It is just really sad to see...

[gold dredger]

Hi fairly new guy here trying to understand why.

I can't seem to get a grip on why a post about nugget hunting gets a few reply's and then drops to the bottom of the page and fades away.

I can't seem to understand why on a gold nugget hunting forum the hottest topics (not all but allot) are ones of personal distress or disputes over products and battles over who where or why. I am not saying they should not be talked about but if you take a look at the red folders"the hottest topics" they are all in some way a problem in life and they are 30 40 50 posts on the subject. Like I say not that we all need to share life and get some feedback so I see the place for them here among our friends.

I posted a topic on nugget hunting and the process to sort out a new area when you get there. It has a ton of looks yet only a few have chimed in with info on the subject. Now I feel being directly related to nugget hunting any sort of info in this would be a benefit to all. What it has told me is there just might only be a few guys that actually know what they are doing. A couple that posted and shared and those that wont share any info at all. Now the subject is for general searching and pertains to nugget locating in a new area as a general rule of thumb for any area and location. I would think with all the detector folks here this would be on fire.

I am asking this= Next time you decide to post a slam or an opinion on an off topic "NOT nugget hunting related" subject please CLICK on a nugget related topic and leave a helpful or at least related reply as well. After a short bit of time we will be able to log on and read some info about our great hobby and share personal info with our friends.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rant. Good health and happiness to all!

Oh yes I did get out today and went nugget hunting but the golden metal still has not found it's way under my coil.

[jjbond]

Hi fairly new guy here trying to understand why.

I can't seem to get a grip on why a post about nugget hunting gets a few reply's and then drops to the bottom of the page and fades away.

I can't seem to understand why on a gold nugget hunting forum the hottest topics (not all but allot) are ones of personal distress or disputes over products and battles over who where or why. I am not saying they should not be talked about but if you take a look at the red folders"the hottest topics" they are all in some way a problem in life and they are 30 40 50 posts on the subject. Like I say not that we all need to share life and get some feedback so I see the place for them here among our friends.

I posted a topic on nugget hunting and the process to sort out a new area when you get there. It has a ton of looks yet only a few have chimed in with info on the subject. Now I feel being directly related to nugget hunting any sort of info in this would be a benefit to all. What it has told me is there just might only be a few guys that actually know what they are doing. A couple that posted and shared and those that wont share any info at all. Now the subject is for general searching and pertains to nugget locating in a new area as a general rule of thumb for any area and location. I would think with all the detector folks here this would be on fire.

I am asking this= Next time you decide to post a slam or an opinion on an off topic "NOT nugget hunting related" subject please CLICK on a nugget related topic and leave a helpful or at least related reply as well. After a short bit of time we will be able to log on and read some info about our great hobby and share personal info with our friends.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rant. Good health and happiness to all!

Oh yes I did get out today and went nugget hunting but the golden metal still has not found it's way under my coil.

Hi I'm gonna find it first...

You stated that you are new, let me please welcome you to the board, it's a great group of people here... and that's part of the problem.... You see, one of the threads that you mention bumping yours is mine regarding an issue that came up over the weekend, and a LOT of folks have been VERY supportive of what my issue was and that has caused a lot of replies in my thread. I apologize deeply that it has caused your thread to fall down but at the same time... please have comfort knowing that when the time comes where you have an issue that is deeply troubling to you.. these same people will be ALL OVER your issue trying to help you.... including me if I am able.

That does not help your current post issue... what I recommend is that now and then you log into your post, hit reply and then simply type in "Bump" then submit. This will then bump it back to the top of the list of posts. I will also give you my word now that I will do my best to let my thread die down... again, I am sorry.

You can also gain comfort knowing that my situation is coming to resolution and I do not anticipate a ton more posts about it.. but again.. please do not be disappointed in the board for this extremely high level of input to my issue.. it's because they care... and that's why we're all (including you I assume) are here... to share knowledge from each other.

Again.... welcome to the community... I'm a newbie as well..... use that "bump" feature I mentioned and I will do my best to let my thread die down now....

