Honest answers only.....

[AZNuggetBob]

Ebonbetta When I first started hunting nuggets with a metal detector it was back in 1980 I had just moved from Cali to Az.. I was a heavy equipment operator in construction. I had some experience in mining like panning, dredging even coin hunting etc. I got a job as a loader operator at a placer mine. I started seeing where the gold was being found, and were it was coming from... I purchased a new metal detector and started hunting on weekends! I started reading books on the subject. I started doing research. there were no forums back then. there was no Google earth, no GPS available to the public. just a lot of leg work. metal detectors have come a long way since then! I was digging through topo maps. I spent a lot of time at the libraries. I started studying geology, the more I learned the more gold I found!!.

AzNuggetBob

[kamikaze]

When ever I go to the carnival, I can not resist playing those darn games. I won't stop until I win a stuffed bear for my Wife and Daughter... I probably could have BOUGHT the darn bear for less money at Wally World but would I ever go to Wally World to buy a stuffed bear? Probably not... I guess to me, it's kind of like growing veggies in my garden. Darn those veggies I grew sure seem to taste better than those you buy at the store.

Have I "paid" for my equipment with the nuggets I've found? Yes. But then, factor in all the air fare, car rental, etc, etc...am I ahead of the game? Nope. Would I do it all over again? Definitely, without a doubt, YES! For me...it's the camaraderie, the challenge and being outdoors.

[deputynrc]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and to detecting. My family has been mining the Nor Cal mountains for over 40 years. My childhood summers where spend up at the mining claim. After I got older, my interests faded to other things. I just bought my first detector (ML Eureka Gold) from Digger Bob off this very forum. I recently found my first and second nuggets (.5 dtw & 1.8 dtw)last week. I originally promised my wife I would pay for the detector with the first ounce I found. I just can't seem to get my self to even think about selling those two nuggets. So for me, It is about the "hunt" and the love of finding the stuff and being in the outdoors with my folks. I have a renewed interest for this and its great.

A special thanks goes out to Digger Bob and his wife for taking a moment out of his evening to sell me the detector and show me some of the ropes.

Neil

[Bunk]

I have not come close,but I don't work that hard at it. It's not so much about the gold as looking for the gold. I sold some little ones this last winter and I have given some to friends and family but for the most part I just colect them. I am sure if I ever found a whopper I would sell it after I got a bunch of pics. The chalange of finding little chunk of gold that has been there for millions of years, is what drives me. I also have a great interest in the history of the west and that goes hand and hand with gold. I think it might have been a diferent story had I got into detecting when I was younger and in better shape.

Bunk

[montana]

AzNUgget Bob, You said it perfectly. For some of us it's serious business at most times, with time out for a hunt with friends once in a while. Serious patch hunting often means wandering the desert alone with nobody else to worry about or only a partner who is just as serious. These times the beer gets left home along with the dog and the wife just like most jobs . It is a part time job for some and it's hard to go back to a real job after having a $3,000.00 day in the goldfields. It's obvious that you want to eliminate bad ground as often as possible before you spend hours of wasted time where gold is highly unlikely to be. That's where the research and knowledge of geology comes in that you mentioned. The level of dedication usually dictates the results. -----Bob

[JimGilmore]

Granted. I'd love to make enuff to have all kinda of hobbies and a house. being on ssi does not mean i can just go out and buy any vehical I want and the toys to travel off the beaten path. Each ear it is getting harder any While I love the desert I see myself fast becoming on of the many. As I've said before. true capitalism only works for the few. Many have seen how just like ssi has been plundered even in private business the companies have plundered the so call retirement accounts before they were disppersed to the employees.

So having a hobby to pay some divedends does help. Tomorrow i hope to finish panning what I collected and see what I did find.

Though only spending 1 day means I expect 1/15 of what I should have been finding if I could have used the rv. And that is my true disappointment with the vacation. Where I should have grams I'll have a grain.

[SGTFDA]

Look at it this way. I've been with my Wife 21 years. Did I get my money out of her? NO! But I'm having a ton of fun trying. Same thing with the detector.

[Paseclipse]

Where I should have grams I'll have a grain.

Ebonbetta unfortunately thats the way it goes and some is better than none. What you're going though is called "paying your dues" and it happens to every prospector. I was a lucky one at first- found my first nugget 40 hours after swinging a detector, second was 20 hours after that. Third nugget.... well that took 8 months detecting every weekend for 8+ straight hours a day. Doing a quick calculation that works out to around 256 hours of field time. When I did finally find my third nugget I was going through the dig routine and was shocked to actually see the glitter of gold instead of another bullet. What a feeling that was! Almost better than finding the first nugget because I really felt like I worked hard for it.

The one thing I can honestly say I learned from that whole experience is just how difficult gold is to find. If it was easy to find it wouldn't as valuable as it is. Stick to it, be patient and persistant, put your time in the field and the gold will come. Good luck!

