Not that impressed with Michelle and Hals finds.200.00 is just a little high.

What would be reasonable?

one hundred,or lower

I wonder if they dug 8 hrs.

1. diesel
2. tractors
3. tractor maintenance
4. screens
5. customer service (trying to keep you happy cuz you think you paying to much)

100 or less??? yeah that would be ideal.

it would seem, we as pay diggers, forget to often even to figure in the price of just getting to place 1 foot on these Indian camp sites legally?

should we consider the time and money Nacho invested to locate the site, approach the land owner, talk them into letting me and you come onto their land, leave large piles of sifted dirt there?

ohh yeah and customer service.

Never been to a screen dig but I know anywhere you go it's hit or miss. Next time you may think they got more than their money's worth. They can't predict what you are going to find. I've seen some finds come out of Nacho's current site in one day that I would have been happy with.

We're going to try Nacho's. Wife said "Oh, but they didn't find any Andice's or corner tangs" Had to remind her how many miles we've walked surface hunting with nothing to show but sunburn and a couple of broken knives. I'd be happy with if between us, we found just half what Michelle and Hal did..
Nobody is twisting ours arms to go, and if we don't think it's worth it afterwards, then we won't go again. Just like slot macines, it's a gamble, and Nacho doesn't have any control of what was left there thousands of years ago.

Melvin contacted Nacho yesterday, and Nacho told him he had to pay the new land owner out of the $200.00 for the right to dig. Nacho doesn't make that much per person. I know what it cost to operate and maintain machinery, and that also cuts into his profits. Plus running a business 12 hours a day, seven days a week. I'm getting too long in the tooth to work that hard.

It's the simple equation of supply and demand. How ever many people forego their hard earned money to dig on a given place at a given price will dictate if the enterprise's price is too high or low.
I have never been to a pay dig as I fortunately have my own places to go.
Look at the cost of deer leases in Texas in the past few decades (even a day lease) and see what you think. Can you get a guarantee on what you will get? I think that it is ridiculously expensive myself, but it doesn't matter what I think. Look at the number of deer leases open every year that are filled up quickley because of previoulsy unsatisfied customers.
Am I an advocate of higher prices for pay digs? Absolutely not! I'm just reflecting on what is probaly to come on pricing of such. If you don't want to dig in somebody elses throw dirt, then go somewhere else. It might even be cheaper!

Well gt, we've gone beyond just a deer lease. Now we're helicoptering the ranch photographing the bucks. Come deer season you come to the hq, look thro the catalogue, pick out your deer at a pre-determined price. The game manager on that ranch takes to you the area the buck was spotted, drive around till you see it, then blast the deer into oblivion. You pay by the point. As long as New York lawyers and other out-of-state money men come here to hunt, us locals have to have buddies that own or work on ranches for an affordable place to go.
8 to 10 grand is not unusual for a lease any more. I don't see much sport in paying nearly a months wages to hunt for a couple hundered lbs. of meat. Mabbe $200.00 is high for a dig, but wth, I'll try it once. The determining factor is whether I think it's worth it after the fact. I've paid more then that to hunt for black opal, sapphires, etc. and Nacho's has had good reviews from others that have tried his dig. More so then other digs.

Well said Teh, lets hope that hunting for artifacts does not go the same route as deer hunting. Including costly permits to have the right to hunt for such even on your own property.

I didn't mention about buying deer semen and breeding your bucks did I? It's worse then cattle artificial insemination. Or breeding quarter horses. It's gotten to be a racket. I used to enjoy hunting, but now bout the only things I shoot are wild hogs and coyotes. Last time I went deer hunting I left the gun in the truck and hunted arrowheads till dark. I'm just not as mad at the deer as I used to be.
Even with all the free invites to alleviate the doe population, I haven't shot a deer since 2000. I could buy a small herd of calves for what one deer lease cost. Guess that's why it doesn't bother me to spend $200.00 to play in the dirt.

being in lubbock leaves us lacking in hunting areas , so driving a few hundred miles and well if you knew trish everything turns into a need this and tha lol , so we end up spending a few hundred bucks to surface hunt and lucky to find one whole point and a couple of broke ones , from the update i think nachos is looking like a win win situation to me , even if between the two of us we found two wholes we would be ahead , thumbs up to this site in my book . we will be booking ths one soon.

All the hashing over of dollar cost Vs dollar finds is part of the game, just as long as wannado's do SOMETHING. A screen dig is an adventure to be experienced [ endured ? ] just like Disneyland !

Puts me right in mind of my very first introduction to metal detecting. I wound up in one of the old Roman Empire's remote colonies. One of the crew said " wish I had a metal detector, there must be some coins here ". I always remember saying " Wow, a REAL antique coin, It would be worth ANYTHING if I could just find ONE ".

