Gold Dozer

Not terribly long ago I Hooked up with Gold Seeker 5000 and jumped on the opportunity to get some training from him in Arizona. Had a great time, met some awesome people, and even got into some gold. I'm generally not the type that makes new friends overnight but for some reason this experience was quite different. I did make a friend in a matter of days on this trip. As a matter of fact I made a couple friends (shout out to BMc). I had such a good time I was bragging about this to my old man. He was intrigued enough to sign up for a training with as well. I had the privilege of being invited to tag along. This trip was a one day trip in a quite remote area of Montana. On our way up to our spot we crossed a wolf track. If you look at the picture below you can get an idea of how big these dogs get. Had to break out the chain saw and build a bridge in one spot to navigate into the area. Reese did an amazing job of tending to my father. Day started a bit slow and we didn't get onto any gold for the first couple hours but we started to get onto in later in the day. I was able to find 4 little chunkers, and my Father was able to get his first piece with his Gold Monster. One of these was my first find with the GPZ. Special thanks to Lunk and Gerry for the training at the Rye Patch to make that a possibility. It rained 2 days prior to this and I was just informed that my folks have 6" of snow today. We caught the weather just perfect. Not sure if everyone would agree but I'm of the opinion that the weather broke on this day due to destiny. Couldn't have been a better day. Really enjoyed getting out with my dad and a man that has contributed so much to improving my skills in this field. Thanks again Gold Seeker 5000!

It was a good training and good company. It was a pleasure getting to get acquainted with you UT Dave and everyone else that attended. Had a blast myself. I would recommend this for anyone that wants to learn about this hobby, or even people that have a good foundation and want more specialized training. Wasn't my first nugget but I managed to scare this one out of the ground, I mean middle of the lake....

Looking to find a backpack that I can just wear full time while I'm detecting. Ultimately I want something small and lite that I can just keep on and wont interfere with my pick and tool pouch that will be on a belt. Not looking for anything real big. Just want to pack water, food, and some extra tools. Additionally I want it to have "D" rings on the shoulder straps that I can attach a bungie to when I'm swinging the GPZ or larger coils on the GPX 6000. Part of my problem is I'm finding out how long I am on the upper torso. I've tried a couple styles of harnesses for a bungie and nothing is fitting, and yes I have made adjustments to try and make these fit. Wanting the rings on the pack to address this obstacle. Maybe someone else has had a similar experience?

I have found these two nuggets in Utah. These were from a private claim I had permission to work. Whole lot of hunting in many areas and these two little guys were all I've found with a detector in the state. Ironically these two were found about 10 feet apart from each other, but that's how it works. Whole bunch of trash everywhere else I've tried. It is indeed challenging to find detectable gold in Utah. The longer I do it the more I look outside the of the state. There are a few places in Utah that I still want to check out but expectations are pretty low. If you'd like to hook up and go on an outing let me know and we can figure something out. You can send me a message and we can compare notes if you'd like? I have tools for sluicing as well. Maybe we could plan an outing.

Great post Reese. This was a remarkable trip for me. Always wanting to get more field time and learn as much as I can. Truly enjoyed your and BMc's company. Learned a lot from the both of you and look forward to having our paths cross again in the future. This is a trip I will remember and I was pretty excited to see you post about it. It was quite unfortunate with the passing of your father. I wish you the best in that endeavor. I have yet to experience that myself and often think of how I may react when that day comes. In my experience finding gold isn't easy and it does take work. The fact that we found some gold is a plus. The picture below is what my take was from the first patch we found. Nice chunky gold by my standards. 1.4 grams in one day, my personal best to date.

I have purchased a detector and a coil from there. No issues. They offered free shipping and no sales tax. Added bonus if you put in promo code repeat10 you get 10% off.

Completely agree with Redz. Buyer beware when shopping for claims. Make sure the claim has a valid Serial Number and is a legitimate claim to begin with. People will sell claims that are fake. I'm aware of fake, illegal, or gold barren claims that have been for sale in the Rye Patch area. There are people that try to capitalize on the rye patch reputation to get people to make foolish purchases. Secondly any reputable claim owner will allow you to prospect the ground before you buy, in fact some won't sell you the claim unless you prospect it first. I wouldn't recommend purchasing a claim that you haven't field tested. This is where experience and research come in valuable.

I actually have that book. 😂

I'm starting into my 5th year as a prospector but it hasn't been much more than a year that I've started leaning heavy into detecting. Here in Utah I've found gold in quite a few places using a pan and sluice but the overwhelming large majority has been flour gold. I've heard many times "Do your research before exploring an area". I have taken this serious and have improved on my ability to do research and learn more about places I have gone before physically exploring the area. I've found USGS as a very useful tool for finding new places, takes some persistence to know how to get the information out of there as that isn't the most intuitive tool but I have found some really interesting data in there. I don't struggle with finding areas where gold has been found anymore but what I do struggle with is finding information on weather the gold found in that area was large enough to be detectable. I am continuing to learn and am beginning to understand that associated rocks can be clues on potential size of the gold that could be found, but I can't think of any instance I've seen any information on the size of the gold found. Maybe this is just a Utah thing? Any hints or clues on how I could find this information would be appreciated.

Utah. Guess I should have mentioned that.

Anyone have any suggestions on what pick is to use for detecting? I've used a few but apparently I'm too hard on them. The Fisher I have now is bent and held together with Gorilla tape. Hoping for a decent point that can be pried on at least a little bit, a good sized hoe on the other end that can move material efficiently, and a magnet (that can be added if not included). Any suggestions?

Thanks for the response. I started with panning and sluicing and have gravitated towards detecting about 2 years ago. I swing a Gold monster and a GPX 6000. I'm in Utah and yes I've also found that I've had to travel some good distances to find stuff big enough to make the detector ring. Recently went down to Arizona and got permission to work a claim. Spent 5 days on the claim and this is what I came up with using the GPX. Had the time of my life. Hoping to get more opportunities to get out there and find some more. As of right now my biggest is .53 of a gram. Hoping to better that with some more field time. Been eyeing the GPZ 7000 but haven't pulled the trigger. I've really enjoyed meeting new people that enjoy this hobby like I do. It does take patience but I find the rewards to be very fulfilling. Not only the finds but the time out in nature and going places you'd only ever go to if your a gold enthusiast.

Simply amazing finds. Great to see these types of things are still out there.