Desert Prospecting top 5 piece of advice

[Goldfleks]

Hi Guys~

I'm moving to Nevada soon and away from the rivers of California. What are your top 5 must-have pieces of advice for the novice desert prospector?

I'm thinking that for this adventure I should consider joining a gold club to help introduce me to this new terrain.

Tips of the trade??!?

 

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[Hard Prospector]

Joining the local clubs is biggest step here to learning areas and desert mining techniques. Start off by attending meetings and getting the feel of things. The key here is to NOT be pushy, overly friendly or assertive.

 

[rodoconnor]

Educate yourself on desert survival. Everything from TOO MUCH water,dust masks, flash floods, so on. Those dangers are real. Good luck

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Top 3
1) Get a Dry Washer
2) wear a good dust mask
3) Have some Advil ready for the next morning you will be sore

 

[goldenIrishman]

Have a good detector Wet season tool

Have a good dry washer Dry season tool

Have a good re-circ sluice system When you hit a great deposit and want to get it all!

Have a good pan for dry sampling and learn how to dry pan.

Pay attention to the weather! Flash floods can start miles away from where you're prospecting and the last thing you hear is that freight train bearing down on you.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Check your PMs

 

[utah mason]

Hi Guys~

I'm moving to Nevada soon and away from the rivers of California. What are your top 5 must-have pieces of advice for the novice desert prospector?

I'm thinking that for this adventure I should consider joining a gold club to help introduce me to this new terrain.

Tips of the trade??!?

What part of NV are you moving to?

 

[Goldfleks]

Las Vegas

 

[Terry Soloman]

Look Up Gold Basin, AZ.

 

[arizau]

Look Up Gold Basin, AZ.

One shortcut for the OP. https://www.google.com/webhp?source...1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=gold+basin+az+prospecting

 

[Mad Machinist]

Lets see.

A solid four wheel drive helps but is not absolutely necessary. If it is lifted with bigger tires that helps too.

Carry entirely too much water. If you think it is too much, add some more. Dehydration is actually more common in the wintervas the air is dry and you're typically not sweating so little attention is paid to it. The dry air will pull the water right out of you.

GPS is good too. Lets you mark the good spots and where your vehicle is in case your not paying attention to where you are at while chasing desert gold.

Keep basic survival supplies in your vehicle. Things like a few days of food, plenty of water, a well stocked first aid kit, a sleeping bag and a tent would be a good idea too. Never know what could happen and those things can keep you alive until someone can get to you.

A walking stick is a good idea too. Use its to bang around under brush. Contrary to popular belief, rattlesnakes don't always rattle before striking.

Gloves are a good idea too. Lots of creepy crawlies in the desert that like to bite. One bark scorpion sting and you'll never forget. Their not deadly, just extremely painful or so I'm told. They don't bother me, guess I'm immune.

Start your trips short until you acclimate to the heat. Once acclimated, the heat won't bother you. I'm out year round even in the summer and we get just as hot as Phoenix.

And ALWAYS keep one eye on the weather. One thing about desert weather is if you don't like it, wait a few minutes and it will change. Monsoons can blow up out of nowhere. And you don't want caught in a wash when they do. They may literally never find your body as it could be buried under tons of sediment.

And above all, let someone know the area where you are going and about when you'll be back. This way Search and Rescue can get to you quickly if something happens and your not back the morning after your expected. The desert is a mean mistress that is very unforgiving to the unprepared.

Other than those things, desert prospecting isn't really that bad. Dry panning isn't that hard to learn. Its kinda like wet panning but you have to remove the top layer with your hands instead of water.

 

[Goldfleks]

The 4 Wheeler I can understand. I got my BMW stuck on a small dune one day during a huge traffic stop on the 15 where a semi was overturned across the entire 15 and traffic was backed for hours. The more adventurous decided to 4wheel it across to the road that parallels the 15. Thankfully we were not alone and hundreds of cars were around and a bunch of guys jumped out of their cars and trucks to push my car off the gravel pile/wash whatever it was and back onto the worn path that the majority of cars were following.

All I could do was laugh about how I was going to have to call AAA. Could of been much worse if I had been driving alone. Defeneteley going to join a club if I end up moving next month. Safety in numbers.