Jennifer

[grubstake]

Finding gold, sometimes take a year or longer with a good gold detector, be patient, I know guys that have looked that long before they found there first nugget, then I people who bought a good detector and within the first few minutes hit a few oz's. Go slow, look at what signs there are around the area your hunting. Trash in an area, means the old timers worked it for a long time, thats why its old trash. Clean it out, I bet I've dug 500 pounds over the past couple of years. But I dig gold too. Grubstake

[DigDeep]

Hi fairly new guy here trying to understand why.

I can't seem to get a grip on why a post about nugget hunting gets a few reply's and then drops to the bottom of the page and fades away.

I can't seem to understand why on a gold nugget hunting forum the hottest topics (not all but allot) are ones of personal distress or disputes over products and battles over who where or why. I am not saying they should not be talked about but if you take a look at the red folders"the hottest topics" they are all in some way a problem in life and they are 30 40 50 posts on the subject. Like I say not that we all need to share life and get some feedback so I see the place for them here among our friends.

I posted a topic on nugget hunting and the process to sort out a new area when you get there. It has a ton of looks yet only a few have chimed in with info on the subject. Now I feel being directly related to nugget hunting any sort of info in this would be a benefit to all. What it has told me is there just might only be a few guys that actually know what they are doing. A couple that posted and shared and those that wont share any info at all. Now the subject is for general searching and pertains to nugget locating in a new area as a general rule of thumb for any area and location. I would think with all the detector folks here this would be on fire.

I am asking this= Next time you decide to post a slam or an opinion on an off topic "NOT nugget hunting related" subject please CLICK on a nugget related topic and leave a helpful or at least related reply as well. After a short bit of time we will be able to log on and read some info about our great hobby and share personal info with our friends.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rant. Good health and happiness to all!

Oh yes I did get out today and went nugget hunting but the golden metal still has not found it's way under my coil.

Use the search feature , What you are asking has been asked hundreds of times and has been Hammered with all the info you could pretty much ask for. It's all there just look a little!

[jjbond]

Hi

Me again

A buddy of mine up here in British Columbia posted an EXCELLENT Youtube video of working your way up from flour gold towards bigger yummies that you may enjoy... check it out.

Jennifer

[gold dredger]

Thanks for the link Jennifer! I will watch it now.

My rant is simply based on the fact that folks seem to thrive on contraversy. I am not mad or unhappy and I see the point that sharing our lives and info with friends is great but the gold info is lacking. Just because something was covered in the past does not make this forum no longer a nugget hunting forum.

Just because it was posted some time in the past does not mean it covered what I am looking for. I did search and as a matter of fact I have been at this along time in the background. It seems that if you could post more info about getting the gold and gold tech that we all could be better off.

Hey maybe I am crazy. I am not concerned with my post so much as just a general on the whole subject. GOLD, DETECTORS and the HOBBY.

Thanks for the link again Jennifer and to those that did reply. Have a great night!

[jjbond]

Thanks for the link Jennifer! I will watch it now.

My rant is simply based on the fact that folks seem to thrive on contraversy. I am not mad or unhappy and I see the point that sharing our lives and info with friends is great but the gold info is lacking. Just because something was covered in the past does not make this forum no longer a nugget hunting forum.

Just because it was posted some time in the past does not mean it covered what I am looking for. I did search and as a matter of fact I have been at this along time in the background. It seems that if you could post more info about getting the gold and gold tech that we all could be better off.

Hey maybe I am crazy. I am not concerned with my post so much as just a general on the whole subject. GOLD, DETECTORS and the HOBBY.

Thanks for the link again Jennifer and to those that did reply. Have a great night!

I think the connection was because my issue was around a device (detector) used to find those nuggets, I got a good response... I'm guessing if I had asked a question about what fertilizer to use on my tomato plants I'd not have near the audience I did and you would have had more viewers... and possibly more responses... and I might have had one or two "What planet did you just arrive in from" emails.

