I did some research last night and locating a place to detect for gold without claim jumping is almost a thing of the past, I come from a time when you went to the county to do your research and you could almost always find something to go look at and do some highbanking or drywashing. Today with the population explosion the {club claims} are definitely the way to go. Unfortunately joining one for a few hours or even a day or two is a little expensive. I would sure love to see some club's start up a program allowing people the opportunity to access a claim or two for a daily fee of $30-$40 dollars. The club would make extra money and others would have the opportunity to enjoy the hobby. In Utah our club dues are only $40 a year but the fact of the matter is, I know few people that have found enough gold to pay for the due's, Prospecting for the most part is not much more than having fun and making new friends. Here in Arizona where you have real gold, it would appear to be a little more competitive and rightfully so. With the advent of youtube and other social media outlets, their has been an explosion in the prospecting industry. I think there is more money to be made developing a youtube channel than there ever was in shoveling dirt. Levi Strauss mad far more money than most prospectors during the gold rush and today the money is in selling prospecting tools and making videos promoting it. {Not that that's bad} its just the new world we live in. Prospecting In Utah and Nevada I have friends and family with claims making it easy to find somewhere to go look for gold, { heavy on the looking }. You guy's are real lucky to live down here, I love it here and envy those that live here. Maybe in the future I can come down with my trailer, join a club and make meet a bunch of new friends. For now I have two ten year old boys with me that would love to go rock hounding, Today I am going up to Oatman, I think they will enjoy that, then head out in search of pretty rocks. Thank's to everyone for your reply's, and good luck with your prospecting and detecting.