Admin nuggethunting Posted July 2, 2007 Admin Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hello All, Good friend, Dave M., just returned back from Moore Creek, Alaska. This season Dave found a solid 1.32 ounce gold nugget and many others. Dave was using a Minelab Metal Detector and the Coiltek Platypus & Wallaby DD Pro Searchcoils. Moore Creek Alaska is the best pay-to-mine camp in my opinion. Congrats to Dave! P.S. What do you mean you're going back? Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hi Rob,That nugget is one of the more solid gold nuggets to turn up recently at Moore Creek. We seem to be getting more of them lately. One of the 4" dredges turned up a nice, solid 2/3 oz nugget. As usual the Minelab detectors and Coiltek coils ruled at Moore Creek. The GPX-4000 seems to have been made for the place.I have to give Dave credit. His first trip to Moore Creek he could hardly find gold to save his life. But he is now one of those guys you can count on to consistently bring in the gold. Congratulations Dave!The guys this year were all so adamant that they wanted to come back that we are already booking 2008. We have added a genuine shower room with hot and cold running water, just like at home! Also a new sink/wash station with hot/cold running water. No more splashing water out of the creek onto your face. Also a washing machine but no dryer yet. Could happen though. We now have a road all the way down the creek, and can transport people by trailer downstream and back. The biggest improvement for most people will be the use of the excavator and bulldozer to help expose and groom areas for detecting, highbanking, and dredging. There also will no longer be a surcharge for reasonable satellite phone use next year.I hope to have permitting soon to allow for cabins to replace our tents. Early visitors next summer will all be in tents but we will shift people to cabins as fast as we can build them.Next year I will replace John as the full time camp helper and so will be there for the entire operation instead of popping in and out. I'll work with people as much as possible to help novice detectorists have better success. There is still a huge gap, with a handful of expert hunters bringing in gold daily. Keith M scored every day of the two weeks he was at the mine. At the same time others are finding it all they can do to bring in a nugget or two in a week. In week 3 we had no expert hunters. I secretly dropped a couple nuggets on the hill and all the guys in camp hunted the hill all morning. By lunch they had about given up on the hill as they figured it was done. That is when I told them they had all managed to walk around those two nuggets for 4 hours! By the time I left a day and a half later only one had been found. Having a Minelab is not enough. There is a lot of skill involved, and I hope by having the time to work more closely with people next summer we can help these people get better results faster. I'm seriously considering having some GPX-4000 units for rent.We still have a lot going on at the mine, with the geologists coming in in the last half of July to do some more hardrock prospecting. I'm headed up on the 10th to spend a week caretaking the place and hope to get the washplant running.Oh yeah, big news! The Dead Zone came alive!! I had determined the rows were worthless strippings and that the paydirt is actually in the low brushy gullies in between. I cleared a couple with the dozer and a 1.31 oz nugget and .81 oz nugget turned up. The area reportly was one of the richest at the mine with some of the largest gold. We will open it up next summer and see what happens. I suspect the best is yet to come at Moore Creek.I'm revamping the website soon but have some details for 2008 up already at http://www.moorecreek.com/cost_and_availability.htmI want to thank everyone, especially you Rob, for all the support we have received the last few years. Every dime and then some has gone into improving operations and making Moore Creek a better and more fun place to be. Everyone who visited this year seemed to think we are on the right track. We have more things planned for next year but I'll wait until they become more certain before mentioning them. All I can say is that 2008 is not going to come fast enough for me!I promise people there is gold to be found at Moore Creek. But I also promise it is not easy. Nobody goes home without gold, but we sure do not promise everyone will be able to do what the real hot detectorists do. The good news is that we are doing a good job of attracting people that just want to have a great time in a genuine remote site hanging out with like minded people. Everybody at Moore creek this summer was just great, and I swear the amount of gold they found was sure not the major factor for some of these folks. Good old Gaine, bless him, once again had a tough time finding nuggets. He says he is coming back next year, and I'm not letting him leave until he scores. Thanks for the coffee and macadamia nuts Gaine!There are not many places where you can show up with nothing but a sleeping bag and detect one day, dredge the next, and highbank the next and keep all the gold you find. It is not like you'll pay for your trip in gold (although a few have). The best thing we have going is the people. You guys have all been great! Thanks again!!Steve HerschbachMoore Creek Mining LLCHello All, Good friend, Dave M., just returned back from Moore Creek, Alaska. This season Dave found a solid 1.32 ounce gold nugget and many others. Dave was using a Minelab Metal Detector and the Coiltek Platypus & Wallaby DD Pro Searchcoils. Moore Creek Alaska is the best pay-to-mine camp in my opinion. Congrats to Dave! P.S. What do you mean you're going back? Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrKillstick Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 great nuggetI may need to book a trip up there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hum! I think I know him. Grubstake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim P. Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Congrats to Dave, well done.Steve, congratulations to you and your partners on a great success in so many ways. I know we have only a slight clue as to the amount of hard work and time involved, but It looks from the outside that things couldn't be going better for you. Considering your location, I thought the camp was very comfortable last year, and with all these recent and coming improvements you may start to get some more couples up there, maybe even some families.In any case, I hope the cards fall in my favor and I can return some day. I just read your post to my wife and hinted that she might be able to survive a week there also. Glenn has been breaking in his new 4000 for his return to the scene of his triumph. I'm hoping he can have a repeat performance but that would be hard to do. Luckily, the experience is worth the trip even without the gold.Congrats! Later...Jim P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hi Jim,Be great to see you up at the mine again. A lot of the fun is for people to see old friends made at the mine each summer.Week 3 had Ray, his three sons Mike, Jason, and Trent, and grandchildren Joseph, Hannah, and Kara. So with Bob's granddaughter Nicole we had four kids in camp that week. They all had a really great time. Kids are very welcome at Moore Creek although obviously they have a harder time getting much gold. But get gold they do. For many just the trip to someplace like Moore Creek is something they will remember the rest of their lives.When the cabins get done we may do one up as a "love shack" for the couples. May have to put it away from the others though! We have had quite a few couples at the mine already also.Steve H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted July 2, 2007 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hello Steve, I'm really looking forward to coming back to the Moore Creek Mine. I was really tempted to come with Glenn, but have too much going on here at the moment. I'm very interested in booking something for the 2008 season, so please keep me in mind. I was thinking an entire week, but not certain that is available or not. Shoot me over a PM or email if you get a chance.Feel free to use this forum as much as you wish to promote and inform people about Moore Creek, Alaska. Take care,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Hi Steve, Hats off to you and your crew for another great year! It's impressive to have seen the changes taking place as Moore Creek evolves into THE DESTINATION for weekend prospectors. At this rate, in a few seasons, you will have to change the name of the camp to Moore Creek Hilton. Then again, don't make the camp too comfy lest it loses some of it's charm. I think that being able to get away with not taking a shower for a few days has a certain appeal... Aiming to be there again next season for another great Moore Creek adventure.GaineIsn't is June yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Wait a minute Gaine, I think a lot of folks were glad when the shower came on line, especially the ones that got near me I imagine lots more was done after I left, things were looking pretty good for sure...HH...Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike335 Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 hey thanks you guys. it is quite a nice nugget. not my biggest from moore creek, but definately my favorite. steve, john, and dudley do have a heck of an operation going up at moore creek! every year camp gets a bit more comfortable. i agree with george the shower addition was nice!rob, i am going back this year for a second trip in a couple weeks, i believe it will be the same week as glenn. our vegas trip fell through so it left an opening for me to go again this year. i will email you about that coil. dave makkos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Hi Dave,My father and I flew up to Moore today and flew Bob and Nicole out. We are going up the 10th and Dad will leave me at the mine and fly John out. I'll be caretaking for the gap in-between John's departure and everyone else arriving.I was going to fly