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The Quartzsite Metal Detecting Club Super Hunt is this Saturday. The weather looks good so we are going to attend. We'll be in the Blythe area on Friday morning and willing to go up to Quartzsite for an afternoon of nugget hunting. Does anyone want a tag-a-long which includes a 2 year old? haha We could go to Tom Wells Road or up to one of the GPAA claims or ??? Ken and Lunk where are you? Mitchel https://www.quartzsitemetaldetectingclub.com/events/2018/1/20/qmdc-january-super-hunt-df7jl

Can anyone recommends any really great gold hunting adventures in the USA? Maybe something like a week guided tour.

From http://renoprospectinganddetecting.com/rye-patch-nugget-shoot/ "2019 Rye Patch Nugget Shoot - To all interested parties the 2019 Nugget Shoot that was scheduled to be held Sept. 28th at the Rye Patch State Park in Nevada is hereby canceled due to circumstances beyond our control. We are planning on holding a 2020 Nugget Shoot at Rye Patch State Park next year. We thank all of our partners for the support they have given at the last 6 Nugget Shoots and hope they will continue with their support at the 2020 Nugget Shoot."

I've been out of the picture for the last 4-5 months due to winter conditions here in the OKC area and duties as the Senior Spouse for my wife's Military Command on the Base here. Weather is finally moderating and time to start hunting again. I have two questions for you full-timers. 1. I have never been interested in seeded group hunts/tournaments, but my son who is 11 is now going out with me regularly to TH with his Garrett Ace 300, and there is a big annual seeded hunt coming up about a hundred miles from us in April run by the Three Forks Treasure Hunters Club. This would be a fun trip for my son, and they have a kid's hunt on each day as well as regular adult hunts. I have NEVER done one of these before as it isn't my thing, but for my son, we're going and wondering what you all would suggest for setting my 800 for seeded conditions. (The 300 is easy for him) The hunt will be in the Creek County Fairgrounds. We'll rent an RV for the weekend and give my son Kai an adventure...but I'd like to win some stuff too! 2. I have my new 6" and 15" coils inbound and wondering if I should use the 15, or the stock 11 for this kind of competition hunting? Your assistance is appreciated! Next two weeks will be in the woods Morel Mushroom hunting, but back to the detectors in force following that. Cheers, Frank

The Charles Garrett Memorial Hunt is rapidly approaching, March 29 at Jefferson, Texas. Details here. February 1st is the deadline to receive a free hunt T-shirt in your hunt package.

https://www.facebook.com/noktadetectors/videos/168482174016055/

Hey guys! White's Electronics will be attending the Rye Patch Nugget Shoot this weekend. We'll be donating a Goldmaster 24k as a prize at the event. Also, thanks to the team putting this on we will have a test garden at the event to demo the Goldmaster 24k. This is where you can get your hands on it, swing it over buried targets, and maybe even find some real gold! We won't be renting an airplane to skydive out of, but I may tuck and roll out of my '96 Suburban for the sake of showmanship. This event is free to the public, put on by the GPAA of Northern Nevada, Parks Department, and other groups. It's one of my favorite organized hunts in the USA. More information. Here's an idea of what the event is like (video from 2016) -

Crawfords Metal Detectors posted April 19 Do you want to get the best from your Equinox? Then join our masterclass! The Day: Join us for a day of tutorial and hands on learning with the experts. The venue: We have secured a small undetected field in North Lincolnshire in an area renowned for Roman and medieval finds, including one famous medieval artefact! The Date: Saturday 26th May Who can attend: Anyone with an Equinox can attend. Places are limited to 50 so tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis. The cost is £10 per person (as the landowner has requested a donation to the local church). Refreshments etc will be provided. Tickets will be available now. Call 01724 845608 or on our website

http://www.detectival.com/book-tickets

Fair to say a good time was had by all at Bill Southern's fall outing. Plenty of food. It was delicious. Bill smoked 2 briskets, I smoked 1, Kevin Hoagland smoked a pork roast, and someone smoked a turkey. There were a ton of people. Debbie Smikoski, the Minelab representative, came with two suitcases full of Minelab goodies for the drawing, which was free. Everyone walked away with some kind of Minelab goody, whether it be a hat, t-shirt, gloves, etc. Bill donated a Go-Find 40 for the drawing and I donated a pick, there were other donations made as well. Bill, Kevin, Mike Furness, Debbie, and I hosted two training sessions on the Gold Monster 1000. We trained over 50 people on this amazing little gold getter. I went back to a ravine where I had my last successful find and spent one hour walking just to get far enough and exhausted enough that I figured most detectorists would probably be tired of digging trash. That is where I started looking. There was no shortage of trash. Got a nice target that sounded pretty loud, could have been mistaken for trash but I liked where it was positioned, right on the side of the gully before it would drop into the wash. Turned out to be a nice 3.3 gram nugget, perfect pendant nugget. If you have never attended one of these spring and fall outings I encourage you to do so. Lot of fun, lot of good information shared, great food and people. The next one coming in the Spring is going to be at Quartzsite. Here's some pictures. By the way we have moved to a 4500 sq foot warehouse in Henderson. 1180 Wigwam Parkway, Suite 110, Henderson, NV 89074. I sold my office building to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. I think given the neighborhood, the police would be the only ones safe in that building. I built my building in 1986, so it served me well for 31 years, it was time to cash out. The Metro Police are going to turn my office into a Neighborhood Criminal Justice Center. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Doc from Doc's Detecting

