IdahoPeg

Incredible find! I’d be walking on clouds for sure....congrats!

That’s what I do up here....look for the handstackings on the benches well above the creek, work what’s exposed, then start moving rock! Keeps this old gal in shape lol!

Thanks for the comments guys! JW: I can’t believe we haven’t found a Chinese coin either! As much as we’re stomping around out there....both of us in places that they mined, and in my case, the Chinese were all over the Boise Basin. Matt: Great minds think alike! I found an old metal barrel in between rock piles and struggled to get it to my site....turned over on its side it makes a great storage container! A bit of camouflage with sagebrush etc, and I’m set ? In the meantime, I’ve also been working on clearing brush, downed trees, etc along an old game trail....all I need to do now is level out some old timer handstackings and I’ll be able to get the side x side in. This prospecting stuff sure beats a gym workout lol! Steve: thanks! Yes the little Thompson puffer does a great job! Someday I’d like to take the tailings down to some water and run them, just to see if it’s missing much though. I think Chris Ralph did a test like that a while back and was surprised at how well the puffer did, if memory serves me right.

We’ve all heard “follow the drywashers” but I decided to follow the Monster lol. Since getting back from FL and enjoying time at the cabin it’s been tougher to find spots to play. One of my favorites from last summer is claimed up, and I can’t get to my other area yet due to high creek water. So I’ve been exploring new territory and found a spot that has my decomposing granite bedrock that is fun to detect. The first time playing with the Monster I got these cute little nuggies( Chinese coin was given to me by a local miner who felt sorry for me cuz I haven’t found one yet! ) But the detecting started to dry up after a couple more visits, so I decided to get the drywasher out. Now I know why this spot wasn’t claimed....no access road so I lugged all my gear a quarter mile over rock piles, through brush, over downed trees etc, and set up: After shoveling and scraping the bedrock I always stop and check it out with the Monster....found 2 little guys! Here’s another view of the area...not a soul around, and only the sound of my Puffer and the creek below....love it! Ran for about one and a half hours, and when I panned out the concentrates got some nice color! I think the Puffer and the Monster make a great team! Next time I’ll let the Goldbug2 come and play too....better for investigating the cracks and crevices.

What a nice piece of the good stuff! Great detecting too ?

I carry my 357 when roaming the wilderness here in Idaho....more to protect my little pup from wolves or coyotes, than anything else(or perhaps from 2 legged weirdos!), but luckily never needed it. In big bear country I prefer a good bear spray. To get this topic back on GOLD, here’s some Gold Monster fun from a new spot I found this week! ?

Wow, cool find with the 800!

And I see only 2 pairs of boxers there....gonna get awful ripe downunder lol! ?

What an incredible adventure....we are all envious! Hope you get on some good gold, but more importantly have a great time! ?

Wow, just wow. You are doing great!

What a great hunt! Thanks for sharing. :-)

Wow! Very nice finds....congratulations!

Thanks for sharing an incredible hunt with us! Great finds and great story! What mode and settings on the Nox had you dialed in with? Thx. :-)

Amazing finds! Congratulations! :-)

What an incredible hunt! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us....congrats!

Wow, that's a productive 8 hours! Nice job. :-)

Incredible find! Was that up by that 18th Century ship's hull that washed ashore recently? I knew I should've taken a trip up the coast from Melbourne Beach lol! Congrats to your son!

What a great hunt! Thanks for sharing. :-)

Safe travels Ammie! We never did meet up this season. I did get acquainted with Terry S though....super nice guy; and have you been over to see his finds?! Impressive! I found my 1st silver ring up at Canova a few days before he found his gold one recently. I'll be heading back west in a month or so; looking forward to my more familiar nugget hunting. Good luck in Montana ?⛏

Holy S*** Lunk, that is amazing! Congratulations big-time! ??⛏

Road Dog, my 600 does the same thing. I was practicing in a nearby park, no headphones on, and every time I used pinpoint I attracted unwanted attention, "what's that?whatcha looking for?find any Treasure?" lol! I just got some wireless headphones from amazon last night, and hope it doesn't bust my eardrums!

What an amazing first hunt! Congrats :-)

What a great day!

Steve- yes, Kip's book "Pieces of Eight" is one of the first books I read about the 1715 Fleet. I'm volunteering at the McLarty Treasure Museum this season...it sits on the site where the survivors and the initial salvagers camped on the beach. So I'm surrounded by artifacts and treasures, keeping me all enthused!!! Yep, you need to give it a go down here...I'll introduce you to some guys who know the beaches and have found some good stuff! ?

Great article Steve. It cured any lingering "buyers remorse" I might have had over ordering a 600! :-)