[Uncle Ron]

Yo, I am gonna find........Right now is the off season on the Arizona based forums...Which happen to be the best, technically and otherwise...Just hang in there and in a month or so you'll be seeing some cool stuff...In the meantime, go back to late spring in the archives and you'll be blessed with alot of knowledge and fun...Cheers, Unc

[fredm]

Gonna;

these forums are similar to group conversations...some folks get lots more attention than others...and some folks get ignored...

If you are willing to pay for someone else's experience buy Jim Straights Follow the Drywashers, orsome of the current prospecting dvd's. Or, just go to the libray and read up for free...

btw, even the dvd's prescribed for a certain detector will have valuable info that one can glean...if you are paying attention.

Fred

[Joshua Hopkins]

Hi Gonna

If you are willing to pay for someone else's experience buy Jim Straights Follow the Drywashers, good advice.

I am new here as well and the book that Fred mentions is loaded with the information you need. I bought two weeks ago and it is amazing what you can pickup from it.

[montana]

I'm Gonna find it first. Maybe someone else already found it first. Seriously , even the pros can be stumped on a new area . It's a process of elimination. I'm a desert gully pounder, and a hydraulic pit would surely baffle me for a while although there are some folks up there in the mother lode country who detect nothing else and do very well. They have learned where the odds are highest, just as I have learned which gullies and what parts of them are likely to produce the best results in my area. Patience my friend ! Without it you will give up the quest within a few months as thousands of others have done when immediate gratification wasn't forthcoming. A pointy finger is nice but those who pick up the ball and run with it themselves are the most successful. I've handed the ball to many people who immediately dropped it when they had to start doing some learning on their own. There are a few who take the ball and score regularly. Less than 10% I'd say. These guys don't wait for someone to lead them around once they get the basics. They just git'er done. ----Bob

[gold dredger]

I'm Gonna find it first. Maybe someone else already found it first. Seriously , even the pros can be stumped on a new area . It's a process of elimination. I'm a desert gully pounder, and a hydraulic pit would surely baffle me for a while although there are some folks up there in the mother lode country who detect nothing else and do very well. They have learned where the odds are highest, just as I have learned which gullies and what parts of them are likely to produce the best results in my area. Patience my friend ! Without it you will give up the quest within a few months as thousands of others have done when immediate gratification wasn't forthcoming. A pointy finger is nice but those who pick up the ball and run with it themselves are the most successful. I've handed the ball to many people who immediately dropped it when they had to start doing some learning on their own. There are a few who take the ball and score regularly. Less than 10% I'd say. These guys don't wait for someone to lead them around once they get the basics. They just git'er done. ----Bob

Thanks for the info Bob.

I have been hard at this for some time now (2 years) and I still have yet to dig a nugget. I am losing hope yet my efforts have been high. It was a last resort to ask for help. I have 2 gold rings and a silver ring and countless coins. I detect everyday for a few hours. Last summer I did nothing but gold detecting everyday with a Minelab but never was able to pick up a nugget. Crazy if you ask me. I would have thought from just luck the amount of ground I have covered I would have stumbled onto one. I can dredge gold all day long. Find it in the creek, river and go to town. Use those same skills with my detector and no nuggets. Makes no sense so I asked what am I doing that I am missing the gold. I just dont know. I have lots of books grew up with folks on a mining claim with my dad building and working in tunnels and dredging. Gold is in my background since I was a kid. But I have hit a wall with the nuggets and a gold detector.

I have met a couple of guys that are successful and they have offered to help me get my first nugget. I am going to take them up on this offer and maybe this will break the streak or lack there of. I am very grateful for the generous offer to help they have made. I wish to say thanks to them and I am looking forward to detecting with you.

