Gold prospecting

[Kisatchieman]

<P>Noticed that highdesertranger and willy mentioned they were prospectors on another thread and thought I'd ask about the gold mining claims available on ebay. I've seen 80 acre claims (on BLM land in AZ and NM) go for $400 to $1500 and wondered if anyone was actually finding any gold on them or if they were played out and just being sold and resold. Most all of these claims were in desert areas.&nbsp;</P>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Be careful when buying 'gold' claims because there's a good chance all you're getting is vacation property and little or no gold. One thing to ask yourself is why the guy is selling if the claims are so good? Who in their right mind would sell a good producer, especially for cheap? If it ain't cheap, look for the scam, and I've heard of a few.<br>&nbsp;One thing to realize is that there are far more poor miners out there than rich ones, so you've gotta be smart and thrifty.Really look at the ground and figure that if you're not making at least minimum wage per day (on average), then sh!tcan the area and move on. Avoid hardrock unless you're into chipping out/selling picture rock and, for placer, keep it small scale. In the desert, a bellows drywasher and a VLF detector (PI too if you've got the cash) with the requisite gold pan (Garrett Supersluice pan is about the best) and a wash tub will do ya. A 2-2 1/2" dredge/highbanker combo (with a removable riffle box to use as a sluice is nice) and detector(s), pan, etc. will do ya in 'wet' country. <br>&nbsp;Note, that if you try to mine in Canada, only panning and metal detecting are allowed in-stream, though a highbanker with settling pond can be used outside of the riparian zone.<br>&nbsp;Yup, a bit more info than what you asked for, but I'm bored and it might help somebody else. ..Willy. &nbsp; <br>

 

[rattlesnake joe]

<p>Willy I like your way of thinking.&nbsp; Mark Twain once said, "Anyone with a hole in the ground thinks he's a millionaire".&nbsp; The history of the west is one of buying and selling claims...not making money on working them.&nbsp; Darn few people made money working their claim.&nbsp; The speculators made a bunch and knew when to get out quick on the next stage.&nbsp; There are exceptions but unless you are young and strong I wouldn't try it.&nbsp; Better to get into buying Gold and holding on to it waiting until the price is just right and then selling.&nbsp; The hard part is knowing when to sell, and remember FDR made it a law back in 1933&nbsp;that US citizens could not own Gold in large quantities.&nbsp; The US Gov't could pull something like that again so you are taking a chance by holding on to Gold.&nbsp; But if you can find a claim that&nbsp;pays and the price is right, then go for it.&nbsp; But make sure the claim is not salted and your sellers are on the up and up.&nbsp;&nbsp;This means&nbsp;hiring a private detective to find out if the sellers are legit.&nbsp; Good luck.&nbsp;</p>

 

[Kisatchieman]

Be careful when buying 'gold' claims because there's a good chance all you're getting is vacation property and little or no gold.

<br><br>Actually,&nbsp;having a place to camp was one of the main attractions of owning one of these mining claims. If I found a little gold, so much the better. Gorgeous scenery surrounding a lot of these claims.<br>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Dunno if you're in the US, but if you buy a claim you're only 'renting' the ground for a year and missing your latest filing date by even a minute (plus you gotta pay) forfeits the claim. If you can swing it, get a 'patented 20', though they're not all that common.&nbsp; <br>

 

[akrvbob]

Starman wrote:<br>

<span id="post_message_1273126924">Actually,&nbsp;having a place to camp was one of the main attractions of owning one of these mining claims. If I found a little gold, so much the better. Gorgeous scenery surrounding a lot of these claims.</span>

<br><br>I'm no expert, and I could be wrong, but all you get with the claim is the right to the minerals. Anyone else can cross your claim or even set up camp on it. So just because you have a claim doesn't mean you have a vacation spot. You can go and camp on that claim whether it was yours or not.<br><br>Now, I think setting up camp on someone else' claim would be rude and bad manners, but I think it would be legal.&nbsp; Bob<br><br>

 

[yesican]

<p>Bob...you're from AK. Ever been down Quartz Creek by CooperLanding?&nbsp; There are some mining claims off the road that goes up the mountain. There are signs that have all sorts of nasty threats if you were to trespass on their claim.&nbsp; Wouldn't even think of crossing the line.&nbsp; I got visited by 3 guys in a beat up pick up while pitching a tent&nbsp;on an old abandoned claim site.&nbsp;I think one was carrying a banjo!&nbsp; Creeped me out!!&nbsp; Needless to say, I slept with one eye open and my pistol right handy.</p>

 

[Kisatchieman]

<P>After Willy, Joe&nbsp;and Bob rained on my parade I guess I'll take my trusty&nbsp;burro "Ole Shasty" out back and shoot her and give away all my prospecting gear and banjo. If I had a claim you would be welcome anytime yesican.</P>

 

[josephusminimus]

