Treasure hunting is the common name for a fun and interesting hobby
enjoyed by thousands of people around the world. They use portable metal
detectors to go outside and literally hunt for treasure. With the
price of gold over $700 oz today, more and more people are getting metal
detectors and heading into the hills.
The FMDAC
In order to
help you get started in treasure hunting, you should check out the
Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs, Inc. You can
find out about any events, meeting or treasure hunting clubs in your
area. You can find out where to legally go look for gold and other
artifacts. Usually, you have to go to state parks and public property
unless you are invited onto someone's private property. And it's not
just a pipe dream to find gold hunting in this way. People have
actually found very valuable items, from gold coins to gold artifacts.
You
also need to know your area's municipal codes, which the FMDAC can help
you find. Sometimes, you can legally go hunting in public schools,
church grounds and public beaches with metal detectors. You might even
be asked by neighbors to help locate utility pipelines on their property
or to find lost trinkets in their back yards.
Wal-Mart
Believe
it or not, Wal-Mart is now playing a big role in promoting finding gold
by treasure hunting. Usually, stores will not allow any solicitation
in their premises. However, Wal-Mart has a unique partnership with the
FMDAC where they will allow displays by treasure hunting clubs in their
stores. These can be manned or unmanned display tables with pamphlets.
Your local Wal-Mart or Super Wal-Mart may be the place to go get
started in artifact hunting business.
Is There Any Gold Left?
The
best place to prospect for gold is the place where gold already has
been found. Some nice size nuggets have been found with metal detectors
in areas that have had active gold mines in the past. Not every ounce
of gold has been mined or panned from rivers. Part of the gold hunting
hobby is to learn gold panning and pour over old prospector maps. There
still is a market in this hobby for treasure maps. Some treasure maps
will show you where gold has been found in the past. The odds are that
not all of the gold was found and that there might still be some left in
those gold-bearing areas.
The Roaring Camp Mining Company is in
Pine Grove California, which is about one hour east of Sacramento.
Visitors to the mining camp are shown many of the mining techniques us
for locating gold. You are able to pan, sluice, dredge and dry wash for
gold. You get to keep any gold that you find. Gold bearing material
is collected from the mine bedrock area and run through a screening
process to remove the large rocks and it is then made available to you.
California
isn't the only state where there has been success in gold hunting by
amateurs. Gold has been found in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Alabama and Virginia. The gold was found with the use of portable metal
detectors or gold-panning. So, there still might be gold left "in them
thar hills".
