LuckyLundy

WTG! That’s one of my favor places out there! Just wish it was closer! Rick

Mitch, I’m so happy, your learning what rocks are associated to a gold region! Your spot on! Brian, Always a small World to run into Folks you know out in a vast desert! There’s gold out there, just have to spend the time 👀ing and swinging! Come hunt with us next time! Rick

Patience in life is a virtue! But, even I was running low. Nice Spring days run into hot Summer day’s fast to be sitting around tinkering. Truck was all maintenance up before the lock down, RZR with new oil and filters, it was eager to roll. My detectors had a little dust on them, but batteries charged. I touched base with the Crew and 6 of us loaded up and stormed the desert of Northern Nevada. Heading to our camp spot, I noticed the desert was full of other Freedom Seekers mending their Soul for the need of the outdoors, a normal calling shared by all on this Forum. We set up camp and hit the nearest patch to Camp, with the skunk off our backs and with the setting Sun and cold breeze we headed back for some conversation, food and libations! 🥃. We strategized the following morning Gold Mission over the flickering flames 🔥 of our campfire. We decided to leave Gold to find more gold, not always the smartest move but, it was the first full day of the hunt. We hit the dirt roads to a spot I had in mind, leaving a dust trail seen for miles. Even the Antelope and Wild Horses wondered what the rush was about in the mornings cold temperatures. We finally arrived to a spot, I eyeballed years ago. We geared up and spread out amongst the hip high sage brush. 15 minutes or so, someone breaks on our Walkie Talkies, I got one as I seen a waving coil in the distance! The hunt was on, as our seasoned crew swung our coils to the first location of color. Another, call on the radio was from someone behind me and below in the dry wash scored a nugget! Well long story short, we all had a great time and I found the perfect rock to name the new patch “The X Patch”. The Crew slowly departed back to their Critical Jobs and the Weather changed on me, rain and wind I tossed the towel in. I did manage to flatten the curve of the lock down with 5 pounds lighter on the scale. Always, good to be back home, yet can’t wait to get out for the next hunt! LuckyLundy

I’ve know Fred for several years! Back when I first met him was down in the Deserts of the Dale District. Back in them days, he’d head out in the morning and you wouldn’t see him till near dark. We finally found a nice patch down there where he could camp on the patch, lol. Hunted many times with him in the Rye Patch area and in the tall Pine Trees of Plumas County, CA. Great Conversations, always good food and a cold beverage! I’ll miss his smiling face and will be thought of during my Prospecting trips where we’ve stomped the same grounds at! RIP

Mitch, I’ve known you for several years and have swung a coil or two within shouting range and have had you on hot nugget dirt. Coil speed is the most important and then having your coil height either on the ground or no more than a inch above the ground constantly. From Yuma to Rye Patch, slow and low on them old patches. But, when I’m on new ground I’m at in fast past if the trash will let me. But, my coil will remain low on these searches for that one Duck Nugget. That one nugget, will change my gear back into Low and Slow. You know where the old patches are at Rye Patch and many other patches throughout the Western States. Sometimes you have to think outside the box of what others may not have done or detected to find gold. Your in the right places and have the right equipment, the rest is all Mental. Constantly, changing your settings doesn’t help you learn that 7000. Stick with one or two settings and learn their sounds. Them old patch nuggets won’t sound like a Duck nugget, it maybe just the smallest change in your Threshold. If your out with other hunters, let them have you run your coil over their targets. Finding your best settings for your ears is most important on undisturbed targets! I think I have a couple marked on my 7000 GPS, I’ll send coordinates to you. Don’t dig them, just tune your machine and remember the sounds...never know when I might need some gas money! Good Luck LuckyLundy

Sweet! Rick

Lunk, Great Shooting! I’m sure I seen a few of them and may have even swung a coil close by a few more 😂. You have a Great Time with Family for Thanksgiving and then hit the Goldfields! Rick

Bill, Good going! The big deep ones will sound just like them little guys. Toss a shovel in the bed of your rig, it will save sometime digging. Rick

Norm, Yep, you can’t pass up a Prospect Hole. Them Old Timers could follow a Pay-streak and some times to the source, but couldn’t find it all. WTG Rick

Jim, Steve, is more than right! You’ll fall in Love with the openness of that high desert! Much easier swinging in the desert regions than these steep hills out here in California too! Don’t think for a minute that I’ve never been skunked out there looking for new patches of gold. You keep swinging, they’ll end up under your coil one day soon! Rick

Chet, Hey, I forgot to Thank You! You seen me way out in the Desert looking for something and not swinging my Coil. Thanks for giving me your extra Ferrite Ring! They are a must item in my book! Somewhere out there, is mine by 3 dug Holes, 2 had nuggets and one had (which was my first hole) heavy Black Sands which I hunt for too! That’s why, I like to hear my working Threshold you can hear the minerals change. One I heard that and dug that false signal with a magnet heavy with black sands, I Retuned my machine. I swung next to that first hole to see if it mild the Minerals down and got a tone. I was about, to try another retuning trick, but swung a couple feet over and it was perfect! Slowly swung back to the tone, dug it nugget and the next one was too! Of course, I started my grid of the area and walked off and left my Ferrite. Thanks again Rick

