Hobby? Ask yourself this question.

[mxer47]

Many of you are aware of the tactics of the green movement (govt. agency's included) to define us as hobbyist or recreational gold prospectors, some are not aware.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time prospecting in the sierras and continually look forward to each trip out. When I find a deposit of gold I try different techniques and equipment configurations to maximize my profit with the hope of freedom. This freedom I hope for is the ability to work the ground for enough money to live without having to rely upon anyone else for a period of a time, or ever. Some of you have done this already and I am envious. Some are just starting and I wish you all the luck. But if you call yourself a hobbyist or consider this a recreation ask yourself this question, if during your next trip you found a deposit you could replace your income with would you quit your job stake a clam, and start mining? If so you are a prospector period. If not for the sake of people like me who hope for freedom please refrain from using the terms hobby or recreation. Thank you.

 

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[austin]

Partner, try doing this every day of the week just for a year or so. Gets harsh, hot, freezing, miserable, punishing. As a hobby it's great. Maybe some good extra income. But sitting down with the family for a nice dinner every night after coming home from a guaranteed paycheck job can't be beat...

 

[AzViper]

Partner, try doing this every day of the week just for a year or so. Gets harsh, hot, freezing, miserable, punishing. As a hobby it's great. Maybe some good extra income. But sitting down with the family for a nice dinner every night after coming home from a guaranteed paycheck job can't be beat...

Keep calling it a hobby and you will not have any land to go out and get punished, be miserable, get cold, get hot, etc. The anti's will use this type of wording to prove their point to close the lands that belong to all of us. What part do you not understand?

 

[midnightmoon]

I have never understood why some choose to call this activity a "hobby".

I have been a lifelong treasure seeker; although I bought my first md just 7 years ago. That year I read several of Garrett's books -- and did not like the repeated statements of treasure hunting being a "hobby". It sounded dumb and dorky to me.

No one calls golfing a *golf hobby*.

No one calls card playing a *poker hobby*.

No one calls shooting fresh game their *hunting hobby*.

Going to the gym? This is not called an *exercise hobby*.

The word "hobby" just does not always have good connotations.

More importantly, it has proven to have serious consequences for miners, prospectors, and treasure hunters.

"Hobby" ... is a bad word for us.

 

[goldhog]

I'll REALLY over simplify it........
This has to do in large part with "claims", BLM land, public lands, etc.
The reason why many ask to refrain from using the term hobby or recreation, is do to the past, current, and future court battles.
In a "nutshell" the courts have to this point said "If it's a "hobby" then no "damages" are are stake.
Therefore when a bunch of "hobbyist" show up in court saying you're killing our "living", they get a strange look.
Make sense?

 

[panningjack]

When you are looking for a deposit you are prospecting. When you find a deposit and start extracting the gold from the ground you are a Miner. As a miner you have certain rights and are protected under the mining acts of 1872 and 1860.
Be honest, every time any of us go out we are looking to make money. It's not like fishing, we aren't going to through our gold back in the stream to get bigger. We're out there to make money doing what we love to do. Just like any other person that loves their job.
Please don't ever say you're a "recreational" or "just prospecting". You are always mining.

 

[ssdevilfish]

When I hit that lode of gold I'll tell my wife that I don't have a hobby anymore. That my friend is more dangerous than any court order. Lol. Until then I'm just getting out of the house on weekends. Leave the big mining talk to big miners or join in with them. I trust our system I'll watch this one play out.

 

[Kruzman]

This is also partly a west coast vs east coast issue I think. around here on the east coast, I can pan, sluice, dredge in navigable waterways in the states near me under the auspices of recreation which is explicitly covered in state law. "Mining" on the other hand is a whole different legal battle with no favorable outcome on the horizon.

 

[AzViper]

When I hit that lode of gold I'll tell my wife that I don't have a hobby anymore. That my friend is more dangerous than any court order. Lol. Until then I'm just getting out of the house on weekends. Leave the big mining talk to big miners or join in with them. I trust our system I'll watch this one play out.

Yet another that's so naïve, one has to wonder what's on your agenda …

This is also partly a west coast vs east coast issue I think. around here on the east coast, I can pan, sluice, dredge in navigable waterways in the states near me under the auspices of recreation which is explicitly covered in state law. "Mining" on the other hand is a whole different legal battle with no favorable outcome on the horizon.

Wow.... You feel that your safe living on the east coast that your mining rights are protected? Wake up and come down from the clouds your floating on... LOL

 

[Kruzman]

AzViper, I think you missed my point. If I claimed to be Mining and not just enjoying a recreational activity on the public waterway, I would be legally required to stop, and apply for a mining permit which would be tied up for years and eventual turned down.

 

[ssdevilfish]

My agenda is to enjoy this great nation and peaceably go about life. Yes it stinks that California restricts dredging and that some counties and towns have banned prospecting across the USA. The world is getting crowded and good land hard to come by. It's inevitable that some day prospecting for small amounts of minerals will be near impossible. I do agree that the fed should not adjust or refine the ability for us to go on fed owned mineral sites and prospect away. But in the long run all of us want a more sustainable country in the far off future. Let's face it most of us go out to local creeks and get dirty and wet and cold chasing a mineral none of us actually need. We do it because we can and because it's fun and yes it's great to find treasures and minerals but most of us will keep waking up and going to work and using the educations we all paid so much for. If one chooses to make a living off of prospecting then go big and buy claims and do it right.

