The Professional Nuggetshooter - September 2002 Issue

The Professional Nuggetshooter

by Jim Straight

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Introduction

I recently returned from a nugget-shooting trip somewhere in the extensive Basin Range of Nevada. The Nevada Basin Range is part of the Basin and Range Province, found within the Cordillera—the extensive chain of north-south trending mountains and associated valleys, basins, lakes, rivers, plateaus, pediments, and alluvial fans—extending eastward from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern face of the Rockies.

While there, I happened to meet “Young Fella,” a professional nuggetshooter. I’m old enough to be his grand-pappy—where does the time go? He is a “whiz-bang” nugget hunter and has found enough gold within the vast Cordillera to keep going as a full-timer. We got to jawing over coffee at the local cafe (his was hot chocolate), and I got him thinking about sharing some of his extraordinary talent in finding those “elusive” gold nuggets. Thus, he will put together a “how-to” article for ICMJ readers for the next issue. In the meantime, as sort of an advertisement of coming attractions, I will outline some of the unusual tricks and “tips” that make Young Fella a successful nuggetshooter.

Young Fella’s Tricks

Organization. First of all, Young Fella is well organized. It is obvious a lot of thought and pre-planning has gone into his “outfit” to make him self-contained and comfortable while living out of a small pickup truck/camper shell. He has learned to live with the land and not fight it. He is in tune and in harmony with the harsh surroundings, the unpredictable weather, sometimes thorny vegetation, and all the critters. He is prepared with extra food and plenty of water in case of an unexpected breakdown or other emergency. Thus, he can devote more time and attention to nuggetshooting, rather than survival.

Dust, Thunderstorms, Possible Brushfires, and the Hot and Hostile Sun.

Dry alkali dust can infiltrate every crack and crevice, even while carefully driving along a dirt road. You simply cannot breath in a dust storm. Young Fella has carefully sealed his pickup and camper shell against the weather, both rain and dust. All of his gear is carefully stored in airtight containers. He even uses a feather duster to keep his back window clean and to keep the dust from collecting in layers on the outside of his truck. He is aware that within some parts of the Cordillera, alkali can be overpowering. The “buzz-saw” sharp microscopic-sized particulate matter can be a health hazard if breathed over a length of time. The alkali, if stirred up, can rise in thick, choking billows and infiltrate the smallest cracks. If valuable gear is not well protected in air-tight containers, the dust has been known to clog camera shutters, detector switches and knobs, and automotive air cleaners.

Young Fella is aware how drastically the weather can change in parts of the Cordillera during the summer months of July, August and September. The region can be dry for years; suddenly a monsoon-like storm, coming inland from off the coast of Mexico with spectacular lightning strikes and maybe a hot, dry wind kicking up dust, can appear on the horizon. Or a brush fire can happen at any time.

Young Fella is well aware of the hazard of the overhead sun, which can be hot and hostile in the summer months, and the possibility of developing skin cancer. His white clothes are loose fitting and he keeps well covered up, even wearing gloves cut so just the tips of his fingers show.

Careful Driving. In parts of the Cordillera, the eluvial gold is trapped in a shale/schist-like country rock, which is the bedrock where the small clinkers (or tiny crumbs) to large lunkers lurk. To the unwary, the shales can be pitched at a near vertical angle and will go through a tire like a sharp knife through soft butter. If you are new to the area you need to have at least one spare tire and equipment to change it. Young Fella is well aware of the hazards of driving over rim-rock shale and trachyte (a volcanic rock that weathers out like sharp arrowheads) and confided to me that he checks his tires, especially upon reaching the highway, so as not to ruin a tire that is slowly going flat.

Gridding and Detecting Broad Areas. In the past, with “older technology,” it has been my established practice to carefully select areas where the bedrock was more exposed. In much of the broad alkali areas where Young Fella prefers to hunt, the eluvial gold is sparse, scattered and deep. However, he is using “newer technology” and hunting not only traditional areas where the bedrock is exposed, but in the softer areas where the bedrock could be down a foot or more. All ground within the pediments is now “open season” under his search coil.

I watched him select an area where a random gold nugget had been found in the past and carefully set up a rectangular grid system using traffic cones. Slowly and meticulously he worked the ground within the grid. By gridding back and forth he was able to keep a water jug and other small gear within reach.

Summary

I spent a couple of days out in the field with Young Fella. It was a classic case of youth showing the “old dog” new tricks. I was willing to listen and learn new tricks on how to deal with the “newfangled” equipment, and I really modified some of my prior nuggetshooting opinions and practices.

I’m keeping this article brief; it is really intended to alert readers that Young Fella is currently writing an article on “how he does it.” In the article he will mention some tips in detail. Therefore, without swiping any of his fire, I will conclude by mentioning some of the information he will cover, such as: How he uses a range finder in gridding; how (and why) he checks a new pair of shoes/boots before buying them; how he keeps stickers from working into his socks; how he carries a pick so it is easily reached and not dragging on the ground.

Young Fella is really a Pro. Over the several day period I watched him retrieve some trash (that he packed out of the area to his truck) and watched him quickly and skillfully recover three nice nuggets. I also noticed that he backfilled all his “dig holes,” and left the area cleaner than before he came. I asked him if he always back-filled his dig-holes. His reply, “It’s gotta be done.” Yes, Young Fella is a Real Pro!