Keeping prospectors off my claims.

[huntsman53]

I dunno - kinda had someone in mind for the job already. I've never met the guy, but from what I understand he used to be in the Army. I think he goes by the name Frank.

Heck yeah I would do it if I was allowed to camp on the Gold Claim 24/7 while guarding it and also allowed to prospect as long as the O.P. would allow me a split of what I find!! I know trust might be an issue but anyone that knows me, knows my honesty and integrity and besides, the FBI maintained a file on me the whole time I worked for the National Weather Service. One can even check my' Feedback rating on eBay and I have my' own Gold Prospecting equipment (a Trommel, a Gold Cube with a Drywasher attachment that can be used separately, a Highbanker/Dredge, three water pumps, a Generator, lots of Gold Pans, Classifiers, a Miller Table and lots of weapons and ammo. What else could you ask for??


Frank

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[kcm]

A resume??

 

[huntsman53]

A resume?? View attachment 1394496

LOL!! Yeah, I could submit my' resume but everyone tells me that 5 pages is too long and needs to be abbreviated. To which I reply, that it is abbreviated and it actually should be 5 to 10 pages longer! Hell, if I noted every task I had and accomplished as well as the many awards and letters of commendation received just during my military service and Federal Government job in a resume, it would make a fairly large book.


Frank

PS - Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

 

[kcm]

That's whatcha get for being 238 years old!

 

[Rail Dawg]

Long distance claim owners are open to claim jumpers and always have been. All you can do is mark your claim, use signage that warns or claims the area is under video/photo/electronic surveillance, and cross your fingers. I know local owners that use trail cams and motion sensors, one even uses a satellite video upload with cameras that look like rocks. Caretakers, at least the ones I have personally had contact with, are the biggest thieves on the planet (yes, I am aware there are a FEW honest ones), because they are usually local flunkies with nothing better to do anyway and figure what you don't know won't hurt 'em.

Unless you are on a claim at least once a week, why own one? If you are just visiting once or twice a year, join a club and stop worrying about it.

Good points.

I enjoy owning the claims. We plan to visit constantly and prospect.

I like what you wrote. A lot of truth in it.

Rye Patch is a wonderful area and we in fact are adding more claims to our holdings lol!!

 

[Goldfleks]

Good points.

I enjoy owning the claims. We plan to visit constantly and prospect.

I like what you wrote. A lot of truth in it.

Rye Patch is a wonderful area and we in fact are adding more claims to our holdings lol!!

The point of a claim is to actively mine it. Not to hoard mineral rights so you can pick which creek you want to camp on once a year when you get the itch to get your box wet. The act of prospecting is supposed to be done BEFORE a claim is filed. I might not have a popular opinion, but the whole mining "claim" as it pertains to recreational vacation prospecting is B.S.

Mining claims are for protecting your investment in extracting the valuable minerals from the land. Vacation prospecting isn't investing in the land, and "claim jumpers" A.K.A. other recreational prospectors realistically aren't impacting your ability to wash rocks and move a few buckets of dirt on the few weekends you get out to your claims.

Obviously, this doesn't pertain to everyone. I'm sure there are miners who are actively mining their land for profit and actively are working the claim as was intended. But realistically, this doesn't apply to most claim owners in 2017, because if the land actually held real valuable mineral rights, there would be an active mining operation on the land extracting those minerals. 8 hours of hard digging for less than a gram of gold isn't valuable minerals. Thats why mining clubs make their money off of selling memberships and passes to access their claims. There is more money in being a gatekeeper to the weekend prospector who doesn't mind spending $100 to dig up a few dollars of gold. And the law as it currently stands allows them to do that.

I'm pretty sure that for the majority of claim owners in 2017 who are vacation prospecting and not mining, you could do away with the entire claim system and it wouldn't impact their ability to enjoy their favorite prospecting spot one bit. If anything it would increase the enjoyment for the weekend prospector because it would open up more locations for them to prospect in. All you have to do is look at the East Fork of the San Gabriel River where there are no claims. Plenty of weekend prospectors digging side by side, probably extracting more minerals from the area than if it was claimed up by 5 people in the BLM.

