandy road.  Well I was ..... 

Keep up the hunting,

Rob Allison

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Rob,

Well, I thought it best to throw up here on the boards and see if I was getting railroaded out of that area or not. the guy was in a Truck drivinb in front of me as I had just past Octave. He stopped at the junction there where it points and tells where all the club areas are. He got out and then walked back to my car asking me if I was lost. That's when I told him I was new to the area. After warding me off about BLM land he then headed south down the road skating the western side of Rich hill. I asked if there would be any problems with just going down that road to see what the land looks like and thats when he told me "Awe, there's BLM land that way and if you get stopped, just having the detector with you on BLM land is enough for them to take it". I then asked 'How can I tell if I am on BLM land or not?'. He said ' Ya can't ! thats the problem'.

Well, I am glad you straightened me out on this guys Cock-N-Bull story.

Thanks again,

[Ridge Runner]

The Placer Piper

You cannot be a Ridge Running unless one leg is shorter than the other! I just want to let you also know that Ridge Runner is a copy right and being you used it come pick me up and I will forget it.

Piper so much for the bull. I say swing that detector slow and long. It will pay off over time. Best to you!

Chuck

[nuggethunting]

Hello Mike,

As much as I hate to say it, there are more "Clowns" in the field than people that actually know what they are taking about. BLM Land is open to the public, so you can camp, hike, wonder around and even detect if the area is not under claim by someone else.

You can find out if it's BLM Land by purchase a BLM Land Status Map at the BLM office. You might even be able to order it online or call and have one mailed to you. I know you can get them from the downtown BLM office. This map will show you the Land Status of the Rich Hill area, such as Private, BLM & State Land represented by different colors of blocks. The BLM is normally a Yellow-Orange color, State is Blue, Private is White and so on.

So you can see someone had no clue what they were talking about, which is very common around Rich Hill.

Hope this helps,

Rob Allison