[montana]

Gonna find it first. You've stuck with it 2 years. Fantastic! Not a quitter. It may be something simple like not moving slow enough. I can't imagine that there are many hydraulic pits in the mother lode country that haven't seen a lot of detectors. In this case you will not pick up any obvious nuggets , they are long gone. You will have to detect more carefully and thoroughly than anyone before you has done. Roll some rocks out of they way, using a VLF you will have to concentrate where there is some hard pack or bedrock at shallow depths . You have to have some kind of platform that stopped the nuggets from being deposited out of reach of your detector. A clay layer can work. In a Ca. Hydraulic pit you are looking for nuggets that were once in a live stream system in which case they won't be in the overburden for the most part. Picture the floor of the pit as the ancient river bottom which it was and that's why that spot was mined. They found the pay channel . You may get lucky and find a nugget that the oldtimers lost in the tailings , but the few times I've hunted the Ca. pits I only found gold where there were patches of bedrock showing or some hardpack that the hydraulic workings couldn't break down . I'd say if those conditions aren't present , like if the tailings have completely covered any signs of bedrock, hardpack, or clay layers then you may to move on to some better pickings. The gold just may not be within detectable range . There are many places which have produced lots of gold, including big nuggets that just aren't really detectable . Any remaining productive ground may be under tons of river cobbles and tailings. It may be that you just have no chance where you are trying. Be sure to take the offers of help. Things will start to click when these guys show you the type of place they have found gold. After 2 years of no quit, you will probably be one of those who will be showing others how to do it once you get the idea. Try concentrating on finding that tiny faint target. The big ones take care of themselves. ----Bob

[gold dredger]

I will give it hell again tomorrow and l'll keep my fingers crossed. I am really looking to seeing a nugget from the ground and if not on my own then with a little help.

I have not lost the faith yet! My wife and kids did along time ago but I know I can do it. My wife just informed me it has been just shy of 3 years since I got the first gold detector and started this man time flies when you are having fun.

[dutch john]

Howdy All... Ol' Jim Straight here...

First... "gonna," I have been nugget hunting since about 1975... Whatever that could be

done wrong I did it (more than once as I'm a slow learner). Just keep at it... Don't give

up... also you need to experiment and develop your own style... keep in mind nuggets can

be found most anywhere... even in a tincan buried in your back yard.

I thank those of you who have said nice things about my articles and books over

the years... Persistent I be and I'm still getting out and finding nuggets. "ADVANCED

Prospecting..." is now my "Flagship." The first copies had typos, but I managed to clear

out the worst... Dealers may buy it in volume from Gem Guides, Jimmy Sierra, Plateau,

JOBE, and elsewhere.

I have "pegged" the January 2009 revision to sell for $12.45... It is spiral bound.

120 total pages and many illustrations are in expensive color. It makes a nice reference

book for a personal library. (My books have even been sold over the counter for years at

the Reno Bureau of Mines... or whatever it is now known as...)

Second... One author... Larry Sallee... since 1994 has persistently hit the mark about having

a positive attitude and "Knowing" the next target will be a nugget... As Larry once told me:

Nuggets are easier to find when you "know" you will find them. Unfortunately, Larry has let

his book "Zip, Zip" go out of print... however if you can find one buy it...

Third... Rob's cousin, Chris wrote and published a booklet on nuggethunting... I had several

copies but have given them away... My hope is that Chris will revive and update it... Both Rob

and Chris are within the book... (Gosh Rob... If you see this post... Your photo is in the book

and this is how I first indirectly became acquainted with you...)

Also a great resource is the achives of old posts within this forum...

Now here I be... a Great grandfather of four... Gloria and I are the primary

baby sitters of "JJ" a very active one year old. He no longer walks; but now

runs... He is getting to be quite a challenge as he manages to get into everything.

[gotgold]

“gonna find itâ€.....I looked through your posts trying to find the type of detector you are using i.e. VLF or PI, make, model etc. but didn’t see anything, although I may have missed it.

Montana is spot on with his comment about your perseverance of 2+ years.

In addition to Jim Straights books and pamphlets, Uncle Ron’s Maps, Chris Ralph’s website to mention only a few, I would highly recommend subscribing to the ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal. Jim Straight has archived articles there and Chris (Reno Chris) a degreed geologist and member of this forum, is associate editor for the magazine who also writes an article or two on a monthly basis for them.

