Jump to content

Gold Nugget Hunting - Dead, Sick, Healthy, Thriving?


Recommended Posts

I would read Jim's him stuff about his great silver specimens and think - gosh it would be wonderful to get to go hunting with him - forget about it - that kind of trench is exactly why I stayed out of the infantry.

Lol

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hard Prospector partial quote:

"the writings still  on the wall. All  the pieces I've  detected in the last 6 months came from moving tailing piles, raking or digging  BEFORE  swinging, resulting in some nice finds but it took lots of work and patience. Wandering across the desert while swinging is what I enjoy most but I'm beginning to accept that to stay productive with my detector, this is what I have to do."

 

Rob... a no BS observation that applies to my area as well. Oh sure, we can still wander about and occasionally find something worthwhile, but most such surface material is long gone. And despite occasional superlative large silver floats found in the outback, 99% of such floats are comprised of undesirable arsenides, not to mention that it is an iron-clad bitch to dig any of it in the heavy bush.

 

I've been doing exactly what you suggest for many years and doing it successfully. I pick my sites based on firsthand sampling experienced over the years and move a lot of material as per the photo below. In this application, I feel no motivation to acquire even deeperseeking units. What I do make good use of is a strong back, good leather gloves, a sturdy pick and shovel that can get the job done as efficiently as possible. Welcome to the real world of mineral collecting, or in this instance silver collecting. Thanks Rob.

 

Jim.

 

attachicon.gifTRENCHING FOR SILVER ORES.JPG

Jim  that trench is impressive to say the least, "Cross Fit" for prospectors comes to mind. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would read Jim's him stuff about his great silver specimens and think - gosh it would be wonderful to get to go hunting with him - forget about it - that kind of trench is exactly why I stayed out of the infantry.

Lol

 

Ahhh Rick… what a hilarious sense of humor!!! I think that it would be interesting to apply your astute powers of observation and analytical inclination to this application in northeastern Ontario. There can be no doubt that combining our resources would prove to be a lot of fun, and heck… we might even find some worthwhile silver or related minerals!!
 
I love to explore for potential sites, with a result that occasional good material is found as a mere happenstance. But the key is to locate deposits… and of course ultimately that leads to excavations. I see no reason why you couldn’t accompany me in a supervisory role once we partake of a few drinks at the local watering hole. My friends could comfortably transport you out to the treasure site as depicted below. 
 
post-320-0-27784900-1440542529_thumb.jpg
 
I normally dig roughly two-and-a-half to three-foot deep trenches to see what gives. It’s not terribly unusual to dig to seven-foot depths or more where silver stringers continue to surface. But it’s certainly not all work and no play. I enjoy metal detecting regardless of what is found. Identifying silver distribution patterns over large areas, and predicting and investigating deep signals with either PI or VLF units is a lot of fun. And by and large... that is how we find good silver.
 
post-320-0-54738400-1440542570_thumb.jpg
 
mn90403… Mitchel… if you click on the link below, it will direct you to the first of several lengthier articles that I’ve posted over the years. These copies are stored on the “Canada” sub-forum at TreasureNet. You might wish to log into the forum as this permits you to see silver photos full-size, otherwise you must click on each photo individually to do so.
 
 
The samples displayed on forums do have some relationship to bullion value, albeit in many cases that is not a terribly serious consideration to me as a potential seller. By comparison, crystalline silver or the various dendritic forms, sponge and particulate native silver, especially those in close association with related minerals… particularly the ruby silvers, for example proustite crystals… are worth many times their bullion value. Some such specimens are very ordinary in my experience, but there it is.
 
Jim.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Fred… the point I was trying to convey above is that at least in this prospecting application, things are fairly healthy for consistently successful hunters, and likewise regarding specimen market values. It does pay to be selective about where and how a product is marketed. 

 

There is much less surface detectable silver to be found nowadays certainly, but the surface pickings weren’t all that great when I entered the hobby some 30 years ago. The “electronic prospecting rush” was pretty much over by that time in this area, and yet I’m well acquainted with several top hunters who currently supplement their income nicely by marketing silver largely outside Ontario. 

 

All the very best with your prospecting season Fred, I'm heading to the north country within a few days and will be absent from the forums for several months. Good luck and good hunting.  :)

 

Jim.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...