chaderly Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I have been spending a lot of time at Rich Hill using a GMT and have yet to find gold. I don’t have unrealistic expectations in finding gold quickly with little experience. What has gotten me concerned is that a guy walked up to me while I was out there and said “You won’t find any gold with that. If you are looking for gold sell it and buy a Minelabâ€. I bought my GMT used from a guy that has found gold in the very spots that I am going to but they probably have been picked over pretty good by now. He had a lot of experience with the GMT so it does not surprise me that he found gold and I am still looking. I am find a lot of very small lead and sometimes at a depth of 6-8†so my guess is that I just have not swung over a nugget yet. I have been told that the Rich Hill area can be very hot and not an easy place to hunt with a GMT. So my question is should I stick with the Rich Hill area or start researching an area that will be better for a GMT. I know the GMT is a good machine but if I had the money for a ML I certainly would not have bought the GMT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridge Runner Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Haderly All metal detectors come in a class of good,better and best but we buy what we can afford at the time.The GMT I can't say were it stands but I do know you have lots of people swinging one and finding gold.The only thing I'll say is be sure you have the best headphones you can buy and don't whip that coil but swing slow.Another thing is to have a test nugget so you know what gold sounds like and how small can can it be yet your detector detects it.I'd glue the nugget to something and put it in that Rich Hill ground to see at what depth can I still hear it. O'h always think like Mel Fisher did and that's the day is the day I'm going to find gold.Chuck Anders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaderly Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Haderly All metal detectors come in a class of good,better and best but we buy what we can afford at the time.The GMT I can't say were it stands but I do know you have lots of people swinging one and finding gold.The only thing I'll say is be sure you have the best headphones you can buy and don't whip that coil but swing slow.Another thing is to have a test nugget so you know what gold sounds like and how small can can it be yet your detector detects it.I'd glue the nugget to something and put it in that Rich Hill ground to see at what depth can I still hear it. O'h always think like Mel Fisher did and that's the day is the day I'm going to find gold.Chuck AndersI have a pair of Black Widow headphones that I bought from Rob. From my research these were the best I could find. I keep a positive attitude when I go out and sometimes a bit lackadaisical. If I find gold then great but if I don’t gold it is still a good day because I am out having fun. I just want to have fun with the possibility of gold and did not know if a GMT is a waste of time at Rich Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claim jumper Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 what claims are you searching on?? And what area of Rich Hill are you camped. With that info I could send you in a decent spot to find a nugget. I found a bunch of nuggets with a VLF in the Rich Hill area. I used to a few years ago follow the gang taking out landscape rocks headed for Phoenix. Several times I have found nuggets right where they dug out a big rock to sell for landscaping in town. But on claims I had legal access to!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaderly Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 what claims are you searching on?? And what area of Rich Hill are you camped. With that info I could send you in a decent spot to find a nugget. I found a bunch of nuggets with a VLF in the Rich Hill area. I used to a few years ago follow the gang taking out landscape rocks headed for Phoenix. Several times I have found nuggets right where they dug out a big rock to sell for landscaping in town. But on claims I had legal access to!!!!I am searching on the Weaver Mining District claims. I live in Glendale Arizona so it is just a short drive to go prospecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilo Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I have a pair of Black Widow headphones that I bought from Rob. From my research these were the best I could find. I keep a positive attitude when I go out and sometimes a bit lackadaisical. If I find gold then great but if I don’t gold it is still a good day because I am out having fun. I just want to have fun with the possibility of gold and did not know if a GMT is a waste of time at Rich Hill.With headphones make sure you have a pair with volume control and a sound limiter when using a GMT. there is no volume control on the detector and you can get deafened by a big signal. I have a pair of Killer Bees I use on mine. Headphones do need to be 100 ohm. When using your GMT by setting your SAT setting up above 9 you will be able to hear much smaller targets, also sensitivity doubles from 8-10. You can also run the machine with your threshold turn down to the the point where it is only just silent this will help hear tiny nuggets. I know people say about running threshold so you can only just hear it , try setting it to the point just before you can hear it. Run your ground balance in manual and push your grab button every five minutes or so. If you want to run in Auto go very slowly as the Auto tracking tends to be a bit slow. When you are using the machine in high mineralisation if you have the iron Id on somethimes the machine will grunt on a gold nugget thinking it is iron. If the machine does grunt check it out to be safe. good hunting seeya Neilo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junker Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 If you are finding lead at 8 inches you are probably doing everything correctly. Rob gave a demo on a whites during one of his lectures showing just how hard it was to maintain a ground balance. I hunted the Road Runner and GPAA claims on Rich Hill with a Lobo and a Minelab but only found Junk until I joined the 24K group. I am sure there is gold on the claims you are working it is just a matter of time until you run over a nugget. I found gold in other areas with my Lobo so I know there is still gold out there to be found with a VLF. I live in Glendale also and will be going out to the hill in the next week or so. PM