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Post by dmduck on Jan 22, 2013 21:54:53 GMT -5
Now is the perfect time to take advantage of cold weather prospecting .... There's a few advantages 1) very few prospectors are die hard enough to be out in this , lets face most of those in these parts are Hobbist. 2) Clear water , face it that warm summertime water is full of muck and particles that just hamper your vision Now the REAL REASON to prospect in cold weather 3) Frozen Bedrock, crevices and fractures .... yup there it is ... that rain, snowmelt ect get's in them minute lil fissures and freezes cracking open the rock and exposing those little nooks and crannies that gold likes to work into and hide . It also seems that the clay layers break apart and deteriorate in the cold cold water while dredging, a lil tid bit we noticed earlier this month . A small warm up fire, a pot of coffee, and a few good buds to keep watch over each other and you are set for a great propecting weekend . I'll take some pics and post up some of the equipment vital to this type of Prospecting ... Crevicing/Sniping is really low tech and easy with very little expence on gear. Most of it you would need in your Prospecting Pack anyway ....  Stay Tuned |
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Post by Decatur on Jan 23, 2013 8:01:18 GMT -5
Cool
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Post by featherduster on Jan 23, 2013 8:38:46 GMT -5
Do you folks ever find any gold here in Indiana to at least make it worth the time and effort.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Jan 23, 2013 8:50:34 GMT -5
Do you folks ever find any gold here in Indiana to at least make it worth the time and effort. I have seen some pictures of a decent amount of gold that someone found in the White River around Spencer. |
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Post by dmduck on Jan 23, 2013 11:31:38 GMT -5
We find darn good amounts of gold in Indiana, it's a matter of location, and moving material . Are we going to find 1000 oz ? heck no ... are we going to pay for our equiptment and gas ... yep we sure do .
Now the pay off, I've used my gold recovery to buy and upgrade my equipment. I can now move greater amounts of gold bearing material and better my gold recovery ... I'm out in the great outdoors with my family and friends ... I stay both physically fit and mentally fit with the muscle work it takes to move the material, and the brain work it takes to research the work I'm doing.
Here's the kicker too and I can't seem to get it through but a handful of prospectors' heads, THERE"S MORE THAN GOLD OUT THERE !!!
I collect the fossils I find and research a market to sell them
I collect the old bottles I find and identify and market them
I seperate the Garnets I recover and market them
I find Native American Artifacts and TRADE Them ( I never sell them .. personal hang up )
I collect large peices of Chert that I sell to knappers
I collect large boulders that I sell to landscapers/homeowners
I make Jewlery from polished stones and tumbled glass that come from the operation
I melt recovered lead into useful dive weights/fishing weights/and roundballs
All this gives me a skill that's useful to others and the ability to pass on a little bit of information to y'all. I'm not going to hold your hands and take you to the gold ... I'll share a few locations around here to recover the gold .... I'll even give you instruction on panning and stuff ... the getting out there and doing it , well that's up to you .
Oh yeah .... YES ... I've hit locations where I've pulled a gram a day out that's $54 x 6 days = $324 .... TAX FREE Not all the time but yes it does happen
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Post by scrobertson on Jan 23, 2013 11:45:39 GMT -5
HOW MUCH DO YOU SELL KNAPPING STONE FOR?
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Post by dmduck on Jan 23, 2013 12:10:05 GMT -5
This is the Brown Chert ... 50 cents a pound ... I can take some pics of the blocks I've found to give you an idea of what you'll have to work with .
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Post by scrobertson on Jan 23, 2013 12:49:55 GMT -5
That would be great. Thank you
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Post by saltydog on Jan 23, 2013 21:47:14 GMT -5
DM I have always wnted to do this, Ive read so much stuff about prospecting. Hope to do it sometime. Thats what I need is another hobby. Looking forward to seeing pics of your outings.
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Post by dmduck on Jan 24, 2013 12:30:33 GMT -5
It's the only hobby I have that pays me ..... everything else seems to cost me money !!! LOL
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Post by dmduck on Jan 24, 2013 17:11:05 GMT -5
Here's my winter Prospecting Pack ..... 1) Pans .... obviously ... I carry 2 , plastic is brittle when it's cold 2) Crevis Picks ... for digging material out of those tiny little cracks 3) Hefty Screwdriver .. for prying open that bedrock( Not in Pic) 4) Folding Shovel .. for working those gravel layers in the banks 5) Tent Broom and Pan ... sweeping the bed rock 6) Paint scrapers ... for scraping the bedrock clean 7) Snuffer Bottle .. for suckin up that gold 8) Sqeeze Btl. ... for blasting material out of the cracks (Not in Pic) 9) Hand Suction Tool .. Suckin material behind rocks (Not in Pic) 10) Rock Hammer ... Bustin bed rock Don't forget your common everyday cold weather emergency gear , and an extra set of clothes ... nothing would put you in more danger than taking a dip in freezing water . Attachments:
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Post by kevin1 on Jan 25, 2013 15:30:03 GMT -5
I've been wanting to try prospecting for years, just never had the time or equipment. I have since scored a few basic tools from Ebay, just need somewhere to start looking. So far I have:
A 10" concentrate pan, will get a larger deep riffle pan soon
Four small classifier screens ranging from 20-100 mesh
A hand dredge
TeeDee EZ Sluice
A few other odds and ends
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Post by dmduck on Jan 25, 2013 19:02:43 GMT -5
I have 14" Pans to sell ( the good ones) ... sounds like you are off and running, you can always go to State Properties like Morgan/Monroe Sf, Yellowwood SF, Owen/Putnam SF,Selmier SF, Hoosier Ntl. Forest . All these require a Panning Permit from the Property Manager, the permit is free .
YOU CAN NOT USE, your sluice box on any of these properties, and you're not supposed to use the hand sucker either though the regs do not specifically say no sucker tubes.
Take a look at our 2013 Outing Schedule, you are more than welcome to attend any of those events, 2 of which are going to be on my secured location . It is open on a pay to dig option all summer.
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Post by kevin1 on Jan 27, 2013 15:27:44 GMT -5
Thanks Jim, but I already had one ordered when you replied. It's an Estwing with both deep riffles and small ones. I saw a different one with the same configuration, but it was hexagonal, I just didn't see any advantage to that shape.I'll take a look at your outing schedule and see when I can connect with your club.
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Post by kevin1 on Feb 1, 2013 10:08:58 GMT -5
My new pan is on it's way!  I contacted a buddy who lives near Crawfordsville, he and I plan to get together in late Spring to work Sugar Creek, and a few other streams up that way. He's right in a moraine zone, all the creeks up there should have something to offer. The Wabash, White, and Sugar Creek all cut directly through the moraines according to my research, and Falls Creek is just a short drive as well. |
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Post by dmduck on Feb 1, 2013 22:28:35 GMT -5
Don't forget to get written permission .... enjoy yourself ....
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Post by kevin1 on Feb 4, 2013 12:54:09 GMT -5
Don't forget to get written permission .... enjoy yourself .... WOuldn't think of entering someone else's property without that, even if DNR didn't require it. I've found that the permission form in the hunting guide works wonders at soothing apprehensive landowners. |
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Post by dmduck on Feb 4, 2013 13:13:36 GMT -5
This permission needs to specifically state that you have permission to prospect for hard rock minerals ..... it's crazy , but the new rules state that that permission be Written , I think we have the only outdoor activity in Indiana that requires WRITTEN Permission ..
You are welcome to join us Feb 23 24 at MMSF .... be happy to show you around some of the gold bearing areas there
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