There's Gold In Them Thar Hills!

[johnny_canuck]

Unlike the Hoffams on "Goldrush Alaska", there are still a lot of places where panning for gold will not only be a lot of fun but may be profitable. Your thoughts please.

 

[akrvbob]

I've done some prospecting and think it's a great hobby. There are people who make money at it but that isn't likely. If your interested I highly recommend the GPAA, a great family owned organization that promotes gold prospecting. Bob<br>

 

[VanTramp]

Really depends on where you are in the country. I have done pretty well on the Arkasas River near Buena Vista Co. Didn't stay long, but I do believe a person could do pretty well there if they put some decent effort into it. Probably the best area I have been in is in lower Oregon/upper California. I know if you can get into some of the better areas and claims down there, (local clubs really help) you can do very well. A lot of people do well in AZ too. I have done some nugget shooting with detector but can't handle the dust of the other common methods there like dry washing.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>The GPPA is a decent organization for sure. Have been to many of the claims across the country and found a little gold here and there. Fun stuff! Personally though, I have had better luck with joining clubs specific to an area or state. You usually get the same sort of deal, keep all the gold you find etc, but so far I just like the claims overall a bit better.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, you don't need to be part of a club or be on a claim to prospect. Most of the gold I find near us is on NFS land that isn't claimed at all. It also isn't well known for gold and isn't highly productive, but still fun and half of the joy for me is being able to find it where it hasn't been found.</div><div>&nbsp;</div>

 

[High Plains Drifter]

I detected out by Wickenburg AZ for two late winters in a row, found fool's gold but no real gold. Also I am friends with a D. Peeples in Missouri that Peeples valley was named after his relation.<br>

 

[cyndi]

<P>My ex comes out here to Northwestern Mohave County (AZ), pretty regularly, to do a little prospecting. Seems like he always finds a little, never enough to do it for a living. He enjoys it. It's relaxing and gets him out of the city and he gets a free meal if he stops by!</P>

 

[johnny_canuck]

One of the reasons I started this thread is I'm the type of guy who can't sit there and do nothing. I like to be busy. To have a purpose if I'm going&nbsp;some place. At the least panning would put in time and you might find a little gold.

 

[VanTramp]

Agree with you Johnny! I really enjoy prospecting nowdays. I do it a lot different than I used to! I have worked with friends in the past and gone the power dredging route, highbankers and moving a lot more material. Yeah, you find more gold, but it wasn't as enjoyable to me rather felt more like work. &nbsp;Now days, I prefer to just take a 2' sluice box a few pans &amp; related small digging gear that all fits in a single backpack so it is easy to go further back in to places that aren't so over worked.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>It is way more fun and more peaceful IMO! You can do pretty well with it too!Don't always of course, but I consider any gold I find to be profit since I enjoy the process so much.&nbsp;</div>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

This thread is so exciting, can't wait to try it.<br><b>Dragonfly</b><br>

 

[bcnya]

been an avid metal detectorist for over 20yrs.prospecting is hard work .I found detecting beaches is easier,more profitable and the scenery is much better.<br>

 

[Ryan24]

Whoa, I had no idea people still made money off of this. I cant see myself doing it as a serious income, but this ranks with the coolest hobbies a person can have.

 

[Dust of the Sun]

Many years ago in another lifetime I made some good money metal detecting not the beaches where it's mostly coins and pop tops, but in the SURF...a guy in my high school class pioneered this form of treasure hunting and became semi-famous doing it, having written several books, videos and even a video narrated by hollywood icon Chuck Connors...the RIFLEMAN...remember that tv series??? In the surf, people lose GOLD RINGS off their fingers!!!! Look for the book DIAMONDS IN THE SURF by Bob Trevillian...<br><br>Works at any "beach" where people swim, whether saltwater like Daytona Beach where I did this or even freshwater lake beaches that are popular swimming spots.<br><br>I understand he passed away at an early age...I never found out why...if anyone knows please pass that along to me....he was a good guy, varsity football and founded a whole genre of treasure hunting using specialized equipment...quite simple actually. His books can usually be found on eBay...and his method WORKS!!!!!<br>

 

[josephusminimus]

Hi Johnny:&nbsp; I spent a lot of years prospecting and looking for a particular lost gold mine in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona.&nbsp; I wouldn't trade a minute of it, not one of the thousand canyons I climbed and unclimbed.<br /><br />But the reason I'm responding to your thread involves platinum, not gold.&nbsp; The old timers weren't looking for it, considered it a nuisance.&nbsp; The platinum consortium, later on, controlled the market for it and the general word out was there's no platinum in the US.&nbsp; Meanwhile they filed claims and began recovery from old gold mine tailings piles&nbsp;[at least] in the area north of Capitan, New Mexico.<br /><br />But today the market's opened up and at today's prices it's probably worth some prospecting for it.&nbsp; The melting temp's so high it takes a special kiln and crucible to assay for it.&nbsp; It's expensive and not many assayers will do it.<br /><br />Back when I had my personal experience with platinum, paladium, rhodium et al, a spectroscopic assay was several hundred dollars, too.<br /><br />But now you can get a microscope with a USB connector for your comp: <a href="http://www.compuvisor.com/qx5diblmicom.html">http://www.compuvisor.com/qx5diblmicom.html</a>&nbsp;for a little over $100, take a pic of your ore and&nbsp;perform your own spectroscopic analysis free.<br /><br />I can tell you as an unmitigated fact there's considerable platinum deposits still out there in the Continental US, and that&nbsp;today it's possible to market it.<br /><br /><h2 class="entry-title"><a title="Permalink to A Matter of Curiosity,&nbsp;Mostly" href="http://sofarfromheaven.com/2012/06/11/a-matter-of-curiosity-mostly/" rel="bookmark">A Matter of Curiosity,&nbsp;Mostly</a></h2><h2 class="entry-title"><a title="Permalink to The Undone, the Undead and the&nbsp;Unexpected" href="http://sofarfromheaven.com/2012/06/03/the-undone-the-undead-and-the-unexpected/" rel="bookmark">The Undone, the Undead and the&nbsp;Unexpected</a></h2>