anybody ever pan for gold?

bradbradidea

New member
Mar 19, 2012
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Deerwood, Mn
so i kind of had a random thought about this and now im thinkin its something id definatluy want to do. and no not to get rich or anything likethat i just think it would be a good time kicking it in the woods up in the mountins in colorado or cali and to potentially make a little loot, anybody else ever do anything of this sort? if so any comments or suggestions appreciated!
 
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I used to spend the summer as a kid on the Trinity river. My relatives used to dredge for gold in the driver. They made their living doing it but this was 20 years ago. It was feast or famine. They had a claim to a certain section of land and would dredge the area and then move on. Lots of people did it then.
 
Just don't go to a national park where tourists pay to go pan for gold. There isn't really any gold to be found in parks like that, besides the little worthless bits that rangers throw in there to keep delusional tourists coming back.
 
I think I'm in the same boat with the rest of the crew saying they've never done it but always considered it. I think I probably saw it in a cartoon when I was young and it just stuck in my head ever since.
 
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I did all the time as a kid in Colorado. Never got anything more than tiny flakes, still was fun though...and you never know. I have thought that other minerals would be easier to find and make money on but I never really tried too hard.
If you are feeling adventurous, there is a tale of a lost gold vein in the Sangre De Cristo mountains in CO/NM somewhere going south through the Old La Veta pass. Gold and other things are still found in the area and would probably be a good place to pan at least.
 
I messed around with it for a short while when I lived in Boise a few years ago, bought a cheap little set up...Pan, sifter and what not at the surplus store..it can be a fun hobby...But in the few month I did it dont think I really ever found anything..but I was pretty inexperienced. Give it a shot.
 
My dad took me when I was a kid once. We ended up semi lost, their was swarms of mosquito's and snakes all over the place. And we didn't find any gold but it was a good adventure
 
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