In 2020 alone, companies with Idaho projects have raised more than C$200 million to fund exploration and development.

And, thanks to a recent acquisition, Idaho Champion Gold Mines (ITKO.CN; GLDRF.OTC) controls not one, but two projects in the state with million-ounce potential…and the drills are turning.

Dear Fellow Investor,

Undervalued gold exploration stories are hard to come by these days.

With the yellow metal in the midst of a secular bull market and oceans of fiscal and monetary stimulus sloshing around the global economy, investors have homed in on the gold trade…and bid up gold companies large and small.

Yet, somewhat surprisingly, Idaho Champion Gold Mines (ITKO.CN; GLDRF.OTC) has so far flown largely under the radar.

This is true in spite of the fact that the company boasts two flagship projects with the clear potential for delineating more than a million ounces of gold via drilling.

Better still, both projects lie within the uber-safe, uber-mining-friendly mining jurisdiction of Idaho.

And the best news right now?

The drills are turning at this moment on both projects, giving Idaho Champion the chance to deliver good news to a market that has a hair trigger on good gold stories these days.

Baner:
Discovery In The Heart Of A Regional Gold “Fairway”

The Idaho Champion story got its first boost of momentum in 2018, when drilling turned up mineable intersections of oxide gold on its Baner project in north-central Idaho.

The Elk City area where Baner is located has seen numerous alluvial gold deposits dredged from the Clear Water River system between the 1850s and 1980s.

And, all by itself, the nearby Crooked River spawned a gold rush that yielded 1.5 million ounces of alluvial gold between 1880 and 1910.

Fast forward to the present day, and as the map below demonstrates, the Orogrande Shear Zone, which is the key gold-hosting structure in the region, has produced a “string-of-pearls” of gold targets.

Baner sits squarely along that regional gold “fairway,” a mere five miles from Friday, the newest Idaho gold mine (commercial production began in April 2020).

The discovery zone Idaho Champion outlined in 2018 spans 500 meters along strike and 200 meters in width — so far.

You see, it remains open in all directions. In an area that has demonstrated consistent mineralization, the company’s land position encompasses 2.7 kilometers of strike to the north and 1 kilometer of strike to the south.

The drills are turning right now on a 3,000-meter program designed make big step-outs from the initial find, setting Idaho Champion to follow up with infill drilling should this current program establish scale at Baner.

Champagne:
Past-Producer May Have A Lot Of Gold Left

Moving south and east from Baner, we find the company’s recently acquired Champagne project, which is seeing a drilling program of its own.

Champagne was the site of an oxide gold mine operated by Bema Gold in the early 1990s before low gold prices (below $300/ounce!) shuttered the mine.

Bema put down 72 shallow holes on the project…but they never went deep.

Based on Idaho Champion’s analysis of the data purchased from Kinross in March of this year, the near-surface mineralization mined by Bema was generated by deeper, higher-grade feeder zones.

Yet even a cursory review of Bema’s drill data shows many drill holes into the mineralization were pre-emptively halted at a mere 50 feet — even if they ended in richer gold grades!

It seems to be precisely the type of big-company management process that nimble, creative junior exploration companies have historically turned into big discoveries.

The potential to extend the previous mineralization to depth is one thing…but Idaho Champion’s management team also see a chance to outline gold-silver mineralization on a district-scale at Champagne.

As the map below indicates, it has staked a larger (blue) area around the original land package (cyan) at Champagne.

And there’s every indication that Bema left significant mineralization behind.

Between the opportunity to build ounces around the historic workings on the project and to find new, higher-grade rock at depth, the ongoing 5,000-meter program here is one to watch closely.

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Idaho:
A Red-Hot Mining Jurisdiction

There’s also a clear benefit to the fact that both Baner and Champagne are located in Idaho.

The state has been attracting exploration financing like a magnet — already in 2020, investors have given companies with Idaho projects more than C$200 million in capital of which $8.1 million was raised by Idaho Champion via a Bought Deal which closed on July 30, 2020.

Although not as well-known in this regard as neighboring Nevada, it’s apparent that few jurisdictions are more mining friendly than the Gem State.

Governor Brad Little has been known to travel to mining conferences to declare the state open for business.

Even during the initial Covid lockdown, the governor designated mining as an essential industry, which kept exploration and development projects humming during that period.

Add in a mineral endowment rich in oxide sources of gold, and you have a locale that has seen many Idaho-based companies multiply in value in this year alone.

Cashed Up And Drilling

That’s what makes Idaho Champion such a bargain right now.

Although the company has seen some gains from the current gold market (and the resulting area play rush to Idaho), its still undervalued relative to its peers.

But with drill results due soon from Baner and Champagne, it’s not likely to stay off the market’s radar much longer.

Significant whiffs of gold from either project could send Idaho Champion’s share price soaring in the near term. And longer term, both projects offer the scale potential to reach or exceed that million-ounce resource threshold.

And if that happens, the gains for those who invest in Idaho Champion at or near current levels are likely to be extraordinary.

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To Learn More about Idaho Champion Gold Mines