phil J Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Finally my first gold nugget. This find has taken a year to get but is well worth the effort. I will try to keep this short. I started by joining the Tucson Desert Gold Diggers as suggested by this forum and others. Then tried to figure out what detector to purchase. I ended up getting a Mine Lab SD2200v2 and a Whites GMT. I also do a lot of 4Wheeling so I can get to a lot of remote locations of old mines which I have always enjoyed doing. Anyway after reading forums and asking question I started going out and looking for the yellow stuff. Like most members post I found so many square nails, parts of blasting caps, shell casings,buck shot and so many lead bullets I started to feel like I was beginning to understand the detectors a little bit. During this same time period I would also do a little gold panning to keep my interest up because I knew a spot where I could usually find some gold. Well to how I found this nugget. I was going to leave on about a 4 week visit to see family and wanted to get some gold so I went gold panning. After jeeping into this location and then hiking in further with buckets, classifier,misc. tools and pan I got to a spot that I had found gold before. I got set up and put my first scoop into the classifier and went for second scoop and saw this nugget staring at me in the little hole left by the first scoop. I have to tell you that at first it was disbelief because it was so clean and shinny and only down about 3 inches. Bedrock in that area is about 2 to 6inches down in the crevices. I have gone over this area before with the detectors and have found lots of junk but must have missed this one nugget. This area is not a gold placer area but has a lot of mines above wash. After gaining control of myself I cllasified some more material and took it home and did find some more flakes and couple small pickers. Bottom line as has been said many times on the forum it can take a long time and a lot of looking. I only hope the next nugget will be with one of the detectors.By the way this nugget weighs 1.7grams and appears very porus in its apperance. I only further cleaned it with toothbrush and water to get dirt deep inside but pic is how it looked in gravel. Thanks for all the great info on this forum. John B if you read this post I go out with Doug McDow so I bet you can guess the area but you do not need to answer the question. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleface Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Phil, Great story and wonderful ending. It is amazing sometimes just how that very first nugget appears. Hopefully the second one and many more will not take as long. You have acquired 2 of the best gold detectors available, they will serve you well. Nice looking nugget. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilaoro Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Phil, Congrats :cool04: There is nothing like the first but they will all give you that heart stopping moment and the next ones will come easier :luck: on the next ones :whoopie: too. Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank c Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Congrats and Beautiful first nugget, but just wait till you hit one with a detector,,, :icon_mrgreen: :headphones: ,,,,theres nothing like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus In Idaho Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Hey Phil, you've got to have the fever now!! But where there is one, there is more... I would be going back through there with my beeper. Nice nugget. Gus- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dorado Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 As smooth as the high points of that nugget are, plus the gold being on/in the bedrock, I would guess you are into a placer area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinNV Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Congrats Phil, nice find!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paseclipse Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Nice one Phil, congrats! Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil J Posted September 19, 2008 Author Share Posted September 19, 2008 Thanks I needed a nugget one way or another to keep the drive going. This will do the trick for now. I do plan on going back and detecting the hillsides around this area and the wash again. From all of your experience what does this nugget tell you of its travel to this wash in pic? From all I can find out this area is not known for placer gold but does have gold lode mines on hillsides above. Does the fact that the nugget is very porus mean anything? It sort of looks like a segment of a picture of a human brain. Thanks again Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus In Idaho Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Phil, Most of the old-timers first found placer gold in the drainages, then looked up from there to find the source load gold outcropings. Regardless of what your research says, there is placer gold there. And nuggets that size can be detected in excess of over a foot, with the right machine and coil of course. You may also be able to find some load tailing piles left by the old-timers, above your wash and detect those for specimen pieces as well. Gus- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Slim Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Congratulations Phil. It was almost 2 years from the time I bought a Gold Bug 2 until I found my first gold. It was a small specimen. Within a few days I found a dink that Uncle Ron and everybody else who has hunted Rich Hill missed. It isn't easy but it is out there for people who keep at it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B. Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi Phil and All Congrads Phil it's a beauty :bowdown: :bowdown: !! Yeah that sure looks like familiar ground :hmmmmmm: !! I'll bet I took at least one nap under that tree :shrug: !! Definatly work the hillsides and tailings :icon_mrgreen: !! Use the GMT on the tailings and below for float it will hear the gold better :unsure: !! Happy Huntin John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilaoro Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Phil, After looking at the picture again I realized what a tough spot you were working in! I know nugget hunters who would stack every rock in that area and rake the ground clean to detect it! Its a lot of work but some of them find a lot of gold! They don't typicaly post on forums but those strange stacked rows of rocks and cleanly raked ground in the back country are their works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil J Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 Thank you for all the suggestions. I will definitely give them all a try and let you know if I find more gold because of it. Happy Hunting Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Nice find and congratulations!! :whoopie: Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Chris Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Congratulations, I hope this is the first of many for you. Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 very close to the sorce.. check the bank and gravel bars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micro Nugget Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Good job! A positive attitude and relentless determination, in my book, are among the most important ingredients to successful nugget hunting. Seems like you have both. Your future finds will be more meaningful and gratifying because of of them. As for the nugget, clearly its condition suggests that you could be near the lode source. For sure go back ASAP prepared for a longer stay with a rake, a digging tool (like a Hermit Pick) and some fully charged batteries for the 2200. If you are in a patch, then you better clean it out before the prospecting crows descend upon your good fortune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Nice nugget--who knows could be several pounds of nuggies around!!--go gettum!!! :headphones: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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