Never hurts to ask

[COLORADO BOB]

Was out prospecting for a few days last week, still looking for that sweet spot.

I was over somewhere in the Wickenburg area and was camped back in the hills a long way from anywhere.

The second morning along about 7:30 AM, I heard a Quad coming down the canyon. It pulls into my camp area and stopped. A gentleman got off and introduced himself and I did likewise. We talked for awhile and he asked if I was hunting, as he saw the 44 mag., and what was in season. I replied that I was, in a way hunting, but not game, just fooling around doing a little nugget shooting, trying to find a sweet spot.

We talked a bit more and I found out that the last turn that I had made into the canyon and the place that I had camped, put me on his ranch. I asked him if I should move my camp somewhere else. His reply was that I was fine right where I was and all he asked was that I didn't start any open fires and not to leave any trash laying around.

Well it turned out that he stayed and visited with me for four and a half hours, almost shot my day. In the end I was very happy with the visit, as the man was a wealth of information on the area. He told me of several old mines in the area and the history of each one. At one time there was a small mining village on his ranch, all that remains is are some foundations. He told me that I could hunt it anytime that I wanted to.

I ask him about the rest of the ranch and he said go for it and, I hope you find a big one. Its quite an area to hunt as the ranch is 20,000 acres. He gave me one more invite before he left. The gentleman said anytime that I didn't want to camp in the hills, just swing by his ranch headquarters and camp there, whenever I wanted to, as there was plenty of room. I thank him for his generosity. It pays to ask.

Well that was two days, day one, over a hundred mile drive, getting in and setting up camp and a small bit of prospecting. Day two, a 4 1/2 hour visit a little bit of prospecting but I gained a wealth of information.

Day three, found trash, one snake and I guess the most exciting was coming face to face with a mountain lion.

I was climbing this ridge, paralleling a small but rugged wash. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and take a look around, thinking that it was a good place for a bite of lunch.

Now I don't know if it was a second sense or what, don't know if I even believe in that stuff or not. But for a second something just didn't feel quite right. At that time I had turned around and was looking back down the mountain, the way I had come up. At that moment something out of the left corner of my left eye snapped my head around, don't know if it was a slight movement or what but there I was looking eyeball to eyeball with a mountain lion, and a big cat he was.

At the time I was not scared but it startled the hell out of me, then this big shiver ran up my back and the hair on the back of my head felt like it was sticking straight out.

In those few seconds I had a short con-fab with that cat. I told him that it was not in his best interest to jump up there and start chewing on me. Besides I am too old and tough to make a decent meal.

Anyway I threw my arms and detecter above my head yelling and waving and he took off up the mountain and was out of sight, over the top in ten seconds or less.

He was a very large and nice looking cat, looked slick, fat and well groomed. Had a very large head, at least that's the way it looked to me.

All in all, trash, one snake, one cat, a lot of information, and a new friend, thats what counts the most.

Bob T.

[BIGFOOT]

COLORADO BOB,

Thats just as good as actually find au.You got permissions to re-enter on private grounds and a new buddy...cant beat that!Dont let those big cats scare ya none...even if they have found MineLab stickers in thier scat!Keep on keepin on.

Bigfoot

[Allen in MT]

Good read Bob, I would rather ask and be turned down than to have my ass chewed. and there are those times like you said you made a wrong turn. It happens. best thing to do when you find out you are in the wrong is apologise and move on, and I to have made new friends by doing just that and then being invited to keep on.

thanks

Allen in MT

[FlakMagnet]

Bob

that's a great tale,

and it sounds like a very interesting area to look around in.

Just glad you hadn't landed in the transporter, it might have been a different story.

all the best,

Flak

[pondmn]

Way to go Bob a little honesty goes a long way. Maybe that cat didn't like the smell in your shorts after that brief enconter.

[grubstake]

Jerry, its for sure that cat wouldn't have liked my smell, I would have crapped my pants! Grubstake

[COLORADO BOB]

Permission to work private property and making a new friend, as Bigfoot said, can't be beat.

Honesty is the best way to go and as far as I'm concerned, the only way to go. If I am right, I'm right and if I'm wrong then I am wrong. Being honest can make, what would have been a problem, go away real quick and trying to cover your tracks with lies will only aggravate a problem.

I find that if your truthful and honest then it brings fourth better things as I travel down lifes road. That road is bumpy at best, so why make it worse.

You know, shortly after the cat incident, I did get an unrecognizable and malodorous whiff of some substance. I checked my shorts but it wasn't there?? Later found out it was my old rotten sardines that I always carry for lunch. Hmmmm!!!!

If I had landed the transporter in front of my new found friend, there would have been no doubt as to the wrinkle in his brow, tongue in cheek and question in his eyes.

I will let Flak answer all the questions on this one????

Bob T.

