- Sep 30, 2012
- 13
- 69
- Detector(s) used
-
Fisher Gold Bug 2, Minelab (various models), Fisher 2 Box
Shadow X-5
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
WY Gold Nugget-Where the Antelope Play part-2 (The rest of the story)
Nobody gets it all. That's true enough for sure. Sometimes it's the easiest ones that get left behind. The pile to the left looked like it had been kicked and raked down, no telling how many times. Even though the nugget had likely been moved around some, I still found it hard to understand why it was overlooked since it was no more than 6" deep.
Out of sight to the right of the photo was a shallow, narrow stream full of reeds etc. with sparse water flow. The remains of a couple of old wooden Long Tom's, probably from the
1930s lay mostly submerged in the mud. A few rusty bolts and washers came out of the back pile but no gold.
After I had dug the nugget out of the tailing pile, and placed it in a Bandana in my pocket. I walked up an intersecting canyon on the way back to my vehicle, carrying my detector, digging tools and, a snub nose hammerless/stainless .38 Special revolver tucked into my hip pocket.
A short distance later, I encountered a young man in his mid 20's up to his elbows digging into the side of a creek bank with a long handled garden shovel. His 5 gal bucket was full of dirt that he said he planned to take home and pan out. The man's wife was sitting in the driver's seat of a pickup truck looking out the window at him, while his two kids, a boy and girl about 9 and 10 years of age stood in the bed of the truck watching the family dog run around in circles, barking and chasing its tail. The wife greeted me cordially and I said hello, then stood watching the man remove the last shovelful of dirt from the hole in the bank. She offered me a Pepsi from their cooler which I gratefully accepted and thanked her for. I turned back to chat with her husband who was staring at my detector and asked if I had found anything. I pulled out the Bandana and dropped the nugget into his hand for him to look at. He said, "Wow" at the nugget and glanced down at the exposed grips of the .38 revolver in my hip pocket then said, "You would probably shoot me in the back if I took off running with your nugget, huh?" I smiled politely at him and replied sincerely, " No sir, not necessarily, but I just might take off with your wife, your truck, your 2 kids and your dog!"
His wife was grinning down at us now, waiting to see what her husband's reaction would be. The man considered it for a long moment then handed the nugget back to me, which I returned to my pocket. Suddenly, he slammed his shovel to the ground, and shouted up at his wife, " Dammit! This is bulls$it! I told you I needed a metal detector!"
She shouted right back at him,"You had your choice between a detector and a 30.06 and you chose the 30.06!!
He griped back at her for a bit, then calmed down and offered to buy the nugget from me. He said "I know that's over an ounce and I will pay you cash for it right now" By that
time, I was laughing so hard I just told the man, "Sir, it's not even close to an Oz. I do appreciate the offer, but I really don't want to sell it. Thank you anyway!"
I thanked the lady again for the Pepsi, said goodbye to the kids, petted the dog, and left the man mumbling to himself about how he was sure it was over an ounce, and grumbling at his wife because she wouldn't let him have a metal detector.
Nobody gets it all. That's true enough for sure. Sometimes it's the easiest ones that get left behind. The pile to the left looked like it had been kicked and raked down, no telling how many times. Even though the nugget had likely been moved around some, I still found it hard to understand why it was overlooked since it was no more than 6" deep.
Out of sight to the right of the photo was a shallow, narrow stream full of reeds etc. with sparse water flow. The remains of a couple of old wooden Long Tom's, probably from the
1930s lay mostly submerged in the mud. A few rusty bolts and washers came out of the back pile but no gold.
After I had dug the nugget out of the tailing pile, and placed it in a Bandana in my pocket. I walked up an intersecting canyon on the way back to my vehicle, carrying my detector, digging tools and, a snub nose hammerless/stainless .38 Special revolver tucked into my hip pocket.
A short distance later, I encountered a young man in his mid 20's up to his elbows digging into the side of a creek bank with a long handled garden shovel. His 5 gal bucket was full of dirt that he said he planned to take home and pan out. The man's wife was sitting in the driver's seat of a pickup truck looking out the window at him, while his two kids, a boy and girl about 9 and 10 years of age stood in the bed of the truck watching the family dog run around in circles, barking and chasing its tail. The wife greeted me cordially and I said hello, then stood watching the man remove the last shovelful of dirt from the hole in the bank. She offered me a Pepsi from their cooler which I gratefully accepted and thanked her for. I turned back to chat with her husband who was staring at my detector and asked if I had found anything. I pulled out the Bandana and dropped the nugget into his hand for him to look at. He said, "Wow" at the nugget and glanced down at the exposed grips of the .38 revolver in my hip pocket then said, "You would probably shoot me in the back if I took off running with your nugget, huh?" I smiled politely at him and replied sincerely, " No sir, not necessarily, but I just might take off with your wife, your truck, your 2 kids and your dog!"
His wife was grinning down at us now, waiting to see what her husband's reaction would be. The man considered it for a long moment then handed the nugget back to me, which I returned to my pocket. Suddenly, he slammed his shovel to the ground, and shouted up at his wife, " Dammit! This is bulls$it! I told you I needed a metal detector!"
She shouted right back at him,"You had your choice between a detector and a 30.06 and you chose the 30.06!!
He griped back at her for a bit, then calmed down and offered to buy the nugget from me. He said "I know that's over an ounce and I will pay you cash for it right now" By that
time, I was laughing so hard I just told the man, "Sir, it's not even close to an Oz. I do appreciate the offer, but I really don't want to sell it. Thank you anyway!"
I thanked the lady again for the Pepsi, said goodbye to the kids, petted the dog, and left the man mumbling to himself about how he was sure it was over an ounce, and grumbling at his wife because she wouldn't let him have a metal detector.
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