LuckyLundy

Fred, No cake walk down there this time of year! I may have tossed 50 of those hot space rocks in the Dales! lol. Good shooting Rick

Fred, Rye Patch, is a tough gig this season! By the time it's dries out there you'll be fighting the heat. Pine & Cedar Trees are calling me, if Summer ever arrives! Rick

It's been and extreme wet season in my hunting areas for months! Back in the day when I dredged, I'd be jumping in the creeks hitting my known gold lairs. But, and extreme wet season for chasing nuggets with a metal detector isn't necessary for success. Wet soil means extra hot ground as we fight the minerals in the different soils of our goldfields. I swing the GPZ 7000 and like many High Yield/Normal is my favorite setting when the ground permits a smooth Threshold. But, for months I've been stuck in High Yield/Difficult. Using Difficult, means some different gold tones to store in your mind too. Our entire hunting group this year has had to simmer down their SDC 2300 and GPX's to combat this wet season soil conditions. In these hot soil conditions expect numerous hot spots of minerals that sound like a likable target. You have to check these spots out! Mineralized hot dirt most of the time will not get louder as you dig a couple inches. Hot rocks can/will get louder as you dig, but most of these spots you can try to ground balance out before you dig deeper...some! A real target will sometimes fool you in hot soils. It's may sound good as your digging it and out of the hole. But, in the pile hard to hear and may sound like hot soil. Kick your pile flat helps to bring your target back to life. Who said, in metal detecting you'd need a Criminal Justice Degree in syphring out a true target and catching a sly nugget in hot soils...hard enough in good conditions! This trip, there was no skunks in our hunting party of 5, my two are top center and the big one was just shy of 1/4 oz 4.89 dwt. Until the next hunt! LuckyLundy

Mitch, Your more than correct! My fast speed is slower than a ton of people I see swinging in the gold fields. Coil control is just as important...you have learned and your poke is showing your study & practice! Rick

I have a few Analytical friends, that are full of facts to share! I try to keep things as simple as I can...like weighing my gold in Penny Wieght (dwt) 20 to the ounce vs mind boggling 31.1 grams to the ounce! Now of course when we hunt for new ground, your hunting for one sitting Duck. Once that is found you hunker down with a slower coil swing in that area. Repeat process and GPS each spot with nuggets for future swinging. Now we park our vehicles and swing up to a half mile from parking spot and return swinging a different line. We move up to 3 times a day! So this last trip with 5 hunters at 3 miles a day swinging a coil, that's a ton of dirt. And with the desert soil being wet and hot, I know we walked right through a patch or two of nuggets we couldn't hear and found a couple of new spots for a later date revisit with better soil conditions. Sure we swing SDCs & GPZs, and they work magic in hot soils, but they aren't perfect! It's the hunt, that keeps my eye brow raised. Once I hear that perfect nugget tone, the hunt is over and I'm mining now, lol Rick

Strick, Always good to see you and your cooler full of ?! Rick & Robin

Art, I seen a sweet Jeep in the desert, and drove by thinking it might be you. But didn't see anyone within eye sight...guess it wasn't you, maybe next time. Rick

Jeff, We have then, so far not impressed. When the ground dries out, we will give it another go on some deep nugget ground. Other than that collecting dust all Winter long. LuckyLundy

Peg, As you know, no one gets them all. Some nuggets just have your name on them no matter who swung the same dirt! Hope to see you out in the gold fields...but make sure the weather will be in your favor! Rick

This Rye Patch trip, I was fighting snow and wind going and heading back home! Pulling a 30' Toy Hauler in the windy flats of Nevada and the snowy Donner Pass has to be one of my favorite things, NOT! Geez, bring the drought back, lol. Rye Patch, is always a fun trip and you always run into some great people trying out their luck in the open vastness of the high plains. Our hunting party had 4 experienced hunter and one brand new prospector armed with and SDC 2300. This time of the year, we run around and detect tons of new spots with the hopes of finding a few in the wet, hot soil conditions of this desert region. Training a new gold detectorist on unproven ground is a challenge, "dig everything that beeps" as we cover hundreds of acres with our coils a day. By golly, if he didn't go home with 5 hard earned nuggets. No skunks amongst the Veteran Prospectors either! We eat and drank like Kings, oh Robin was our Queen and all of us slept like babies. Here's our poke...Until the next hunt LuckyLundy

That's a face I will miss seeing! I never knew where I'd run into Smokey way out in the desert or at a local dinner. Rest In Peace LuckyLundy

Sweet digging!