It is time to go to Rye Patch for our annual outing. This year I have more of a plan where I want to look for gold. I've done some research but that doesn't find it for me. I'll be using the 19 a bit and high sensitivity 14 on a couple of places. I'll try to get in a few swings with the 2300. One thing I know it is going to be cold. https://www.google.com/search?q=rye+patch+weather&rlz=1C1GGGE_enCN456CN456&oq=rye&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i60j35i39j69i60j35i39j0.3897j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 I'll be back on Sunday. Mitchel

Bill Southern & Kevin Hoagland will be hosting some Gold Monster 1000 Field training at the upcoming Nuggetshooter Outing. The outing will be held at the San Domingo Placer area in Maricopa County Arizona near Morristown Nov. 17 - 19. You must RSVP - see below or Bill’s Forum for details.

Not as far as manufacturers from what I saw. I have some great footage of the event and also some ghost towns. First video will be out this Friday. Fun trip!

As well as a look around there is a casual test done on a gold target between the XP Deus HF elliptical, Nokta Impact, and the new Quest 40.

Just a reminder - only a couple weeks away!

Hello all, here are the dates that I will be at Sawtooth Knob, Nevada. 17 May thru 26 May 2017 Come join George and I and find some gold. About fifteen of us already committed... Shep, get the guys together...And we'll weigh everything in pennyweights just for you. Check out... TRINITYAU.COM Additional updates are also on my Facebook page, Trinityau/RayMills

Does anyone need a prospecting partner anywhere in Arizona, Nevada or California this week? I've got Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My detectors are loaded. I just need to travel from Southern California. The weather is going to be great in Rye Patch or ... PM me if you have a proposal. Mitchel

Emigrant Trails West will be doing a 50 minute power point presentation on the gold rush and the Lassen Trail. If you have ever been in the back roads of Northern California & Nevada , you have probably seen their railroad track markers at historical locations . This will be a interesting speaker. You are all invited. Emigrant Trails West has agreed to be our guest speaker at February meeting. Hi Scott, I received your e-mail request this morning and would be interested in doing a Power Point presentation for your group. I am the Vice-President/acting-President of Trails West, Inc., and I do several presentations a year on a topic pertaining to your request for "gold related history on the emigrant trails." Below is a short bio and description of my presentation, which is primarily about Lassen's Gold Rush Trail. Trails West, Inc. has several other members who are very knowledgeable about various Gold Rush Trails across the Sierras. Bill Bishell or I will gladly recommend speakers about specific trails into California if you have other requests. If you are interested, contact me with available dates. My Bio I am a retired educator, and for several years, I worked as a National Park Ranger at Lassen Volcanic National Park. While working there, the park had me develop a living history program about the Lassen and Nobles Pioneer Trails. I used horses, oxen, and a covered wagon to demonstrate life on the emigrant trails, and I told about the evolution of trails from the Oregon Trail to the California Trail and the importance of the Lassen Trail during the Gold Rush, how it ironically saved the lives of many of the Argonauts that took the trail in 1849, and the implications that had for Peter Lassen, who pioneered the Trail in 1848. While researching the trail history, I was impressed with the fact that Peter Lassen was one of the most prominent early pioneers in California. He has more things named for him than any other pioneer with the exception of John C. Fremont and Kit Carson, who are famous throughout the West. In addition to Lassen National Park and National Forest, there are Mount Lassen, Lassen County, Lassen College, and many more. However, on the other hand, historians have written that Lassen was a "wily and inept Dane" who deceived emigrants to get them to follow his trail to his ranch, that he "got lost all the time, and that "he couldn't tell Mount Lassen from Mount Shasta" when he was leading a wagon train to California. The accounts didn't balance, so I did extensive research on Lassen's life and legacy and wrote "Legendary Truths, Peter Lassen and His Gold Rush Trail in Fact and Fable" to correct the historical perspective. In doing so, I have sought out many emigrant journals in libraries across the country, become a member of both Trails West and the Oregon California Trails Association, worked with their historians, and I have traveled the Lassen and Nobles Trails many times including riding a mountain bike over the Lassen Trail from its start in Nevada to Lassen's Rancho in Vina California. My Power Point presentation is about 50 minutes long, covers the life of Peter Lassen, shows the route his trail follows, and speculates on the mysteries surrounding his death. Spanish Springs Library GPAA of Northern Nevada, Reno http://emigranttrailswest.org

You are all cordially invited to the 2016 Rye Patch Nuggetshoot. Free to attend. We plant 100 brass tokens in a 40 acre field. We are approaching $ 20 k in prizes. Which include over 10 mid range metal detectors, kids detectors, silver bars, digging tools, gift cards, hats, t-shirts, and more I can't even think of. If you would like to sponsor, shoot me your email and I will get you a sponsor package. Camping right nearby. And a potluck dinner on Saturday night.