 

[Bejay]

Having been a Northwest placer miner where there is LOTS of water and then later going to the desert terrain to mine was a huge challenge. And I have a geology back ground from a major university. Intermittent water flow creates a uniquely different placer deposit. It took many years of realizing that desert gold is not always deposited at the very bottom of things/washes. Digging till there is a BOTTOM is not the norm. Most often the gold can be layered in at different levels. With extreme water flow gold can get to the bottom and we see pay streaks. In the dry desert climate we see pay layers prevail most often. This was a big learning curve.....as digging down till the end of time does not guaranty success.

A hard habit to overcome when you are seeking the gold....as one never really believes it might not be at the bottom!

Bejay

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Read what Mad Machinist wrote a few times.

I prospect/mine to the northwest of Phoenix a ways. In the summer if you screw up in the desert, it will at worst kill you. Or you could get incredibly lucky and only cook off a few billion brain cells so when you recover from the heat stroke, you'll have the IQ of a turnip.

I carry two cases of water. One in my truck, one on my ATV. That's the emergency back up that's never touched. On top of that I carry my ice chest with all my sports drinks and food. The ice acts as a tertiary source of hydration.

I bought this as my base first aid kit, and added another 20-30 items to it including a lot of clotting sponges and Israeli bandages. If you take a wrong turn on your way out, the Search and Rescue team might be 15 miles the wrong direction. Prepare as if help is NEVER coming.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H2EODW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I carry:

two sets of rope
two 100' lengths of 550 cord
machete
socket set wrenches, pipe clamps, screw drivers,
two or more tarps plus 16 tarp clamps
an emergency bivy for one person and another for two people
4 - count 'em four high-end flashlights (over $500 invested in them and their battery systems) and a cell phone light isn't one of them. Olight H35 headlamp, Thrunite TH-10 headlamp, Klarus light that I can't think of the model, and a Niwalker Nova MM18-II, with two full sets of GOOD 18650 batteries for each, except the H35.
4 different ways to start fire in my backpack plus four more in my ATV
knee pads
bandana
Cowboy hat styled hard hat, I don't like my ears to burn
extra clothes in the ATV
rain gear, and not that little cheap pack you buy at walmart for 2.99, but I do have one of those too
two knives (I need more)
two rolls of gorilla tape
fluorescent marking tape
whistle
signal mirror
a set of 8 carabiners, real climbing gear Black Diamond variety
shovel
Estwing Paleo Pick
5 pound mattock
2.5 pound hammer
4 pound hammer
four 3' long 1/2" metal stakes
Salt
Two of those coughlin's seasoning hiking packs. In case I need to eat something wild, or need emergency source of electrolytes
three types of tinder for fire starting
I have no idea how many 14" zip ties, not the cheap white ones either. Get the black ones at Home Depot/Lowes/Menards
8 small ratchet straps
compass, x2
three sets of gloves
air compressor
fix a flat, but a different brand, Slime I think
Glock model 40 10mm with 45 hollow points in magazines, plus a box of FMJ's in the ATV
Tow strap
Buckets
bungee cords
Cold packs. I carry a (24) case of the regular kind and the kind you can make into tannerite.
Toilet paper
Immodium AD, a fight with the mud butt will dehydrate you fast as hell
food, including really salty snacks to replace the salt you're losing. Try a hike in the early summer, and come home to take a shower. The water coming off your head will taste like you're taking a saltwater bath
sunscreen, two cans- 1 in the backpack, another in the ATV
lip balm. So if no one finds you, you can properly kiss your ass goodbye with soft lips.
And a lot of stuff I can't think of off the top of my head.

Now what in that list do I consider expendable? Not a ****ing thing. It is all critical gear. People have been dying in the desert for centuries. Hell, last summer a fitness instructor died on a short hike, and her two friends had to be rescued.

There are days out there, and I shot a video of one of them last summer, where you cannot carry enough hydration for a hike more than a few hundred yards on a flat surface. Once you've been out there, you'll know what I mean.

Your eyes will physically hurt from the heat.

You'll sweat so much it'll bleach your shirt/pants.

You cannot drink water from a cactus 99/100 times. It contains oxalic acid and you'll die throwing up. So there's that.

Like MM said, watch things that aren't rattlesnakes. Scorpions and centipedes do not mess around out here.