 

[Hoser John]

Look again SD as oregon and idaho gettn' hit hard with insane regs also as the dominos fall into place as NOT just insipid kalif anymore ,as the anti mining cancer from the klamath spreads it's tenacious tentacles yet ever outward into the very fabric of the american psyche as bad Bad BAD-John

 

[goldenIrishman]

First off... No one should EVER call this a "Hobby"!!! In my book a "Hobby" is something you do to relax. How many of you have come back from working out in the field and actually looked forward to going back to your job so you could relax and recover from prospecting? This isn't a hobby!!! IT'S WORK!!! Those of us that wish to do this for a living are taking on one of the hardest jobs that this country has to offer. Our country NEEDS these metals to survive and compete in the global economy. They're needed for tech items, and scientific advancement of the human species as a whole.

The greenies/eco-nazis want to shut us down and yet they fail to realize that without mining, they don't have materials to build their "perfect world". They say that miners destroy the environment when in fact we improve it in many ways. Dredging improves fish spawning areas in many ways. Placer mining loosens up impacted soils allowing plants to grow better and faster etc etc etc. They seem to forget that the days of the forty-niners are long gone and we no longer wash away entire mountains. Responsible miners recover the land that they've mined and would never accept leaving it a barren wasteland as was done in the past. Modern mining practices are as eco friendly as can be. They are however very labor intensive which to me is not something that I'd call a hobby.

 

[rocme44]

In N. Cal, Trinity County, the National Forest Service hired a bunch of geologist (1980's) to prove that there was no longer any land in the NF where there is enough gold to make a profitable living, therefor no new claim could be patented.
Don't think the fight is a new one.
I'm retired and prospect as a hobby, I've never sold any gold. I'll keep it till the **** hits the fan and the dollar is worthless.
The NF was set up to provide recreational land for the public use. That is why the outcry over cattle, logging, mining on federal land began. In the end it does not matter. Calling your self anything will make no difference. The fight is not about mining, it's about the government controlling every aspect of our lives. It's one thing to mine on public land and another to make a profit from it. The outcry because a company uses public land for profit is a tough one to fight.
But fight we must! Pick any reason you want but stick together. Don't let them divide us to win.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

If you don't want a mod to step in please follow TN rules. No insults.






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We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

My agenda is to enjoy this great nation and peaceably go about life. Yes it stinks that California restricts dredging and that some counties and towns have banned prospecting across the USA. The world is getting crowded and good land hard to come by. It's inevitable that some day prospecting for small amounts of minerals will be near impossible. I do agree that the fed should not adjust or refine the ability for us to go on fed owned mineral sites and prospect away. But in the long run all of us want a more sustainable country in the far off future. Let's face it most of us go out to local creeks and get dirty and wet and cold chasing a mineral none of us actually need. We do it because we can and because it's fun and yes it's great to find treasures and minerals but most of us will keep waking up and going to work and using the educations we all paid so much for. If one chooses to make a living off of prospecting then go big and buy claims and do it right.

If you want to go out to the public panning sections and work on your gold collection that is great but some of us are really trying to make some money and this is not a hobby.

 

[Fullpan]

Its all about perception, majority rule, and money. Everyone knows that fisherman harm fish, hunters harm animals, recreational boaters harm the water, autos pollute, airlines pollute, hiking/biking trails impact negatively the natural environment. What judge in the country, at the present time, would uphold a ban on any of these things, saying "its just recreational" "no irreparable harm"? Zero.

 

[mxer47]

ssdevelfish going big has been the downfall of many. As they haven't spent the time to learn on a small scale how to be profitable. Small scale miners and prospectors are the ones under attack. The large ore trucks are running and will keep on running because of the constant flow of money to the powers that be. And I'm not dogging anyone who wants to sleep in there own bed and receive a steady paycheck. We're not asking anyone to think any differently about what you do just don't use the terms hobby and recreation. They will be used as weapons against us ALL.
After all this has been said I'm heading out to prospect.

 

[benny]

Partner, try doing this every day of the week just for a year or so. Gets harsh, hot, freezing, miserable, punishing. As a hobby it's great. Maybe some good extra income. But sitting down with the family for a nice dinner every night after coming home from a guaranteed paycheck job can't be beat...

Hi Austin. I don't think that that's the point. You could also partner up, or hire others to do the work if the discovery was worthwhile. The point is, would you continue to just do a bit of panning on the weekends, or look into full scale production? Would you ignore a significant amount of $$$ coming in for a weekend of fun that could be done at other locations?

 

[fowledup]

Matters not if you sell it now or in a hundred years, or how much you can make doing so. The heart of the matter is that you can generate income. It be hooves everyone to understand this as it's our last and biggest weapon to fight back with. The laws of old offer no protection for hobbies or recreation. They protect the opportunity and ability to earn an income and therefore earn a living. We live in a world based on legal speak and technicality so please in the best interest of the entire industry refer to it as "mining" period, that is all of our protection. If you want to call it a hobby please do so at home where it won't effect the efforts of others.

I don't know why, I can't wrap my head around this! Anyone east of Kalifornastan has been given a crystal ball if you will and yet the heads are still firmly anchored deep in the sand. FOLKS- what happens on the west coast spreads to the east coast, it is as certain as the laws of gravity! They are moving at a break neck speed taking our rights and freedoms. Predictions I posted 6-8 months ago about things I thought would happen in years are happening now.