And no, I'm not condoning claim jumping, the law is the law. But I do think many claims are owned by people who really shouldn't be owning them because they are not activly mining the claim. That land should be returned to the people. It's public land after all.

 

[Rail Dawg]

The point of a claim is to actively mine it. Not to hoard mineral rights so you can pick which creek you want to camp on once a year when you get the itch to get your box wet. The act of prospecting is supposed to be done BEFORE a claim is filed. I might not have a popular opinion, but the whole mining "claim" as it pertains to recreational vacation prospecting is B.S.

Mining claims are for protecting your investment in extracting the valuable minerals from the land. Vacation prospecting isn't investing in the land, and "claim jumpers" A.K.A. other recreational prospectors realistically aren't impacting your ability to wash rocks and move a few buckets of dirt on the few weekends you get out to your claims.

Obviously, this doesn't pertain to everyone. I'm sure there are miners who are actively mining their land for profit and actively are working the claim as was intended. But realistically, this doesn't apply to most claim owners in 2017, because if the land actually held real valuable mineral rights, there would be an active mining operation on the land extracting those minerals. 8 hours of hard digging for less than a gram of gold isn't valuable minerals. Thats why mining clubs make their money off of selling memberships and passes to access their claims. There is more money in being a gatekeeper to the weekend prospector who doesn't mind spending $100 to dig up a few dollars of gold. And the law as it currently stands allows them to do that.

I'm pretty sure that for the majority of claim owners in 2017 who are vacation prospecting and not mining, you could do away with the entire claim system and it wouldn't impact their ability to enjoy their favorite prospecting spot one bit. If anything it would increase the enjoyment for the weekend prospector because it would open up more locations for them to prospect in. All you have to do is look at the East Fork of the San Gabriel River where there are no claims. Plenty of weekend prospectors digging side by side, probably extracting more minerals from the area than if it was claimed up by 5 people in the BLM.

And no, I'm not condoning claim jumping, the law is the law. But I do think many claims are owned by people who really shouldn't be owning them because they are not activly mining the claim. That land should be returned to the people. It's public land after all.

I don't read anywhere in the Mining Act of 1872 nor any revisions that dictate a claim must be actively worked nor can't be owned by those who only mine occasionally.

We pay the yearly fees and we mine the claims when we can. We allow others access if certain provisions are met.

Rye Patch is a very popular area and huge corporations like Newmont Mining have leases all over the place.

The fact the claims are in the hands of the "private" miner is a good thing.

There are many many places to prospect where there are no claims. The fact someone has the chance to maintain and mine a couple dozen claims is the right of that individual.

If one doesn't like the law then fight to change it. But don't disparage those willing to do the homework and then the constant upkeep to maintain more than a couple claims.

 

[Grumpie]

Heck yeah I would do it if I was allowed to camp on the Gold Claim 24/7 while guarding it and also allowed to prospect as long as the O.P. would allow me a split of what I find!! I know trust might be an issue but anyone that knows me, knows my honesty and integrity and besides, the FBI maintained a file on me the whole time I worked for the National Weather Service. One can even check my' Feedback rating on eBay and I have my' own Gold Prospecting equipment (a Trommel, a Gold Cube with a Drywasher attachment that can be used separately, a Highbanker/Dredge, three water pumps, a Generator, lots of Gold Pans, Classifiers, a Miller Table and lots of weapons and ammo. What else could you ask for??


Frank

Get your own claim and keep everything you find. Why give it to someone else?
Hell, if your that game I might buy a claim and let you mine it if you're gonna give me half. And you don't even have to live on it. Lmao

 

[huntsman53]

I don't read anywhere in the Mining Act of 1872 nor any revisions that dictate a claim must be actively worked nor can't be owned by those who only mine occasionally.

We pay the yearly fees and we mine the claims when we can. We allow others access if certain provisions are met.

Rye Patch is a very popular area and huge corporations like Newmont Mining have leases all over the place.

The fact the claims are in the hands of the "private" miner is a good thing.

