Gerry in Idaho

The majority of my bigger gold finds have come from tailing piles. I've detected dredge and hand placer digging piles in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Nevada with success. If I were to hunt California, Arizona and Wyoming tailing piles, I'd do what I've learned in the 30 years of chasing bigger gold and do what I usually do, I'd run Discriminating VLF's and find even more. Yes I have used PI's and even ZED with Success at such locations, but I run out of energy much sooner, as shovel heads at 3 1/2 feet are Ball Breakers, grease buckets over 4' are heart attaches. Here's the funny thing about the bigger machines. I've yet to actually find a bigger chunk of gold beyond the depths of my VLF's capabilities. I'm sure it has been done by someone, but my Success speaks for itself. I run into folks in the field on occasion and they swear up and down, those said sites can be PI'd. OK, then why is my VLF Success 10X of theirs???? Sometimes a little Success with a PI in tailing does not mean that's the best way to do it. Problem is, some folks are happy with a little bit of Success and too hard headed to learn and or teach themselves a new style. OK with me, as I'll keep doing what works for me and they can keep doing what works for them. Not all tailing piles are the same and many are not even in good size gold nugget/specimen country. Many folks forget this fact. In many of the tailing I detect, the highly mineralized soils have already been removed, so the VLF's capabilities are optimal which = a closer performance comparison of said VLF vs PI. Again, different parts of the country in the US, the piles vary. It's just that in the regions and states I've detected tailing piles, I've been able to get best results with the Discriminating VLFs. - A lighter and faster VLF detector can be used for longer periods of time - The Iron ID VLF's save time in identifying ferrous and non ferrous targets. - Today's newer discriminating VLF's with target Identification can be taken a step above and helps me separate the nonferrous targets and saves me more time not having to dig certain non ferrous targets. - In mold tailing piles, the mineralized dirt has been removed and performance of VLF vs PI is not as big a difference. - Very important and not mentioned by most. Invisible gold - It's out there in way more places than most realize, but you don't know as your detector can't see it. Many older PI detectors and even a couple current models can not see or will respond to such gold. I have numerous multi ounces pieces a VLF responds to and bigger detectors can't or do it but not as well at a depth as the VLF. I love detecting tailing & hand work placer piles. I highly recommend to those who have not done so to try it and be open minded when doing so. There is no right or wrong way, but do what seems to work for you. If you have a bigger PI or ZED and don't own a VLF, I know you're missing gold and in some areas, you could be missing the best gold. No sales pitch, just what I have learned from being in the field for many years. Heck I couldn't believe my own eyes when I 1st witnessed this 25+ yrs ago. Now I take a big machine and VLF everywhere I go Here's some pics of finds with a variety of detectors that I have been successful with.

Thanks for all the great comments guys. You and at least another 1/2 dozen successful DP members have joined my Staff/I in the field and learned the ropes. It amazes me how some of you have taken my class so long ago and still sending referrals my way. Thanks millions. PS. Bill from NV (yes one of my customers who's taken the class) just showed me this pic with over 2 1/2+ oz of recent NNV gold finds he made on his last trip with his GPX-6000.

Beautiful history saves.

Beautiful History save Glenn and so glad your efforts came through. Part of when I enjoy about metal detecting, is doing research to find a site. Then spending the time to actually locate the site you want to hunt. Eventually you get to swing the site and each of us have a particular item we are wishing to discover. In your case, a token with the town name. What a feeling of euphoria it is when all comes together, and that little piece of history is sitting in the palm of your hand. Well earned.

Most certainly a great site with history saves like those. I found the exact same year and denomination 1852 $2.50 as my 1st gold coin find ever. I know you are over 10 gold coin finds, so you certainly have the research capabilities and sites for such. Great on you and I Iook forward to seeing/hear of more finds and updates. Again, Hats off to you for your probably best coin find of 2023.

Great on you Reese for finding your best Nugget of 2023 (so far). Love the raw footage and actual tools that were around to make it happen. So many folks don't understand what all it takes to have the perfect ideal video, the best lighting, location, proper tools needed and then for the dagum target to actually be gold. Usually, its on the fly and what's available around us to get the task done. Well earned my friend and glad your buddies were there to catch it live.

I ship them and detectors in the mail almost daily.

Many options out there now. If you want Simplicity of Turn ON and Go. Get a GM-1000. It lacks some of the fine tune features most all other higher kHZ VLF models have and it's literally is made for a No Brainer - anyone. If you are a White's fan, the improved GMT (Gold Master Tracker) is very similar to the actual running of the old V-Sat. If you prefer the most updated White's model, the now called Garrett 24K is the way to go. Now if you desire to also hunt coins/beaches for jewelry, go with Minelab Equinox 800/900 as it does it all quite well. Either way, sorry to hear of the loss. I'm surprised the Insurance company is even giving you any value for the 25+ yr old V-Sat. You can pick them up used for around $150 to $300. Glad to hear you are getting excited again and hoping to see some pics of success posted soon.