[montana]

Paseclipse is right. You have to pay your dues. Understandably , most people just give up in frustration when a year or more passes with little or nothing to show for all the hard work. There is a mental condition called obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). If you have that , you just can't let an idea go once you set your mind to it. It probably helps if you have at least a mild form of that.----Bob

[Denny]

Del said it as it is for most, I paid for the 3000/3500 but if you add up fuel food time lost from work ,It aint for the mulla.It is for my sanity, If i could not get out in the feild and have those out door moments , i would be more nut,s than i,am now,Also did you think gold was 1200 Oz because it was easy to find.There are people who have put in there dues ,that can eeak by a living with gold and there are a few that can make a living. but you need euqipment and that breaks down, so you need a lot of up front monies.Work hard Play hard.we all end up the same place in the end ....

[JimGilmore]

Prior to taking ccare of my mom I finally was enjoying myself. I was only finding grains but between the animal life the peacce and quiet and beauty of the desert I was working for me. God know that finding $2 a day was not much but being I only have to move the rv every 14 days who cared. I feel bad to be wishing my my mom will pass soon. But thats when I'll be able to go back to doing it all again.

I'm considering scraping the rv and getting a small trailer. And maybe a pickup truck. Though if I had access to a friend with a pickup I would not even need the pickup.

[Mitkof]

Hi Ebonbetta... We ran a RV (Chevy 1T 4x4 w/camper) in the high desert. Kept getting corked by dry washes and not getting into places wife and I wanted to prospect. Finally bought a Jeep JK to tow (toad) behind. Now we set-up camp and run around in the Jeep much better set-up. Big surprise was the Jeep with coil not leaf springs rides like a dream... smoother than the 2 Toyota FJ's we owned back in the 70s. Good luck with you mom, we'll keep you both in our prayers. See you in the PuckerBrush or at the Fork in the Road...

Keep Smiling... Fritz

[Denny]

ebonbetta I used to do the RV thing yep it is nice to have all the emenities, but it is hard to get them were you need to be, I have a shell on my truck witch works very well.it is rough camping but hey it is rough out there anyway,I wish you the best with your mom,And in time you can get out and put in the time, You should be doing research while you are locked down,that way when the time comes you will be ready to go.

[Paseclipse]

Prior to taking ccare of my mom I finally was enjoying myself. I was only finding grains but between the animal life the peacce and quiet and beauty of the desert I was working for me. God know that finding $2 a day was not much but being I only have to move the rv every 14 days who cared. I feel bad to be wishing my my mom will pass soon. But thats when I'll be able to go back to doing it all again.

I'm considering scraping the rv and getting a small trailer. And maybe a pickup truck. Though if I had access to a friend with a pickup I would not even need the pickup.

Ebonbetta, I'm in the same boat as you as far as my mother is concerned. My mother is at the age now where she needs constant care and this is split between my sister and I. My days off are spent taking her to doctors appointments and tending to her every needs. If I'm lucky enough to get out of town to do a little beeping I need to run it by my sister weeks in advance and make sure everything is ok on the home front before I leave. If something happens while I'm out in the field everything is stopped and I head home immediately. As a matter of fact, my mother is in the hospital right now because of complications with her heart surgery last december and after I finish writing this out it's off to the hospital to be by her side again.

I feel you and totally understand what your going through, though I don't believe you wish she would pass. Multiple trips to the hospital and the doctors appointments wears you down and you start to become numb. I don't view this as being heartless or unemotional towards my mother, I view it as acceptance to the fact that I know my mother will pass in the near future. I know when the time comes my sister and I both will be devastated. I'll admit it's a huge burden on both of our lives and can be very frustrating and emotional at times, but the way I see it I've only got one mother and I'll enjoy her while she's still here. The gold can wait because theres plenty to find out there and no amount of gold can ever replace my mother. Just hang in there because your mother needs you, in the end you'll be rewarded for all your good deeds with a fat whopper nugget.

Now in regards to vehicle and camp set ups I'll tell you what works for me- like Fritz I've got a Jeep JK two door that can get me in and out of places like you wouldn't believe. In the back of my Jeep I've got one of those large "Action Packer" plastic containers from Wal Mart that I pack my food and cooking supplies in. My clothes are kept in a small duffell bag. For sleeping, it's a tent cot with cot pad, a sleeping bag and a pillow. Having this setup gives me the ability to pack up camp in five minutes and be on the road if necessary. The gear I buy is meant for mobility and light camping and I do this because I rarely spend more than a few days in one location. It all works great for me.

Take care and hang in there

Del

[matt]

Del,

Your words say it all. Family is more important than anything, even friends. The gold will

always be there, but a life won't. Spend as much time as you can with your mother while you

still can. There is more gold in family than there is in the ground. Take care buddy. I look

forward to hunting with you.

Matt

[geof_junk]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

[sourdough]

They say a piture is worth a thousand words.

Hi Geof,

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you've just exceeded your quota for the next five (maybe ten) years with those pictures. But I do like them. Go going.

[Bunk]

Hi Geof,

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you've just exceeded your quota for the next five (maybe ten) years with those pictures. But I do like them. Go going.

Those are some butiful gold pics. I wanna be like you when I grow up!

Bunk