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Andyy

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  1. In southern AZ, my father in law had one (mtn lion) stalking him and was able to scare iit away with a gun. As I've mentioned on this site before, I generally will not prospect without some small gun. Rabies is another concern, as well. As for snakes, I wear guards. Hunting at night, people expect that I would always run into them, but not so. If in boulder areas or especially water areas, this would be different. But I've spent many many night hunts without a strike. I see more in the daytime. ButI purposely make a lot of noise so they know I am coming. And Ido not wear headphones at night.
  2. Scary video. My story happened, last year during a night hunt to an area I had been to before. There was good gold here and I wanted to see what I had missed. Now... I wear a bandana around my neck a lot of times. Sometimes this is for sun guard and other times it is to maybe give me an extra bit of time in case a mountain lion decides to get its jaws around my neck (not that it would help much) But maybe it would give me an extra couple seconds to reach my gun. Anyways, I had hiked back into this spot and it's maybe around 2am. Nobody around. Well, I had just sat down and decided to eat an apple and get some carbs back into my system so I could get more energy before all of the digging I had to do. And the nights are soooo beautiful in Arizona. I like just sitting and listening. Call it my midnight meditation if you will. Well, after my snack and bit of meditation, I started walking down this familiar wash, in search of yellow, when I felt a tickle on my neck. I thought my bandana was rubbing against me. hmmmmm, no wind, tonight. I stopped frozen, and felt the crawling farther along my neck on my hairline. This was no bandana. I quickly tipped my head forward, and savagely brushed both hands to the back of my neck and forward to get whatever it was, off as expeditiously as possible. Well, lo and behold, a scorpion with a body of maybe 3/4 inch, lands in front of me. With no stings on my hands or neck, I felt we both stood there staring at each other for about 10 seconds or so, wondering WTF just happened. But after snapping out of my shock, I let the bugger go with a thank you. Now I have been stung before on the feet and hands, but I am really not sure what would happen if stung on the neck. Probably nothing different. Thankfully, that night, I didn't have to find out. My thought is that it crawled up my backpack when I sat down to have a break. So now, day or night, I shake my pack before putting it back on. I have many more stories like this with spiders, but the scorpion crawling around my neck is still the clearest one on my mind, and one I recall every night hunt I am on. Just a short story to remind everyone to shake out their backpacks and brush off a little after those short breaks.
  3. Nope. Not mine, but yes, both were Bunk's. I love those picks. Thanks, Mike!
  4. I saw the title and thought you found one of my Arizona picks. Even with reflective tape and a gps, I still couldn't find them again. I've lost two. 🤣
  5. I really love the original hip stick. I only wish this was still available in the U.S. Frustrating.
  6. This is why I have had to make modifications to my GM1000. It should be on a telescoping rod (mod#1) and should have a better more stable stand (mod#2 - using pvc pipe). I mean common. But I can run my GPZ and hook my GM1000 on my backpack and hike for miles. In areas with a lot of bedrock, it takes me less than a minute to unhook from the side of my Camelback backpack. Now I don't have to use a blowtube ... which takes for(freak'n)ever. Then again, I am talking the US deserts. Sometimes those little specs let you keep a little manhood when you can say you still found gold. (well, just a little) But, Phrunt, I also have found that when I am digging the larger pieces (well, I mean gram+), there is usually more gold bits in my dirt pile which I find with my GM1000. It was a little eye opening when I started checking my piles.
  7. hey we all start with a dream. It's a learning experience. He will come to the realization. But if he doesn't and you run into him in 6 months, help him along and crush his dream, like a first love on prom night! Gotta help that poor feller.
  8. funny one. I sort of thought the wife would be at the end of that list ....errr....
  9. Wow, that is beautiful. Colorado born or Arizona? ... if you don't mind my asking. Either way, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
  10. Hang on tight to that hip stick. I tried to find them in Arizona and they are unavailable (a must for the GPZ7000 ... unless you are a hulk).
  11. Great pics. Now here is someone who knows how to show off their finds! I go straight to the pics and tend to skip over the words.. (I read those last 😆)
  12. Maybe you have already found your first nugget. But I remember when I was looking for that first elusive nugget. Pictures of grandeur would enter my mind as I walked miles through gullies over cactus and rattlesnakes. I would dig down 2 feet and repeatedly find nails. And then the old bullets so marred up you would swear it had to be gold or some other precious metal. But it wasn't. But the funny thing is, after I found that first nugget I never asked that question again. I forever knew the feel and look of gold. And I never questioned again, whether unicorns existed. Ok.. too much time at the book store.. google prospecting. And Waaaay too much coffee. Good luck out there!!
  13. That is amazing. With all of that volcanic rock, I would never have even taken out my detector. Not because of expected ground noise, but because I typically do not find gold that close to that much volcanic activity. So thank you for sharing this and the setting for quieting down the detector.