out the 16th and so would have missed you and Glenn. But my wonderful wife agreed to let me go a few more days so I could hang with you guys a couple days. I'll head out late on the 19th or first thing morning of the 20th.There has been a lot of ground cleared since you left, and since Keith left no hotshot detectorists. There is a lot of newly exposed ground that still deserves a hunt. But I'll be doing more clearing work before you arrive. I want to groom the road downstream as it is very rough still, groom up the 5 oz Flats, knock about a foot off John's Ramp, clear some more of the now Not-So-Dead Zone, and some other projects. I think you'll be quite happy with all the new detecting areas that will be waiting on your arrival. We even got the old road cleared up No. 6 Pup.So I'll see you guys on the 17th!Steve HerschbachMoore Creek Mining LLChttp://www.moorecreek.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 It sounds like the late visitors will be getting a lot of action this year. The results should be interest...getting better every year Steve. Can hardly wait for next June. I guess you got the dozer out of the pit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted July 8, 2007 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Hello Guys, Talked with Steve on the phone a few nights ago. He did get the dozer out and sounds like a lot of places have been scraped. Really wanted to make it back up there this year, but looks like it will be next year for sure. Will probably do the 2nd or 3rd week if available. I'm sure spots will fill fast, so I wouldn't wait around too long. Get a hold of Steve H. and let him know you're interested in a spot before they all fill up. You won't regret the trip, it's a lifetime experience if you never seen the outback of Alaska. Take care,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike335 Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 hi steve, well, that was mighty nice of your wife. glad to hear you will be able to hang around a couple days. sounds like it is going to be a fun trip. boy, you've been busy up there! good to hear the dozer is freed. i'll see you in about a week and a half, have a good trip up to the mine. dave makkos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Hi Rob & Dave,We decided to start booking next year early for two reasons. First, so many of the current year folks were really wanting to come back. Second, sometime this fall the Travel Channel will air an episode filmed at Moore Creek. When it airs we will most likely sell out solid, and so I wanted to make sure our "regulars" got first shot at the bookings. So the warning to book early is real. We need $500 non-refundable deposits to hold spots. I've got quite few verbal holds now and that is fine but all verbals will be dropped when the Travel Channel show airs.Oh boy did I get stuck! It did not really look bad but was. I was trying to clear a channel and got nose down in a muck hole. Pulling out backwards forced the back end up and the blade down into the muck. There was so much mud piled behind the blade the dozer could not pull out. I used the excavator to dig out an exit path behind the dozer, and we ended up dropping the blade off. Got the dozer out, then pulled the blade out and remounted it. Short to say it but three solid days to do it!But as usual learned a lot in the process. There is less to fear now in getting stuck as we have the excavator to dig out with. And I learned how to remove and remount the blade which is good to know. But best lesson was that in the future I'll use the excavator instead of the dozer when near soft mucky spots!Most all the dozer work is aimed at clearing old road beds for improved access to sites around the mine. Since all the roads are made of tailings, however, lots of potential nugget hunting ground is not only uncovered but made easy to hunt. I'm still convinced many nuggets are still in the lower portions of the mine where very few people have been. The hike kept a lot of people from being able to access the areas in the past. Only a handful of people have seen the lowest tailing piles. I think I'll go try a few of those piles that I've never hunted myself and see what turns up next week.Steve Herschbach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 The owners of the Moore Creek Property have really gone out of their way to make this a great Gold Hunting Experience for folks of all types of expertise. Top Notch equipment is provided, from where you stay, With what or how you chase Gold, to what you have for all of the meals provided.. Now that water is flowing and someone I know is getting pretty proficient with the excavator I would bet its not unrealistic to think the next camp comfort would be a flush Toilet.... So much new area has been opened up it will be a tossup where you opt to hunt. I am really getting excited again about a trip to Moore, but my real excitement is about my new Detector I'm not even minding digging Deep......HH...Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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