Let's Give The Detector A Little More Credit

[flakmagnet]

Confidence, knowledge, research, an adult attention span, persistence, an understanding of your machine, using your eyes, concentration, positive attitude, sense of humor, intuition

and yes, luck.

 

So many factors to utilize. 

 

An interesting thread folks…lots to think about.

 

Gold Hound, that experience is in a class by itself.

[hawkeye]

Gold Hound,

 

Thanks for sharing that experience.  What a great prospecting lesson.

[Steve Herschbach]

Then there is metal detecting in tailing piles. I made a trip to Ganes Creek, Alaska with three other people and we spent three days. The tailing piles have been mined several times and mixed up multiple ways. Gold, gravel, and trash is randomly mixed and scattered.

We would all walk up to a huge pile of tailings material. We would randomly choose sections to detect. I would walk right into my section and bang a one ounce nugget. We would then all furiously hunt some more but little or no gold would be found. We would move to another pile. Same scenario would repeat.

By the middle of the second day I was actually apologizing. It was just too weird. I wanted my friends to find gold also, but I seemed to have a near corner on that activity for the weekend. But at the end of three days I had over a pound of gold, the other three had a couple ounces among them.

Now, I like to think I know what I am doing, that I have skill and knowledge, and that I work hard at what I do. But there is no doubt in my mind that weekend I was just plain lucky.

[Norvic]

Thinking on this luck thing, Steve, like your 1 ozer, I can think of a day in mid summer, hot as hell, myself, mate and son went for a drive in A/c Troppie to check out road condition re. recent wet conditions, we threw in our detectors in case as per norm. Got out on track a fair bit after couple of hours and decided to return home. For the hell of it we started detecting on a likely flat, I had gone 20 metres off track, massive signal. 4 inches or so down a quartz speci. size of cricket ball, on crushing had a whisker under 8 oz. Not another piece got off that flat, although will be running GPZ over it this winter.

But you know how many times over 30 years done a similar thing for nothing, of course mate and son gave me plenty, it called you etc etc.

Luck or is it due to happen if you do it enough, sort of cutting the odds? We could have stayed and been comfy in A/c Troppie, stubby in hand. Lucky, fortunate don`t know but it definitely was a Magic moment.

[strick]

On 3/10/2015 at 10:34 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Then there is metal detecting in tailing piles. I made a trip to Ganes Creek, Alaska with three other people and we spent three days. The tailing piles have been mined several times and mixed up multiple ways. Gold, gravel, and trash is randomly mixed and scattered.

We would all walk up to a huge pile of tailings material. We would randomly choose sections to detect. I would walk right into my section and bang a one ounce nugget. We would then all furiously hunt some more but little or no gold would be found. We would move to another pile. Same scenario would repeat.

By the middle of the second day I was actually apologizing. It was just too weird. I wanted my friends to find gold also, but I seemed to have a near corner on that activity for the weekend. But at the end of three days I had over a pound of gold, the other three had a couple ounces among them.

Now, I like to think I know what I am doing, that I have skill and knowledge, and that I work hard at what I do. But there is no doubt in my mind that weekend I was just plain lucky.

Luck can be earned as well.  Per your previous posts you went many years before you found your first nugget with a metal detector...no? 

 

strick

[Steve Herschbach]

On 3/10/2015 at 9:18 PM, strick said:

Luck can be earned as well. Per your previous posts you went many years before you found your first nugget with a metal detector...no?

strick

16 years. The story at this link was written in 2002. https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-mining-journal/first-gold-nugget-with-a-metal-detector/

 

[Norvic]

I have been pretty quiet about how long for my first nugget, but Steve I feel I can say now it took me 3 years of swinging a RB7, and once the A2B come on the scene I know I was walking over it for years. But am probably still doing that, the GPZ is starting to show that is so.

[Gold Hound]

On 3/10/2015 at 10:34 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Then there is metal detecting in tailing piles. I made a trip to Ganes Creek, Alaska with three other people and we spent three days. The tailing piles have been mined several times and mixed up multiple ways. Gold, gravel, and trash is randomly mixed and scattered.

We would all walk up to a huge pile of tailings material. We would randomly choose sections to detect. I would walk right into my section and bang a one ounce nugget. We would then all furiously hunt some more but little or no gold would be found. We would move to another pile. Same scenario would repeat.

By the middle of the second day I was actually apologizing. It was just too weird. I wanted my friends to find gold also, but I seemed to have a near corner on that activity for the weekend. But at the end of three days I had over a pound of gold, the other three had a couple ounces among them.

Now, I like to think I know what I am doing, that I have skill and knowledge, and that I work hard at what I do. But there is no doubt in my mind that weekend I was just plain lucky.

Hi Steve, guys

Steve I detect in tailings oversize piles from the 1970 to 1990 era a fair bit done well in them.

The crazzy miners only had  12mm aperture on their trommel screens and no nugget recovery process on the oversize. 

I recon they put back 5x the gold they mined in one spot I go to that has predominately larger gold.

What is your go to detector for this purpose?

I just use the 5000 mostly or a vlf if the trash density gets to high.

[Steve Herschbach]

Same as you a mix. GPX 5000 or various VLF. White's MXT and Fisher F75 were a couple favorites. Been giving the Nokta FORS Gold a go lately. See http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/605-steves-2013-alaska-gold-adventure/

Lots of tailing tales at http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/steves-mining-journal.htm Anything marked Ganes Creek or Moore Creek is tailings. Kind of my specialty.

[Gold Hound]

Same as you a mix. GPX 5000 or various VLF. White's MXT and Fisher F75 were a couple favorites. Been giving the Nokta FORS Gold a go lately. See http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/605-steves-2013-alaska-gold-adventure/

Lots of tailing tales at http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/steves-mining-journal.htm Anything marked Ganes Creek or Moore Creek is tailings. Kind of my specialty.

 

I've been looking at the fors gold myself but after my accident I only just had enough excess cash to buy the zed and still be able to start the prospecting season.

Thanks for the links.

I would love to do a season up high in a remote area in Alaska, lovely looking country.

Nice 6.5ozer too mate, would make a nice neck nugget.................Gangster!