[Uncle Ron]

Yo, Bob...I had an encounter in that area with a cat that was just as you are discribing...BIG healthy male, with a really Big head...That was about a year ago and my butt finally unpuckered yesterday!!!! Boy am I glad...It was a tough year! Cheers, Unc

[COLORADO BOB]

Hey Ron,

I am well aware of the feeling, hell I been wanting to save on that soft paper anyway.

Bob T.

[ARIZONA GUIDE]

I know what your Rancher friend would of had you do if he would have known you were going to run into his cattle killing machine. Not trying to start a kilkling the cat fight just saying that they are a ranchers nightmare. Evry time i kill one on a ranch i take it to the ranch house and show the rancher. I always get an invite back for anytime i want as well.

Good story and glad you made a friend in the rancher. If we all as outdoorsman can hold onto that relationship with the ranchers we will all have a better time in the outdoors.and more areas to dwell in while in the field. I am glad that this rancher came across such a good person to start that relationship with. When this takes place you represent us all by the way you handle your self and the issue at hand.

[ppc6mm]

I was in Fiddler's Gulch, below Randsburg California in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, packing my VacPac & some crowbars, flaking bedrock & vacuuming the deposits between the layers. I worked my way up to the road & started cleaning out the culvert riffles under the road. I worked my way through the culvert & kept going up the wash when I heard a pickup come to a stop above me. It was the watchman for the Yellow Aster Mine, he informed me that I had crossed into the mine's property & would have to leave. I told him I was sorry, that it wasn't my intent to jump the claim, as I didn't see any markers or signs. He said it was no problem, & if I really wanted to work a claim he had one up in the El Paso Mountains across the valley that I could work as long as I wanted, with his permission freely given. I spent a lot of time from then on, on his claim, that I used as a base to work all along the Iron Canyon area. He would come out occasionally, & said he would have to start paying me as a caretaker..... I met a good friend & experienced miner, & we shared some good talks around the fire. Honesty makes a good policy. It's so hard to remember the truth, let alone a web of lies.....

[COLORADO BOB]

Hey ppc6mm,

Good on you.

I believe that if more of us would put forth a bit more effort on the PR end of things, while in the field, folks would find out that we are not such a bad bunch of people after all.

Don't know if you have any cats over there, but if you do you may want to keep your eyes peeled. I believe it was Arizona Guide that said that he had observed some of them now hunting in groups.

That is somewhat scareeeeee!!!!

Bob T.

[FlakMagnet]

Hi Colorado Bob,

Having to answer any questions about the transporter has reminded me of a story

about a little man from outer space who landed his flying saucer in a farmers field out in the middle of nowhere.

He had come to earth with the formula for a cure for all cancer

and he was excited to share it with the men and women of the world.

However the only way he could communicate was by farting and tap-dancing.

As he happily began to tell the farmer about this wonderful gift he had brought to the people of earth

the farmer angrily beat him to death with his pitchfork.

I don't know, for a moment there I thought there was a parallel in there somewhere...

(now where did I put my med's?)

All the best,

Flak

[mick]

Last year, Joeforthegold, Goldmanmike and I were out in 29 palms. We were checking out some new ground and we stopped for a minute. A guy came riding up in a Rhino and we started to talk. He told us that he had a large claim just ahead. We explained that we sure didn't want to trespass and asked him to show us where his claim was so we could stay off. We chatted for a few minutes and being the avid forum reader that I am, I realized who I was talking to. I said: "Hey, aren't you 29 Prospector?" "Yes!" he replied. We had a few laughs over that one and before it was over he invited us up to his claim. We have stayed in touch ever since.

So besides "It pays to ask" It also pays to just be nice to people. We now have a new place to hunt and better yet, a new friend for life. Got to love that.

mick

[nuggethunting]

Hello Guys,

I agree with you on asking about permission. I actually obtained permission to hunt some very good ground in Arizona by just calling up the owner.

Many years ago I was out swinging a detector around Cleator in a bunch of small washes. As I was walking from one wash to another I heard a small engine running. The wind was blowing pretty good, so it was hard to tell where the noise was coming from. I finally ended up tracking down the noise and it was an older gentleman working a small drywasher down in a small wash. We talked for a bit and the guy mentioned he owned the entire section, which pretty much took up all the washes I was hunting. He asked me if I found anything and I told him know, but did find some nuggets several years prior in a few washes. He was kind of amazed to hear about nugget gold, since most of what he was finding was fines and very small flakes.

I actually showed him where I found the nuggets and he gave me unlimted permission to hunt all the claims and even some claims over near Bumble Bee! I actually helped him shovel some gravel for a few hours and broke up some good crevices to dig out. He was getting some good color, probably about 1/2 - 1 Dwt of gold per hour in the sweet spots.

Take care,

Rob Allison