37 replies to this topic

[Pesky]

Hello I'm in southeast mi as well . The laws you guys are reading only go for state owned lands . The only reason there are them laws at all is because the Michigan gpaa thought if they could get some laws then people would beleave there's gold in Michigan . At the LDMA claim In Athens there's no permits . There's no limit on gold . You can dredge with what ever size dredge you wish and anytime of the year you wish . You don't have to hide , when people ask what your doing just say your looking for rocks and people just feel sorry for you and smile and leave . We had two high bankers setup on this gravel bar which is in a park for half the summer last year and getting ready to start dredging it now . The DNR came by and made sure we weren't fish without a lic did not care that we were dig up gold . Kinda just laughed like were nuts ,and also had my drivers lic taken and returned by the Oakland county sewer and water dep . That guy flipped out saying is was a crimal for dig up sediments or something like that . Acted like some big shot I know that . Problem he found is there was no problem . We have lots of gold but it's just specks . It's anywhere there's gravel . You can walk down any gravel road and look after a rain for black sand and there's gold in that . You can go to any gravel pit and get some sand and there's gold in that . What hard to find is the pockets . Only a few people even know there's gold in Michigan , but the truth is ,it's everywhere but very small . That's my problem building a dredge for this kinda gold . I bought a Keene 4" power jet and hose . Got a bunch of miners moss and ribbed mat . I'm making the sluice 14' long and 2' wide . The two sluice boxes will stack on top of each other , then I.m adding a header box . I do ok with the high banker because I m getting around 12 specks to the shovel full . So Im think if I could just move more material I should be golden . One way or the other that gold in that river bend and gravel bar will end up in my pocket . I've taken way to much ribbing from friends and family to fail I know that . I also have 5 kids and they love it to

[Pesky]

Rock hunter I would save your money on the screens and get you a sluice box . Lay a peace of 1/4 hardware cloth across to top to classifi it down some so the box don't just load up . Looks like you might need to dam up the stream some to get good flow . Just panning for gold will never work . I would also look for a gravel bar with a deeper hole above and test pan at the top the gravel bar . You can make a sluice box real easy . Don't worrie about getting in trouble it's not a problem . This is away to test for gold in Michigan
This video is me on the flint river just north of Lapeer . Looks like your over by st Clair . A good spot is over at Pontiac rec . I mine there sometimes . Lots of Garret's There to . If you look at the map go on the Huron river just down stream from white lk rd . It's all very hard packed there down maybe a 1/4 mile and very good flow and drop . That first deep hole down from the bridge is full of pyrite so take your buddy there and he will think he had found a good pocket . There's gold in it to . Lots of Garret's . Just tell people your looking for rocks . I've never had anybudy ask or come by there . The main thing about finding it around here is the river needs to be hard packed . If the gravel is all loose just move on . A few years ago we had that gpaa claim over in Portland . They rented this gravel pit and the guy that owned it would bring up some nice gravel for us to work and there was a nice creek running threw it . We found some bigger stuff and even some pickers . Diamons , what we did was just run the medal detector till we found a hot spot and worked that . There was also these layers of iron you could work that had gold , last I herd is that hand coop guy was building a sluice for the owners wash plant and then we all got kicked out . Gravel pits anywhere in this state will have gold .

[rockhunter1620]

Hello I'm in southeast mi as well .

___Hey Pesky, yep, my biggest priority is to git my hands on a sluice, eack week I stash a little more $ towards it. I've already had some correspondence with Angus himself out in Idaho, and I have picked out a 70 in. "Alaskan" w/ a flair inlet, it'll have 48 riffles and comes in 3 parts that bolt together in seconds. But I will need a 50 mesh, and a 80 mesh screens, those are alot cheaper than a $400.-$500. "Gold cube". And the creek I'm workin is on public land, somewhere b'tween FlatRock and Sebewa Sand and Gravel, I've been there to the old GPAA lease. And I am intimately educated in Michigan's topography and geological history. Go to my profile, click on and read my past postings. I've actually recovered some meteorite material here in Mi. And the Au is just gonna finance my meteorite huntin. I already have gold in my poke that's in a vile, I just need the 50 &80 mesh screens to separate it from sand grains that are just as small as the Au, but I got a sluice on the way, I'm on it brother, but I do appreciate yer input, maybe we'll cross trails one day, good huntin to ya!.....RH

[Pesky]

I found this green rock that I'm just dieing to find out what kind of rock it is . Maybe you could help with that . It's the only 1 I have ever found . I know you would have to see but it's a dark green then layered in a lighter green then it goes dark again . It's also really smooth . It's like one of kind

[rockhunter1620]

I found this green rock that I'm just dieing to find out what kind of rock it is . Maybe you could help with that . It's the only 1 I have ever found . I know you would have to see but it's a dark green then layered in a lighter green then it goes dark again . It's also really smooth . It's like one of kind

Well, from just yer verbal discrption and no pic all I can say is that it's probably a sedimentary shale or limestone, water-worn cobble stone. Post a nice, focused photo taken outdoors under natural light. You said you live in S.E. Mi. I live in Flat Rock. Lets cross trails sometime. These fellers yer askin advice from on this forum, there a good bunch of fellers. I've personaly drove 2000+ miles just to attend a weekend outing out there in AZ last year. Just fer the purpose of meetin face to face Bill Southern, Frank C. and a few others, and of course to do some quality Mohave desert meteorite huntin in Gold basin.

