Does anyone put in more than 24 hrs a month mining/prospecting?

[desert-rat]

I typically put in 10-20 hours a week prospecting or working small coyote holes for the small amounts of gold I get in my area. I was wondering how much time the average “joe” puts in working. I enjoy it to no end. I love to learn and this is just a giant puzzle to me. I’ve found more places than I can count that most people would claim but I’m looking for something I can put 30 hours a week into and get a respectable amount of money out of. Does anyone else do the same?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[rockbar]

I'm gonna bet that the time people put into prospecting is all over the map... age, health, locality, level of interest, freedom, etc. It sounds like you are passionate about it and that will lead to success.

Over time, I became less interested in true prospecting than working a known deposit. So, that meant camping onsite and working 8-10 hour days working that deposit with the expectation that it will be worth the time and effort. I sometimes did this for weeks on end. The downside is that the work was too demanding on the body and eventually caused tendonitis in the elbows. So now, I have to take a looooooong break from mining to let things heal and then get back after it when the time is right.
Truth be told, my length of work day will probably start to shorten more and more. Evolution of a passion.
I'll send you a PM to see if you're interested in a project.

 

[dave wiseman]

I use to do hardrock quartz sampling and prospecting for 30 years.Basically used hand tools and long hand steels with a single jack in lieu of pick work.Drifting picks are not suitable for coyote holes.Mostly put in twenty to thirty hours a week as it was a walk in/walk out area and carrying up to thirty pounds of samples for all those years takes it toll.I'm in California,not Arizona.After you've found your quartz gold pockets and quartz gold species,it's more about the adventure than the gold......(and every rock one breaks by day becomes one's heart by night)..from The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Depends on a lot of things, season among other. But on a yearly average, I'd say I put in about 10 hours per month in "boots on the ground" prospecting.
During high season, it can be a lot more.

Another 10 hours go for interpreting, researching and assaying everything of interest. Also archiving, making maps, etc.

 

[bc5391]

depends on the time of the year, summers perhaps 8 - 10 hours a month, spring and fall , winter closer to 25 -30, usually camping nearby. with another goo 20 hours on google earth and topo maps. retirement allows a lot of free time.