New Prospector, getting skunked!

[rcb187]

New to prospecting. Have been metal detecting cracks in bedrock, cant seem to get a single hit of gold. I even dig some of the cracks that dont make sound. I have been going out on the 120 in tulomne county, California. Multiple days I took cherry lake road to a few streams, and rivers. I went to cherry creek, and clavey river. skunk town, usa. There are gold mines in the area, so either I'm not looking in the right cracks or gold doesnt exist. lol any locals to the area , any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[RichieRich]

What machine are you swinging?

 

[N-Lionberger]

Try looking for concentrations of iron with your detector, gold is going to hang up in the same areas as iron trash like old nails and other hardware. Careful in that area a lot of the ground is under claim.

 

[arizau]

New to prospecting. Have been metal detecting cracks in bedrock, cant seem to get a single hit of gold. I even dig some of the cracks that dont make sound. I have been going out on the 120 in tulomne county, California. Multiple days I took cherry lake road to a few streams, and rivers. I went to cherry creek, and clavey river. skunk town, usa. There are gold mines in the area, so either I'm not looking in the right cracks or gold doesnt exist. lol any locals to the area , any tips would be greatly appreciated.

N-Lionberger warned you about gold claims in the area you are searching. This site will show you the area where they are. Welcome to Land Matters.

 

[mytimetoshine]

Spend 20 bucks on a gold pan and start getting gold. MD for gold is difficult at best. No matter what machine u have its an art and requires a high degree of skill. Not trying to discourage but the easiest,cheapest and fastest way to get gold is a pan.

 

[Golden_Crab]

Spend 20 bucks on a gold pan and start getting gold. MD for gold is difficult at best. No matter what machine u have its an art and requires a high degree of skill. Not trying to discourage but the easiest,cheapest and fastest way to get gold is a pan.

This.

Find small gold with a pan till it gets bigger, break out the detector when you get to the bigger stuff & bedrock. Success starts with geological reports telling you exactly where and within what the gold in an area has been found. Everything after that is just diligent persistence.

 

[Goldwasher]

Yep start with a pan . There is gold in your area.

Pretty much everywhere that you can drive to where the creek meets or is close to a road is gonna be claimed be careful.

It takes a long time to get good at detecting for gold. Even then you won't find it without the right detector and spots with relatively shallow detectable gold.

Learn to find it with a pan first.

 

[dave wiseman]

If you know any property owners in the twain hart or groveland area try there.Groveland had lots of hardrock mines.

 

[gold tramp]

Swing that bleeper. You get it over gold it will let ya know.
Maybe a gold coin!
Thing about medal detecting we gots the easy stuff when the goldbug was made.
Now you gotta just be honest with self cover much ground.


Bleep on good luck
Gt.

 

[RTR]

Just keep at it.IF it was easy,we all would be rich

 

[1637]

are you finding any metal,? brad

 

[goldenmojo]

New to prospecting. Have been metal detecting cracks in bedrock, cant seem to get a single hit of gold. I even dig some of the cracks that dont make sound. I have been going out on the 120 in tulomne county, California. Multiple days I took cherry lake road to a few streams, and rivers. I went to cherry creek, and clavey river. skunk town, usa. There are gold mines in the area, so either I'm not looking in the right cracks or gold doesnt exist. lol any locals to the area , any tips would be greatly appreciated.

The motherlode is full of gold. I had to estimate how much gold was left in the Motherlode for a college course final and from the best info I could assemble I got $197,904,000,000 give or take a few million for the 11 mile section from Plymouth to Jackson only at the current spot price of $1304 today. Randomly waving your machine around and hoping is one way to go. The other is study the geology of the formation of gold, California plate tectonics, gold dispersion patterns from its original source, California mining history, local history, how to specifically detect for gold and mastering how to work a pan. Be sure that you are not detcting someone's claim, they really don't like it. Good Luck and stay safe. Your first place to start is

Welcome to Land Matters

Additional Tuolumne reading

https://archive.org/details/historyoftuolumn00lang

https://archive.org/stream/tuolcou00sono/tuolcou00sono_djvu.txt

https://books.google.com/books?id=g...bAhUQr1kKHR68CIYQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[rcb187]

I have the Garett AT MAX. someone told me to try a different smaller coil. I do have a pan, when I dig the cracks I add the material to the pan, take it to the river and pan it out. I Always seem to find lots of black sand. I recently have permission on an old claim from the 1940s. It is quartz vein bearing gold. The claim has been inactive for years. There is a big tailings pile and I'm going to take a sample.

