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First Steps


Skate

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Ok, you have heard all of the 'practical' old stuff that I was told 7-8 years ago and that people were told long before that also.  Some of us just don't follow these suggestions and we need a 'do it yourself' kit.  I'll give you a bit of 'new' advice that is based upon some internet tools that were not available to us as little as 2-3 years ago.

I'd say the first thing you need to do is look for local gold.  Local to me would be anything within 50 miles or about an hour drive.  You are going to have more time to hunt these areas than other places much farther away.  How do you find 'local gold?'

You can buy Gold Maps, books and other CDs or just look online.  I'll focus on direct online research and YouTube.

Your direct online research should include Land Matters and The Diggings.  I'll start with My Land Matters.  (http://www.mylandmatters.org/Maps/Mining.html)   When you see this page/website you can read as much as you like (I haven't read 90% of it because there is so much there).  The local gold can be found by looking at the maps which are listed on the right.  Jump right to the mining claims of California and then focus on your area (Ventura County).  When you see the map of California and your choices uncheck everything except Historical Mining activity.  (Leave mining claims unchecked for now.)  This map with a lot of 'orange' will show you all mining activity.  It includes sand, gravel, precious metals and other minerals.  Play with it a bit and see what has happened in the past where you live.  If you click on the MRDS you will learn what was found there.  That is history.

When you clear the history and you look at Claims the two types you want to see are Lode (hard rock, hole in the ground claims) and Placer (gold you can find with a dry washer, metal detector, Todd Hoffman gold so to say).  What you are going to notice is that there are very, very few claims in Ventura County.  There are a few in the Piru Creek basin but the greenies will make it almost impossible for you to detect there.

So now you have to use these maps to find the nearest current and historical gold.  When you leave Ventura County that can mean north to Bakersfield or East to Barstow/Randsburg ... where there is most of the gold you will be hunting locally unless you drive up to the Sierras on a regular basis which may be worth it.

When you use The Diggings (https://thediggings.com/about) much of the information is the same but it is arranged in a different way.  You determine which you like but at times I need both.

The second area for your local gold discovery must include YouTube.  There are far too many helpful videos to ignore them.  Some will show you places you know and others will introduce you to a concept, place or idea you never considered.  You've been a coin and relic hunter so you know what I mean.  Just use some of the key words you find off the other two sites.  When you are in a down mood go look at some of the Australia gold and you'll really get depressed about what we have locally (I'm in Santa Monica)!

I look at this post and my 'tips' seem much more complicated than they should be.  Just like the metal detectors.  You (and I) just have to learn some new vocabulary.  You are starting at a good time for having online tools to help you.  The hard part will be to know what you are looking at in the field and how that will lead you to more nuggets.

Take all the old information people tell you about and look at it on My Land Matters or The Diggings and you'll be on your way to open ground with nuggets.

Mitchel

 

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Thanks Mitchel! Your tips are not complicated at all but very thorough. I've got plenty of time to research these two sites as school got canceled due to the Thomas fire and to show that God has a sense of humor I have come down with a bad cold so I can't even go out and metal detect. Nothing worse than time off and you can't detect.

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If you can find a local that knows the area and that will let you tag along, invaluable. As others have stated, join some clubs, instant bond with others sharing the same passion plus lots of good people that will likely share some priceless tips once they see you're serious. Oh, and if someone says something like, "If I was going to use this detector for this . . . or if I was going to look in a particular place I'd do this . . . ", pay attention! It doesn't matter how many books you've read or videos you've watched, there's nothing like getting first-hand advice from someone familiar with any particular gold field with any particular recovery method, or with any particular detector.

Good luck, and welcome to the passion as you find someone that will give you real-time lessons in the field,

Lanny

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