I sent for one of those Heathkit, assemble it yourself basic beepers [ no discriminate ].
Cost me 100 bucks including shipping. . . . That was when 100 bucks was worth $400. in todays money !
NOT CHEAP.
Well I can still remember that first coin find. I also remember the hours of pleasure & enjoyment of researching that area for where the Roman remains were, getting there, actually walking where the ancients walked. . .etc etc. Just like visiting an ancient North american camp site.

I eventually found more than one artifact AND I got a bucket of "brokes". I'm still at it, just swapped a metal detector of a screen [ or trenching tools ! ]
Similar finds [ especially the brokes }

John, Recheck my finds without the dirt. Note that ribbon flavored Angustura.
See Michelle's Sticky post at the top of the PT Chat opening pg re new Nach update on frnt pg.

Melvin and his group and the wife and I are going real quick, and David is supposed to meet us there. The weather may not cooperate as it's supposed to be wet and cool. Temp. don't bother me but what about the wet? Does it get too muddy to screen, or does Nacho shut it down? Looks like it would become a hog waller, if it was drizzling.

Te, re rain, screen operators will call off a bad day themselves as the skid loader cant handle the mud.
The WEATHER.COM site gives forecasts 10 days in advance.
It had rained before dawn on the morn of our visit but by dig time [ 0800 ], there was zero mud and the lingering overcast was perfect.

Need some moisture to get those springtime in TX flint N flower pics !

Thanks SH, weathermen are never right anyway. Rain chances have dropped and the temp. has gone up on their forecast, so we'll be there.

Tehuacana ,
what weekend are you looking at?

The 16th. Monday. Melvin hasn't even done this one yet and he's already wanting to try TJ's. I gotta make my semi-annual contribution next month to the Coushatta Indians, then give my old Uncle Sam some money after that, so after this trip it'll be a couple of months before the wife can pick up enough roadside beer cans to pay for another dig. Hopefully the Indians will be generous this time and let me come back with something.

WILL BE AT NACHOS SATURDAY IF ANY OF YOU ARE GOING SEE YA'LL THERE

looking forward to yalls posts on what ya find!

I'll post our finds, but I'll let Melvin post his. I don't want to rain on his parade.

rain on it everybody else does..............just hope i have something to show...

good luck lee hope you find alot and leave some for me and you know who????

You will Melvin, I got faith in you. Just don't try to out gloat me. Or at least let me get the first gloat in.

ok ill give you a 10 second headstart. Did get the step made tonight, just got finished with it.

Hey, give me 15 seconds, I'm an old man. You just build one?

Step??????

On that note - I ALMOST brought a bar stool for the sifter table - GLAD I DIDN'T !!!

I would have wasted the hole day moving the chair around!

Michelle

step for the women folks may work or may not just have to try and be ready for everything..

Wife is kinda short, as his Melvins mother. These (the steps) are long and wide enough for them not to have to move. If I have problems with the wife falling off, Melvin can install gaurd rails and lanyards.

I have never sifted before that - Like all day in the dirt

You are back and forth all over that table - I don't think that a step would really help because IKE comes around and cleans up the dirt !

I DID find out one thing though..

PUT YOUR FEET IN THE DIRT!!!!!

I have bruse from rocks hitting the top of the shoes that I had on !!! Stick them toes in the dirt or watch out!!!

It was a blast , I hope I get to sift again sometime!

Michelle

this is a super step one that hooks on the screen has a chair unbrella and built in ice chest everything needed to find lots of arrowheads.

I have a bad back - and was REALLY worried about standing there all day

It was just fine! I bet if I WERE sitting for 8 hours my back would have been toast!

Does this super slider step chair slash beer cooler have room for a little frog food??? Hal got a little toad in one of his scoops!

Michelle

thats right did see a toad.. what a surprise when looking for arrowhead. no toad food storge guess just have to use ones pocket

Well, don't let it pee in your pocket!

Ahh well, I would put a taod in my pocket for the kerville knives I got!

Nighty Night


I got a serious COLD and I have pre-heated my electric blanket !

Nighty Night and good luck with the fancy step too!

Michelle

That was NO Toad your refering to. . . It was a POISON ARROW FROG !

Here's one more option for the super steppers. . .
Badger was going to bring the bar stool and I figured the legs would sink into the soft soil so I brought a
18 X 18 plywood WITH A FOUR FOOT 1/4 INCH LANYARD TIED ON.
The rope was to be trailed back so as the dirt piled up, it could be found again. [ I'm suggesting the string, NOT the plywood ]

Nother option possibility. Cut a milk jug in half, add water and a paint brush. It's a faster way to get a peek at the gorgeous colored flint than dribbling valuable drinking water !

PS; the real reason Mlle did not bring the barstool was that Joe [ the bartender ] was afraid the real leather cover might be damaged.