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From the Land Matters website: "The founders of Land Matters, while working with the public on land related issues, land status, access, law, ownership etc, recognized a public need for quality information. While interacting with the community of land users, it was clear that people seeking information were having difficulty locating quality, reliable information. There were many common questions asked. But no common place where people could be referred to for answers and research. This was the beginning of Land Matters. From there we have widened our mission to include information for all land related matters. From recreation to agriculture, land status to land law, from geology to soil science, Land Matters was created to provide a place to explore and understand the land around you." I admit I have not scratched the surface of what is available on the Land Matters website. I am always focused just on finding what I need when I need it, and little else. The main thing of value on the website for most people here is the mining claims mapping system. I have a screen shot of the page below to give you an idea of the information available. There is one very important line that applies to mapping systems based on BLM LR2000 "The mining claims represented on these maps are only displayed to the nearest section and DO NOT display the actual claim location. Sections are about one square mile and actual mining claim locations can vary considerably from their mapped location." I use the system for to determine a few basic facts. First, where are people staking claims for gold? That area might be worth prospecting in. Second, which sections have claims that should be avoided or which require more research at the recording office? Most important to me, what are the closest sections that are shown to be free of claims? That section might be worth a wander with a detector. The use of the website is free, but there are a couple membership options; Supporting Membership for $35 a year, or Claims Advantage Membership for $100 a year. You can read about membership benefits here. I am an Advantage Member and just renewed for another year. I know prospectors and miners pretty well, and most of us, put in the best light, would be called "extremely frugal". I have seen guys spend two months using oddball parts to build something they could buy commercially because they figured it saved them $20. We all work hard for our money - I get that. I therefore understand when most people just prefer to use something for free if they can. All I can do is say that if you check out the Land Matters website, and end up using it very much at all, consider joining at one of the membership levels, or just making a small donation using the Donate button on the website. I think what they are doing is valuable and worth supporting. Thank you.

I don't exactly recall where I came across this site but here it is.... hope you find it useful. With my memory I probably found it at this forum and this will be redundant......... Oh well... E for effort. https://thediggings.com/

I have not even scratched the surface of this website link. All kinds of diverse articles and photos from all over the country. There are many photos of legends in the prospecting world. I tripped over this site years ago, forgot about it, and then found it again yesterday while doing research. Check it out at http://www.billandlindaprospecting.com/

530 pages of rock and mineral collection sites all over the United States.... Bob Beste's "Location Guide for Rockhounds in the United States, 3rd. ed. 2005": Part I--Alabama through Idaho (PDF, 155 p.) Part II--Illinois through North Dakota (PDF, 186 p.) Part III--Ohio through Wyoming (PDF, 193 p.)

I’ve been getting my mind ready for 2017 by re-reading my jewelry hunting textbooks: ‘DFX Gold Methods, Site Reading for Gold and Silver, and the newest one - The Gold Jewelry Hunter’s Handbook. All three of these are written by Clive James Clynick and I personally consider them to be required reading for the dedicated jewelry hunter. So much so that I try to read each of them at least a couple times a year, every year. They contain information for both land and beach hunting but of course I focus on the land hunting part. Of course some of the information is redundant among the three books but there are little gems here and there that make them each worth owning. The information contained in anyone of these three books will guarantee gold in your pouch. I combined the information on page 8 with information on page 18 of the DFX Gold Methods and found this 10K gold ring the first minute on location. When I get into a slump simply re-reading anyone one of them motivate me and put gold back in my pouch. I also periodically re-read Bob Brockett’s, “Taking a Closer Look At Metal Detector Discrimination to help remind me what I’m doing with my discrimination and notch settings. He goes into great detail with pictures and descriptions about what type of objects fall inside discrimination ranges. A great help for making intelligent discrimination decisions. There is one more that I read at least once a year or so, Larry Sallee’s, “The Complete Unabridged Zip Zip”. Most likely not everyone has ground minerals like mine and can probably get along without this one in their library, but my ground signal can mask a small gold response if I set my sensitivity settings too high. Larry reminds me to tune my detectors to get the best audio response possible on my desired target and on how important coil control is on maintaining that best audio response. On some sites I will put a BB on the ground to tune my detector after l discovered that too high a gain setting on my detectors will actually cause the BB signal to break up or disappear. You would be surprised at how much is masked by the ground signal when your sensitivity is set too high in high mineral ground. HH Mike

