Hi all, the following article is from Paul Schiffer. Paul is a relatively new prospector who has taken a very intense approach to the initial learning process so I thought he would be a good person to write a guide for other new prospectors.
Now here’s Paul:
At some time, everyone reading this decided to at least explore the idea of finding gold in Colorado.
There are many paths to the river. Your path is not my path. But you have made the decision that you want to hunt for gold. Now what?
You get on your computer and Google that stuff. Mostly certainly you have the path of buying a prospector kit and heading out to the river behind your house. But is that even a legal option? Back to the computer. Since we are living in Colorado, that leads you to the Finding Gold in Colorado website.
After further reading, you realize you need to connect with other people who know prospecting. You pick a prospecting site mentioned on Kevin’s website. You call your friend up and they join you. After parking, you walk to the river. The sun is shining. There is a slight breeze. The river is surging along. You spend an hour in the water trying to pan in various spots. There is a lot of dirt, but you can’t seem to find any gold. There are several other people down there running different gear but maybe not your gear. They are nice and polite. One in particular offers to show you how to pan. They are quick and efficient panners. With their help you quickly see your first wild gold flakes in your pan.
Soon it’s lunch time, and your friend wants to leave. You are tired but excited and wish to continue. Time to find a different prospecting buddy! I will assume that your social media gateway will be Kevin’s groundbreaking Facebook group. Yes, you guessed it, the group is called Finding Gold in Colorado too. You may or may not do an initial posting in the group. Having seen many such postings, the community welcomes you in and asks you about yourself. Where are you at? What brought you here? With thousands of members, there are sure to be some prospectors near you with local knowledge. Many of them happy to take you out digging.
The Books: Sooner or later, you will hear about the book Finding Gold in Colorado; Prospector’s Edition. It is the single greatest resource in your quest for gold. As a newbie you need to understand that even the most seasoned veteran has a copy and reads it. Get it here. A word on the Prospector’s Edition and the website (this website where you are now lol). The easiest way to speed up your knowledge and experience. Also used to write down questions to annoy the veterans at a later time (ha ha!). Want more dig sites, maybe closer to your home and work? Also check out Finding Gold in Colorado: The Wandering Prospector
Regarding the internet more broadly. A great resource. The worst resource. You are learning a hobby that demands time in the field. You can watch 10,000 YouTube videos but you must at some time get your feet wet. For many of us, standing in the creek is our happy place, maybe you are discovering its yours too. The fast way to learn is for someone to show you the ropes. Ask in the “Finding Gold in Colorado” Facebook group for someone to meet you. Be specific about when you are available and what part of the state you are in. Breaking news: Not everyone is in metro Denver!
Here is where gold gets super simple. Prospect until you find gold. The gold pan and classifier are your friend now (Here’s a link to a good starter kit …and a lot of other gear you should ignore for now). Then you find multiple pieces of fine gold in your pan. Dig like a honey badger.
This is Kevin again:
As you can see Paul has some good suggestions on how to get started. So do it, you’ll never look back!
Some cautions for you:
- Think about safety, whether in an urban area or a remote mountain stream, being alone is being vulnerable to an accident or aggressor. Be prepared. I carry bear spray all the time. Happily, I’ve never had to use it or really even felt threatened by human or animal, but still.
- Go slow about buying prospecting gear. See what others are using in the areas where you want to dig. Different gear works better in different situations. Try out other prospector’s gear. Review my equipment recommendations here too.
- Know before you go. Know the rules of what equipment is allowed if you are bringing more than a gold pan. Know the ownership status of the land and the rules the landowner imposes. As a newbie, you probably don’t know how to check on land status so let this website or other prospectors guide you at first. Want more? As Paul mentions, the book, or really all the books, are your key resources with over 180 public access prospecting sites included.
With all of that said, go have fun and “Find your gold!”
