New Site Member

[Drawman]

Hi All,
New member here, just wanted to introduce myself. I posted this here because all I do is Gold prospecting with pan or sluice. I used to pan and sluice about 15 years ago, but got busy with work and family. Now getting back into it, dragging grandkids along sometimes.
I'm a male, 53 years old, I live in Modesto CA
Always looking for places to pan first, sluice second. Areas I plan to frequent - Briceburg/Merced River, Stanislaus River(s), various spots along Hwy 49. I know what claim markers look like, so I will be able to stay off others claims. My hope is to have my own claim to work by the end of the year, not necessarily in the areas I mentioned before.

This seems to be a great site, with great people. Forgive me in advance for any idiotic questions, I promise to use the search feature first before asking

To those that prospect or have a claim in the Briceburg area......the attached map is what the BLM gives out, showing claims. Does this look right? I don't want to be on someone elses claim.

View attachment MercedRecMining8x14web[1].pdf

 

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[dredgeman]

Hello Drawman

First Welcome to the site.
2nd the map is accurate for the main stem. Claims also exist up Halls Gulch, Good Gulch, Saxon Creek Most of those side valleys are claimed stem to stern.
Many of us are in the central valley area also.

My claims are on your map. If you need any info or history let me know

 

[dredgeman]

Also Most claim markers disappear every year. Sometimes it is hard to find them because we hide them from people who take them and throw them in the river

 

[Aufisher]

Welcome!

 

[Drawman]

Hello Drawman

First Welcome to the site.
2nd the map is accurate for the main stem. Claims also exist up Halls Gulch, Good Gulch, Saxon Creek Most of those side valleys are claimed stem to stern.
Many of us are in the central valley area also.

My claims are on your map. If you need any info or history let me know

Thanks for the welcome!
I'll probably contact you for info as I go into that area. You say most of the gulches and creeks are claimed? What about the NF of the Merced? Sherlock Creek?
I'm guessing the main stem with easy access has been gone over many many times.

 

[B H Prospector]

Welcome Drawman. Never be afraid to ask a question in here. All the older members are ready willing and able to help in any way they can either directly or by directing you in the right direction. I to drag my grandkids along some times. What a joy it is making memorries with them.

Good Luck!

BH Prospector

 

[dredgeman]

The NF is claimed on the upper end. The lower end is not claimable anymore. It is in the wild and scenic corridor of influence. No motors or winching etc without an approved plan in place from years ago. Panning and sluicing are ok for now.

 

[Jeff95531]

Welcome Drawman. Best advice I can give you is something from right here in this forum...be prepared to be educated and entertained. Over 10 years in the making and 70+ pages
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html
Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[Trulyrich]

Hey Drawman, I am in Modesto as well and headed up to the campgrounds on this map in a week or two with 2 of my sons (10 and 11) I would be interested to hear how your trip went. It would be nice for my kids to find at least a flake or two.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Welcome Drawman. You came to a great place to get started again!

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding came from but there are no claims at all on that map. The BLM does not have claims maps nor do they map claims.

That is a land management map. The yellow areas are managed by the BLM the green areas are managed by the Forest Service and the white areas are private property. Either the BLM or Forest management areas can have claims on them. The private lands don't have claims but you can't pan there because they are not public lands.

In California many placer claims do not have to be staked out and there is no requirement to maintain claim stakes as dredgeman pointed out. You really can't rely on stakes to stay off claims for those reasons and also because it's virtually impossible to spot a weathered 4 foot high wood stake in all that brush.

Best place to start is working the areas open to public panning or joining a local club. You live in a good area for both.

If you want to learn how to determine for yourself those areas that are not claimed I'd be happy to share that information but in the meantime there are many opportunities to get out and get some gold without working claimed areas.

Heavy Pans

 

[goldenIrishman]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sure that you'll enjoy your time with this group as they're all smart and willing to share their information and stories.

 

[Drawman]

Hey Drawman, I am in Modesto as well and headed up to the campgrounds on this map in a week or two with 2 of my sons (10 and 11) I would be interested to hear how your trip went. It would be nice for my kids to find at least a flake or two.

Truly, I just saw the post. I was at Briceburg this last Saturday and there were about 8 people finding gold right in the day use area when you first pull in before you go over the bridge. I was spending time looking around learning the area better. Just make sure you have a copy of the map in my first post, there are existing claims in this area and are not marked well, if at all. As you move farther into the canyon after crossing the bridge, the access to the river becomes more difficult. Your kids seem old enough to be able to climb up and down the bank. Keep an eye out for snakes too!! Have fun and report back

 

[Drawman]

Welcome Drawman. You came to a great place to get started again!

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding came from but there are no claims at all on that map. The BLM does not have claims maps nor do they map claims.