There are many many places to prospect where there are no claims. The fact someone has the chance to maintain and mine a couple dozen claims is the right of that individual.

If one doesn't like the law then fight to change it. But don't disparage those willing to do the homework and then the constant upkeep to maintain more than a couple claims.

Hear ye, hear ye!!

I would love to have a Gold Claim here in the East but since much of the National Forest Lands here are privately owned and only maintained by the NFS, there is no chance in hell of that ever happening! I don't get out that much but I would love to have a Gold Claim to protect my' find which is an underground stream that I have been told is likely flowing through an eroding Volcanic Pipe and is depositing Gold, other heavy metals and some small Gems into the creek I prospect on. The underground stream is pretty much plugged with large boulders and only leaches out greyish to whitish Clay which contains the aforementioned during some heavier rain events. I can't tell the makeup of the boulders but while trying to wedge one out of the hole with a shovel, I brought up a sliver of Gold and I believe that it came off the boulder. It is very hard to work this spot due to all the cobble and the boulders. I even keep ropes with me to tie myself off to a tree in the event that I dislodge the boulders and all hell breaks loose when the underground stream is open.


Frank

 

[Goldfleks]

I'm not disputing your right to own a claim. I'm also not disputing the fact that small miners/individuals owning claims is a good thing. But lets be real. If the claims being sold today in Rye Patch to vacation prospectors had any real gold value Newmont Mining, or some other mining group with the capital to invest in the claim would have scooped them up years ago. The reality is these claims have minimal amounts of flood gold on them and at $155 a year, why even own them.

 

[Rail Dawg]

The claims I picked up in Rye Patch were held 37 years.

First you say let others have it then you say it's not worth $155 to keep?

I'm quite happy with the claims and think there are epithermal vents near the surface.

We don't compete with Newmont Mining.

 

[kcm]

I'm not disputing your right to own a claim. I'm also not disputing the fact that small miners/individuals owning claims is a good thing. But lets be real. If the claims being sold today in Rye Patch to vacation prospectors had any real gold value Newmont Mining, or some other mining group with the capital to invest in the claim would have scooped them up years ago. The reality is these claims have minimal amounts of flood gold on them and at $155 a year, why even own them.

Er....because it's something you want to do?!?!? Something you like doing?? Because it brings you joy or satisfaction when you can pull something valuable out of the dirt and rocks?

For some, metal detecting pays - not much usually, but some folks find enough coins that they actually "make" a little money. Ok, maybe 10¢/hour! For most folks, it costs them money to do something they enjoy. Same with golf and tennis, jogging, playing video games, restoring antique tractors, etc, etc, etc.

As for larger companies, there are LOTS of gold-bearing areas that they won't touch. Why? Because for them it's all about profits, and that comes from volume. SSM's (Small Scale Miners) have an advantage there, in that a relatively small claim or a small amount of gold will suit a SSM just fine. Larger mining corporations have more eyes watching them, which increases operating costs. They have to hire workers, pay healthcare and benefits, options, plus they have larger equipment. So to say that a claim isn't worth much if a larger company isn't interested in it is ludicrous!

 

[Goldfleks]

Er....because it's something you want to do?!?!? Something you like doing?? Because it brings you joy or satisfaction when you can pull something valuable out of the dirt and rocks?

For some, metal detecting pays - not much usually, but some folks find enough coins that they actually "make" a little money. Ok, maybe 10¢/hour! For most folks, it costs them money to do something they enjoy. Same with golf and tennis, jogging, playing video games, restoring antique tractors, etc, etc, etc.

As for larger companies, there are LOTS of gold-bearing areas that they won't touch. Why? Because for them it's all about profits, and that comes from volume. SSM's (Small Scale Miners) have an advantage there, in that a relatively small claim or a small amount of gold will suit a SSM just fine. Larger mining corporations have more eyes watching them, which increases operating costs. They have to hire workers, pay healthcare and benefits, options, plus they have larger equipment. So to say that a claim isn't worth much if a larger company isn't interested in it is ludicrous!

