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AZO’s Portrait of a Prospector |
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This is a place where we like to feature our fellow prospectors from
across the globe with a few photos and some background about
themselves. This area will be updated monthly and we are always
looking for new faces and stories to add. Here's the deal: if you
would like to be featured in the "POP" monthly spotlight, or know
someone that would, send us the following info. We need the person's
name, their location (i.e., Arizona, USA), a few photos of them in
the field or with their finds, and a short biography about how they
got started prospecting, the number of years they have been at it,
some of the best days, interesting discoveries, etc. We need no more
than 3-4 paragraphs. Send everything to
info@arizonaoutback.com, with a
subject header of "AZO Portrait". We look forward to hearing from
you! |
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Prospector: Keith
Semanko
Nickname: Lunk
Location: Idaho, Nevada, & Arizona |
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I was introduced to the wonderful world of
prospecting in 1996 by a co-worker named Roger Fulton, who took me panning
on a private claim in the beautiful Coeur d'Alene gold country of North
Idaho. He taught me how to pan, and being in a very good gold bearing
stream, we were finding lots of flakes and the occasional tiny "picker" in
nearly every pan. There was no mistaking the magical flash of color in the
pan; it seemed to glow with its own golden light.
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Wanting to learn more about panning and
prospecting in general, I bought a book on the subject. There was a chapter
inside dedicated to metal detecting for gold nuggets. This absolutely blew
my mind; knowing virtually nothing about metal detectors, I had always
thought that they could only find coins. I rushed down to the local Radio
Shack and bought a detector. With visions of fabulous riches dancing in my
head I took it to the nearest mountain stream, soon discovering its lack of
performance as a nugget hunting machine.
I soon realized that I needed to do a little research before selecting a
detector that was suitable for finding gold nuggets. I found my way to a
local prospecting shop called Bowen's Hideout, owned by Harry and Lucile
Bowen of Spokane, Washington. These wonderful people gave me invaluable
advice on prospecting detectors and after much consideration I selected a
Fisher Gold Bug 2.
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Well after over a year of weekend prospecting,
I was seriously considering trading in my detector for a 2-inch backpacker
dredge, since I hadn't found a speck of gold with it. Harry and Lucile,
sensing my disappointment, directed me to a spot where they once found good
gold many years ago. I decided to give it one last go, and I'm sure glad I
did. I soon found my very first little nugget, and the light in my head came
on, "Oh, THAT is what gold sounds like!" And suddenly, I was digging up
little nuggets that were peppered all through that stretch of ancient river
gravels.
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Gold fever gripped me hard and fast, and I
soon found myself quitting my job during the winter months and traveling to
the sunny desert southwest in search of the elusive yellow metal. I
eventually upgraded to Minelab's pulse-induction prospecting detectors and
have never looked back. I've since had many golden adventures, and I
continue to meet the most wonderful people along the way. Prospecting for
gold nuggets has enriched my life tremendously and opened many doors and
opportunities that I would never have realized otherwise. When I'm in the
gold fields I am in my element, immersed in the sheer joy of uncovering
earth's golden treasures.
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