Nugget Shooting & Owning Mining Claims

[Zoomie97]

I am interested to know what Seasoned Detector Prospector's thoughts are on owning mining claims.

Is it worth the money and time to have private claims to work?  

Or do you just prospect open land or join a club with claims?

••• Here is an example •••

I seen claims in the Rye Patch for sale often. 

But then I read on this forum that the Rye Patch has been hammered for 60 + years, but yet Gerry In Idaho classes seem to always pull out gold with advanced tech.

Would it be wise to purchase a claim in the Rye Patch in hopes that the technology advances greatly in X amount of years?

And it doesn't have to be The Rye Patch, just mining claims in general as a Detector Prospector.

Thank you for your time and advice on this topic.

 

[Redz]

Before you buy a claim, do your due diligence in checking that there is gold in the form you want in enough quantity to make it worthwhile. If you dont have the experience to do this, get the experience first.

There are differing opinions on claims, but I hold claims because the ground here is rapidly being shut off to mining, and I want to keep some areas open where I can go.

Others friends feel that you should only keep a claim if you will mine it.

[Gold Dozer]

Completely agree with Redz.  Buyer beware when shopping for claims.  Make sure the claim has a valid Serial Number and is a legitimate claim to begin with.  People will sell claims that are fake.  I'm aware of fake, illegal, or gold barren claims that have been for sale in the Rye Patch area.  There are people that try to capitalize on the rye patch reputation to get people to make foolish purchases.

 

Secondly any reputable claim owner will allow you to prospect the ground before you buy, in fact some won't sell you the claim unless you prospect it first.  I wouldn't recommend purchasing a claim that you haven't field tested.  This is where experience and research come in valuable.

 

[Zoomie97]

Great Advice - Thank you.

[GhostMiner]

   Here's what I think about owning claims. I have owned claims & so has my company. Some of them for over 25 yrs. I am not into hobby mining or metal detecting but some of you are. If you are going to work the claims and make a good amount of money from them it is worth owning them. If you are just going out to have fun prospecting then it may or may not be worth the bother of filing yearly paperwork and paying fees.

   Over the years I have realized that there are prospectors and metal detecting people who will go on your claim and work them without bothering to check to see if they are owned by someone. I've had them walk right past valid claim signs and when confronted they just say they thought the signs were for another area as if signs need to be posted every 50 ft or something. This is not the majority of people doing this but there are plenty of them out there. The law enforcement in our area doesn't care and won't get involved  and they pretty much tell you to handle it yourself.

   All our claims are now leased out. Before we lease we test them. There is gold on every one of our claims. How much you get depends on how hard you work and want to put in as far as permits & equipment or just hobby mining with hand tools. I have found over the years that most prospectors are dreamers and are quick to give up when they discover real mining is very hard work and expensive as well. There is a small % of people who stick it out. I would not bother to own a mining claim just for metal detecting unless there is proof of good gold close to the surface. These are just my thoughts on the subject. 

   

 

[GhostMiner]

BTW, I get calls all the time about leasing our claims - especially since gold is sitting at $2000/ Oz or higher. Calls from people who know nothing about finding gold and have never even prospected. They have jobs they hate and watch gold TV shows and think they can be miners. I have always talked these kinds of people out of leasing or buying a claim until they get experience and knowledge. One guy called me last year wanting to lease one of our claims. He was a truck driver making good money but was tired of it. He wanted to quit his job and work a claim and make a bunch of money. He had no clue what he was getting into and admitted it. When I told him how hard it was and the poor odds he would face he argued with me. I didn't lease him the claim because I knew that within a month he would give up when reality hit him in the face. I've seen people buy claims and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars chasing a dream. It's a cut throat business with where the odds are against you. 

[dig4gold]

Respect to that GhostMiner. That is the honest truth right there. Dreams sink many a boat.

Have a good Xmas

D4G

[Zoomie97]

GhostMiner - It seems mining is like anything else in this world.....If you want to be successful at it, you have to put in a lot of hard work and dedication into it.

When it comes to myself and prospecting....It is purely for the love of the adventure.  I know darn well that I will be loosing money on gear, gas, and time.  But when I am not working, I really do love getting out of the office and moving some dirt around.

As I age and get closer to retirement, I did wonder if it would be a good use of resources to have my own claims to putz around on, but it seems like there are plenty of locations that I can go to, and not stress about paperwork and the government.

Appreciate the honest feedback.

[Bishop]

myself, i would not stake a mining claim for a detecting spot much less buy one.
i don't even think i would even stake a claim for placer at this time, and i know a few decent areas i could.
hard rock? maybe, depends. i have seen some stuff. im still figuring a few things out.

one thing with mining claim flippers or miners is they want easy access, a road or a trail, and somewhat close to a town.
they know most people from out of state are not going to buy a claim if they cant drive right up to it
unload, camp and start mining.
the last of the good open ground is away from easy access.

learn to navigate my land matters and check out the website of the County Recorder’s Office
for the County you are interested in. look under, section, township, range or name.  maybe under the scroll down menu, look for notice of mining location.
you will likely see the claim paperwork and even the map of the claim.
gold goes down hill and doesn't seem to stop at claim boundaries.

 

or you could skip all the paperwork and research, join a club and get a small rv of some kind and be a snow bird.
i was out this last last weekend and cant believe how many rv and vans from back east
are just camped out enjoying the desert. hundreds of them.
best of luck to you.

 

[Gerry in Idaho]

I don't recommend folks to purchase a gold mining claim if all you're going to do is use a metal detector.  I myself don't own any mining claims but find my share of gold. 

Detecting on proven gold nugget bearing ground is crucial and I do hunt quite a bit of ground that is claimed. If you want to do the same, you need to use your best salesmanship skills when talking with the claim owner.

My opinion only, take the money you were planning on purchasing a claim and join some well known Prospecting Clubs. You'll have plenty remaining and use that to help in granting permissions on known gold nugget bearing claims. 

As for finding nuggets at Rye Patch proper. That was my playground since mid 90s and I have swung a coil from one end to the other numerous times. I know it well and where the majority of good gold came from. I honestly feel I can find a nugget there any day I desire,  it's my home away from home. 

Now there are miles of open ground in Northern Nevada as well.  Doing your homework and research before you lay foot on the ground is crucial. 

Good luck to you.