me the next time you go out and I will try to hook up with you. The test nugget idea is the way to go. I carry one with me so you can test your unit on mine if we can find each other. Good LuckJunker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claim jumper Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 On the Weaver claims, go South of the cemetery. There are a few small washes that feed into weaver creek. Turn over some big rocks and check them out. In that area most of the gold is mixed with quartz (specimens). Just North of the Cemetery a guy I know lost a few pennyweight nuggets right by a campfire. Look for them in the trash littering the area, no telling what you will find since most Minelabs will not try to detect in so much metal trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard farris Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hi , I am kind of new and probably covered some of the same ground around Stanton last winter. If you are finding small lead like birdshot you are more than likely doing everything right. I also found a lot of trash before I found a nugget. That area has been picked over by many detectorists with all type of detector but there is still nuggets to be found. Most of the gold is 6 to 8 inches and if you get over a nugget you will get it if you dig every target. You have the right attitude and like me you don't figure to get rich. It took me 7 weeks to find my first nugget and I was out every day that the weather permitted. Don't be discouraged and many nuggets have been found with machines like yours. It ain't a Minelab but it will work. Minelabs also have drawbacks like having you dig 2 feet of hard clay for a piece of horseshoe. Keep swinging low and slow and don't be discouraged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmaticEngineer Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I have a question that sort of relates to this lol...I have a Weaver Mining District membership but I was unaware of any claims On Rich Hill.Could someone point me to a Map/Plate/etc that shows where it is approx? Thanks.Nathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim P. Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi Casey, don't pay any attention to anyone who say's things like "You won’t find any gold with that". That's just a self imposed limitation. It's more a matter of do you have the patience to find gold with the machine you have. The GMT will detect gold that the Minelabs can't detect.(I.E smaller size and wire/sponge gold) Consequently, it will also react more to ground minerals and mineralized rocks. This sensitivity requires you to move very slowly and reground balance more often. (way more often) It also limits the depth of detection in some areas and that is where the Minelab PI leaves the GMT and other VLFs behind. Iron discrimination is superior on the GMT and most VLFs.I highly recommend Minelab PIs if you can afford it, but until that time, take advantage of the GMT and go where the Minelabs can't or wont, like mine dumps and like Claim Jumper said, trashy areas. Stick to it at Rich Hill and you will start to find gold. Later...Jim P.PS. Nathan, the Weaver Dist. claims are on the flats below Decision Corner, just south of Rich hill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted January 16, 2009 Admin Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hey Nathan, To my knowledge there are no Weaver claims on Rich Hill proper. Most of the claims are South out in the flats where big specimens have been found. They also have a group of claims behind Weaver Mountain and around the 3lb Patch area. There it another big block of claims before you hit Stanton area around the Leviathan Mine. Hope this helps,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmaticEngineer Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hey Nathan, To my knowledge there are no Weaver claims on Rich Hill proper. Most of the claims are South out in the flats where big specimens have been found. They also have a group of claims behind Weaver Mountain and around the 3lb Patch area. There it another big block of claims before you hit Stanton area around the Leviathan Mine. Hope this helps,Rob AllisonBig specimens in the flats of weaver claims? Good area for my Coiltek 15in WOT on the Eureka? Or should I stick to bedrock in the creeks, washes, etc...Any particular area down there that you would recommend?Thanks as always.Nathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilaoro Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Well they are still hauling those landscape rocks to Phoenix, since I first saw them in about 1991 they have hauled off miles of them, in about '93 I saw a 7 OZ nugget come from under one of them, some of the areas they have removed them from are private property and some is claimed, make sure you know where you are.what claims are you searching on?? And what area of Rich Hill are you camped. With that info I could send you in a decent spot to find a nugget. I found a bunch of nuggets with a VLF in the Rich Hill area. I used to a few years ago follow the gang taking out landscape rocks headed for Phoenix. Several times I have found nuggets right where they dug out a big rock to sell for landscaping in town. But on claims I had legal access to!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 The south end of Rich Hill is a Weaver claim...You drive through it as you go from Stanton toward Decision Corner...Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmaticEngineer Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 The south end of Rich Hill is a Weaver claim...You drive through it as you go from Stanton toward Decision Corner...Cheers, UncDo you have a map that shows the claim boundaries? I do not remember seeing a Claim Marker on my way in the few times I've been down there.If you do have a map I can purchase, do you have an online store? Thanks,Nathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 Hi Nathan...I sent you a PM about the maps I carry....or you can just click on the blue letters in my signature and go right to my gold claims maps website...Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmaticEngineer Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 Hi Nathan...I sent you a PM about the maps I carry....or you can just click on the blue letters in my signature and go right to my gold claims maps website...Cheers, UncThank you much. I'll be checking into a few of those.Nathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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