Starman:&nbsp; We all tend to know all manner of things we know nothing about, and a lot of what we know doesn't rhyme with reality.&nbsp; We live in an age where everyone knows it ain't worth prospecting for minerals because they didn't find any, or they know someone who didn't find any, or they heard on the grapevine about someone who didn't find any.&nbsp; <br /><br />If you want to spend some time prospecting for minerals the best route for doing it is to learn everything you can about hydrology, reading a streambed, various minerals and the way nature concentrates them, and do your own looking without giving a lot of thought to what anyone else might think.<br /><br />You can go to the BLM or USFS hq in the area of interest and learn where mineral claims have been filed in the past in the area.&nbsp; You'll find hundreds, maybe thousands of them have gone back and are available to be filed on again.&nbsp; The reason is an annual claim maintenance fee attached to each claim late in the 1990s.&nbsp; Claims not producing enough to pay for the fees went dead by the thousands across the US.<br /><br />But if you're shooting the burro, I'm probably posting this a few months too late.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

<span style="font-size: medium;">If you need land to park an RV on then it is best to buy land that is designated for that use. There are many parcels of land in the west that you can buy for this purpose. Land with road access will be about $2000 or more per acer. Avoid cheap property because it usually doesn't have any roads to it! I have had many people stop at my place and ask me how they can get to their land they bought and point to it on a map and I tell them there are no roads to it and they might need a horse to get to it. When buying land make sure you are shown where the property is and the markers for the property (usually rebar driven into the ground to mark property corners).</span>

 

[highdesertranger]

i missed this thread, or i would have posted before.&nbsp; just having a claim does not give you exclusive camping rights,&nbsp; anybody can camp on your claim and you can camp on anybody elses claim.&nbsp; do not buy a claim for camping rights.&nbsp; you are a citizen, you already have the camping rights.&nbsp;&nbsp; i myself would never buy a claim off ebay.&nbsp;&nbsp; well maybe not never,&nbsp; but if i wanted a claim that is not were i would look.&nbsp; now a little about gold.&nbsp; if you are in a gold bearing area you will most likely find gold everywhere.&nbsp; but is it going to pay for your time and labor?&nbsp; probably not.&nbsp; prospecting is hard work.&nbsp; i mean really hard work.&nbsp; dont think you are just going to go out and pick up nuggets.&nbsp; although i have seen it happen, &nbsp;but to make a living its allot of hard work,&nbsp; allot of knowledge,&nbsp; and the right equipment.&nbsp; a little luck never hurts either.&nbsp; having discouraged everybody i would like to say as a hobby, &nbsp;its one of the few that you can make a little money off of.&nbsp; remember prospecting is mother nature's lotto.&nbsp; if you dont look you will not find.&nbsp; please dont claim jump that means collecting rocks of any type on someone elses claim.&nbsp; its not hard to get permission just ask,&nbsp; even large mining companies will give permission if you show the respect of asking first.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[joey]

&nbsp;I have done prospecting and metal detecting for several years. There is a gold-belt here in Alabama. I know several areas that are owned by companies that allow people to do light prospecting. Most of them ask that you "declare" any large quantities found. As long as you get a written permit,they don't mind. Get caught without one though and they will charge you with criminal trespassing.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

There used to be a show I think called treasure hunters? it talked about TONS of things one can search for and turn a buck at! it sounded great because you could travel with the seasons!

 

[jimmyjjohn]

<span class="fw_sanitized">My 1 gallon shop vac wont work then? I have an inverter for power, but who is going to carry a car battery around. Guess i could mount it all on a dolly.........I have a hand held vac also.........this is some good stuff here.</span>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp; ..Willy. edit.. will have to copy and paste, dunno why.

 

[Chloecray]

The best way to find larger gold nuggets is to utilize a metal <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.detectorall.com/categories/Gold-Metal-Detectors/" target="_blank">gold detector</a>. Metal detectors require no water, so they will work in arid climates. They will also work near rivers or along streams where gold deposits are located well upstream. After you research the best areas for prospecting, you can utilize your metal detector to find wealth underground.

 

[Willy]

If your back is screwed up, like mine, metal detecting is the way to go. I've found more gold, and easier, metal detecting than by any other method. White's MXT for the WIN there. ..Willy.

 

[user 423]

Isn't most of the gold much smaller and not detectable? From what I've read you're pretty lucky to find nuggets. I guess it would depend on the area. My back is screwed up too and I've thought about trying to make a small powered all-terrain chair type thing so I could sit and do the shoveling,etc. I know you can wrap up a lot of money in equipment and then there's space considerations. With metal detecting you could find all kinds of other stuff almost anywhere I guess. That could be interesting.<br><br>Willy, what's the coolest (not necessarily the most valuable) thing you've found? Anybody else?

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Well, the coolest and, coincidentally, most valuable thing I found was a 2 oz nugget with a metal detector whilst prospecting up in the Arctic. As for small gold, my MXT will sound off on a 1/3 grain (437 grains per ounce) speck of gold.. and that's pretty small.&nbsp; ..Willy.

 

[user 423]

2 ounces! Now that is real cool since it paid for the MXT. It seems that in a remote area like the Arctic there would be fewer false alarms going off on buried trash items.