“One more…I’ll dig one more and that’s it!” I mumbled to myself. Drops of sweat trickled down my forehead as I bent over to dig yet another bullet. This day had been the same as the one before; lots of work with zero reward. I had swung my metal detector for nearly six hours straight with nothing more than a pocket full of lead and scratches to show for my efforts. I chopped haphazardly into the ground with my pick not really caring if I bashed up the target or not. A few moments later I had had the target isolated and was quickly passing handfuls of dirt across the top of my coil. A sharp ZIP from the headphones let me know the object was in hand. I peeled back my fingers and began sorting through the soil in my palm looking for the familiar silvery sheen of a bullet. My heart suddenly felt as if it skipped a beat. I was holding a piece of metal in my hand, but unlike the previous 100 targets this one was gold!

It had been a long year. Actually a few weeks over a year is what I had spent looking for my first gold nugget. Day after day I wandered the Arizona deserts hoping that the next swing of my coil would bring salvation. Despite my lack of success I had grown to enjoy everything about metal detecting, but as the months passed I found it increasingly hard to justify both the time and the money I was spending in pursuit of the yellow metal. Mentally, this particular day had been unusually tough on me. The hot weather, sharp brush and annoying insects buzzing around my face had nearly pushed me to my breaking point. A tiny chill ran down my spine as I realized just how close I had come to walking away from my first nugget.

As I stared down at my newly found treasure I couldn’t help but smile. The shiny 3-gram nugget had had a profound effect on my attitude. In less than a minute flat my entire outlook had changed. Suddenly all was right with the world. The rays of sunlight didn’t feel nearly as hot as they had a moment ago, even the chirping of the birds sounded a little bit sweeter. I hummed a tune to myself as I virtually skipped back to my truck, already planning my next prospecting trip. 

It had taken over a year, but the wait had definitely been worth it. I continued my quest for the precious metal with a renewed enthusiasm. Amazingly, I added another 35 nuggets to my collection in less than two months. What is even more unbelievable is that these nuggets came from ground I had already detected before. Years later and many 100’s of nuggets later, I began to reflect on my early prospecting “career” and the struggles I went through. 

How was it possible for me to go for over a year with nothing, then suddenly begin finding gold on a regular basis? This metamorphism of my luck intrigued me; there was clearly something going on, but what was it? I have thought long and hard about this; even discussing it with other detectorists, and I have come to this conclusion. I have no hard evidence…no proof, but I do have a theory. And as one crusty old prospector once told me, “When it comes to finding gold, everyone needs a theory.” So here goes…

I do know for a fact that I cannot blame my lack of success on the ground I had been detecting prior to finding my first nugget. There was gold there all along because I eventually found it. And I can’t blame it on a metal detector malfunction either. The gold had eluded me, but I had accumulated one of the finest collections of trash in the state. Nails, wire, tin cans, you name it and I had probably found it! So if it wasn’t the ground and it wasn’t the detector, it had to be the operator. I wondered if it was my technique. Did I swing too fast, have the coil too high off the ground, or maybe I didn’t have the detector adjusted properly? It could have been any number of things, but it wasn’t. I now firmly believe the root of the problem was within my own mind.  

Prior to discovering the metal detector I had dabbled with a variety of different prospecting methods. I tried my hand at panning, dredging, high-banking, sluicing, and dry-washing. None of these methods put big nuggets in my pocket, but at least they yielded some gold every day, even if it was only tiny flakes. If I shoveled in the dirt or sucked it up through the nozzle of a dredge I was almost guaranteed gold. Those of you that have tried nugget hunting with a metal detector know it is not like this. Sometimes you run across a piece of gold within the first few minutes, other times you can go for hours, days, or even weeks without a nugget.

The transition from conventional mining methods to the metal detector was a difficult one for me to make. Giving up the daily “gold fix” for a cache of rusty nails and bullets hardly seemed a fair tradeoff. My days of wandering the hills left me feeling as if I were running a race without knowing if the finish line existed. The longer I went without gold the more my motivation suffered. My confidence faltered, my patience dwindled, and ultimately so did my state of mind. This had been the real problem all along.

As new detectorists we are often unsure where to look or what to listen for; which leaves us feeling doubtful of both our equipment and our personal ability. When we question our ability we are actually questioning the probability of our success. As I learned, this is a sure-fire recipe for failure. Experienced hunters aren’t usually bogged down by these kinds of doubts. They are confident in themselves because they have already reached the finish line – they have already found gold. This kind of confidence is not achieved quickly; it must be earned. It is the product of patience, dedication, passion and a willingness to work hard. Confidence translates into power out in the field because you are absolutely certain of your ability. This inner certainty comes because you know that “you know”. It is a powerful force that can definitely influence your strength as a nugget hunter.

The moment I dug my first nugget something inside of me snapped. A gold induced epiphany perhaps. It felt good…really good! The little piece of metal in my hand proved that despite overwhelming odds, persistence had eventually won. More importantly, instead of thinking it might be possible to find gold with a metal detector; I now knew it was possible. This knowledge alone did wonders for my confidence and my outlook on the hobby.

I truly believe that the first nugget is by far the most important piece you will ever find, regardless of its size. It is an accomplishment that will help you knock down your own personal mental barriers. It will remind you that finding gold is possible and that all your effort was well worth it. As your confidence increases your faith in the machine and your own abilities will also grow, and from then on things will flow much smoother. In time you will gain more experience on where to hunt and the gold will come much easier.

If you spend much time at all out in the field I am sure you will quickly realize that metal detecting for gold is just as much a mental game as it is physical. A clear, focused head is essential to your success. When you are out detecting whether it is for coins, relics or gold, don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by other things going on in your life. Wipe the slate clean and put all your stress on hold. This is your time to relax and have fun, so don’t worry about the phone calls you need to make or the appointments you have to keep. Try to forget all about your job and the stack of bills on the kitchen counter, even if it is just for a little while. Your only mission right now is to enjoy yourself.

If you haven’t been fortunate enough to hit pay dirt with your detector yet, don’t give up. Your time is coming. Believe you will succeed and chances are – you will! I wish you all the very best of luck.