I've killed about 12 rattlers in the past year. Some rattled, some didn't. I dug in an old mine rock dump for 15 minutes before the last one I killed started to rattle, and I was moving rocks that were physically touching it.

The edges around mine collars (shafts) are not your friend. They're like ant lion nests, waiting to collapse and kill you. I learned the hard way and fell into a very shallow 8' deep one filled with cactus. I had thirty-eight pinholes from cactus thorns in my right leg, and I landed ass first. The cactus effectively stapled my jeans to my body. I had thorns working their way out for months after that.

I had a very solid looking trail on a small hill collapse, fell about 12' and landed on a pointed boulder on my back. A backpack full of empty gatorade bottles cushioned the fall and saved me from a really nasty death, paralyzed on a rock.

Walking/hiking/treking poles are worth every penny on uneven terrain.

GOOD boots. For all that is holy in the world, spend some money and get good ones.

If you notice yourself stumbling, STOP. Get to shade. Hydrate until you have to take a leak. You're probably overheated and dehydrated. Once you start stumbling, you're a danger to yourself and anyone with you. A turned ankle out there is dangerous as a fistful of $100 bills in a strip club.

That's all I can think of this moment.

 

[Goodyguy]

Hi Guys~

I'm moving to Nevada soon and away from the rivers of California. What are your top 5 must-have pieces of advice for the novice desert prospector?

I'm thinking that for this adventure I should consider joining a gold club to help introduce me to this new terrain.

Tips of the trade??!?

(1) take plenty of water.
(2) good boots, snake chaps, hat, gloves.
(3) wear a sidearm, revolvers are more reliable in the field.
(4) make good use of morning hours before the heat, avoid midday in the summer, plan your time, be back to camp before dark.
(5) always pay close attention to surroundings, remember landmarks, don't get lost.

There is so much more like the advice in the above posts and I'm sure more to follow.
Use your common sense, stay off private property and claims and go with a trusted partner whenever possible.

Desert fever is a serious threat caused by fungus spores so wear your mask in dusty conditions. I have had it, not fun. Can be fatal to some.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, keep your head on a swivel and watch out for desert cats they sneak up from behind.

Hopefully these cautions wont cause you to be discouraged from enjoying the desert.

GG~

 

[russau]

AND all black zip ties aren't the same! UNLESS you specifically buy UV protected zip ties ($$$$) your NOT getting what you think your buying! Although the regular black zip ties are MUCH better then the colored or white ones that will dry out because of the UV light, the regular blk zip ties will also dry out and get brittle! So in any event bring lots of spares of everything! Especially cold beer!

 

[hvacker]

I would rather dry wash in the desert than wet wash in the jungle.
The only time I kinda got jammed up was when taking water in some plastic portable bags. I failed to read the instructions that said to wash with vinegar before using. The bags made the water totally undrinkable. Totally! I was in a very remote part of S Utah and had few options. Hiking out w/o water wasn't one of them. I stayed in the lowest areas I could until I found a small puddle with water seeping from a rock about 6 feet above. Good water. Unfortunately the person with me didn't have the discipline or patience to accept the trickle of water from the rock and drank directly from the puddle. She contracted an intestinal fluke that even with meds took the better part of two years to get rid of. Water filters weren't common at the time but tablets were. Problem tablets take time. When someone is being driven crazy from thirst, waiting to drink can seem impossible.
Not every danger comes from critters. Most dangers come from poor planning.

 

[bobw53]

My 2 cents...

I spent the first 27 years of my life in New England and then moved to the desert. It took me years and years to acclimate to the heat.. At first mid 90's would
kick my ass, then 98, then 100, then 102, after 10 years it started feeling HOT at about 104... Now, working in the heat constantly, it needs to be approaching
110 before I feel "hot"... If its really stagnant or extra humid, a bit less...

If you aren't used to the heat and the dryness, it can kick you in the ass really hard... Its not fun, and it doesn't feel good.

If you aren't used to the dryness, that can kick you in the ass also... You can feel fine, not sweating (you actually are, its just evaporating FAST) and then
all of a sudden, you feel like you want to DIE...

When I'm heading out, I HYDRATE!!! I put back at least one Gatorade (its got electrolytes) and a bunch of water.. If its going to be really hot and I'm thinking
ahead, I'll start the night before, even if I have to get up and pee every couple of hours. During the day, I keep tossing back the water, even when I'm not
thirsty..