You getting me all hot and bothered again Rick. I don't know what's more exciting at my age, the girls with goldy locks or you and the golden eye. Well earned my friend. NNV is best in the later season before all the heavy rains. Keep it up.

Garrett has one of the best Warranties on pointers out there (3 full years). I just called and sent them one Friday. I actually wore clean through the tip of the orange plastic (my fault). Anyway, call them at 1-800-234-6151 and get it sent in for repair. be sure to write the RMA # on the outside of the shipping label.

Interesting video and glad to see Minelab sent one for your willingness to promote it. Sorry to hear they don't allow you to use or even mention any other brands for a real comparison. But at least you got one for free (minus your time). On occasion but not in most - I like having a pointer that offers Iron Identification, but I think the Iron ID feature is not really well designed? Is a certain light ON or a switch in a POSITION to easily show its either ON or OFF or do you just assume? What if I turn the pointer off and then for my next dig, I turn it on, what mode is the Pro Find 40 in then? Not seeing a simple way to know if Iron ID is still ON or OFF is frustrating, as when you mentioned in your video... if ON, the pointer does not provide best depth. Since I was never sent one to Test (and not under oath terms as you are), I can provide my input on the other pointers out in the market. I feel the ProFind 40 is better than nothing (no pointer at all), but I know of 2 others I would rather use. My detecting is not just for gold nuggets, as I enjoy chasing old coins/relics and gold jewelry in rivers/oceans/hot springs. I like a faster pointer than what my ProFind40 provides as I'm quickly moving around in the dirt, rocks or crevice. To me, the idea of carrying around another $100+ item in the field is to help recover more targets in same amount of time, quickly. The ProFind 40 is not one of those. But, I do agree with you on a few things. It does a good job of helping find a signal (albeit not as fast) in a deeper hole, so I don't pick that nugget or coin and damage it. Pic is from one of my customers who was in a hurry and not using a Pointer. Yes, I have done the same on occasion but not to a US 1857 $10 gold coin. The ProFind 40 is inline with the other well known options as it does offer SENS adjustment, which is nice in different soil conditions and it's better than no pointer at all. One thing you might mention in other videos that I feel is a + for the ProFind. Many other brands/models of detectors will cross talk and bleed EMI when a ProFind pointer is turned ON. Minelab realizes and has built the ProFind series to be quite adaptable to their detector models. As a dealer who sells them all, I need to ask my customers for what all applications are they wanting to use a pointer. It's better they know up front, than when in the field. Thanks for sharing your video and input for what you are allowed to say.

Scroll below for update post as of Oct. 19th 2023. Detector Knowledge = Golden Success. Why is nuggets/specimens hard to find with detector? Majority of folks don't know what they're listening for or how to properly set up their detectors to find Au. Video link of gold excitement https://youtu.be/gBakppQe8yo?si=ljp2zAnsK-58Rjg0 dig from one of my customers at Rye Patch during the Training. Gerry's Detectors along with Field Staff Experts has 1 more 3 Days Field Training at Rye Patch, NV on Friday, Nov. 3rd - Sunday 5th. Group session/camping trip with like minded folks eager to learn their gold capable detectors. Cost of the 3 day class is $500 for anyone and those who purchase their detectors from me earn a $150 discount and only pay $350. If you are tired of wasting money and trips on the hunt and come home with zero gold, quit wasting more time/$ and learn from the Pros. Pics are of customers and some golden smiles. Call Gerry's Detectors for any questions.

North NV is one of my favorite part of the country to hunt gold. Yes I have been to AZ and Gold Basin with Success, but NV is my favorite of the 2. I imagine part of it is the time spent and knowing of the area. You have been to AZ and spent many more hours swinging a coil there than NV? Same with me about NNV, I have thousands of hours on many detectors going back 25+ yrs and some crazy great finds made. No matter where your desire to swing is, at least you are getting out there and doing it. Thanks for sharing and sorry your so called friend pulled the stupid on you. I actually think it's happened to us all at 1 time and some of us more than once.

Nice variety of treasures. Even though this is of recent finds, what do you consider your favorite beach find overall?

