South Carolina Gold Prospecting

[Foothills Gold]

I'm trying to find prospectors in the upstate of South Carolina to join forces and share stories, information , find photos and anything to do with prospecting our beautiful area. Prospectors helping prospectors .

 

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[carnet56]

am down on lake greenwood am always looking for some one to go with may buddy drives a truck and we go when hes off I bought a popup camper so I can have a good places to sleep last year we slept in a 2 man tent. am to old for that am buying a 2inch dredge are a 2.5 in a couple months just got figure out which way to go. any way anyone want get together am free most ever day. give me a holler

 

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[djpitr]

Did you prospect rabon creek in laurens ? I tryed some small creeks around greenwood and found very little , haveing troble with very deep sand there should be gold there bud its 3-4 feet liquid sand everywhere .

 

[Foothills Gold]

I lived in greenwood on the lake near the shrine club for a few years . Never found anything but river rats ;-)

 

[Foothills Gold]

Carnet, a 2.5 would do you good any where you wanna dredge. Only thing I'd think about was if you need to use a suction nozzle or have a power jet. That depends on if you dredge in shallows or deep water. Shallow I'd do a suction nozzle.
Deeper use the power jet. That's the way to go.

 

[carnet56]

I was messing around the reed river a while back found some gold on it I heard they was a gold mine on the rabon back when, but have not panned in it yet finding place to pan is the key . yes am still looking at dredges I wish gold hog had one they do for there high bankers but I want one that floats

 

[sluicelee]

Hello fellow prospectors, greenville here. I've been prospecting around the upstate for about a year now with moderate success. The key is gaining access to private land where gold used to be (gold mine, etc), but what I still like to do is what I call P.B.R. prospecting - Park By Road prospecting. You pass a bridge/creek while driving - park by the road and prospect :-) Eitherway, its always nice to meet local people with that same desire to catch that yellow metal.

 

[Astrobouncer]

Look guys I have refrained from posting in this thread till now but I cannot any longer as its getting out of hand.

I highly advise anyone not to do any PBL prospecting thats a good way to get shot or locked up for trespassing. In fact, several of the places I prospect if they see anyone but me there the land owners will call the cops and prosecute. I had a buddy who used to do that and his truck got shot up while he was in it (he was driving away and they shot at him). He was lucky he wasnt killed over 25 cents in gold. And yet another buddy got locked up that way for trespassing.

There is plenty of good gold at the pay to play locations, not to mention prospecting clubs like the GPOC, GPAA, LDMA, and WEGM that have good (and some great) properties to work. I lost access to a killer spot last year because of trespasser's who made the land owner so madd he posted the land and now no one is welcome there when before he would let me play in the creek anytime. And thats just one good spot, there are many more places that have been open my whole life that are now posted because of trespassers. I have never seen so many no trespassing signs as in the last couple years and more are going up everyday.

You got to understand a lot of the land here has been in families possession for generations. Great great grandfathers started homesteads and that land has been passed down through the family. Do you think those people want strangers coming on their land? If you stop in and talk to people I have found they are far more agreeable to letting you play in the river. But just trespassing without asking is a huge no no. Every bit of land is owned by someone. And its not legal to prospect in the wma areas, nor the state parks and even National forests are very limited as to what you can do.

I have already posted on the best way to get access to spots, and thats through friends, family friends, distant family, employees, co workers, old school friends, etc. If you have none of that then you can do the knock and ask but dont trespass, it gives us all a bad name and just closes off the land owner from letting future prospectors in. It has taken me over 5 years to get the access I have. And i got turned down a lot but I kept with it. I would love to let more people come and play in some of the areas I go to, but the land owners wont let me bring in anymore. Most of the time me even bringing a close friend is pushing it. And I dont blame them because its their homes. And many people fear that if people think there is gold in their land it will start a gold rush and they will be constantly fending off trespassers.

You cannot have any public spots around here because as soon as the word gets out, it will be worked constantly till there is nothing left for the person who posted about the spot. For every one person reading this post and responding there are probably one hundred more just lurking looking for spots to work. They will clean you out bank to bank and leave tailings piles where you were working. It has happened to me in the past and why I am so quiet about posting locations. Anyone that's been prospecting any amount of time knows this.

So dont trespass, get land owner permission, and don't post counties or even the state where you are working if you want to keep your gold spot. Otherwise, someone will find it and you will have nothing.