I see some claims listed for sale on craigslist for a couple thousand. I can't see the claim being sold if it has decent amount of gold? or maybe its just too much work for that person?

I appreciate all the responses guys.

 

[Goldwasher]

at maxx is not a very good hoice for small gold

 

[Terry Soloman]

NEVER buy a gold claim as a greenhorn - EVER!

You need to join a club that has claims and learn. You are hitting places that have been POUNDED for a century.

 

[RichieRich]

Great machine however perhaps not the best choice for gold. If you are hunting just for gold you may want to look at a different machine. When I am up looking for nuggets I use the AT Gold, the predecessor to yours, however I accept it is not the best choice for what I am doing.

 

[bug]

Stay away from those $2000 dollar claims. Any good ground is worth far more. These penny stock claims are usually being sold by career claim flippers that prey on individuals getting started in prospecting and mining. If you can get onto some of the small creeks or low pressure hydraulic ground sluice type areas, you should start finding gold. They are the easiest places to begin with. Look for that shallow bedrock. Vugs and small cracks are good places to swing over. Tailing piles too, if you work it systematically digging layer by layer. I know guys stripping overburden 5 feet deep chasing bedrock,
but it pays... sometimes. Successful prospecting is hard work no doubt.

 

[Goldwasher]

Stay away from those $2000 dollar claims. Any good ground is worth far more. These penny stock claims are usually being sold by career claim flippers that prey on individuals getting started in prospecting and mining. If you can get onto some of the small creeks or low pressure hydraulic ground sluice type areas, you should start finding gold. They are the easiest places to begin with. Look for that shallow bedrock. Vugs and small cracks are good places to swing over. Tailing piles too, if you work it systematically digging layer by layer. I know guys stripping overburden 5 feet deep chasing bedrock,
but it pays... sometimes. Successful prospecting is hard work no doubt.

Yep pick and shovel will get you detectable gold that coils can't hit. Just sayin'

You do want to hunt with a machine that will pick up gold without having to rub it right on the coil...


And I don't mean in comparison to keeping a GB2 on the ground...I mean like rubbing a damned gold ring on a bounty hunter...and wondering if you turned it on

 

[Tanneyhill]

The motherlode is full of gold. I had to estimate how much gold was left in the Motherlode for a college course final and from the best info I could assemble I got $197,904,000,000 give or take a few million for the 11 mile section from Plymouth to Jackson only at the current spot price of $1304 today. Randomly waving your machine around and hoping is one way to go. The other is study the geology of the formation of gold, California plate tectonics, gold dispersion patterns from its original source, California mining history, local history, how to specifically detect for gold and mastering how to work a pan. Be sure that you are not detcting someone's claim, they really don't like it. Good Luck and stay safe. Your first place to start is

Welcome to Land Matters

Additional Tuolumne reading

https://archive.org/details/historyoftuolumn00lang

https://archive.org/stream/tuolcou00sono/tuolcou00sono_djvu.txt

https://books.google.com/books?id=g...bAhUQr1kKHR68CIYQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Most of the Plymouth to Jackson section in the foothills is private land. Anyone have any experience asking for permission to prospect in this section of the foothills? Are people receptive of this type of activity on their properties? Appreciate the guidance. ty.

 

[southfork]

Most of the Plymouth to Jackson section in the foothills is private land. Anyone have any experience asking for permission to prospect in this section of the foothills? Are people receptive of this type of activity on their properties? Appreciate the guidance. ty.

Join a club to get started they already have claims and permission.