BornOnFire
Jr. Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2011
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 16
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Sahuarita, Arizona
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher Gold Bug II DP; Bounty Hunter TK4-PL Tracker IV
- Primary Interest:
- Other
I started this hobby about 9 months ago with a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. The tracker is a great little machine but I was ready to get serious about my new hobby because it was fascinating to me to research all of the historical information about prospecting and where the good stuff just may be hiding out there. Since the BH, I've upgraded to a GB DP, and after a few months, I still never really had a chance to go out and use it proper.
So, today. I had a free day and decided to pack up and head out. Unfortunately, the packing and the heading out bit took a lot longer than I had anticipated. So, by the time I reached my spots, I only had 1-1/2 hours to work. Upon arrival, it dawned on me that I had a new detector- which I have never used- and that I may need a serious learning curve to complete before I even thought of finding anything. Fortunately, I RTFMed and successfully performed a few tests with the change in my pocket and an old rusty piece of wire I found stuck to an abandoned fence post.
I followed the directions like a good boy and managed to figure out how to get a good ground balance. Now I had an hour left, so off I went along the path to the unknown. I sifted through a lot of shell casings and lead bullets but never gave up the chase. Found some clumps of melted aluminum and pocketed them for good measure. Then I started finding these odd flat and rough pieces of metal. The detector screamed at them with low numbers so I pocketed them too. I was a bit suspicious that they were melted down alum bits but kept going and continued digging targets. After 45 minutes I had a strange feeling I was being watched. It was the strangest feeling....mountain lion? Sure enough, I came upon a kill site a few meters away. A small elk chewed to the bone and half covered. That's when I decided it was time to head back. On the drive home, I was more concerned about the strange feeling of being watched than with what was in my pockets. Arriving at home, I dumped my pockets and had to run out with the family to an X-Mas event. It wasn't until we returned that I got a chance to get a good look at what I dug up. under the lights and a loupe, I finally discovered that I may have found something special. These thin pieces of metal were not aluminum. They had tell tale signs of native silver!! Out came the files and a quick polish confirmed that my 45 minutes of work was time well spent. I can't believe how lucky that was. Three separate pieces of native silver for a first timer in such a short amount of time? One thing for sure? You can bet that I will return to this spot and there aint' no mountain lion in the world that will stop me!!
Enjoy the pics!
So, today. I had a free day and decided to pack up and head out. Unfortunately, the packing and the heading out bit took a lot longer than I had anticipated. So, by the time I reached my spots, I only had 1-1/2 hours to work. Upon arrival, it dawned on me that I had a new detector- which I have never used- and that I may need a serious learning curve to complete before I even thought of finding anything. Fortunately, I RTFMed and successfully performed a few tests with the change in my pocket and an old rusty piece of wire I found stuck to an abandoned fence post.
I followed the directions like a good boy and managed to figure out how to get a good ground balance. Now I had an hour left, so off I went along the path to the unknown. I sifted through a lot of shell casings and lead bullets but never gave up the chase. Found some clumps of melted aluminum and pocketed them for good measure. Then I started finding these odd flat and rough pieces of metal. The detector screamed at them with low numbers so I pocketed them too. I was a bit suspicious that they were melted down alum bits but kept going and continued digging targets. After 45 minutes I had a strange feeling I was being watched. It was the strangest feeling....mountain lion? Sure enough, I came upon a kill site a few meters away. A small elk chewed to the bone and half covered. That's when I decided it was time to head back. On the drive home, I was more concerned about the strange feeling of being watched than with what was in my pockets. Arriving at home, I dumped my pockets and had to run out with the family to an X-Mas event. It wasn't until we returned that I got a chance to get a good look at what I dug up. under the lights and a loupe, I finally discovered that I may have found something special. These thin pieces of metal were not aluminum. They had tell tale signs of native silver!! Out came the files and a quick polish confirmed that my 45 minutes of work was time well spent. I can't believe how lucky that was. Three separate pieces of native silver for a first timer in such a short amount of time? One thing for sure? You can bet that I will return to this spot and there aint' no mountain lion in the world that will stop me!!
Enjoy the pics!
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