 

[Foothills Gold]

Astro, I'm sorry you felt that this thread had gotten out of hand . Frankly I see nothing wrong with people talking and sharing some general information . I don't know why you felt you had to jump in this thread and try to chastise these guys. If you felt that strongly about it why not say something in a private message to each one rather than in the public forum . Maybe i just took what you said the wrong way and if that's the case I apologize . I don't think any one here has posted specific areas or given away any detailed information nor suggested anyone trespass on private land. One person posted about PBR's a day or so ago which is something I don't agree with but is perfectly legal on state roads only . I understand and I think most people with any common sense do also, that you don't trespass on other peoples property. If they don't respect the property owners I guess they need to get the cops called on them just as your friends had happen to them. The people that trespass like you mentioned are going to do that regardless of what anyone says. There's a word for that kind of person too. It's thief. Plain and simple .
I've been doing this a long time myself and have researched and called and knocked on a lot of doors too. If no one offers to teach these guys they'll do it the hard way and learn the hard way. Some of these guys have been posting for months and no one has even offered a word of advice to them. They're new to it all and have the fever just like you and I did when we first started. I personally have been trying my best to get a piece of land I know about to lease just so the local guys can have a safe and legal place to prospect and find a little something to put in their gold vials. It may not be a perfect plan right now but at least I'm trying to do something positive. Maybe you'd even like to help out and make it happen. It ain't Thermal City but at least it would be local . Who knows, it might just turn into something good. Now wouldn't that be cool for a YouTube video !
Doug

 

[djpitr]

I like your reply Doug .... I hade feeling after reading Astros poust , like he dont like the idea that there is more prospectors around ... And to go place where you pay to pan , its ok bud thats not prospecting . I myself go to national forest parks and yes i have permits and cannot use a sluice ,and places i was allowed go, bud at lease it feels to me like real prospecting .

 

[Foothills Gold]

I call them like I see them. Some people may not like what I say but at least you know I'm being honest even if it pisses someone else off.

 

[Foothills Gold]

I've lived in Greenville County all my life with the exception of a few years in California and a couple of years in Atlanta. My family has owned land here since 1760 and we still do . I know what Astro meant about people trespassing. It makes a landowner mad when someone comes onto your land without invitation.
So, to all you guys, make sure you have permission before venturing out to a creek. It's not that hard. I got permission from several adjoining landowners this week end totaling more than 300 acres. I guess it's my southern drawl ;-)

 

[uscphil]

Nice gold Dj!

 

[Foothills Gold]

I'm waiting to hear that story Phil !

 

[sluicelee]

Yowzers, my first ever post and astrobouncer is mad at me. I guess I should of went into more detail. First off, no one should ever sneak on someone’s property for any reason. We should respect the owner’s property and treat it as such. Secondly, astrobouncer makes great points, he’s been doing this longer then me and knows his stuff. I really respect him as a propector – I build most of my prospecting gear and modify the rest in some way to suit my needs and learned a lot from his videos/post when I first started prospecting. But I’m just trying to be helpful, I know first hand how hard it can be to find land to prospect, but I tried to say people should “gain access” to private land and the only way I know to gain access is asking permission from the landowner. As far as Park By Road prospecting, I don’t mean park anywhere you like and prospect any creek, but when I started out I didn’t have access to a creek and had to go out and find a place to prospect. I started thinking of where I could go and remembered areas where people would park by the road near a bridge/creek and get out and fish or whatever. I started thinking maybe I could go there, dig behind a rock and do a little panning. So I done that at a couple places and I starting meeting a few people, even meet a couple of guys who done some prospecting. The very first place I prospected outside of some fishing hole by the road was someone I met at one of those spots who allowed me to come over and prospect his creek. All this helped build up my confidence so I could go out, talk to people in areas I wanted to prospect and get permission to prospect their land. Its tough at first, but any real prospector has to get outdoors and start prospecting :-) I know theres pay to play sites, thermal city rocks and recommend it to anyone, but it just doesn’t have the same feel as prospecting new land and finding fresh gold. So if you see a creek by the road you want to prospect, talk to someone, get permission and most importantly be safe. Happy New Years and may there be much gold for every South Carolina prospector in 2014.

