Filing a claim is easy. The fracked up part is that the recording agency - my arch enemies, the BLM - will take your money and dutifully record your claim. The next guy in line comes up, pays his money and they'll record HIS claim on the same land.
WTF?! Says you. I just filed a claim on that land!
Meh... sez the BLM... we're just the recording agency. Take that shit to court.
Meanwhile, jackass #2 (you're kinda JA #1
for playing the game) is up on your/his claim, fucking with your stuff and pulling you're gold out of the creek when you're not looking. Fracking racket.
But all of that could play into your hands since you don't really want to go stand in thirty eight degree water all day trying to find flecks of gold...you just want to go shooting.
Now, filing the claim isn't that expensive IIRC, but I don't know if that'll allow you access. You'll have to call BLM and their inbred cousins at the Forest Circus... them rangers don't look kindly on gold miners, so don't get your hopes up. Beprepared to be stonewalled and lead to believe shit that isn't true, 'cuz they'll do that to get out of being the forest
service .
Fracking bungholelickers, all'em.