Explore every episode of the podcast On The Gold with Kevin Hoagland

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Kevin and Kevin talk about the 2023 Gold Rush in all of the Western Mining States. 
What it is like now and the opportunities that massive rains storms, flooding, and a record snowpack are creating, and how to take advantage now and later on visual prospecting for the best gold recovery seen in over a decade.  

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There is a lot that goes into a Miners Recognizing real opportunities and not just in equipment. 
Looking at the ground with fresh eyes offers great opportunities that may be missed if a Prospector puts on the blinders and stays hype focused on only that ground in front of him. 
A Prospector looking for a spot to become a Miner starts with visual prospecting.   

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We all have a comfort zone, how we pan, sluice, or detect. It's time to think about the comfort zone and if it has become your rut and how to keep it from hindering your gold recovery. Expand the possibilities with practical ideas to keep you moving forward. 

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Kevin B asked me "What is the one tool in your kit that you will not leave home without?" This is beyond the normal things like pans and classifiers and digging tools.  
There are two must haves one is for detecting and the other, well I take it with me no matter what I am doing. 

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If you had asked me in 2004 if there was a good cross over detector for gold and CRT, I'd said no. Today not so much so. There are a few viable X-over detectors out there but make sure you are choosing what you need. DO not go detecting wondering if you made the right choices especially when your in the field. That is not the time to be questioning your detector.
THIS IS A NEW Podcast. Sorry for the confusion in the episode numbering,  Mr. zero and one's Producer had his zero and one sensibility rattled that I changed the episode number to match the QT and not the layout. :-) He won.   

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Lots of questions about trusting factory presets over creating hunt programs from the start. I have some pretty strong opinions about this topic and I have seen a lot of new Detectorists make a few mistakes in setup over go with. 
 Sorry for those of you that came back thinking this is another Podcast. The Mr. zero and one's Producer had his zero and one sensibility rattled that I changed the episode number to match the QT and not the layout. :-) He won. 

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Heading back to Alaska with Professional Prospectors Chris Ralph and my Producer Kevin Bell. Join us as we sit down with Kib Canyon, owner & operator of Gold King Creek Alaska Mine and Adventures for a long but informative podcast. 
You can also watch the Webcast on the Gold Trails YouTube channel at goldtrailstv.  If you haven't been to Alaska give it some thought and join Chris, Kevin, and I for 2 weeks in the middle of nowhere where the gold is plentiful but you still have to work for the shinny in the pan. 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/GoldTrailsTV/videos 

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Hey Prospectors,  
It's been a while. Over the last few months, we have received a huge amount of great email questions about everything. KB and I decided to take a lot of these and turn as many of these as we can into short-format Podcasts to help you become a better Prospector and Miner.  This quick tip talks about those elusive detector signals that May be either VDI or Audio and why is it is important not to trust just one or the other. 
If you would like to watch the Webcast it will be available after 1/12/2021 on the Gold Trails TV YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_w1T9VRTnF88GDGGJQBgA 
Please like, subscribe, and ring that bell. There will be a lot of visual tips on the Webcast.  

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Over four decades ago I stood on a ridge overlooking a huge Desert and suddenly felt overwhelmed. I had only been out a few times on my own and honestly, they were not the most successful trips I had made. 
I decided to create a box in my mind's eye with compartments and each compartment was a step to the end goal of mining all the while building confidence. These steps have saved me hundreds if not thousands of hours aimlessly wandering looking for gold, over getting on the gold with less effort. 
Today the box is a spreadsheet and before going from one the next, it has to be checked off and complete. 
There is a sense of pure accomplishment when you work a plan and it ends in not just gold but really really good gold measured in dollars per yard over specks in a pan. 

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Putting the puzzle pieces where they need to go is a prospector's life. And sometimes you have to chase that one piece that got stuck in the box or fell on the floor to finish what you started and see the even bigger picture.
Rules of Thumb revisited with a fairly new prospector that almost walked away from a 7gm pocket cause the gold was not where it was supposed to be. And now that he knows where to not look, he's finding more gold. 

S2:E7

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What prompted this podcast is that I'm often asked if I believe in paydirt, and yes I do. I occasionally get in the mood for a bag or two and it all adds up. Sometimes in only fluctuating my cost per ounce up. When that happens, I mine. 

For decades I have kept expenses vs.return logs. These logs have helped (and sometimes  driven) me to be a better Prospector and Miner. 

I'ts works for me, hopefully you will use some of the processes I share to lower your overall cost per ounce, even when buying paydirt. 