Finding that first nugget can be a “painâ€, equipment used is very important as is digging into the past. I know that’s a very general statement.....think of fault lines, old river flows now sitting on the top of mountains, the types of mining processes used.....and the list goes on! The old prospectors had far less than we have today, but they found it.

Gary

[jjbond]

Howdy All... Ol' Jim Straight here...

I thank those of you who have said nice things about my articles and books over

the years... Persistent I be and I'm still getting out and finding nuggets. "ADVANCED

Prospecting..." is now my "Flagship." The first copies had typos, but I managed to clear

out the worst... Dealers may buy it in volume from Gem Guides, Jimmy Sierra, Plateau,

JOBE, and elsewhere.

I have "pegged" the January 2009 revision to sell for $12.45... It is spiral bound.

120 total pages and many illustrations are in expensive color. It makes a nice reference

book for a personal library. (My books have even been sold over the counter for years at

the Reno Bureau of Mines... or whatever it is now known as...)

I have several of Jim's books... (thanks again Jim) and they are a "must have" to any collection.... fantastic reading...

Jennifer

[FlakMagnet]

I'll jump in here for a short hint also:

I think the most surprising fact about gold detecting was

how subtle most of the "hits" are that are gold.

It is difficult to imagine after all the bullets and other metal trash

that sounds off so loudly, but gold much of the time can easily be below

your sound expectation threshold (if that makes any sense).

I like that you are still after it after two years.

That is what it takes - you surely will score very soon.

That's my prediction anyway.

Flak

[El Dorado]

Thanks for the info Bob.

I have been hard at this for some time now (2 years) and I still have yet to dig a nugget. I am losing hope yet my efforts have been high. It was a last resort to ask for help. I have 2 gold rings and a silver ring and countless coins. I detect everyday for a few hours. Last summer I did nothing but gold detecting everyday with a Minelab but never was able to pick up a nugget. Crazy if you ask me. I would have thought from just luck the amount of ground I have covered I would have stumbled onto one. I can dredge gold all day long. Find it in the creek, river and go to town. Use those same skills with my detector and no nuggets. Makes no sense so I asked what am I doing that I am missing the gold. I just dont know. I have lots of books grew up with folks on a mining claim with my dad building and working in tunnels and dredging. Gold is in my background since I was a kid. But I have hit a wall with the nuggets and a gold detector.

Sounds almost like my story.. big difference is I persisted for over 5 years. I still get the skunk (never got skunked dredging!), but now I have many detected nuggets in my poke!

[montana]

Eldorado. I've seen many ex dredgers mention that it took a long time to make the transition to detecting. Could it be that one gets a mindset about where the gold will be when running water is the sole concentrating force? I know when I first started detecting I thought it was insanity to detect anywhere except dead center in a dry gully. How could it be possible to find a patch of nuggets on a hillside? All heavy stuff slides downhill to the nearest stream or gully and sinks quickly in the ground Right? Well no that isn't right in all cases I found out. In some cases all the soil slowly washes off the hillsides and actually leaves the heavy stuff behind and nearly on the surface. There are many ways for gold to concentrate other than in a live stream placer, and this is where the metal detector comes into play and I would say that a dredger would find this confusing for a while, just as I would probably be with a dredge nozzle in my hands.---Bob

[gold dredger]

Eldorado. I've seen many ex dredgers mention that it took a long time to make the transition to detecting. Could it be that one gets a mindset about where the gold will be when running water is the sole concentrating force? I know when I first started detecting I thought it was insanity to detect anywhere except dead center in a dry gully. How could it be possible to find a patch of nuggets on a hillside? All heavy stuff slides downhill to the nearest stream or gully and sinks quickly in the ground Right? Well no that isn't right in all cases I found out. In some cases all the soil slowly washes off the hillsides and actually leaves the heavy stuff behind and nearly on the surface. There are many ways for gold to concentrate other than in a live stream placer, and this is where the metal detector comes into play and I would say that a dredger would find this confusing for a while, just as I would probably be with a dredge nozzle in my hands.---Bob

Bob you are spot on! I really just can't make any sense of the gold on the side of a hill in a patch. This is why I asked how? Why? Makes no sense at all to me. Right smack in the middle of the gully or wash is where it has to be. If I had a dredge or pan that is where it would come from behind the biggest boulders or the perfect stepped bedrock. But just in the dirt on a hill makes no sense.