I think we can all agree that Garrett has been very effective in marketing their product in the last decade. Much of the credit goes to Garrett Director of Marketing Steve Moore, in that position since 2006. I have never met Steve but have communicated with him over the years. Steve comes to his interest in metal detectors by way of history. He is a very accomplished author with eighteen titles to his credit under his full name, Stephen L. Moore. As a sixth generation Texan he has a focus on Texas history and also World War 2 history. He has two titles about metal detecting in particular, Relic Quest and European Metal Detecting Guide. You can find all his titles online at Amazon in case you are looking for a last minute gift. 2013 Interview With Steve Moore of Garrett Electronics Hobby, History and Humor by Stephen L. Moore Rediscovering History by Stephen L. Moore

Just got my GPAA Mag. today and some must read articles on Minelab GPZ 14 and the new 19 inch coil. Lots of show and tell gold using both coils and how each coil works. You out there swinging the coil on a Gold Bug 2 have a interesting reading too. Both articles shows a lot of that yellow metal that we all chase after. We've had talks about gold pans and how they work. Here we got the Turbopan and as they say a new spin. Over all looks like some good reading for all . Chuck

I need to get on some private properties to look for placer gold and was wondering what tips you guys might have? Is it better to meet the owner in person, send email, send a snail mail,use the phone, ask a friend of the owner? I got turned down a few weeks ago, but only cause the owner said he had relatives who want to look for gold in his creek. Another party I need to contact, the only contact info i could find was a Facebook mention. Not sure how to handle this approach Since they don't have a clue who I am unless they accept my friend request and see my profile. Also, need to know how to find who owns the mineral rights on private property and how to acquire them , for Indiana and Illinois in particular )? This could be a problem in a smaller town where everybody knows everybody and I want to keep my inquiry inconspicuous. Sure would be nice to have a few acres on a gold bearing creek and a shack to camp in/ land to putz around on/ retire to in my old age.

Recently GB_Amateur started a thread titled " How important is getting to bedrock". Reading thru the thread I started thinking of the many nuggets that I have found that have been no where near bedrock, which got me thinking about the under lying reasons why gold(even BIG gold) may be found shallow. I remember reading something by Jim Straight about this very subject. I would like to review this material for my own research and to post it for GB_Amateur and others benefit. The problem is I can not find it on the net. If my memory serves me correctly it was not a publication for sale such as one of his books but possibly a magazine article or position paper. It was not many pages in length. The title was something along the lines of " Finding big gold shallow" or something with similar key words. If any forumites has access to this article please post a link or? Thanks, Merton

Wondering about that token or button you found? There is of course Google but this site has links to over 150 websites specializing in this kind of information. Check it out at http://exonumia.com/links.htm

I was fortunate while at the recent GPAA show in Las Vegas to meet Brandon Niece and his wife Katie. Just a super nice couple, and Brandon a real metal detecting expert. He is known on the forums as Dr. Tones and has a popular YouTube series, Dirt Fishin America, with over 22,000 subscribers! Long story short Brandon has a new book out and I got to take a look at it during the show. It is called The Metal Detecting Bible: Helpful Tips, Expert Tricks and Insider Secrets for Finding Hidden Treasures. It is what I like in a book - clear, concise useful information with excellent illustrations. In particular, the book focuses on the latest methods including the use of GPS units while detecting. Other subjects include: Choose the best metal detector Learn where to search and why Practice appropriate swing techniques Integrate advanced GPS technology Scout out beaches, parks and historic sites Gain permission to hunt on private property Identify antique coins, relics and jewelry Use handy target recovery tools Clean and safely preserve your finds Sell your finds for a profit With a five star rating for its 144 information packed pages it is well worth a place on the detectortist bookshelf. You can get it from Amazon or your favorite detector dealer.

