Allen, I began to hunt for the "elusive yellow metal" with the aid of a detector back in 1983. Before my first hunt I read everything then in print on the subject (which wasn't much) practiced until I knew my machine well, then, happily, on my first outing (Nevada) I nailed piece of "highgrade" in the first hour. On the third day of my second outing (Mojave Desert) I got my first solid, all gold nugget. Since that time it has gotten easier, due to increased skill, and better machines. According to my log book, dating back to that first hunt, over the years, with several different machines, in several states, I have averaged, per 40 hours detecting, 77 huggets weighing a total of 1.1 troy ounces. Not enough to get rich, but to get paid that well for having fun is "OK" by me. By the way, if you want to read about some of my detecting adventures, look up the archived articles at "www.goldhunter.com." Happy Nugget Shooting!