Jump to content

How Long Did It Take To Find Your First Nugget?


Arky

Recommended Posts

Over the last couple months I've met quite  few folks new to nuggetshooting. Many are frustrated at not finding gold, but are finding a lot of trash targets, including lead shot, and I find myself confessing that it took me more than 2 years on the calendar and 30+ days of detecting to find number 1. Part of my pep talk is to explain that this is a common experience, so stick with it. So the point of the question is to encourage newer detectorists stick with it and learn whatever they can from the real pros on this forum.

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites


A year and a half 🤷🏻‍♂️. Turns out my detector was defective, (2100v2) I didn’t know any better lol. 
 

I finally found a a nugget with it. It was 1/4 oz and barely made any noise right under the coil. 
 

 

  • Like 5
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I found a lot of trash for couple of days trying to figure it all out. But then I took Gerry in Idaho's course. Really flattened out my learning curve. I was finding lead shot before and after class and found a small picker late the second day of class. Kind of got me hooked.

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Took my new-to-me Goldmonster to a river not known for nuggets to try and learn it a little before I went to my gold area.  Next day I hit the gold fields and popped a 2.3g first day out...  I got lucky right outta the gate!

PS...second day out found another 2.3g nugg  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It took me 8 months of heading out around 3 times a week to find my first piece of gold. I was originally using a Whites Vx3 which couldn’t handle the highly mineralised soil here in the Golden Triangle in Aus (sold to me by an unscrupulous dealer who was just trying to get rid of old stock), plus I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. It was only when I got a PI machine and started doing some more rigorous research that things started to change. Even then, that machine was defective and I had to get it fixed under warranty, so it was amazing that I found that first piece beforehand. Like Steve always says, if you’re in a gold bearing area with detectable nuggets and you’re still digging trash, you’ll eventually find a piece. And that it takes loads of time to learn what the detector is telling you. I reckon I would have eventually found gold with the Vx3 if I had have stuck with it in the right ground conditions, but geez it was hard work.

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Lost Scout said:

So I found a lot of trash for couple of days trying to figure it all out. But then I took Gerry in Idaho's course. Really flattened out my learning curve. I was finding lead shot before and after class and found a small picker late the second day of class. Kind of got me hooked.

Decided I needed to qualify and expand. The third day of class I found another small picker. And then I had a drought. Found a nice picker then had a really long drought. DOUNT NEVER GIVE UP!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first detector was a Garrett A2B Ground Hog, found two small nuggs in the first month and then went for over 12 months before I started to find gold on a regular basis. Back then it was quite a steep learning curve to sort out your detector.

Cheers

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Took almost 3years back in 81, had totally no idea at all, common comment from all people of my acquaintance was that you cannot find gold with a box full of wires and a bunch of knobs on outside of box. Found the usual ferrous rubbish, coins and other goldfield artifacts. I now know how incorrect that early perception was and that in those 3 years I went over many ounces. Detector was a Bounty Hunter RB7, the detector that hooked me proper was the Garret A2B. It proved that scraps/dinks make up the most gold weight of the goldfields in my part of OZ, that the big bits were few and far between, but no doubt they were adrenaline pumping finds. 

  • Like 8
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far Ive only really found it after being given the pointy finger. And of those I did find, they were just a few little bits not much heavier than .5G, but the fun of looking for it with friends beats all!

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For years I had only looked for gold by panning or sluicing with my grandfather, but since he passed away I thought it would be a good idea to try my hand with a detector on the creeks near me. I still took a pan with me to check the targets with since I was at the creek with plenty of water, and with amazement I was staring at the pan with a nice little nugget. I had only used the NOX 800 for about a year, actually about 20 times, but since I could hit on deep silver I knew if there was anything I had missed it would show up. Yes I found plenty of shot pellets rolling in the pan at times, but I knew that I had to take the good with the bad. I found that it enhanced my creek trips by over 90% more gold than without it.

As far as searching only on dry ground with a detector for gold I can say that I have only found 1 nugget with it and soon I will be writing about that nugget with a couple of pictures.

So I can honestly say for sure that i hit gold the first time I looked for it within the first hour, and every time I have gone out to the creeks since. Now I may have only found one or two pieces each trip out, but it sure makes for a good day and it all adds up by the end of the year.

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...