losing the skunk

[beekbuster]

last few trips have been nearly fruitless. been trying to find some new territory. ended up going back to the location of my very first nugget, and was able to scrape up one that i missed. 1.5 gram and a .2 gram along side of it. tried to determine the direction of the seam, but not sure? its going to take some serious manzanita muscle.

 

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[beekbuster]

dont mind the redundancy of photos

 

[Lanny in AB]

Congratulations on finding the gold! And, thanks for the pictures.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

One of my best lessons I learned early on is that each and every piece of gold you find is a clue. Others ahead of you may have carelessly picked up a few pieces of gold and walked off to the next draw. Glean everything you can from each piece and give it some thought for a few days. It can lead to some serious finds and increase your understanding as to how gold ended up where you found it. Even learning how it moved just a couple feet is valuable and might help you figure out where it came from.

 

[beekbuster]

by the looks of it, it hasnt moved an inch, same with the all the gold i found at this spot. both sides are prickly, not smoothed in the slightest. i think it is the fringe of a seam that was the old timers worked. the diggings move up the hill, but it is super thick. luckily a lot of the manzanita is dead. makes clearing a lot easier. the diggings stop where a series of outcroppings intersect the area

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I’m sure you are aware of Ray’s findings as far as projecting the bearing of the seam ahead...GPS that puppy and get it entered into Google Earth.

 

[beekbuster]

yes i am always trying to learn more each trip out. i go back to places with a better education and notice many things i missed before. take for example this nugget. i saw that the diggings stopped on the hill at the dikes, and only in the creek after that. this place has been cleaned by every detectorist before me, including ray. i just happend to find 3 in a 6 sf area. one nice one directly under a manzanita root, one small bit in the same hole, and one small bit floating on top a couple feet away. i knew there was a good chance to find more if i cleared some brush, and behold this fine little piece.

 

[Hoser John]

Your great gold is a perfect example of why I call Cal Gold the Manzanita Mangler as a HUGE % of his finds are found by removing that underbrush from the manzanita. Cool gnarly find-John

 

[beekbuster]

oh yes, today i was a brush clearing fool. but it payed off big time!!!

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Way to follow the clues!
Sounds like you have found a good spot to investigate for a few weeks.

I would also suggest looking for a parallel vein on either side of the the one you found.
Many times they run about 300' apart.

I would GPS any areas you see where the brush has been cut or ground scoured.
This would indicate that someone found several pieces of gold in that vicinity and they most likely didn't "connect the dots".
You can use this information to help investigate isolated pieces of gold that you find.

 

[beekbuster]

this last week has been quite an enlightenment. i am becoming one with the dirt

 

[beekbuster]

One of my best lessons I learned early on is that each and every piece of gold you find is a clue. Others ahead of you may have carelessly picked up a few pieces of gold and walked off to the next draw. Glean everything you can from each piece and give it some thought for a few days. It can lead to some serious finds and increase your understanding as to how gold ended up where you found it. Even learning how it moved just a couple feet is valuable and might help you figure out where it came from.

man did you nail it!!! like youre a real fortune teller

 

[TerryC]

Way to follow the clues!
Sounds like you have found a good spot to investigate for a few weeks.

I would also suggest looking for a parallel vein on either side of the the one you found.
Many times they run about 300' apart.

I would GPS any areas you see where the brush has been cut or ground scoured.
This would indicate that someone found several pieces of gold in that vicinity and they most likely didn't "connect the dots".
You can use this information to help investigate isolated pieces of gold that you find.

There is another factor to consider. Just because someone already "hit" the area, does not mean no more gold. Many people just are not good at this sport. The heavy activity may have been by an inexperienced person, missing much of the gold. ALL areas need to be explored. ╦╦Ç

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

There is another factor to consider. Just because someone already "hit" the area, does not mean no more gold. Many people just are not good at this sport. The heavy activity may have been by an inexperienced person, missing much of the gold. ALL areas need to be explored. ╦╦Ç

Oh my radar gets turned up when I see some heavy scuffle marks. I have found some nice gold in the dirt left below other people’s holes. Big gold that you would think nobody could miss.
I get real excited when I find a patch with 20 year old cut brush. Your right on.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

man did you nail it!!! like youre a real fortune teller

Glad to hear it.
I’m finally going to get a couple hours tomorrow to hunt up some gold. I’m feeling 108 grains or more. Update you tomorrow and we will see if I really can read fortunes....

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Well I was off 10 grains. 118 grains.
So much for being able to read fortunes.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I guess it’s ok to post up pics of gold here since it’s a “losing the skunk” thread.
First gold in a month but only from lack of effort. Unfortunately much more difficult to figure out than BeekBuster’s gold.

 

[beekbuster]

I guess it’s ok to post up pics of gold here since it’s a “losing the skunk” thread.
First gold in a month but only from lack of effort. Unfortunately much more difficult to figure out than BeekBuster’s gold.
View attachment 1549065

thats impressive. being able to find that kind of gold consistently. im thrilled if i get more than 15.4323 grains.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Three men, three hours...it quickly becomes less impressive.
And that’s not all the effort.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I usually thrilled if I come back with a worn shovel or some old punch plate.
A nugget or specimen all the better, but satisfaction doesn’t hinge on that.