The Sage Grouse Proposed Mineral Withdrawal by the BLM would close nearly 10 million acres of land to mineral entry. This affects claims in 5 western states. Friday the 15th of January (this Friday!) is the deadline for comments on the proposal. Generally comments and opinions don't apply to the Secretary's decision but with the time near and facts on hand a little attention by more than a few voters and representatives might just convince the Secretary to think twice. If the withdrawal goes ahead no new claims can be made in the withdrawn area. In addition the existing claims are likely to come under greater scrutiny and challenges to their validity. That puts nearly 7,000 mining claims in the sights of the BLM land managers. Now is the most effective time to share your opinions and present facts to influence the outcome. With little time left the Secretary will have less chance to bring influence or political pressure to bear on members of Congress should they object. Land Matters has been working hard to figure out how many and which claims will be at stake should the withdrawal be approved. We've produced a comprehensive report on all the claims affected in this proposal and made an interactive map with just the claims within the proposed withdrawal area. The BLM did not assist in the preparation of this report. We spent considerable time and effort in hand mapping the location of these claims in relation to the proposed withdrawal. I could find no evidence the Secretary even knows how many or what claims would be affected. I'm sure she and your representatives would appreciate being informed of this information to help their decisions to be made on all the facts available. This is a factual report that you can not only view online but there is a zipped download available directly from the reports front page. At a mere 159Kb in size this report can be shared by email quite easily. Why not look over the whole situation and check in with your representatives to make sure they know the facts about the potential effects of this withdrawal should it be approved. The new custom interactive Sage Grouse Proposed Withdrawal Map shows just the claims affected with all the claim information normally found only on the Land Matters Mining Claims Maps. Be sure to read and download the interactive Sage Grouse Proposed Withdrawal Report too. To give you an idea of whats at stake with this withdrawal look over this summary chart from the report. Barry

Just published, free to the public. Geologic Map of Alaska Neal

Just in time for Christmas, the new eighth edition of Jim Straights Follow The Drywashers "The Nuggetshooter's Bible" is now available. This book has a new binder, new cover and an additional 30-40 pages of information. First seen on Rob's forum at http://forums.nuggethunting.com/index.php?/topic/11756-jim-straights-new-nuggetshooters-bible-new-edition-volume-8/

this web cam link is a handy view on the weather conditions up in Sierra City, I always give it a quick check when I'm getting ready to go on up to the high sierra along with the other reports on conditions. http://www.sierracountrystore.com/the-sierra-city-webcam#today

Yet another excellent article on metal detecting for gold by Steve Herschbach appears in the ICMJ this month. Luckily, because Steve's article is the featured one for this month, anyone can read it, even if you have no subscription. Take a look at: http://www.icmj.com/article.php?id=3315&keywords=Detecting_Nuggets%E2%80%94Overcoming_New_Challenges Lots of interesting thoughts and helpful tips on how to find more gold when you are out there prospecting in the hills, including some overlooked spots that contain some nice gold.

A mining company called Integra is offering a $1 million prize to process their 6 terabytes of data and make a new big gold discovery in a hard rock property they purchased in Canada. https://herox.com/IntegraGoldRush If anyone is into mapping, exploration, geology, hard rock mining, and data processing with computers then this may be something you are interested in. We're obviously all interested in gold already! Seems like there are a few mining engineers and geologists that post on various gold forums.

The state of wy is doing a pine tree clear-cut over top of a potential gold rich zone north of the old miners delight mine, doing so in the name of better habitat for the quakies. This seems a little wierd to me, so i ask if anyone knows if removal of decidous? trees would greatly increase effectivness of such a survey?

