CTX 3030 A Gold Machine?

[strick]

It's been over a month since I have had a chance to get out and hunt for gold. Last time out I got my butt whipped by my wife and so I been licking my wounds and sulking since then. She took off for her sisters this weekend so today I decided to go to the foot hills. My goal was a short half day hunt. My buddy has some property that has produced some small nuggets for me in the past. Nothing bigger then 1/2 gram and most are only a few grains but it's fun and something to do. The only problem with the place is it's riddled with bird shot and lots of other goodies...so you are digging constantly.

I took my time getting up this morning and got to the ranch about 9am with my arsenal. I intended to start with the 7000 in normal ground mode over an area that I got 6 little nuggets last time I was there. I had pretty much worked the area over with the sdc 2300 so I wanted to see if there was anything deeper.  I get started and it's hot already and before long sweat is dripping off my face like a waterfall while I'm digging bird shot, old musket balls and bullets. An hour and a half later no gold and it's time to go to the truck and have a beer...and a water.

Now that I'm revitalized  I decide I want to explore another area so I grab the 2300 and go on a walk about. The ranch is 100 acres but there is an adjoining property that I can go to as well so I head that way. Another  hour and a half  go by and nothing to show but more round balls and bird shot.  On my way back to the truck  (for another beer) I see  a place that I have always wanted to try with my ctx 3030. It looks like an old dam in a creek that the old timers put together. I figure if I cant find a nugget maybe I can find a old coin. So I go back to the truck and grab the ctx. This is my last try as I wanted to get back home and finish some projects that I have going on there.

There are lots of tailing piles on this pace so I start working them with the ctx as I'm heading to the dam.  I was going kinda fast with the ctx and I dig a few more pieces of lead. As I start heading up the hill to the creek  I'm swinging along carelessly and I get a nice low tone. I look at my display and it says 12.10 and there is a nice little red dot on the screen. I immediately think gold or a piece of lead or 22 casing. As I'm looking down my eyes focus on something yellow. Now I'm thinking probably a piece of yellow dirt. so I put on my glasses and low and behold it looks like gold! I've only been detecting for about a year now and I've never found a sun baker. I scrape a little dirt away and sure enough it's a nugget. I don't know how deep it goes into the ground so I wanted to savor the moment and go back to the truck for my camera.

It's not nearly as big as what some of you fellas get but it's the biggest nugget that I have found so far in my year of detecting. 1.71 dtw And I kept telling my self. You gotta be kidding me. I found it with my coin machine? So what did I do next? I go back to the truck put the 3030 away and go back to the spot and work it over with the 2300 for a good 30 minutes. Nothing but more bird shot

strick

[Steve Herschbach]

Awesome story, great nugget and excellent photos - congratulations strick!

[mn90403]

Those are some really good pictures that help tell the story.  WTG on the nugget.

[1515Art]

Great story and pretty gold and thats a pretty nice group of old lead too!

[Featherdfishead]

Great find Strick! The adventures we have while detecting  - great pics too. I hope to find a sun baker myself someday.

 

Best of luck

AjR

[deathray]

Way to go man!!!

[Relichunter]

That was a great story and pictures to go with it. Thanks for the time you took to share it with us all....nice nugget !!!

[flakmagnet]

Very fun story to read.

Congratulations on your biggest nugget yet.

It is beautiful. 

 

Continued good hunting.

[Reno Chris]

Sometimes ignoring bird shot targets is a very helpful thing - there are places heavily hunted by shotgun where they are everywhere. However, I have also been to places  where if you ignore bird shot sized targets, you simply wont be getting any gold.

[Norvic]

Just magic. Way to go.