I'll also sip on the Gatorade during the day... Partially for whats in it, but its also a test... If it feels thick and heavy, you need more water... If it tastes salty,
you need more gatorade and water..

Here is a pic that sort of shows how hot it gets out there in the summer... Just went out for a day of exploring, shortly before noon, jumped back in the truck,
checking my phone (maps) and I hear BOOM and then the sound of what I thought was shot gun pellets hitting the back window of my truck.. Turns out
nobody was shooting at me... It was just HOT!!!!! About 107... 3 more of those blew up before I got home.

As for actually finding gold.. When I first started playing this game I thought living in the desert sucked.... I wanted to go to a stream, dig and sluice and get gold...
As time has gone on, I'm really thankful I live in the desert...

A lot of fascinating things going on... These things that I find fascinating also happen where there is water, but it seems to me most people just concentrate on the water..
You can do that here also, go dig in the arroyo (where there was, and will be water)..

I think the book was "Follow the Dry Washers"......... Yeah it is... Fascinating, and informative... Explains a lot of the fun stuff that happens in the desert. Not cheap,
but if you dig around, you can find one.
https://www.amazon.com/Follow-Drywashers-Jim-Straight/dp/1877700053
It took a few months, but I got one for less than $30 on E-bay.. As soon as I opened it the binding broke.


Other stuff...

If your dog is light brown, they blend in to the back ground... Get 'em a FLUORESCENT vest.. The one I got, get it wet and it keeps her cool, though then again, she's used
to it just like I am, and bring her a bowl and water her frequently...

Snakes scare the hell out of me.. And they are out there... I don't know if this helps me any, but when I'm wandering, I toss rocks ahead of me to make
noise(vibrations).. Rattlers don't want a F'n thing to do with you, they will either rattle or take off.. Remember, their "RATTLE" doesn't sound like a baby's
rattle, its FAST, its more of a hiss... A year and a half ago, my Dad came out and stayed in the camper at the house... He'd pee in the bush out by
the front of the camper... One day I'm hanging with him out there and go out to pee and he says "there's a bug in that bush that hisses as me everytime
I pee"... It wasn't a bug hissing, it was a rattle....

At the shop, I have air valves that pop off every so often, and they hiss... Last fall one day seemed like I had valves popping off more than normal... It got late
and I'm sitting at my desk and one of my dogs goes running out through the storage room and I hear pfffffttt.. And I'm thinking.. There's no air over there...
Then she comes back and pfffffttttt... Sure enough... Rattler behind the frig... A few .22 shot shells and all was well again...

So, in conclusion... HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!!!!! and RESEARCH!!! Think outside the "dig in a stream" box... And a gun or 2 never hurts.. Also,
I'm not sure what kind of critters and plants are up around Vegas, but here the critters are pretty mild, our tarantulas and scorpions are barely bee sting worthy,
but the plants, EVERY single one of those *******s will poke you, stick to you and some of them hurt for a good long while..

Be careful and enjoy the desert.. The desert is a lot of fun...

 

[N-Lionberger]

I have had more than a few run ins with those guys, a .22 revolver with shotshells sounds more and more appealing.

 

[bobw53]

I have had more than a few run ins with those guys, a .22 revolver with shotshells sounds more and more appealing.

I've never shot a gun of anykind INSIDE... I didn't have ear protection, and was fearing for my ears... and it wasn't bad at all.
1st shot stunned him... 2nd I think would have done it.. 3rd did it, and #4 and 5 were for insurance... I was about 6 feet away,
maybe 8..

Out in the boonies, I bring it along "just in case".... If a rattler is "over there", he's not coming any closer, and he can do his thing
"over there" and I'll do mine "over here".. At the shop, or at the house(close proximity), and especially INSIDE... C-YA, Buh-Bye...

One of my pups got bit under my back porch a year and half ago.. I really don't want that happening again.. If I can help it. I now
make sure there is no dense brush or anything to hide under in the yard, and I clear cut out at least 15 feet from the fence.

Poor dog, that pic was less than an hour after she got bit, on the floor at the vet clinic.. Just one fang, you can see the dark spot above her
catcher's mitt. I don't think her toes could have gone any further apart. She was hurtin', She was back to her normal self in about 4 days,
but she was still tender for over a week.