All veterans, active duty, and dependants are invited. Vets outing July 23rd and 24th.ppt

So the ICMJ Prospectors Summit consists of two days of show with a large number of equipment dealers at the El Dorado Fairgrounds and two days of prospecting at the Gleeson Diggings – an old hydraulic Gold pit in Placer County. The Gleeson mine is private property, but by special arrangement it is open to us for two days every other year, and there is a fee to attend to pay for portable bathrooms, for the mine operator to dig up dirt for us, etc. Everyone has a great time, but on Monday I had fun helping a guy who was digging with his metal detector. I generally wander around seeing if anyone needs any help, but I do a little prospecting of my own as well. So I was wandering around and came upon Ray Mills who was helping a guy who had a Fisher Gold Bug Pro. They had dug out one small nugget out of the bedrock, but they thought they had another target as well. The problem was that the ground was very noisy and the GB Pro was having difficulty distinguishing between a target and the loud, mineralized bedrock. The mineral noise was overwhelming the target signal. It seemed like perhaps they had lost the target to me, so I went to grab my SDC 2300, which I was pretty certain would at least do better on the mineralized ground – enough to recover that second gold nugget. Sure enough the SDC cut through the mineral ground noise and clearly identified the target, which was about four inches away from where they were looking for it. I showed the guy how to recover it with a spoon and sure enough, it was a little nugget about 2 grains in size. I searched the spot and there was another target close by – I promised the guy at the spot I was not trying to take his gold, just to identify the nearby targets for him. There turned out to be several and as I would swing over them, because I wasn’t using headphones and had the speaker on so all could hear, Ray would say something like “there’s another one”. After the guy had dug a couple more small nuggets, one spot appeared to be a little louder and as he dug on it, it turned out to be a crevice filled with little flakes and nuggets. I’ve attached a photo I took of the crevice with some of the gold pointed out with arrows. I thought that was pretty impressive until Ray helped him extract a clod of cemented gravel from the bottom of the crevice that was just filled with little nuggets. I’ve attached a photo of that too, as it was very impressive – more so even that the previous nuggets. I told him – “You know that’s the type of thing that will give a guy a bad case of gold fever” – and he said – “I know!” with a big smile across his face. The biggest nugget he got in that spot was only about 8 grains, but I figure he got at least a quarter ounce of gold in total. Another gent started in on a spot I had identified about 15 feet away in a little shattered quartz vein. The first guy was content to clean out his little nugget crevice and work the area around it. So the second guy got some nice gold out of the shattered quartz vein spot – sometimes shattered little quartz veins and blobs in the bedrock can make for a good gold catch, and this one was just that. I would guess he got a couple pennyweight out of it before a young boy, about 10 years of age who was on his first prospecting trip came along and took over. He wailed on that vein with his pick and dug around it and he got some nice gold too, also probably around a couple pennyweight. At the end of the day, after everyone had walked away from that spot, I took my SDC 2300 over and still managed to locate another 2 grain nugget. It was a small area and I would guess there was at least a half ounce in total and a lot of happy folks. Lots of other stories and everyone had a great time at both hands on days at the Gleeson mine. as I have time, I may post a few more accounts of the folks digging for gold at the ICMJ summit - there are a number of interesting tales.

We had a great club outing at Rye Patch, NV. I tell you the heat was on, fighting lite hangovers, extra full stomachs from the great foods and the open vastness of Rye Patch to find a nugget. Robin & I, finally got to meet "Doc" after years of phone conversations and many other new friends. Well enough of the mushy stuff...the hunt was fun and we all found some color. I've said it before and I will say it again! The SDC 2300 will put up a fantastic fight against his bigger brother the GPZ 7000. But my choice is the GPZ and my Wife Robin's is the SDC, the best of both worlds. I did a couple of test with both detectors. One of my tones with the GPZ is a guaranteed sound of a nugget. This was a hardly audible one but good enough to call Robin over with her SDC for a listen. Well she couldn't hear it, I had to kick the dirt down a couple of inches before she heard it and on the GPZ it was now a solid nugget tone. Now, I didn't reverse this test with the detectors. But in one tight spot, another partner pulled 5 nuggets out with his SDC and swiping it very slow with my GPZ, I could hear little nugget tones but could not get them in my hand...got tired of chasing them around. I told another fellow to hit that spot with his GoldBug 2 and he ended up with a smile on his face! Bottom line is, learn your detector they all will find what your looking for...I hunt for gold and here is our hunting parties pokes. Until the next hunt LuckyLundy

Everyone is invited to the free nuggetshoot on September 19th. Thousands of dollars in prizes. nugget_shoot_2015_flyer.pdf

UPDATE, Ill keep sending out apps, but its likely the few spots are taken and this will be reserving your spot in the wait list Que.. We have a few Western States Prospecting Association openings available. PM me with your email address and Ill send you information and an application. Were a limited membership capped at 100 paid members. Dues are a family membership for $135 a year, seniors pay $100 after the first year. The claims are proven to hold detectable gold with locations in 3 western states CA, NV and AZ. Like big gold? This one came from one of our NorCal claims! Chris Porter WSPA President