American Gold Prospectors and Metal Detecting: Mingusmtn - Viewing Profile

Now 56 years young I have been seriously prospecting for 10 years, the first 5 with reckless abandon in AZ-CO-WY-MT, the last five on occaision mostly in Mayer and Lnyx areas. Had my first taste of it though back in 1980 with a fella name of Ed Hill who drove a VW bus and had a small dredge he carted around to various creeks in the Bradshaws. ( If anybody knows of him please get in touch with me)

I started out in 1998 with a GPAA membership, a snuffer, a pan and a Keene sluice I bought in Cortez CO and was directed to a site on the Delores River where I might find a little color. Very little color for the amount of work I put into it! Most of what I found in CO was a little here and there and super fines -even on the Arkansas near Buena Vista. Bought a used Gold Bug in Durango and the best thing I found with it so far was my car keys in 3' of snow!

Went to WY and MT to find a couple of those "good coarse gold and nuggets" locations listed in the GPAA guide. HA! Spent 2 weeks in Cody WY with a cracked block after fording a creek just to see what was around the next bend because I couldn't find any of the gold in their locations.

Back in AZ I went to the Lynx just about every weekend and found my first pickers, flakes and plenty of fines for the amount of work involved. Back then you could camp right close to the creek, those were the days! Met a lot of great folks from all over and learned quite a bit about getting the gold that was there. The GPAA videos always made it look so easy and that the gold was plentiful every where they went.

I also started building some of my own equip for better cleaning of the holes and bedrock that I exposed. I made the "Crack Attack" that was initially 3+ feet long with a 30" stroke and took two guys to operate. It could suck the gray right off the Yavapai shist and shoot it 30' out across the creek! I later shortened it to 2' and can operate it myself. It still works pretty good even after 8 years without replacing any of its innards though an overhaul and some design changes would help at this point.

Yesterday I made a mini version using my old turkey baster bulb and odds and ends to create a sucker that is similiar to a snuffer in principal but has a clear tube and can pull up 1/8" plus material out of narrow cracks. I took it out to where I have found a few specks in the past and used it in a culvert. It works better than I thought it would!

I still get out once in awhile though every time I do I am amazed at how much of our "public lands" are now closed off especially the access roads and camp sites that made the getting to the gold areas at least a little more convenient.