Upon looking at all the discussion pertaining to this I would offer the following. Mining in the U.S. is a real pain. There is still lots of gold but the permitting process and the " big hand of government" basically shuts down the idea of real mining. Yes there is "recreational" mining...but that is constantly under attack.
If you want to really do some commercial mining I would suggest you look at B.C. Canada. Get a prospecting permit and have at it. Lots of gold country, few people, and no hassle. Land is very cheap, gold bearing placers are numerous, and the ability to file a claim not difficult.
I have Canadian friends who own/mine/claim in Canada for 6 months in the summer and then mine for 6 months in AZ on a deeded patented placer. Canada is the place to really mine. Just walk in and get a prospecting permit card and go to it. Only thing I have NOT checked into is some of the time frame requirements for U.S. Citizens to own land and mine..... worth some investigating.
Don't do anything via the internet. Best to go to the area you are interested in and spend some time.
Brian: Does a "prospecting permit" allow you to use equipment to mine or just hand work? Because in the US you can prospect on public ground as long as it is just hand work. It's when you decide to use heavy equipment that the restrictions start. Ted
To make a living off of a claim depends on what you need to pay bills and expenses. The gold is going to vary from day to day, so you have to take the average. To determine what the average is going to be- you have to sample SAMPLE SAMPLE and when you think you know what it runs test some more. Ted
Oh yea! I would love to get some big toys, find a nice claim and go at it. Sorta' like the gold show but without the drama! Have you ever looked into some of the claims for sale on the web? Saw some in AZ that sounded very tempting...
I'll throw my two cents in since I live in Arizona, Jim. Do not for any reason give any amount of money to anyone about a claim offer! At least not without a good inspection of the property and tests of the property by an independent with knowledge of a. the area, b. the claim itself, c. the history of ownership (find that on Geocommunicator), d. exact coordinates of the claim. They will tempt you with a showing of some paydirt but even if you are with them, pick your own spot to test. The best way to find gold is three words: Test, test and oh yeah TEST! If you find an interesting claim, ask the owner if you can drywash for one day. If he is legit, he should not have a problem with a test day if you are serious. Assure him you will give him the gold you find and, afterall you are only doing some free work for him.
Dan, thanks for the words of wisdom. We are hoping to retire someday out in AZ. Our son is at ASU and we vacation there often. We really love AZ...almost fanatical about it!!! I did a common dig last year with Terry Solomon...do you know him? It was at his claim up near Wickenberg. Really hard work but I loved it, even though I got just a few specs gold! Are there any open areas near Rich Hill that you don't need permission to do some digging? We went onto Ellie's 24K Claim a couple years ago, but mostly to just get out there. She is such a character!!!
Yep, Weaver Mining District has a very large area at Rich Hill that you can prospect on for a nominal fee of $25.00 a year! Otherwise, most other areas are carved up. In Prescott Valley [not Prescott] stop in at A&B prospecting supply and purchase one of their topo maps of Rich Hill. The map has all the various club areas and their boundaries. They have maps of all the good locations in the Bradshaw Mountains and other areas. These are very large maps and are easy to read. Lots of GPAA property near Black Canyon City if you can stand the heat and are a GPAA member. I have never met Terry that I know of but it's possible we bumped into each other some time or another. He has his own website and offers good possibilities for the newbie as you know.
Jim: be very careful buying claims off the internet, a lot of scammers out there. Make sure you check out any claims before putting any money down. Test them yourself and check out the paper work to make sure they are legal. It took me 5 years of jumping through hoops to get my plan of operation approved. now I'm ready to start mining.
Great advice...right now it's only a dream! Is your operation in MT? Is that it in your photos? Looks like a pretty big pretty operation. Having any luck?
Replies
Upon looking at all the discussion pertaining to this I would offer the following. Mining in the U.S. is a real pain. There is still lots of gold but the permitting process and the " big hand of government" basically shuts down the idea of real mining. Yes there is "recreational" mining...but that is constantly under attack.
If you want to really do some commercial mining I would suggest you look at B.C. Canada. Get a prospecting permit and have at it. Lots of gold country, few people, and no hassle. Land is very cheap, gold bearing placers are numerous, and the ability to file a claim not difficult.
I have Canadian friends who own/mine/claim in Canada for 6 months in the summer and then mine for 6 months in AZ on a deeded patented placer. Canada is the place to really mine. Just walk in and get a prospecting permit card and go to it. Only thing I have NOT checked into is some of the time frame requirements for U.S. Citizens to own land and mine..... worth some investigating.
Don't do anything via the internet. Best to go to the area you are interested in and spend some time.
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