[Pesky]

There's a place not to fare from you that sells stuff like your needing . It's just off 23 ,just as you get into Ohio . They sell lots of medal sectors as well

[rockhunter1620]

There's a place not to fare from you that sells stuff like your needing . It's just off 23 ,just as you get into Ohio . They sell lots of medal sectors as well

Hey man, do you know the "name" of this shop, maybe they have a website. I know about a decent sized detector shop that sells new and used MD's called "Pro-stock Detectors" in the town of Plainwell in Otsego co. thats over by Allegen. But ain't never herd of a "Prospector Supply Shop" in Mi.

[Reg]

Complaining about not people in Michigan not being able to find more than .55 oz? WOW, keep in mind this what they can find on state land with only a permit.

Try that type of prospecting or any other for that matter in your state on state land and see what happens if you are caught. Personally, I feel Michigan has some progressive recreational prospecting laws on state ground compared to many out here in the west.

Most states including CO and AZ have laws stopping people from "trespassing" let alone recreational prospecting on state ground. Maybe we should ask our states to be more civilized towards the recreational prospector like Michigan.

Reg

[Pesky]

To many city people wanting to protect something that they have know idea about . Found a 1 1/2 oz nugget on state land the other day I had to throw it back and look for a smaller one . 1 in 7 Americans on food stamps ,wounder how many of them planted a garden this year .seems like they would be handing out shovels not stamps . Doesn't make any sence . CA looking to outlaw wildlife control right now ,there voting on it . Want to make it so only gov workers can control the wildlife . There goes all them company's that poured there heart and soul into there company's . That's what I do I own and operate a company called pesky critter removal . They just take more and more starting to feel like a slave for lazy people . Yep I work so they don't have to . If I don't get back out there digging soon I'm going to go nuts .

[oredigger62]

Hey Frank ,
If you or pesky ever get over to Illinois for some fishing here is a fishing story for you.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/34025/bizarre+fish+with+scary-looking+teeth+throw+scare+into+lake+community/

[Big Jeff]

I was born and raised is Good ol' Michigan (Tuscola County). There laws on State land use is way more lenient than they are out here in AZ. I left 10 years ago and there was only 1 DNR officer per County back then, I'm sure it hasn't improved much. Have fun. I think they would be more concerned with someone fishing without a license and other high crimes like that than to bother with you. Enjoy.

[rockhunter1620]

Ok fellers, on Thurs. the 6th., (the day frank C. got hitched), I made my last trip to my "spot" fer this year.Huntin seasons are fixin to start and the place will be crawlin with DNR. Ain't crossed trails with one all summer and I think thats a good thing, anyways, was only able to git out there 6 or 7 times total throughout the summer. Took a different friend with me this time who had a genuine interest in learnin bout the processes involved with recovering these tiny specks. I showed him where to dig, and how to classify material down to just sands, and then pan out the sands to just fine black sand. Here's a pic of him eyeballin the gravel in the 20 mesh (spaghetti strainer) screen. Alltogether, from the few trips I's able to make out there, I sampled and prospected at 2 different locations on that creek digging mostly on the backside of large boulders and had also shovel cut 2 different trenches through the length of 2 different curved gravel bars on 2 different inside bends of the creek, and still wasn't able to locate what one might consider to be a "paystreak", but I did find this!

[Bill Southern]

Wow cool Frank, can you run a small dredge there without getting sent up the river?

[rockhunter1620]

Wow cool Frank, can you run a small dredge there without getting sent up the river?

Hey Bill, the answer would be NO. On or in a national forest, with a permit from the U.S. Forest Service one can sluise or dredge a little, but no way on state land. Remeber, we got all them screwed-up rules, and I had to break em all just get the little bit I got. Lets see, No prospecting on any natural river, stream, or creek. No prospecting on any designated trout stream, and 1 half troy oz, per person, per year.

[Bedrock Bob]

My personal opinion is that you are really doing a great job with what you have! You researched, located, tested and got it in a vial in a place that is not known for a lot of gold. That is a pretty big feat in itself. Finding good gold in a spot that is a producer in gold country is a cinch compared to what you are doing there.

Good form man! You have learned more getting your little bit of dust than a lot of prospectors learn after they have a 1/2 ounce in a vial. Your learning curve is going to go straight up now brother! You did it the hard way! I am impressed!

[GlennM]

And now this pothead knows your spot.
You're gonna have to shoot him.

[rockhunter1620]

And now this pothead knows your spot.
You're gonna have to shoot him.

Ha Ha, yer tooo funny Glenn. Nah, he slept all the way there and there are 6 different turns down various gravel roads after you leave the interstate, he'll never remember how to git there, but ya, sometimes I would like shoot him fer bein just plain stupid sometimes.

[rockhunter1620]

My personal opinion is that you are really doing a great job with what you have! You researched, located, tested and got it in a vial in a place that is not known for a lot of gold. That is a pretty big feat in itself. Finding good gold in a spot that is a producer in gold country is a cinch compared to what you are doing there.

Good form man! You have learned more getting your little bit of dust than a lot of prospectors learn after they have a 1/2 ounce in a vial. Your learning curve is going to go straight up now brother! You did it the hard way! I am impressed!

Thank you kindly BB, yep, there was a little extra effort involved in gatherin this little bit of flour, south of Saginaw anyway. In Antrim co. in northern lower penn. and then in Marquette co. in the U.P. along the Huron R., flour, flake, and pickers are more abundant. But those locations are 5-9 hr. drives. This particular creek I had chose was only a 2 hr. drive, bout 20 miles W. of Lansing, but that elusive "paystreak" would still have been a lot of work when you consider my only tools to work with was a pick, a shovel, 2- 5 gal. buckets, 2 classifiers, and a pan, but thanx again man. I do still have more lernin to do, concernin a fellers ability to "read a river or creek" and "readin the land", but I think I've gotten a good start....RH