Lunk, Best thing about them patches is “They can hide, But can’t run and I’ll track them Down”. Just to much good looking dirt...It’s all about the Hunt and enjoying yourself with our Hobby! Rick

Mitch, Testing your machine on different setting on a natural nugget (not planted) is the best! When you hunt with a Buddy or a group, have them call you over to a likely nugget before they disturb the ground over it. You’ll need to, do this several times to feel you have the right settings for your Ears to hear. Now you talk about a slow level coil swing! This is important too, lots of times you will not hear a tone of a nugget if your swinging to fast. Now, that slow swing is only for known patches...if your out and about Patch hunting your only looking for one nugget to get you dialed in to and area then slow down a little, but not a crawl...get them Ducks. When all the easy nuggets are gone then the crawl swing. Rick

Lunk, Always, good to see a poke from the back 40,000 acres! I just got back myself with this crazy weather, I couldn’t stand not swinging one more time in the desert. Weatherman, may leave me a window for one more trip before the deep freeze hits the high desert! WTG Rick

Yep, it’s hard to explain what a slow swing is! I tell fellow detectorist swing as if your Shoe/Boot Laces are tied together! No one gets the last nugget in a good patch, slow over lapping swings will always produce one or more on each visit. Even with the same machine, same settings as your last visit “Every day is different” is my saying! This is another hint, when swinging on any old patch in Gold Country! Rick

Rye Patch area, will always hold nuggets for a successful detectorist. Many tips to fill your poke, have been giving over the years. But, it all boils down to putting the puzzle pieces together to be consistent in any Gold Field. Each Mining District will vary and vary within itself as well. Just like Rye Patch, one hill holds gold, but the next hill over is barren. Believe me, I’ve swung on many of them Skunk Hills looking for the clues to the puzzle. You can’t learn this great hobby over night, you’ll have to get your Boots on the ground. Learn the clues to your Gold Fields and just as important is to learn your Metal Detector and it’s abilities for the type of nuggets in your chosen Gold Field. Gerry, great to finally meet you and always good to see Lunk’s smiling Mug! Until the next hunt, Rick

Garikfox, I grew up in Mesa and hardly recognize Queen Creek today, not to mention some of my favorite Dove & Quail Hunting spots. Back in them days I owned a CJ5. Small, but would get me back in the hills up washes that full size trucks had no chance. I could parked it on many of my Dry Wash spots or a short haul of my equipment to my prospects. Now, same goes for Side X Sides, many of my Friends went wide, 4 seaters and such models. I went with my old train of thought, as with the old Jeep of mine 50” wide Polaris 570. Fits in the bed of my truck so no need to haul a trailer, truck gets me close and the RZR gets me on top of my Patches. It’s a Mule and will get into spots my friends with the larger SxS have to walk in. A couple trips back a Buddy radio’d me to inform me he blew a Drive Belt on his CanAm and needed a tool or two. Arriving to his location and seeing what a pain to change the belt out made me glad Polaris made it simple access without removing a ton of stuff just to get to the housing of the Belt Drive. Do more research and make sure what your choice is the rig you’ll be happy with for your needs or Family size. Rick

Chet, Nice to see you out in the Desert vs Old Hydro Pits that we both swing on. One day, on our next met I’d like to compare my Stock Coil to your X-Coil. Charts and such vs a natural nugget in the dirt (without digging a hole and placing it in it) and seeing it happen with my own eyes with hands on is what raises my eye brow. But, you found some color during your trip and finding gold in Rye Patch is no easy task these days, Congratulations! Look forward to your continued reports of your X Coil adventures! Rick

Ken, Hey great meeting you! You need to follow me close in them hills. You have fun down on the River, it’s one of my favorite places! Rick

Gerry, Good meeting you out in the High Desert, chasing them nuggets! Rick

Mitch, you did just fine on your short hunt! Thanks for picking up them great steaks for the club outing, there wasn’t one face without a big smile chowing down after a day chasing gold in the desert. Chet with his X-Coil, I gave his rig a minute of my time. He runs his 7000 the opposite way that I do, but again the 7000 will find gold anyway you want to run it. I will say his large coil was like a marshmallow on the end and his extra large test nugget gave (His Threshold was off, on his settings) me no clue, how it would run on my setting in Rye Patch. I’m interested in the X-Coil, but not interested in the slice and dice aspect, only plug and play...I to hope Minelab would get in gear and offer their customers some coil options or give their OK to a coil maker to use their Technology. Rick

Art, We aren’t that far behind you! But, looking at Northern Nevada...over all cooler in the Summer and plenty of Prospecting and close enough to head over the hill to my old haunts. Rick

Now, I no longer own a GPX, but I swung the GP/GPX series for many years. That 12 x 15 Commander is a work horse and will find very small nuggets as well as large. Sounds like you know your ground, so swing slow and low over your favorite spots. The 8” Commander is another great coil for clean up of the small nuggets, but it will punch down deep for a large one too. The “Little Saddie” works good too, for cleaning up a patch. The GPX, is not the best on course type nuggets. What really surprised us was the SDC 2300. This machine will clean up the small Nuggets your GPX or any coil on it will not hear. Good Luck LuckyLundy

You need more gold, keep moving dirt!

Peg, Yep, a lot of slow trips when hunting new ground for patches! Glad you found a few and seen some nice Country! LuckyLundy