Again i get it. Recreational mining is fun. Hobbies are fun. I've invested well more into my equipment than I will probably ever return. I think everyone on this site understands that. And that's the portion where mining law/claims conflicts with todays mining hobbiest. I'd argue the vast majority of SSM are just hobbiests. Mining isn't their income, it's vacation/fun/weekend activity. The Mining Act of 1872 was protecting peoples livelyhood from loss, their time and sweat and blood they invested in their claim. People who were living off what they were working from their claim. Today it's mostly just locking out acres and acres of public land from people who want to engage in recreational mining.

Recreational mining is a relativly new thing, and is one of the only recrational activity on public land that is illegal if you step into the "wrong area". Most of the "claim jumpers" are probably just families camping on public land and dad brought his sluice box so the kids could run a few buckets of dirt over the weekend and see somthing shiny in their pan. Chances are they don't even know what a claim is, or even what the mining act of 1872 is, let alone know they are on one.

Instead of worrying about claim jumpers, the OP would probably get better returns on his investment by putting up a contact phone# or website on his claim markers where interested parties could PayPal him a fee to prospect for the weekend, and agree to fill any holes dug, etc. It's not like he's around to police his property. I tend to believe most people are honest folk, and would prefer to do the right thing given the opportunity.

 

[Rail Dawg]

Instead of worrying about claim jumpers, the OP would probably get better returns on his investment by putting up a contact phone# or website on his claim markers where interested parties could PayPal him a fee to prospect for the weekend, and agree to fill any holes dug, etc. It's not like he's around to police his property. I tend to believe most people are honest folk, and would prefer to do the right thing given the opportunity.

Not going to do that.

The minute I start charging folks all I see is liability.

And I don't own claims to rent them out.

My goal is to vigorously pursue where all that gold in the Mt. Mazuba area of Rye Patch has come from.

The source has yet to be found.

I grabbed the prime claims that had been locked out for 37 years.

I'm a gold miner using the available laws to protect my hard work and investment.

Not too sure why I need to be willing to give that up?

 

[huntsman53]

Again i get it. Recreational mining is fun. Hobbies are fun. I've invested well more into my equipment than I will probably ever return. I think everyone on this site understands that. And that's the portion where mining law/claims conflicts with todays mining hobbiest. I'd argue the vast majority of SSM are just hobbiests. Mining isn't their income, it's vacation/fun/weekend activity. The Mining Act of 1872 was protecting peoples livelyhood from loss, their time and sweat and blood they invested in their claim. People who were living off what they were working from their claim. Today it's mostly just locking out acres and acres of public land from people who want to engage in recreational mining.

Recreational mining is a relativly new thing, and is one of the only recrational activity on public land that is illegal if you step into the "wrong area". Most of the "claim jumpers" are probably just families camping on public land and dad brought his sluice box so the kids could run a few buckets of dirt over the weekend and see somthing shiny in their pan. Chances are they don't even know what a claim is, or even what the mining act of 1872 is, let alone know they are on one.

Instead of worrying about claim jumpers, the OP would probably get better returns on his investment by putting up a contact phone# or website on his claim markers where interested parties could PayPal him a fee to prospect for the weekend, and agree to fill any holes dug, etc. It's not like he's around to police his property. I tend to believe most people are honest folk, and would prefer to do the right thing given the opportunity.

It's funny for you to make such a statement as Rail Dawg never once indicated how often he visited his' Gold Claim or how often he didn't visit it. Not that it is any of your concern!


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Not going to do that.

The minute I start charging folks all I see is liability.

And I don't own claims to rent them out.

My goal is to vigorously pursue where all that gold in the Mt. Mazuba area of Rye Patch has come from.

The source has yet to be found.

I grabbed the prime claims that had been locked out for 37 years.

I'm a gold miner using the available laws to protect my hard work and investment.

Not too sure why I need to be willing to give that up?

Rail Dawg,

If I had the time and the money and you were willing, I would come out there and help you search for and hopefully find the source. I have an array of metal detectors as you can see from my' Profile and even though I have much newer and up to date metal detectors, my' old White's 66-T "Mineral and Metal" Metal Detector is more than up to the task as I have search coils from 4 inches up to a whopping 15 1/2 incher and a 24 incher. The coils for the
66-T are more than likely compatible for use with my' White's 65-T which is practically brand new and if so, I have 7 coils to choose from.