My gold cost today 5/2/2020 average is $351.00 per troy ounce, what's your gold cost? 


S2:E6

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Kevin Bell gives a big "Thank You" to a prospector for not prospecting and leaving some of the best gold that they have found on their Thursday Mining Day under his tailings. 
Of course, this leads to training about trending, $$$ per yard, visual prospecting above and below the ground level and the failings of us old-timers for letting new prospectors follow some of the rules of thumb. 
 S2: E5

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In December 2019 Kevin and I shared the prospecting that you could do within the 300-foot buffer in selected California waterways. This time we open up the rest of the land with the opportunities awaiting all prospectors at 301 feet. 
Along with offering tips on maximizing your gold recovery when and where drawing water is not the best option for recovery. 

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Isolation and separatism is not healthy for either your overall physical or mental health. 
Kevin and I discuss the standards for physical protection along with not shutting yourself in your house and shutting out the world around you. 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended for mental health: Only check the news once or twice daily. 
A very powerful statement and one that should not be dismissed. Get out, prospect practice social distance not isolation.

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The first 3 GPAA Gold & Treasure Shows were a great opportunity to introduce show goers to some new equipment and some equipment that has come back onto the market for prospecting. 
Kevin Bell and I talk in depth about new and old gear designed to help you find and recover more gold. 

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After a move of the studio and the Human (me) we are back up and running with new equipment, dedicated connection and server access. 
Thank you to the over 5000 listeners to On the Gold for your patience and more importantly your support. 
Let's kick season 2 into high gear.   

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With the new email addresses pending KB and I invited listeners to send in their questions and comments. The response to the invitation generated a lot of questions and one very frustrated new to detecting,  Detectorist. 
I cover my thoughts on his detector and what I believe may be the problem and answer a couple of other great questions from prospectors about recovery methods and detecting soreness and fatigue. 
Plus a special announcement about the future plans of the On The Gold podcast. 

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Over the last four months, the On The Gold Podcast has grown faster than I ever expected. The listeners and subscribers have far exceeded what I even conservatively estimated and for that, I say Thank You.
2020 Will be the Year of the Prospector. KB and I drop a couple of hints as to what to expect. We have two more Podcasts to see 2019 out and bring 2020 in then it is time to buckle up. 
Have a safe and enjoyable Christmas with family and friends. I'll be heading out early for my yearly Christmas day prospecting adventure. Looking for another Christmas Nugget to add to the poke. 

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I spent a week in the GPAA-LDMA office and around all of our extremely busy schedules,i cornered Dominic to talk "what's Up 2020" within the LDMA. Lot of outings, hunts and just all around great prospecting and fun for EVERYONE. 

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Production Panning is about using specialized gold pans that allow you to move great amounts of material in a quick efficient manner creating more concentrates in less time. 
Gold is forced downward and trapped in a closed system where it is virtually impossible to lose. 
This 5N5 is not really structured, more of a conversation where I hit the record button and let it go where it wanted. 

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Many people believe that the moratorium on dredging in California has all but stopped prospecting in the state. This is just not true. There are a number of different methods of recovering gold at and around the state's waterways that are efficient and productive. 
I sat down with CA GPAA State Director Kevin Bell and discussed a few options for getting on the gold. 
This is a two-part series in part 1 we talk about Production Panning, Sluicing and using a Rocker Box in the stream to the 300-foot line set forth by the state for mechanized and motorized equipment. 
In part 2 it is everything past the 300 foot boundery. 

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Chris and I sat down for another amazing chance to discuss and share with you what it takes to live the essence of a prospector and setting out to find new spots. 

Many prospectors become lost when it comes to getting out to search for new areas to mine. Looking for new gold can be a confidence destroyer and for some enough to make them quit prospecting. Old spots offer diminishing returns at some point and the courage and tools needed to find new gold is more than just going somewhere else.  
 
On the Gold Home - www.kevinhoagland.com
Chris Ralph Professional  Prospector - http://bit.ly/ChrisRalphYouTube
GPAA - www.goldprospectors.org
ICMJ - www.icmj.com
Amazon Fist Full Of Gold - https://www.amazon.com/Fists-Full-Gold-Chris-Ralph/dp/0984269207/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fist+full+of+gold&qid=1575139836&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1-catcorr 

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Kevin Bell, Chris Ralph and I sat down to talk about Rules of Thumb associated with prospecting and when they do and more importantly when they do not apply. 
I have been very open in saying that the 3 major Rules of Thumb can be truly detrimental to new prospectors and that teaching or even discussing these 3 as if they are facts, causes many new Prospectors to just give up. 

