This is a great thread!
It presents any number of viewpoints well.
The original poster acted well, as he was unsure of the precise circumstances of his surroundings.
If I were he, I would investigate ownership and possible claims on that roadside dirt.
In other words, be prepared in advance.
In some areas of CA we do have places removed from mineral exploration. For good reason!
LoL I was once told of excavation for footings to build a public bathroom in Oroville, where most the crew quit on the spot and began gathering nuggets in a rich paystreak that was uncovered by the backhoe! And there's other examples...
The fellow protecting his claims certainly seems brash, but IS entitled to protect what is his, to the exclusion of all others.
But not quite, if it is only a possessory interest of a mineral claim.
Hikers, flower pickers, dirtbikers and yahoos all have a right to pass over, or dally upon that claim.
Just don't turn on that metal detector as you are passing over the land.
(Bottom line here, seems to me, is Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun.)
And I feel kinda sorry for big tom. Some scrappy little feller with a razor sharp knife, a bad attitude, and a Napoleon complex will dump tom's entrails on his boots one day, and his friends will have to go tell his wife the tragic news and pour bud on his mound.
The enforcement fellows amongst us have attempted to inject wisdom and logic into the scenario.
They are correct, but it just doesn't work, as they well know, because people, are people.
You NEVER know how folks will act, or react.
Scariest individual with a firearm is a 17yr old druggie gang-banger with a stolen 25 auto and a burning desire to make a name for himself. No training or consideration for the event, and most likely no concern for life either way, before or after the event.
Could have stolen the MD same time as the pistol! Gonna get rich, one way or the other!
By golly I caught Mike on one, too! (He's a smart fellow!)
My contiguous claims WERE in the National Forest. It is not only possible, but common.
Trying to get a patent on govt land is a sticky wicket, though...
State and Federal parks are excluded, in most cases.
Someone mentioned taxes...
Yes, I paid county taxes upon my UNpatented claims.
It was a nominal amount on my possessory interest in the land, so said the bill.
Quite a few folks enjoy calling this a hobby.
It's a business.
Prospecting and mining.
It may be a little business, as things go, and perhaps only marginally successful, at times, but each of us are seeking some sort of gain for our investment.
The ticket here, is to assure doing business does not become instantly more costly than you would wish to pay.
HH
rmptr
It presents any number of viewpoints well.
The original poster acted well, as he was unsure of the precise circumstances of his surroundings.
If I were he, I would investigate ownership and possible claims on that roadside dirt.
In other words, be prepared in advance.
In some areas of CA we do have places removed from mineral exploration. For good reason!
LoL I was once told of excavation for footings to build a public bathroom in Oroville, where most the crew quit on the spot and began gathering nuggets in a rich paystreak that was uncovered by the backhoe! And there's other examples...
The fellow protecting his claims certainly seems brash, but IS entitled to protect what is his, to the exclusion of all others.
But not quite, if it is only a possessory interest of a mineral claim.
Hikers, flower pickers, dirtbikers and yahoos all have a right to pass over, or dally upon that claim.
Just don't turn on that metal detector as you are passing over the land.
(Bottom line here, seems to me, is Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun.)
And I feel kinda sorry for big tom. Some scrappy little feller with a razor sharp knife, a bad attitude, and a Napoleon complex will dump tom's entrails on his boots one day, and his friends will have to go tell his wife the tragic news and pour bud on his mound.
The enforcement fellows amongst us have attempted to inject wisdom and logic into the scenario.
They are correct, but it just doesn't work, as they well know, because people, are people.
You NEVER know how folks will act, or react.
Scariest individual with a firearm is a 17yr old druggie gang-banger with a stolen 25 auto and a burning desire to make a name for himself. No training or consideration for the event, and most likely no concern for life either way, before or after the event.
Could have stolen the MD same time as the pistol! Gonna get rich, one way or the other!
By golly I caught Mike on one, too! (He's a smart fellow!)
My contiguous claims WERE in the National Forest. It is not only possible, but common.
Trying to get a patent on govt land is a sticky wicket, though...
State and Federal parks are excluded, in most cases.
Someone mentioned taxes...
Yes, I paid county taxes upon my UNpatented claims.
It was a nominal amount on my possessory interest in the land, so said the bill.
Quite a few folks enjoy calling this a hobby.
It's a business.
Prospecting and mining.
It may be a little business, as things go, and perhaps only marginally successful, at times, but each of us are seeking some sort of gain for our investment.
The ticket here, is to assure doing business does not become instantly more costly than you would wish to pay.
HH
rmptr
