The Gold Prospectors Association of America had added two more Gold & Treasure Shows to its 2017 schedule — one in Indiana and another in North Carolina. The first of seven GPAA Gold & Treasure Shows will kick off in Pleasanton, Calif. Feb. 11-12. As a special feature  of this event, a National Raffle with more than $15,000 worth of prizes will be broadcast live on Facebook for those who can’t attend the show. You can participate in the National Raffle from home by calling (209) 266-2844.

For years now, members have been asking about getting online access to the GPAA Claims Club Membership Mining Guide. In the past, updated versions of the Mining Guide were released every two to three years based on the number of updates from the prior edition. The Pick & Shovel Gazette was used as a tool to help provide bi-monthly updates to members between edition releases, but with the advancements in technology, members have asked why an online edition has not been introduced.

There are thousands of miles of dirt roads in California’s gold country, and quartz outcroppings are a common sight. This can be exciting for the prospector who recognizes that quartz and gold sometimes hang out together. And, it is possible – if you spend enough time and are willing to sort through several thousand empty .22 casings — to find gold right there in that road cut. But, the tiny portion of the vein you see on the road is just that — a tiny portion. 

David “Boo Coo” Haas passed away Dec. 10 in Texas. He was 84. He was a close friend of GPAA-LDMA founder George Buzzard Massie and a contributor to Gold Prospectors magazine.

When it comes to gold fever, there’s no doubt that Ken Martinez has a bad case of it. And, when it comes to metal detectors, he’s been feelin’ the bite of the Fisher Gold Bug 2. Though Martinez admits he was initially skeptical of the Gold Bug 2’s analog technology, his cache of small nuggets is all the proof he needs to dismiss any doubts about this super-high frequency metal detector.