Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to re: Realizing, of course,

Don't have time for gold?
RobVG — (archived)

Gold panning gets you out among the birds and trees and the soothing sounds of rushing water. A sunny day makes it that much more pleasant. Don't tell me you can't occasionally take an hour or two out of your day to enjoy that?

The first thing to do is join the gold prospectors association in your state. They will teach you the methods for recovering gold and show you where to find it. If you don't have the time and would rather go it alone, talk to people in small sporting goods stores that sell guns and fishing gear. Ask for a map of old gold claims in the area and if they know of any place to go panning. The best place to find gold is where gold has been found before. From what I've read, gold deposits are still being washed downstream.

Once you've discovered an area it's time to get your feet wet. You should look for streams with exposed bedrock since gold can't be any deeper than the rock. Also look for quartz veins in the rock. Gold is often found in quartz. Look for cracks in the bedrock and collect the sand and gravel they contain. Take a trowel and a bucket with you. You can use a turkey baster to suck the crack clean to get any fine gold. Also take deposits from in front of boulders because gold will fall out of the fast moving water when it hits the eddy on the front side of the boulder. And remember you can easily collect deposits anywhere from the edge of the stream to the high water mark. That way you can keep your feet dry.

To learn panning technique- buy a video. I'd like to explain it but I'd be typing all night.

Two last things. You might need a permit. All I need is a pamphlet in my possession at the site. The pamphlet outlines some simple rules and the closure to mining due to spawning salmon.

Lastly don't be a claim jumper. In my state claims are clearly marked with white posts that have an "X" carved in the top.

Give it a try sometime, if nothing else you can start an old bullet collection. ;)

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