Can You Make A Living Gold Prospecting With A Good Gold Detector In The Western Deserts Of The U.S.?

[maxxkatt]

More curious than anything else. I would imagine if you were retired and were drawing social security or you and your wife drawing social security you could earn some nice extra money prospectng for gold with a decent gold metal detector. Maybe selling your paid up home and buying a nice truck and trailer and hit the road with wife and of course the dog.

Any ideas on what kind of average monthly income could be generated hunting say 4 hours per day, M-F?

 

[Reno Chris]

Knowing how to find gold is like a trade skill. A metal detector is only a tool. You as the prospector find the gold. Just owning a metal detector does not make one a knowledgeable prospector any more than owning a voltmeter makes one a journeyman electrician. The electrician's knowledge makes him an electrician, not his tools. Some guys with years of experience do make some extra money with their detectors, but its more of an adventure than a practical and reliable way to make money. Amounts made are all over the map. I have days where I make $500 to $1,000 and plenty of days where I make less than $5. Its so erratic that it is hard to average. For a new guy with no prospecting experience, unless you are really lucky,  I'd expect you to average $0 until you learn the trade skills of prospecting and finding gold.
Sorry if that sounds harsh, but its an honest answer.

[LuckyLundy]

Max,

Stick to your day job!  There’s way more than just swinging your coil for 4 hours a day!  Many will say it’s Location/Location.  Well locating a Location is a big part of the hunt for gold.  Now some find more Gold than others and some it takes a year or more to find their first detected nugget on their own. Now, if you keep it simple and enjoy the outdoors for the peace of mind and exercise this is a great hobby.  This hobby, has been very good to me and my Wife.  But, there’d be some dinner plates with Beans with no Bacon and only Water to wash it down with.  To be successful in this hobby, requires to get off the beating path, each Gold District has different signs of where to begin your search for detectable nuggets.  Sure you can make extra income in this hobby.  But, a many of times, I considered collecting Butterflies.  Get out there for the adventure and the thrill of our hobby...making extra change at it will follow!

LuckyLundy

[GB_Amateur]

1 hour ago, maxxkatt said:

Maybe selling your paid up home and buying a nice truck and trailer and hit the road with wife and of course the dog.

It might not be long before it's just you and (maybe) the dog, and papers filing for divorce.  When this question gets asked, the first reply is to give it a try with minimal risk before making such an irreversible decision.

There are people here better qualified to answer than I, including at least one of the top experts at detecting for gold in the USA who spends half his year doing so, and investing way more than 4 hours per day.  Why not full time?  You can guess the answer.  And note I said "one of the top..." meaning he's spent years improving his skills to get to where he is today.

It's a fun hobby but a trying job, at best.

[Jim McCulloch]

"Can you make a LIVING nuggetshooting in the Western US these days?" First off, how much income would constitute a "living?. I know a few guys who are debt-free, with no dependants, don't have health insurance, live out of their uninsured dilapidated car in the goldfields, and subsist on beans, rice, and canned tuna. For such folks a half gram of gold per day might constitute a "living." In one of my TV ads for White's Electronics I state "... some days are $20.00 days, some days are $1000.00 days..." Yet I have yet to make a "real" living nuggetshooting. Just sayin.

[Condor]

A few years ago I could detect old placers 45 minutes from home in AZ.  I considered 2 grams a day average and it paid for gas and slowly paid off a few detectors.  Nowadays, 2 grams a week seems to be a good haul.  I don't think that there are many of us who would consider detecting as supplemental income, just a hobby with lots of exercise and fresh air.  

[Steve Herschbach]

No. It's a hobby in the U.S., nothing more. You might come out ahead of expenses on a specific trip, but making a living? With four hour days? Not a chance. In your case as a newbie, simply finding gold is your challenge. Then you might graduate to paying for gas expenses. You have a better chance turning a profit by going to local parks with a coin detector and finding lost change.

A few guys might beat expenses still, but they are top of class experts, working like dogs, in great locations. Frankly, you are just too late. The best gold was gone a decade ago, and the leftovers have been hit hard the last ten years. It's not impossible for a few old-timers to make a slim buck at this, but any new people, I'd say it is wishful thinking.

[Gold Catcher]

You could still hope for the "one step away from a million dollars" nugget. It's still possible albeit not extremely likely.... Just don't turn it into a million steps away from a dollar.😉

[Valens Legacy]

As a newbie I had considered picking up my grandfathers detector and heading for the hills also. What keeps me grounded in reality is the knowledge in this forum and the people on it. With their wisdom and their stories that I have read over the past couple of years I know that there is no way as a newbie I could ever give up my day job.

I have used a sluice and pan for several years in the past decade, and am new to detecting, and with not knowing the detector properly know that I could ever make a living.

In a few years I will be able to retire if I want, but having said that I can tell you that without the proper knowledge, equipment, maps and luck, there is no way to do what you want.

Every time I think about going to the desert to find gold I just buy a Lottery ticket and know I have a better chance at winning from it than to find enough gold to make it worth while.

Good luck on your decision because it is totally up to you.

[geof_junk]

It all depends on long it takes to pay off your detector. A cheap one does not need as much gold but is a handy cap. The best requires heaps of gold but gets more gold. One thing to remember a great hit can put you well ahead but the second hit might not happen.