A couple weeks ago my bro was getting familiar with the v/sat during his lunch hour and took it in to the office at work when he was done. On his way through the boss saw it and commenced to tell him about how he had purchased one for his wife and a gpx 4500 for himself. Last week my bro went in to the office to have his boss tell him "why dont you take my gpx and learn how to use it, and then you can teach me". Too sweet right....it gets better...he heard we were working on our first claim and donated also for-use a mini sluce package, and various other barely-used equipment. I let him know I appreciated this very much-but I dont think he knows HOW MUCH I appreciate this. I want to show him, and with that in mind I pose my question. What resources have proved invaluable to you experienced gold hunters in finding/understanding good gold-hunting methods/techniques?

Hello all, Some of you may be way ahead of me on this but I am just now trying to actively use LandMatters for researching areas to prospect.... Mining claim info is a top priority in a new area I am looking at-- I need to know what is claimed so I don't go high grading.... The fact is, I almost did until I opened the maps up thru LandMatters---and saw there was an obvious claim exactly where I was intending to go!!! I was struggling to understand the mapping software because I never listen to tutorials or read instructions...when i tripped over a you tube video explaining some very basic easy to understand tools to use the software... so i will post it,,just in case any of you are "challenged" like me....lol Thanks again to Ruby and Miner Diggins for putting all this together in one spot-- my donation is on the way...

When Chris Ralph and I were down in Phoenix I was fortunate that Chris lined up a dinner with Barry and Leigh, the brilliant couple behind the new non-profit educational organization, Land Matters. The website at http://www.mylandmatters.org/ is your constantly expanding source of land related information, including: Library - A Library full of free maps, guides, books, tutorials and reference materials. Maps - Interactive maps for your area of interest. More being added every week. Articles - Factual articles written by those in the know. Information that you can rely on. Resources - Links and contacts to other communities of knowledge. Outreach - Programs that engage the community directly. Seminars, outings, trainings etc. I am far from done checking it all out myself, but this looks like something we should all consider getting on board with and supporting if possible. Check it out. I have added this banner to the rotating collection in the upper left corner: and added them to my links list Barry and Leigh, very nice meeting you, and keep up the great work! Here is a link to the new interactive land management status map http://www.mylandmatters.org/Maps/Management/GetMap

Hello everyone, my book "Detecting for Gold, Adventures, Trips and Tips" is now for sale at http://www.trinityau.com Thanks, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

I found a TOP NOTCH Prospecting video that answers most of my desert prospecting questions in terms I can understand vs geologist mumbo jumbo. Unfortunately, Rob Allisons website says the video has been discontinued and he has only 2 copies left at 15 bucks each. It is made by Chris Ghoulson from Arizona and the title is " Nugget Hunting Essentials,Volume 2, From the Ground Up " and is 90 minutes long with intro by Jonathan Porter. Answers about 75% of my recent questions on this thread and then some. Too bad it is discontinued?? !! I wonder what Volume 1 was all about? The video covers such things as detecting recent dry washer tailing piles-what to look for and what to ignore, red dirt and white quartz rocks, ironstone or magnetite rocks,detector coils and what makes them work, what hotrocks, trash, and gold sound like on a Minelab GPX machine, rock formations to look for to improve your nugget finding chances, and plenty of video examples of these things so no guessing...when to use large vs small coils, dangerous critters in the desert, etc, etc -T

I thank Steve for allowing me to post this information. Hello all, I would like to invite everyone to visit my new website "TRINITYAU.COM". HTTP://WWW.TRINITYAU.COM I started this website to advertise and sell my book "Detecting for Gold, Adventures,Trips and Tips". The website has turned into quite a bit more and I am looking forward to adding all my weekly trips to the "My Trips..." page. Of course any of my longer trips that carry me off to locations away from the Redding, CA area will also be posted as well. I will continue to add new content and pictures that are educational to all as time goes along. If anyone has any ideas as to subject matter that could be added, please let me know. I am open to comments and hope to have a site that will offer information to both the beginner electronic prospector as well as the seasoned gold prospector. There are many subjects that I plan on going into more detail about with a common sense approach. I will continue to post on the different forums where I have posted in the past. Again, thanks for looking, and leave a comment on the Blog. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS TRINITYAU.COM TRINITYAU.COM TRINITYAU.COM