How Do I Avoid Claim Jumping?, Seeking the best techniques for prospecting "open" land Options

[English]

Hi everybody.
HELP!
What's the easiest and most accurate way to view or to plot active mining claims? My goal is to preview claims from a birds-eye-view on a map so that while I'm prospecting I will not trespass on mineral rights. Geocommunicator.com is not accurate, title master platts don't show un-patented claims and LR2000 provides serial numbers that when entered into Geocommunicator.com gives all coordinates (each corner of the claim) in "decimal" format (not degree, minutes and seconds). The area I'm prospecting shows a claim density of 50 - 100 claims and I KNOW there has to be an easier way to identify/view claim bounderies without me:
1) Converting decimal coordinated to degrees, minutes and seconds (for EACH corner of EACH claim).
2) Ploting those coordinates on a topographical map.
In other words...
What's the best technique for prospecting while at the same time avoid trespassing?
THANKS!

[Mike B.]

Hi everybody.
HELP!
What's the easiest and most accurate way to view or to plot active mining claims? My goal is to preview claims from a birds-eye-view on a map so that while I'm prospecting I will not trespass on mineral rights. Geocommunicator.com is not accurate, title master platts don't show un-patented claims and LR2000 provides serial numbers that when entered into Geocommunicator.com gives all coordinates (each corner of the claim) in "decimal" format (not degree, minutes and seconds). The area I'm prospecting shows a claim density of 50 - 100 claims and I KNOW there has to be an easier way to identify/view claim bounderies without me:
1) Converting decimal coordinated to degrees, minutes and seconds (for EACH corner of EACH claim).
2) Ploting those coordinates on a topographical map.
In other words...
What's the best technique for prospecting while at the same time avoid trespassing?
THANKS!

Hi English,

I'm going to be of no help to ya! I get completely lost in all the areas of finding and staking a claim. That's one reason I joined up and paid my membership dues. Easier for me that way. I know alot of people want their own claim, and I applaud them for the work, time, energy and expense it takes to get it done.

Maybe someone else can jump in and help you out.

Best of luck to ya!

[nm jack]

Mike how was your trip??

[Mike B.]

Mike how was your trip??

GREAT!! I made a post about it in the members protected forum.

[CP]

Hi everybody.
HELP!
What's the easiest and most accurate way to view or to plot active mining claims? My goal is to preview claims from a birds-eye-view on a map so that while I'm prospecting I will not trespass on mineral rights. Geocommunicator.com is not accurate, title master platts don't show un-patented claims and LR2000 provides serial numbers that when entered into Geocommunicator.com gives all coordinates (each corner of the claim) in "decimal" format (not degree, minutes and seconds). The area I'm prospecting shows a claim density of 50 - 100 claims and I KNOW there has to be an easier way to identify/view claim bounderies without me:
1) Converting decimal coordinated to degrees, minutes and seconds (for EACH corner of EACH claim).
2) Ploting those coordinates on a topographical map.
In other words...
What's the best technique for prospecting while at the same time avoid trespassing?
THANKS!

Hi English,

Great question you've posted, and very important as well! Whether one wishes to find a spot to claim or just a fresh place to prospect without claim jumping someone elses.

For the benefit of others who might be wondering this as well...lets back up to the very begining of the research and why.


After one's found an area of geologic interest to them, ie.... gold, silver, diamonds, or lode deposit veins, placers etc. Then the next question is.... "Where can I look for deposits now?" We of course do not wish to claim jump on anyone elses claims and we may or may not be looking to file claims in the future. So, how do we find these "spots" without the claims? At this point if we don't want to file claims or if we do......the next step still applies to both, we need to find an "open area" without those claims to even prospect.

Now on the scale of 50-100 claims this would seem like a huge task but that sounds like a larger area of research English has in mind here and he may have been working on his research for sometime. For those just starting out, this may only be one or two specific spots you've been around and wondered about.
There are several sources of information needed to find the "land status" of each in question. IE is it BLM, NF or privately owned land.
Once you've found the right land status maps to give you a general idea then of course you will need more detail on each. Again, coming from several different sources at federal and local offices to check and reverify all findings from each too.

Along with this public information, there are many, many, many laws/codes to learn along the way for each step begining with our right to prospect and finding new deposits all the way up to large scale mining operations. With new ammendments being continually added every year.

The long and short of it is.....there is no one answer for all research. There are so many factors that could play into a specific piece. The county offices and BLM will have any location claims recorded on record which can be checked prior to prospecting to make sure there are no claims. Try choosing the best locals in your prospects and plan a day of research at that counties offices prior to prospecting, check out the best ones (geologically of course) and go from there.
There isn't an accurate way that I know of to plot that many claims at once with any single source of information either....just have to plot through them very diligently one at a time with the research.