That is a land management map. The yellow areas are managed by the BLM the green areas are managed by the Forest Service and the white areas are private property. Either the BLM or Forest management areas can have claims on them. The private lands don't have claims but you can't pan there because they are not public lands.

In California many placer claims do not have to be staked out and there is no requirement to maintain claim stakes as dredgeman pointed out. You really can't rely on stakes to stay off claims for those reasons and also because it's virtually impossible to spot a weathered 4 foot high wood stake in all that brush.

Best place to start is working the areas open to public panning or joining a local club. You live in a good area for both.

If you want to learn how to determine for yourself those areas that are not claimed I'd be happy to share that information but in the meantime there are many opportunities to get out and get some gold without working claimed areas.

Heavy Pans

If you read Dredgemans first post, he states that the map is accurate (for claims) in the main stem of the Merced river (shown as red lines) The BLM staff that monitor the area know where the claims are and will tell you if you ask them. I have also been contacted by others on this site how have claims on this river. The BLM does not have a formal map for purchase showing all claims, nor does the Forest Service (you are correct).
I have spotted a white metal post above the McCabe Flat Campground that I know is a marker for a claim (verified by others on this site)
I'll gladly accept any information you can give me, teach me how to identify current claims, abandoned claims, etc.

 

[AzViper]

Welcome Drawman... As other have said this site is full of information and good people behind it. Clay Diggins and his partner are the men behind Footprints. A very useful piece of software.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

One of the most efficient prospectors i ever met was strictly a panner. Met the ole fella on Rose Creek in Arizona. I thought my Keen Sluice would outproduce this guy for sure. But at the end of the day, i got skunked EVERY time. This fella was taking 30 to 40% more gold outta the same hole in a feeder creek i was working. There's no question in my mind an expert panner can beat a sluice. The guy would start out shaking the pan side to side while raking the big rocks and pebbles off the top with the flat of his hand. Then he'd switch up rocking forward and backwards using his whole body to sluff the dirt over the riffles. He never used a swirling motion until there was only mostly black sand left in the pan. I watched him pan several buckets of dirt from start to finish convinced he was seeding the pans just for laughs, but as near as i could tell this guy was completely legit.

 

[Drawman]

One of the most efficient prospectors i ever met was strictly a panner. Met the ole fella on Rose Creek in Arizona. I thought my Keen Sluice would outproduce this guy for sure. But at the end of the day, i got skunked EVERY time. This fella was taking 30 to 40% more gold outta the same hole in a feeder creek i was working. There's no question in my mind an expert panner can beat a sluice. The guy would start out shaking the pan side to side while raking the big rocks and pebbles off the top with the flat of his hand. Then he'd switch up rocking forward and backwards using his whole body to sluff the dirt over the riffles. He never used a swirling motion until there was only mostly black sand left in the pan. I watched him pan several buckets of dirt from start to finish convinced he was seeding the pans just for laughs, but as near as i could tell this guy was completely legit.

Funny, some days I feel like I'm loosing all my gold right outta the pan!! I use the side to side and back n forth myself, but sometimes I think I get impatient and pull off too much at a time. Always learning

 

[Clay Diggins]

Welcome Drawman... As other have said this site is full of information and good people behind it. Clay Diggins and his partner are the men behind Footprints. A very useful piece of software.

Yep that's me AzViper. I'm thinking my wife, Ruby, is wondering who this mysterious "partner" is.

Ruby is an incredible cartographer and is very definitely female. I like it that way.
There are just two of us.

If you are nice to Ruby she will give you places to dig. If you aren't nice to Ruby... well just remember that she can outdig most men.

 

[AzViper]

Yep that's me AzViper. I'm thinking my wife, Ruby, is wondering who this mysterious "partner" is.

Ruby is an incredible cartographer and is very definitely female. I like it that way.
There are just two of us.

If you are nice to Ruby she will give you places to dig. If you aren't nice to Ruby... well just remember that she can outdig most men.

Clay D, please extend my apologies to Ruby your partner in life and the other person behind Footprints... She must be a very special lady... If I could only get my wife to go out with me and play in the dirt.

 

[Drawman]

Yep that's me AzViper. I'm thinking my wife, Ruby, is wondering who this mysterious "partner" is.

Ruby is an incredible cartographer and is very definitely female. I like it that way.
There are just two of us.

If you are nice to Ruby she will give you places to dig. If you aren't nice to Ruby... well just remember that she can outdig most men.

Just wondering if he offended Ruby?

 

[TheNewCatfish]

"Seeing is believing" Drawman. I couldn't believe this guy was getting that much gold that fast either. I even asked if i could pan some of the dirt from his tailing piles just to check how much gold he was missing. He was barely "missing" anything. Maybe a speck here and there. Certainly not enough to worry about. It definately changed the way i prospect. Turns out, "Time is Money".