[montana]

It makes sense when you study the geological history of the Sierras. Uplifted river channels , stream courses dissected by lava flows and faulting . The gold in the ancient river systems was scattered far and wide in what seems to be in very unlikely places when looking at the terrain today. A mudslide which is common in the sierras even in modern times can turn every thing upside down leaving nuggets near the surface. The evidence of such forces can be disguised by vegetation and erosion and finding the resting place of these well travelled nuggets can be more a matter of luck than anything else. The increasing number of detectorists in the mother lode has turned up many of these patches just by more ground being checked out and the PI detectors increase the chances of finding large nuggets at great depths . Many of the forum members have a pretty good handle on the methods for prospecting the Motherlode. Lucky Lundy, Hawkeye and others keep coming up with these patches. There must be clues that tip them off. They have learned their turf but it probably came after some frustrating false starts.----Bob

[fredm]

Bob; I think dredging and sniping work against the detectorist for the reason you stated...also, I think coin/relic hunting is the worst way to learn to find nuggets...they have nothing in common except the metal detector. As I have admitted before, it took several years of nugget hunting and several detectors to find my first nugget with a Gold Bug...

after finding my first I realized several things;

all my previous detectors could have found a nugget

I had lacked patience and preserverence

I lacked true belief that gold could be found with a detector

nothing I had learned about dredging/sniping was of much use in the deserts

and, fate had a different path for me to follow...

Fred

[montana]

Fred. Yeah, I watched some ex dredgers tunnel under a boulder up on a hillside for 3 days in the desert and drywashing the material. Three days and not a crumb. I've found the occassional nugget under a boulder with a detector , but I don't think the boulder had much to do with it being there.----Bob

[GSB]

Hi fairly new guy here trying to understand why.

I can't seem to get a grip on why a post about nugget hunting gets a few reply's and then drops to the bottom of the page and fades away.

I can't seem to understand why on a gold nugget hunting forum the hottest topics (not all but allot) are ones of personal distress or disputes over products and battles over who where or why. I am not saying they should not be talked about but if you take a look at the red folders"the hottest topics" they are all in some way a problem in life and they are 30 40 50 posts on the subject. Like I say not that we all need to share life and get some feedback so I see the place for them here among our friends.

I posted a topic on nugget hunting and the process to sort out a new area when you get there. It has a ton of looks yet only a few have chimed in with info on the subject. Now I feel being directly related to nugget hunting any sort of info in this would be a benefit to all. What it has told me is there just might only be a few guys that actually know what they are doing. A couple that posted and shared and those that wont share any info at all. Now the subject is for general searching and pertains to nugget locating in a new area as a general rule of thumb for any area and location. I would think with all the detector folks here this would be on fire.

I am asking this= Next time you decide to post a slam or an opinion on an off topic "NOT nugget hunting related" subject please CLICK on a nugget related topic and leave a helpful or at least related reply as well. After a short bit of time we will be able to log on and read some info about our great hobby and share personal info with our friends.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rant. Good health and happiness to all!

Oh yes I did get out today and went nugget hunting but the golden metal still has not found it's way under my coil.

What a little whining cry baby!!!!! Most of the people on this forum did not even have the use of these forums when they found their first nuggets. Instead of whining like a big baby- you should be spending your time doing your own research on the geology and mining methods in your own area. Then get out in the field and hunt, hunt, hunt!!!!! No one is going to lead you by the hand and show you were all the gold is. Some of us took over a year or more to find the first nugget and you're not going to learn anything by whining about it.

Gerald