Of course joining the ColoradoProspector club would be a great advantage, as we all try to help each other learn specifics about that very type of research question as well as many others.......
In reality, this information (and the lack of it accurately on the net) is exactly why the CP club was started. If you ever attend any club outings, we also concentrate discussions during the events toward these topics too.

Once you've got the research completed and all is good.......GET ON OUT THERE AND MAKE YOUR DISCOVERIES! GOOD LUCK!


CP

[English]

Thanks CP!
Your answer was helpful.
For everyone else...
I'll continue checking this post for any other suggestions.
Thanks again.

[Mike B.]

....The long and short of it is.....there is no one answer for all research. There are so many factors that could play into a specific piece. The county offices and BLM will have any location claims recorded on record which can be checked prior to prospecting to make sure there are no claims.

CP,

When I check with them, what info. do I need to supply them...the GPS cooridnates?


Well...I found this... "Rather than looking randomly through the records for lands open to location, it is better to restrict your search to a specific area of interest. Topographic maps of the area (published by the U.S. Geological Survey) provide the legal description (meridian, township, range, section) of such lands. Visit the local BLM field office or the BLM State Office and check maps, the BLM Master Title Plats, mining claim records, and files. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to determine if there are prior existing mining claims on the ground."

Living in Kansas makes this process abit more time consuming...One more reason I became a member of CP.

[russau]

AHMEN!

[English]

Mike B.

Good advice. But how would that address my issue with claim boundaries? To avoid claim jumping one needs at least 4 coordinate numbers to know where the boundaries are. Most mine information sources I've found give only 1 coordinate number. Geocommunicator.com gives 4 numbers but again... they're in decimal form and need to be converted to degrees, minutes and second before they can be plotted on a topographical map. At this point I'm resigned to converting all 4 numbers to each mine in my search area that has, according to Geocommunicator.com, a mine claim density of 50-100 and THEN carefully plot each point on a topo map. I want to know not only where the mines are (X's on a map) but where the mines boundaries are too. I sure don't want to be wasting valuable time out in the field searching around for claim markers.

I'm still seeking an easier/more efficient method to know/see on a topographical map mine claim boundaries. Any other suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!

[CP]

You are very welcome English, I'm happy to help if I can.

Thanks Mike and Russ! That's what the CP club is about, helping club members learn these steps and processes for their own use anytime needed.

For more details and pin downs for location claims, I think it's gonna' be a county office visit or online data if available for the county of interest. You'll need to either search by area (ie, sections etc) or by claim names/numbers if you've got them.
On the patented claims (y's printed on maps) that will also be at the county if needed (different office), or you could look up the old surveys through BLM for them.

As I've said previously in other threads though, the geocom system has some troubles with it's attempt to overlay claim info onto digital map representations.....it's just not as accurate as one would like it to be and can cause unneeded confusion......by showing claims oversized or over someone elses.
Careful using it.

CP

[amethystguy]

That is why i think claim boundry markers and stakes should be mandatory and enforced. With the best hand-held GPS you can still be off many feet..there is no sure fire way to tell exactly except for a demarcation line drawn between two points..I brought this point up in the antro thread..just my thoughts

[CP]

Corner markers are required for all location claims and survey markers/monuments can not be removed once placed. In fact if someone moves a survey monument that isn't a certified surveyor working that ground, it's a felony to move one.

There is one sure fire way and the only way to know for sure where you are.........beat the bush and find the markers, they are out there or should be unless it was one of those paper filed location claims. If that's the case then the so called claim owner never visited the ground but only filed the papers. Not a claim owner since the discovery was never made. In that case you won't find any markers.

In the field these markers maybe survey markers from patented lands or surveyed location claims. And corner markers (claim owner erected) for location claims, although some get knocked down, rarely do the scoundrels scout out all corners. Location claim corners might be a stack of stones, a post (metal, wood, pvc), or a marked stone say on a large rock at the corner.

With the proper research (alot of research) and documents in the field for refering to, one can find exactly where the "corners" are.
I've trudged through the shrubs and rocks alot doing this very thing.

CP

[ASTROBLEME]

I am happy to see this conversation take place. As a mining claim owner, I have seen far too many "claim jumpers". It is encouraging to see folks take an interest in avoiding a mineral trespass. On the other hand, those folks that are researching the public records in an effort to find the location of a valuable claim... and then make a plan to go there...and then steal from the owner...will get what they deserve!

Thanks CP for providing a forum that allows for education of those hardy soles willing to take up prospecting.…

ASTROBLEME

[swizz]

I find this to be a useful link for Colorado but it's still a lot of info to sift through: Colorado BLM Claim Info

[CP]

Thank you Astrobleme, it's our pleasure to have this type of discussion here as we are all in this together and we all need to know this type of information as prospectors in the field.

Good link Swizz for sure! Yep it's alot of information and well worth the efforts to sift through in the long run.
Knowledge is power in prospecting / mining.

This thread will continue to help those who are really interested for a long time to come, good input everyone!