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Chris Ralph and I sat down down to talk about using discrimination on your metal detector while prospecting for gold. 
There is a time and a place for everything, or is there? Understanding that there are three types of discrim, Ferrous - Non Ferrous and one other type, will help you to be a better Gold Detectorist. More importantly, when and when not to use discrimination. 

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Kevin B has been receiving questions about me, Kevin H. My background. How I got started, where I've been and I am more than the detector guy. 
More importantly though, questions about what drives my passion and my vision for an industry that so many do not know even exist in the 2000's.

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Chris and I sat down to talk about when to put down the detector and start mining with some of the other tools in the toolbox. 
Nothing worse than being in a good area when you realize that you are Drywashing with your Detector. 
Learn to avoid the pitfalls of going too long with only one tool and how to maximize your gold recovery. 

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Sometimes Co-Host and always a great Miner, Kevin Bell sits in the question seat for this 5in5 on Fluid Dynamics. Which as an added bonus is the methodology and process that he patented. Fluid Dynamics may sound a bit complicated (which it was on his side) but on your side, the end result is that you will recover more gold with any sluice, highbanker or dredge by following one extremely simple "four word" formula.     

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Chris Ralph Professional Prospector, Mining Engineer, Author and just one of the greatest people I have ever met in the Mining Industry, joined us to help you find gold.
Chris clearly states that you do not have to be a Mining Engineer or a Geologist to get on the gold that others miss. You just have to, Know somethings, be imaginative, creative and willing to put in the time. Oh and Lucky.
Chris's book "Fist Full Of Gold" is a must have for every level of prospector. In my opinion, I consider Fist Full Of Gold the "Best of the Best" and something you will refer to for years to come. 
At the end of the Podcast we realized that we had missed a subject completely, "When to put down the Detector."  Unfortunately a recording issue is delaying the release of this  podcast. Just keep your eyes and ears open for that one, It is enlightening to say the least. 
This is not an affiliate link, I truly believe that if you do not own Fist Full Of Gold, you need to order it now!  
https://www.amazon.com/Fists-Full-Gold-Chris-Ralph/dp/0984269207 

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A very new GPAA member asked 5 questions about keeping and working his iron black sands. Wash them, Crush them, Roast them or just feed the garden plants almost pure iron. 
I have what may be considered a different approach to black sands. There is a point that the investment of time and resources become the "Gambler's Ruin". Join me to see where you set your dump point move on..... 

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5 in 5 is the 5 questions answered in 5 minutes. Which has never happened. 
This episode of 5 in 5 is centered around the top 5 FAQ and debunking some myths about different types of detectors, their capabilities and how to choose the right detector for the ground under your feet. 

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GPAA Members, 
"Ask Kevin Hoagland" your Prospecting questions is a new feature in the GPAA magazine driven by the GPAA Facebook page. 
Most of the Questions I try to answer in the magazine but the ones that will be more in-depth, will find their way to the Podcast.  
In this episode a new GPAA member asked me  really great questions about doing the right things while prospecting and how to use available mapping tools to makes sure that he is where he needs and is supposed to by while out looking for gold.  
UPDATE 10/08/2019 
The BLM has redesigned the LR2000 page. This changes the path into the LR2000 as shared in this Podcast. 
Go to BLM.gov 
Scroll down to the ENERGY AND MINERALS tab and open. 
There is a link in the left hand menu for "MINING AND MINERALS" Click on this link 
on the new page go to the right hand menu and clink on the LR2000.

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Heading out across the Desert in the Ranger to look over a claim. I started reminiscing about a conversation with one of my best friends that started on a early Saturday morning in the early 9o's when he dropped by while I was watching the Buzzard out prospecting for gold. 

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In the Prospecting world "Paper Hanger"  is a NOT FRIENDLY name for those that unlawfully Record, File and Sale mostly unproven Mining Claims. 
If you are absolutely focused on buying a gold claim, the Paper Hangers episode will help you in knowing who and what to watch for. 

Side Note. Instead of paying $$$$$$$ for a claim, consider filing your own. 
That episode of ON THE GOLD is just around the corner. Or as we say on the claims, "Just one shovel away." 

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Welcome, to the first "On The Gold" Podcast with host, Kevin Hoagland.

My goal with this first episode is to give you an idea of what "On The Gold" is about, and how committed I am in using nearly 50 years of my experience and the experience of my guest to help you, to become a better gold Prospector. 

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