 

[KevinInColorado]

In most states including S Carolina, the county assessors have online maps that show ownership, boundaries, etc. even contact info for the owners. For SC, start here: http://scassessors.com and choose your county. How easy is that?! I use this a lot in CO to confirm creek ownership before I got romping around...and I print off what I find to carry with me because sometimes people think they own stuff that is actually owned by the county, a parks district, etc.

 

[goldhunter1992]

Definitely like Doug's plan about getting a piece of land for all the locals!

 

[Foothills Gold]

Every county that I know of local has global imaging maps on their property sites. The ones for Greenville county are at Greenvillecounty.org
Look under services , then real estate. You can trace most of the original owners and see if it's an old family place or not. It even has the creeks outlined in blue ! Great information Kevin.
Sluicee, thanks for clarifying . I'm sure everyone feels better now ;-)

 

[indyme2]

I read Astro's post and don't see how he "chastised" anyone or stated anything that should make someone think he is angry with them. He simply stated his concern about the misinformation on this thread related to "perfectly legal on state roads only" and the PBR comment. Bridges are not public access points to trespass creeks or land. In most cases, the "state" and utilities companies does not own the land/creek at a bridge but has an arrangement with the land owner for an easement only. If you jump in and start digging without permission, you are trespassing. I never hesitate to prosecute "PBR" activity on my land. I heard the local magistrate tell such a person that "If you are not paying the property taxes on the land or creek you are on, consider yourself trespassing." Property owners in SC usually own to the middle of a creek as that is often the boundary between parcels. If the owner owns the land on both sides of the creek, he essentially owns the creek and certainly half of it. Same goes for SC Navigable Rivers as designated by SC DHEC. Many rivers in the SC upstate are owned to the middle. You may kayak, canoe or boat by without any problem. When you stop and put a shovel in that river, you are probably digging on another's property and subject to prosecution. I understand the frustration in gaining access. I have been prospecting since 1972. I spent what seems like a lifetime gaining access to various properties. Many of those are no longer available to me as hunt clubs have taken over large tracts of land. Many of the old folks who let me prospect are passing away and new owners or family members no longer allow me access. Trespassing hunters and prospectors are quickly closing others for me too. I hear, " You were always welcome but since all the gold shows on TV, now things are getting out of hand. I just won't allow anyone on my property anymore. I am sorry. It is not your fault." Not my fault does not make me feel any better especially if I have worked that creek for 30+ years. GIS information lists property owners names and addresses. Do the research, ask for and obtain permission but don't trespass. I have known Astro for years. He shares his sluice building and prospecting experiences with others and always goes out of his way to help newbies. I have seen him give up hours of his prospecting time and use of his equipment to teach others. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about him nor have I ever heard anyone who knows him say anything negative about him. I do all kinds of "treasure hunting" including gold, gemstones, minerals, fossils, artifacts, etc. I don't tell the world where I go and post X marks the spot for all to see. If I did, all locations would be closed now or cleaned out. I share my adventures with others via video but only share locations with a few who I have learned to trust, including Astro. It was years before I took him to any location but now he is not only a good but trusted friend. The club or land lease idea on this thread is a good idea and I hope you guys are successful. The LDMA also has good properties to prospect legally. Join or have a friend invite you as a guest. No need to draw battle lines here. We share the same interests and we all know that recreational prospecting is just that. You will rarely ever even pay for lunch on what you find. I hope everyone is successful in 2014 and finds enough color to keep you happy.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Have to add that the comments about road easements vs. ownership by the county: may be true where you live but not here in CO. As I've said elsewhere, check your county assessor website to confirm ownership.

 

[uscphil]

You and ASStro sound like 2 unhappy peas in a pod. I see something wrong with Astro's post. First off, he has no "people" skills. You do not start a post on a friendly board like he did. I will not say what I fully think about either of your posts because if I did, I probably would not make a mod too happy.

Sounds like you two are very self centered, selfish humans.. but I may be wrong. If I am, I apologize but Astro had no right speaking down to anyone on here whether he is best prospector this side of the Mississippi! You all that do not want to help and be negative, keep it up but please "refrain" from our posts if you have nothing positive to add.

TY and Happy New Year and will all you prospectors out there, be safe, be happy, and most of all remember that we all started out as newbies and can use positive advice in a positive tone.

Phil

Oh and how bout them Gamecocks!