I carry and use my Garrett AT Carrot on most of my Tailing hunts. It's so hard to dig a hole in loose piles of rocks without the sides collapsing and filling the hole again. The pointer is great at trying to isolate the correct rock (specimen) without the hole sliding in. Also, many of those rocks look the same, so having the pointer to speed up the process of isolation is great. Another use for Pinpointer - When using a bigger PI or GPZ sometimes those holes get quite big and deep. Having a pointer to help narrow down where the nugget is, will speed up recover and also help from it getting damaged from the end of my pic. Who wants to find a nice 1/2 oz gold nugget and see a fresh new gouge in the gold from the pick? Also, those deeper holes, the coil is hard to get into the hole and the pointer is great for that. Trying to carry a big powerful detector and an extra smaller VLF detector is really tough. Having a small compact pointer to wear on the hip or in your pouch is much easier. Good luck.

Thanks for sharing the info and names of those before you Jim. The traditional prospector worked their butts off so hard. Dirty work with many times not much reward. It's not my style of Prospecting as I like to cover area and move along. I'll stock to swinging a detector and let the traditional miners do their thing. I image, it all depends on ones mindset and I'm all for folks having fun and smiling as they show their gold, no matter what technique they used to find it. Speaking of having fun while on the hunt for Au. Last week I walked/slid/stumbled for 2 days across tailing piles to eventually come home dead tired and sore feet/body. I whined a little to my wife about it and she looked me in the eyes and said, "then why you do it?" I actually was caught off guard a little and thought it over a bit before answering. Then replied "the thrill of the hunt". Yesterday, the same tailing piles and I was finally rewarded with a specimen. Still went home with a sore and beat up body, but for some reason it didn't quite hurt as much. Thank you my friend for allowing us to go down memory lane of such a great Prospector.

I'll take an Equinox 800, or improved 900 and or Manticore over a GM-1000 every day of the week and on weekend. Now that's me "Gerry" who also detects in water for gold rings, also detects for old coins/relics and also hunts for gold in trashy area. As you mentioned, just for gold and value, I feel an EQ-800 with free small coil (right now during promo) for $900 is best value and it can do more for gold than a Monster. My 2nd choice would be the new improved EQ-900 as it comes with both coils for $1100. Then 3rd would be a GM-1000 for $950 as it also comes with both coils. If a person who does not go nugget hunting enough to understand proper Ground Balance Techniques and running a detector as hot as possible (when conditions allow), and not care about a Threshold, then most certainly the GM-1000 or Garrett 24K would be in the cross hairs. For me, I've probably put close to 100 hrs on the Manticore for gold prospecting and the more I use/play/test with it, the better my results are starting to show. I was not on board at 1st, but just like any new machine, it takes time/testing/patience. Heck I can remember when the GM-1000 came out, I hated it...and same with an old school Gold Bug-2. I think the biggest problem for many folks getting into the nugget hunting, is if you come from a PI to a VLF, it's a whole new ball game you need to learn/master. Most folks don't want to take the time, don't like hearing the mineralized ground and hat chasing Hot Rocks. I've detected with VLF long enough, those weaknesses don't both me as I see the benefits of the VLF. Alaska- It's your dream Chuck, so go do it. Time is running out on us all, and it's time to get out and make memories my friend. Don't forget the bug spray.

VL, 1st off the Enginuity of your alert system is priceless in a meaningful way. So many different ways to share/learn and what better than from other prospectors and the tricks/ways we find to make things work and or fail. Hat's off to you and your very educated Grandfather. As for the laughs my friend, no hard feelings please. Sometimes we laugh as in (that's one way of doing things = chuckle genius). Laughter is a good sign, I sure hope so anyway. I've been laughed right off this forum a time or two and have learned....well no I haven't. But I accept it because you guys are my friends in the MD'ing community. Besides, from a keyboard, it so hard to get a feel for how something is being said and can easily be twisted/turned. Please don't take a laughing face as something negative, especially with a bunch of old cagey internet thugs like us. Heck, I enjoy a laugh/chuckle and even laugh out loud at myself on occasion, just to make others around me wonder? All is good my friend and your Grandfather was very talented with the tools around him.