Norm, This wet Winter, I've sat home thinking about all the places I'd rather be! And I'm still sitting here today, lol. Great story Rick

Sweet, hunting rig!

JW, It's been a rainy season! Need the weather to break in order to lose a few Holiday pounds Rick

Blood, sweat, tears and a million dig holes! I, remember many of them. It's the hunt for them and the sweet sound in my headphones, that I cherish! Until the next hunt...when ever this rain ends? LuckyLundy

Mitch, Your learning! There's a virgin patch out there with your name on it. Keep them boots laced and a smile on your face. Rick

Nice shooting! Rick

Mitch, Both, you and Fred are correct! I've purchased a train load of coil covers and used every trick in the book to prolong their use. The GPX, in my book you needed that coil on the ground. Now the GPZ, it depends on the ground. Currently, with the GPZ, I keep it about 1/2 inch off the ground and have only wore one cover out, which is repairable. Everyone swings their coil different and the above keeps my poke smiling! Rick

WTG, Norm! Rick

Art, I have a cargo carrier from our Lincoln Navigator...just need the cross bars for the roof rails on the Jeep to lock it on! Thanks for your offer and the Bay Area isn't that far from my local, for such a kind offer. Rick

Brian, I'm thinking of a roof carrier! That Jeep is something else, it has the Air suspension and will lift it up 4" over stock hwy ride height. Hate the thought of cleaning it after this trip! Rick

Robin & I, planned to met our Friends in Las Vegas! After carefully stuffing everything from her high heels, camping gear and detectors into her Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, we hit the road to the Luxor Casino for a weeks stay. Needless to say, my Partner Mike and I, planned on leaving the Wives back in Sin City with our $, for a couple days of chasing nuggets on the Arizona side of the river. We met up with another friend, who Winters in Glendale, AZ and hit the hills in and around Gold Basin for a fast hunt of some old patches. Mike, didn't let us down and we scored several nuggets with some great Weather and comradeship...it's the hunt and the sweet sound of a nugget under your coil. Nuggets are just the bounus! All good things have to end and we headed back to Las Vegas and our Ladies and finished our Las Vegas gambling, drinking & eating spree. Now, to re-pack that Jeep to head down to 29 Palms to hunt the Dale District with Robin. She has never hunted there with me, but seen the nuggets I'd bring home and the many stories and pictures of some very special nuggets. Well needless to say, she was nursing a very fun last night with her Girlfriend on our drive South. We arrived and I stopped and tossed the Jeep empty and then loaded up our mining gear and hit a nearby patch...Robin, was moving awful slow, lol. So, we went back to our gear and I setup camp before it got to dark. Set the tent up and made it almost as comfy as that Kig size bed back in Vegas, lol. Next Morning, she looked like she didn't sleep a wink. I made some strong coffee to knock the last of her Margaritas out of her and gave her a pointy finger and I set off for the hunt in the chilly desert morning with her sipping coffee. Well every now and then I'd pop up on a hill and I'd think I could still see her sitting there? Couple hours later I look over that way again and see the hatch back of the Jeep was shut, well she must be feeling better and she is hunting? Well 4 hours and no good, but I was hungry. Headed back to camp for a fast sandwich and I hear her say any luck! Robin was in the front seat of her Jeep reading a book! I told her no luck, and there is no gold here, lets load up and drive back home! She was happy and she had that Jeep nearly loaded before I finished my breakfast, lol. Yes, all that stuff fitted into that Jeep! Well until the next hunt...good or skunked, they are all fun! LuckyLundy

Wow!, a Wow!

Lunk, Glad you back on the hunt! Stay warm down at the Q Rick