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Does Size And Or Success Matter? No Right Or Wrong Answer.


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9 hours ago, Reg Wilson said:

When I realize that I have something big in the bottom of a hole, my first instinct is to look about to be sure that I have not been observed. I was once, and it led to my patch being moonlighted.

 

I've done that exact same thing and sometimes it so stupid, as I know for a fact not a sole is around me within miles.  Then afterwards I just giggle to myself. 

Yes the stories I was told and some of the pics I was allowed to see into Pieter's life were just amazing.  Glad to see you, Mr. Beatty still enjoying the hunt and love your wealth of knowledge.

If you ever get around to it (maybe you already did), I'd love to see the 27.7 whopper you pulled with the GPZ-7000.  Just curious, was it at depth beyond the other big Minelabs of past?

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On 10/12/2021 at 8:16 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

but am looking forward to ramping things up next season, hunting places I’ve never hunted before. No more pounding old locations,

 

give me a call. I can show you some amazing places for detecting---- but then I have to kill you.

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On 10/13/2021 at 7:59 AM, Redz said:

The US is a big place with many areas of gold mineralization, and many people never post their finds for obvious reasons. I think it is very hard to generalize based on Rye Patch and a couple of other areas. Those doing very well keep it very quiet and dont advertise where there is good gold to be found.

Actually it’s pretty easy to generalize if you are in retail and deal with thousands of customers. The vast majority of nugget detector owners in the U.S. are hobbyists, and most find little gold. Out of all the people in the U.S. who own nuggets detectors right now, the number who find more than an ounce of gold a year is a very small percentage. The people doing very well are the rare exceptions. That’s not speculation, it’s a fact.

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Actually it’s pretty easy to generalize if you are in retail and deal with thousands of customers.

The people I know dont reveal to dealers what they are finding, especially because they have more infomation about them. Admittedly a small number, but that is my experience.

Those finding little tend to lie they are finding more. Those finding more tend to lie they are finding little

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43 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The people doing very well are the rare exceptions.

I did not realise how true this statement is for Australia too, until I posted in an Oz 4M thread about why to buy the newest detector tech, I simply answered because it pays to.

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The vast majority of nugget detector owners in the U.S. are hobbyists, and most find little gold. Out of all the people in the U.S. who own nuggets detectors right now, the number who find more than an ounce of gold a year is a very small percentage. The people doing very well are the rare exceptions. That’s not speculation, it’s a fact.

    In my view of gold hunting (and the little I know from your forum👌), the time and effort it takes to do this type of detecting; not to mention the cost, is what makes it even more rare for those doing it, to be successful!

    Having family, home, work obligations, and/or age or physical disabilities, further narrows down the field of those who can spend a large amount of time to perfect their craft! Of course there are other factors, but I think those mentioned are the primary ones!

   The same can be said about water detecting! There are very few we know of, that are really successful at it!

    Time and equipment intensive pursuits; unless done for a living, are "generally" not tolerated well by significant others! Having to compete for time, with a significant other's "hobby", generally doesn't end well!! But ultimately, may end up with that hobbyist having more time to become very successful!

   A Classic "Catch 22" situation, which one may find themselves in; especially detectorists!!😂👍👍

   

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1 hour ago, Redz said:

Those finding little tend to lie they are finding more. Those finding more tend to lie they are finding little

I've yet to find any, but I do enjoy talking about it.  Heck sometimes I try to tell folks I found a few ounces or a big one and they just laugh and think I planted.  I don't know, maybe I just dream about digging gold and have actually never done it.  

I show enough for folks who are interested in a detector to realize not all dealers who sell are the same.  A select few of us (Rob, Bill, I ) are pretty active gold nugget detecting dealers.  Doc and Chris, probably a few others have earned their stripes as well but have limited time these days.

I'll be honest and my opinion.  I feel most customers DO NOT do themselves justice when purchasing a gold detector.  They search the internet trying to figure out the best gold detector and then go to big mail order sites to order it.  I get calls and emails constantly from folks who are having issues with their detector or think it's not operating properly while they are in their backyard.  I ask, why you did not purchase from a dealer who actually uses the product and or why you calling me?  I hear every excuse in the book.

Yea,  I actually did find a big gold nugget once.

 

DSCN0011.JPG

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7 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

 

Yea,  I actually did find a big gold nugget once.

 

DSCN0011.JPG

How in the hell did you find my patch?  

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I will give my perspective, being I first picked up a metal detector in March.  I purchased an 800 just to find cool stuff and hopefully something of value.  I kind of equate the beginning of my metal detecting as someone who buys $1 lottery tickets, probably not going to win that $5000 but there is that glimmer of hope of doing so.  I have found some fun things and enjoyed being out and alone in my own head.  My next purchase was probably premature, because I didnt have a full grasp of how to work the 800 or metal detecting in general.  As we say in my line of work, you dont know what you dont know.  So the Excal Il has about 20 hours on it(it should get more this winter), but I probably jumped the gun a bit on that purchase.

Then I went to Gerry's training at RP this springish with the thought in my head, I am not really looking for gold, I just want to learn the 800 better. I did learn a ton about the 800 and machines in general.  BUT, then I kind of got the bug a little and after a few months of deliberation purchased the 6000.  I have exactly 3 hours on the 6000 while owning it for a couple of months.  It isnt that I dont want to take it out or it is too confusing, I just havent had the time because I am busy with the things that actually afford me the ability to purchase almost $10k in machines my first year in.  I have dedicated some time to go to Gerry's training in Nov down at RP not just to learn the machine, but to get some of what I paid for, time to myself in my own head.  

So to answer your question, I buy the best machine I can afford to give me the best chance at success for when I do go out.  To define that success, pickers are just fine as long as I am finding something and am getting that time to just do what I want to do when I want to do it without worrying about anything else except maybe my next meal or next beer.  That may change as I get more time to go out, but for now, 1 more than I get is what I really want.  I think I read somewhere on here about Irish miners, "Never leave a mine until you have dug at least one more foot"  or something like that(I have started reading this forum from the back toward the front cover to cover, so who know when and where that quote was).  That is me and time, darkness and bugs are my biggest enemies.  

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