  14. That pick has too small of a head to do any good with magnets, in my opinion. I have a pick with a large scoop for the dirt. I have 2x high power neodymium or whatever and the hell that alien magnetic substance is. Gets your fingers in the way of two of them and your finger will be the middle of an oreo cookie. As everyone said, already, the magnets will move on the head. A little JB weld will keep them there much longer. But they will need maintenance every once in a while. To answer your specific question on location, I do not put mine near the tip or you are very likely to chip or lose them. I put mine 2" back, or so. I also put one on the handle. Sometimes this is an easier iron checker, if it seems like shallow iron.
  15. I haven't seen the show, but I see some similarities here... - I *do* still freak out when I get large nuggets, often screaming out to nobody but the local bobcat and mtn lion, which are no doubt wondering why I am in their territory in the middle of the night, with a machine that squeals like a rabbit being attacked. - In order for me to do my night hunts, I am known to drink a couple red bull type drinks and thirst busters, to keep me amped up for the night. I just hope my body can handle the octane in short durations. Maybe if I had news crews following me around, I would seem like an excited clown, too!! LOL. But I PROMISE YOU, you would not see me jumping around in circles because I find an ancient bullet! I find lots and lots.. and lots of bullets.
  16. yes... worst movie ever. Don't waste you're time. Better off putting it to searching for gold yourself.
  17. And Mick - that is some gorgeous gold you found there. Nice work!!
  18. Thankfully, the adapter for my 10" Xcoil has held up. Then again, I over design and reinforce everything, extra. The key is to use that strain relief clamp on the connector. If you do not use this correctly, you will be pulling on the wires and the glue. My only issues which I have noted in other links is: 1) rare ground (in AZ) that renders balance impossible 2) the problematic coil cable that comes unraveled if you run your shaft fully extended in the heat (as I do). The coil is not wound nearly as tight as the Minelab coil. You will have to pull it through the shaft with a string. These are really my only complaints. I still use this coil actively, and it will get smaller deeper gold than my 14x13. So it remains a useful tool in my toolbox. Andyy
  19. Nice haul, Jason. Researching those new areas can feel like a big risk, but the payoff is golden. 👍 Andy
  20. LOL. now that's funny. I don't think the GPX-6000 will get you too much more in my neck of the woods. I already get sizes less than half a grain. (it takes a while to get in the scoop) But you never know. I am waiting for a bigger jump in technology before I trade in my GPZ.
  21. I can get your point. My first couple years learning to detect, definitely did not pay my dues. But I did find gold and have access to gold areas (and what the ground looks like), and yes, I met some great friends. But for the first 3+ years, I would say I was mostly learning on my own. And it was rough going out sometimes 6 or 7 trips with nothing. I guess if it were easy, everyone would do it. If anything, I would look at the club claims as a learning ground. And I have found ounces of gold even on the AZ club claims. Not all in one place, but spread out. I think I started detecting like 7 years ago. Today, the newer prospectors may have slightly better machines but it is much much harder to learn. There's just fewer "opportunities". But it can be had. Good luck to you.
  22. yep... all of those little pickers I have that are not too impressive, may now have paid for my gas. Oh wait ... that went up, too!! 🤔
  23. So true, Gerry. And I think if you can hunt with others you can trust, you will both benefit... both from the gold, and more importantly, the knowledge. I would never be the gold hunter I am today, without trusting in others. Inadvertently, we have shared in our learnings. Yes, I found lots of gold before I ever teamed up, but I have since found much more than I would have on my own, due to me sharing my knowledge and visa versa. But, it can be a fine balance in finding a hunting partner. You must ... choose wisely. 🙂
  24. Thanks for the comments, all. Prospecting with friends is still my best all around therapy. The gold is a bonus 🙂
  25. First off, I have been off the forums for a while. It's not that I have not been out prospecting, but to be honest, things have just been a little down the last couple years... and well, maybe I got a little in the habit of not talking to people. I'm sure everyone knows the feeling. Anyways, I did a trip with a couple buddies to an area we have been expanding upon for years. (in the desert of Arizona) We do ok here and there. Usually, I have quite the luck, but this time my buddy was rocking it. He managed to stumble upon a patch and true to his word, after he collected a few, he called out to me so that I could come home with a little gold as well. It sounds weird, but when we travel off to a place, we try to make sure everyone goes home with gold. This usually means, get 2 or 3 pcs, you call your buddies over. So I got there and went to work. After a couple hidden cans, I found my first square specimen (sort of strange piece) and then we took turns until I had found my second piece. Well at this point, we were content. My buddy that found the patch kept looking and so I moved on, thankful that I would not go home with the skunk. At this point it was time to get away from the patch and find new areas. I tried washes nearby and then ended up circling to the other side of the hill with the patch. I see a little flat area and head right up to it. It only seemed like seconds when I got a booming signal. Once in the scoop, it wasn't long before I felt the weight fall into my hand. It ended up being a nice chunky 11 grammer. This day just got better. Another smaller patch. Of course my buddies always rag on me for finding the chunkers and skipping over the smaller nuggets. I guess I can live with that. Honestly, it was just a good time hanging out. Some before and after pics are shown below. Best of luck to everyone in the New Year!!
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