The Manticore is a quite capable detector in trashy areas and can be much better than the other PI machines you mentioned. But I won't compare them for depth since Manticore falls into the VLF category. I've recovered gold at 12" and trash at 16" so know it has great depth for a VLF class machine. If you did not come from an Equinox and the Manti is your 1st VLF type machine, you have quite a learning curve ahead of you. Keep playing with the Settings and using it. Be sure to also bury some of your desired targets in the soils you wish to swing. Trash in old mining areas is your friend when using the Manticore. Are you looking for solid nuggets or the invisible gold (specimens & wire gold)? The reason I ask, is the SD's, GP's and almost all the GPX series (minus the new GPX-6000 and Axiom) miss a lot of gold the Manticore sees. I'm assuming you are looking for the solid stuff? If your test pieces are solid nuggets, I recommend purchasing some specimen gold and run some tests with them as well. You'll see right away some pieces hit extremely well with Manticore and your old PI's either won't see/hear or nearly not as deep. Those areas you have had success with the older machines and there's trash still in there, I most certainly recommend the Manti in there. Many people tell me they have no such kind of gold in their area. Well if your detector can't see it, then you are not finding it. Sure I hunt a few areas with no specimens and invisible gold, but I also do really well in areas I used to hunt with old PI's and found plenty gold, but thought there was no specimens because back then I wasn't finding them. Fact is, as I learned more about detectors and their capabilities I started finding more with the VLF and improved newer PI's. As for your GAIN at 27? I can't get much higher than 22/23 with my Manticore in nonmineralized soils (less in mineralized grounds) and wonder why so high? I run wide open on the Horseshoe and always turn up the Threshold. Which Audio Mode under Prospect are you swinging? If you don't know, then you are not playing with the detector enough. That's ok, because you are still asking questions. The best thing for so many people when on a new detector, is to take it out in the field and sit down with plenty of time and play with it and the targets you desire to find, in the soils you want to hunt. Sure it cuts into your detecting time, but the knowledge gained will pay you dividends in the long run. You know enough (said you had great success with older PI's) to realize, the gold hunt is very time consuming, but at the same time, it's also quite rewarding when the metal shines at the bottom on your hole.

Joe D. I've been with the same lady for 35+ yrs and so those brothels were for entertainment purposes (tax write off). Part of the visit was to take in the local culture and when I seen I could take a real tour, see real working girls (I think a couple were fake or inflated) 1 with an adams apple (she/he was interesting to say the least but fun to chat with). What my prize possession beside my bigger gold specimen, was the "Menu". Yes I had to purchase the menu for my proof of visitation. What's crazy, is I can't seem to find it right now. I guess it's probably good for the forum I not find it, I'd probably get banned for a week. Some of the menu items had interesting name "Prospectors Poke, Miners Delight, Eureka". Even if I was single, I would not spend the money on the "eureka", they are proud of their capabilities.

I've been putting time on the Manticore chasing gold in trashy areas. My initial testing was not worth writing about and I was actually pretty upset. I've since played around with some Timings and starting to get dialed in and some results. As for price difference vs performance for Prospecting and the shortage of coils? I feel you are correct Steve. But since I hunt a variety of treasures and also underwater/beach, I am starting to get tuned in with the Manti and seeing results. Thanks for your persepctive.

The stronger the better. be sure to get the coated ones as rare earth super magnets seem to easily chip, crack and or break.

I don't let snakes and animals discourage me, but I do have a couple areas in Oregon, that I won't swing certain times of the year. Also watch out for ticks and mosquitoes as they sicken more people in the US each year than snakes and scorpions. As for gear that I feel is great to have, that I have yet to see mentioned. A rare earth Super magnet, a test piece of gold or softer lead and backup detector and headphones. As mentioned, it's people that I worry about. Most are ok and just out there enjoying their weekend. Others are out there trying to survive and you and or your belongings are on their survival needs. Good luck.

Honestly, I don't think I'll go back. For the cost to be there with transportation, gear, food etc for a month, I think the majority of American detectorists will be disappointed with the gold they return home with. If you are going over there to hunt for gold nuggets only, I feel it's not worth the trip. So much of the land there has been claimed and off limits. The best land has been flogged to death and most of the gold being recovered is smaller bits. If you have an inside source/person to get you on great land, even then, it's tough swinging. Now, if you are going over there as a Bucket List and want to enjoy Australia for the many things it has to offer (culture, beaches, wildlife, big cities, history, visiting Perth Mint, and maybe finding a piece of Aussie gold or opal, then do it and don't look back. It's a beautiful place with lovely people and interesting brothels. The menus on the brothels are some of the most imaginable I've seen. If I spent a month in the field here in the US swinging as hard as I did in Australia, I would most certainly end up with more gold. Yes our best land is flogged as well and so many claims, but since I live here in the US, it's easier to track down the claim owners and work a deal to get permission. Also, I enjoy hunting bigger gold in dredge tailing piles and trash site. Australia (Kalgoorlie area) did not have any dredge tailing piles that I found. I still had a wonderful time, met some interesting people, stuffed some really weird roadkill down my gullet and visited some of the best brothels I have ever set eyes. Yes I even found a little heavy metal, but I don't think i would go back just to detect for natural gold. Now their beaches, I think I could enjoy a few gold rings. Sorry I can't recommend where to go.

Who me? Never heard of such a thing. But they do look yummy.