Free: Contests & Raffles.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/environmental/hpa/types/prospecting
You are required to have a copy of the pamphlet on you. I just print a copy and keep it in my pack. Lots of YouTube videos and clubs in WA.
To get started and learn more I would suggest joining one of the clubs here is WA. STAY away from Gold Prospectors Association of America or LDMA they are excellent at mining the miners.One of the state clubs that has or had a lot of claims when I was a member, and before I got 2 of my own, was Gold Prospectors Mining Association or North Central Mining Association.In regards to staking a claim first find an area that isn't already claimed then find some gold in that stream, river, creek, ditch, Mark that spot with a post with notice of discovery Name, Address, date of discovery, then contact BLM in Portland for papers to file a claim. It will take quite a bit of time staking out the boundaries of the claim and filling out paperwork and a considerable amount of money.I can offer this info most everything on Blewett pass north side and south side is already claimed up and it is a Class C Felony for claim jumping ( prospecting panning sluicing, dredging, high banking, metal detecting on someone else's claim) and the majority of the claim owners up that a way will press charges however innocent the person might think they were.Most FS, and DNR land is open for prospecting as long as it isn't already claimed.If you want to practice and improve your panning abilities get some #8 shot 12 pieces pound it flat mix it into a cup of sand and pan that until you can keep it all in your pan.
Go pan the sands on Deschutes off of vail rd area. You will find flour golds. Look for the recent flood plains loaded with sands and then look for any depressions with some black sands settling. It isnt much of worth but ya will find some yellow. Honestly ya wont find much of nothing without proper equipment and good locations. Nat forest up high for creeks and such? Get some classifier sifts and buckets n shovel/pick. Snuffer bottles. Highbanker or dredge. I had the Blue bowl to classify fine and it works but is very slow process. Gold Genie better imop. Mercury works great but not safe and hard to find, not recommended. Also have heard Kennedy creek Capitol forest has some gold but we never found any.. I would bet upper deschutes has a pocket somewhere if ya have access.
Here is our backpack dredge design. Dont get out to dredge much myseld bhut beijng able to move a lot more material is nice when I do.
There are some decent places in western wa. Almost exclusively flour gold. You have to move alot of material but it can be enough to keep you entertained. Look up historical gold maps close to you and you can find a small stream to work, it's just like hunting the farther from the road the better it gets. I will second staying away from any of the prospectors associations. I was just running my sluice on sunday a bucket that was laying around and had some decent flour gold.
I'll be honest, the best part of a mining claim would be the shack that you could build. Make a great place to recreate and hunt from if you ask me...Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Quote from: Special T on March 24, 2020, 02:42:46 PMI'll be honest, the best part of a mining claim would be the shack that you could build. Make a great place to recreate and hunt from if you ask me...Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkUnfortunately on USFS land you can not build any structures for 2 reasons the first being it is almost impossible to get a patented claim anymore and second on either Placer or lode claims no permanent structures allowed. However once you do have a registered claim the 2 week limit does not apply to occupying the area as per 1972 Mining Act
Quote from: Mudman on March 24, 2020, 10:21:01 AMGo pan the sands on Deschutes off of vail rd area. You will find flour golds. Look for the recent flood plains loaded with sands and then look for any depressions with some black sands settling. It isnt much of worth but ya will find some yellow. Honestly ya wont find much of nothing without proper equipment and good locations. Nat forest up high for creeks and such? Get some classifier sifts and buckets n shovel/pick. Snuffer bottles. Highbanker or dredge. I had the Blue bowl to classify fine and it works but is very slow process. Gold Genie better imop. Mercury works great but not safe and hard to find, not recommended. Also have heard Kennedy creek Capitol forest has some gold but we never found any.. I would bet upper deschutes has a pocket somewhere if ya have access.I have the 888 backpack sluice from GR engineering in australia on it's way here, plus all my pans n such, having a hard time finding nice 5 gallons bucket classifiers though. I dont want plastic ones. Potentially gonna be going all the way to 400 grade. I drive vail road everyday to work so I may have to potentially check that out. Technically my sluice is a gradeless sluice, dump and recover. https://highbanker.com.au/products/888-backpack-sluice-with-mini-cell-dream-mat
An interesting channel on YouTube is Darcy Cooper/Brute gold mining. Just a guy and his young son working his claim with no heavy machinery.Head east on chinook pass and there are several streams/rivers that you can pan. Just make sure it is not claimed!
Where an one get a map of current staked claims?I know if a few claims along Hwy 410 on the east side, but a map of boundaries would be helpful.
So here's a random question. The process to actually file a claim, seems alittle difficult. Anyone that can dumb it down from me? Also, is it possible to purchase old placer claims? Maybe someone gave up or lost interest? Not quite sure how it works still. If there is, where can I find them?On a side note.... Took home one Tupperware bowl of dirt from a river someone recommended me to, Long story short... GOLLDDDD!!!!!!and a few other colors, either silver or some other type of silver colored metal. Not much but I'd say maybe 20 flakes for a sandwich sized tupperware from a random spot, might be worth getting back to once this quarantine lifts.
Quote from: Smossy on April 05, 2020, 09:17:32 PMSo here's a random question. The process to actually file a claim, seems alittle difficult. Anyone that can dumb it down from me? Also, is it possible to purchase old placer claims? Maybe someone gave up or lost interest? Not quite sure how it works still. If there is, where can I find them?On a side note.... Took home one Tupperware bowl of dirt from a river someone recommended me to, Long story short... GOLLDDDD!!!!!!and a few other colors, either silver or some other type of silver colored metal. Not much but I'd say maybe 20 flakes for a sandwich sized tupperware from a random spot, might be worth getting back to once this quarantine lifts.Yes you can purchase placer claims from the claim owners and if three is a claim has been declared inactive you can file on it. But you have to act quick because others will
There must be a few cracks in the Boardwalk that could see color still! Doug
Man I have been AT IT over the last few weeks. I can basically find nothing, Western wa is rough. Only solid spots of gold I found were out of a specific creek near Randle. I wont get into specifics considering there was two other old men there panning the creek/camping when I showed up. After they left I kinda snooped around, It looks like they were digging way under a big rock the size of a VW bug. Musta been something because it was a significant size hole.