Frank

 

[kcm]

Frank, are you just plain BORED where you are?!?!?

Gotta admit though, that WOULD be fun!!

 

[Rail Dawg]

Rail Dawg,

If I had the time and the money and you were willing, I would come out there and help you search for and hopefully find the source. I have an array of metal detectors as you can see from my' Profile and even though I have much newer and up to date metal detectors, my' old White's 66-T "Mineral and Metal" Metal Detector is more than up to the task as I have search coils from 4 inches up to a whopping 15 1/2 incher and a 24 incher. The coils for the
66-T are more than likely compatible for use with my' White's 65-T which is practically brand new and if so, I have 7 coils to choose from.


Frank

Frank you're like me and most miners.

Optimistic!

The more I study the geology of Nevada and especially the epithermal vents common in places like Rye Patch I'm convinced there are many hidden pockets of gold to be found.

Maybe just a few bulldozer scrapes away!

Bring your gear and when spring comes to Northern Nevada come help.

We are going out in two weeks to explore the claims and get some signs up.

Getting ready to mine hard.

 

[huntsman53]

Frank, are you just plain BORED where you are?!?!?

Gotta admit though, that WOULD be fun!!

Duh!! I retired in 2011 but had to go back to work in 2015 to make up Civilian Social Security credits and payments that I did not make working for the Federal Government as well as make some extra income to make ends meet. My' oldest daughter and my' five grandchildren had to move in with me and my' middle daughter who still lives at home and since I pay all of the bills (mortgage, a truck payment, car payment for my' youngest daughter, Insurance on everything, fuel for two trucks, electric...water...sewage...trash pick up & natural gas bills, three Credit Cards and for WIFI Internet Service) but only what food I eat, it is hard to make it and especially so when the three grandkids in High School have extra activities.

Gold Prospecting is hard, often back breaking work but find a few Gold Flakes or a small Nugget, then you can see the Finder catch another gear! I have at times dug all day in streams and creeks only taking breaks and meals as needed and when I hit a good streak, I could keep going well into the night if not all night while my friends want to quit well before dark.


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Frank you're like me and most miners.

Optimistic!

The more I study the geology of Nevada and especially the epithermal vents common in places like Rye Patch I'm convinced there are many hidden pockets of gold to be found.

Maybe just a few bulldozer scrapes away!

Bring your gear and when spring comes to Northern Nevada come help.

We are going out in two weeks to explore the claims and get some signs up.

Getting ready to mine hard.

Rail Dawg,

There is either still a source or was a source that eroded out long ago and the deposits it left, continue to erode out of the surrounding hills. The Gold has likely been eroding out for many thousands and possibly even tens of millions of years and it is unfathomable to think of how much has been covered over by trillions of metric tons of dirt and rocks that eroded out over the same period of time. Unlike here in Tennessee as well as in North Carolina where mountains (some containing Gold) and volcanoes that were once some 5 to 6 miles in height, took 100 millions years or so to erode down to what they are now (2,500 to a little over 6,000 feet in height), the lack of vegetation and trees in Northern Nevada, likely allowed the mountains that contain or contained the Gold to erode over a much shorter period of time. It sounds as if every layer of dirt and rocks removed with a bulldozer or front end loader, should be processed through Dry Washers and maybe even recirculating Wet Washers.

Thanks for the offer! Who knows I might just take you up on it. I will have to wait until my' Federal Tax Refund comes in and see what I will have to pay out but who knows, it might be doable! If it happens, I could bring out a lot of extras such as my' Trommel, dual use Gold Cube/Vibrating Dry Washer Combo, Miller Table, Pumps, Generator (<most of these I purchased from Buddy Clark), Gold Pans, Classifiers and Shovels. I have more pumps and even a HighBanker Dredge Combo but I doubt it would be of much use there.

In the meantime, I will try to get up to speed on the geology of that area as well as the epithermal vents there.


Frank