In this week's issue of The Drill Rig, we will talk about several new drill programs beginning on gold properties everywhere from Manitoba to Uganda. Afterwards we will show you some highlights of previous drill programs including Rainy River Resources' impressive 1 meter of 4,158 grams per ton gold.

Magnus International Resources Inc. (OTC BB: MGNU) has just begun a 5,000 meter reverse circulation drill program on three of the company's projects in Uganda. The first project to be drilled is the 100%-owned Lugazi property, where geologists are testing a strong 300-700 meter wide gold-in-soil anomaly that stretches at least 3.5 kilometers long. The program will focus next on the Mashonga project located within the Buhweju goldfields. These goldfields have produced more than 200,000 ounces gold since the 1930s. Recent rock chip samples from Mashonga have assayed up to 58.8 g/t gold, 4.15 g/t platinum, 3.68 g/t palladium with rhodium and lead values. Finally, drilling at the Mwerusandu project will test a high grade trench intersection, which assayed 3.5 g/t gold over 20.5 meters. Magnus says that drilling will continue over the next 6 to 8 weeks.

New Dimension Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: NDR) announced that its joint venture partner Rolling Rock Resources Corp. (TSX-V: RLL) has commenced a 2,500 meter diamond drilling campaign on the 14,000 hectate Domain property in northern Manitoba. Prior to this new drill program, there have only been 23 short drill holes totaling 3,600 meters completed on certain areas of the known structure. All previous holes drilled returned elevated gold values including 0.7 meters of 30.90 g/t gold and 6.5 meters of 3.56 g/t gold. The Domain property is host to several strike (up to 3.5 kilometers long) and dip persistent (at least 100 meters high) gold bearing structures. Rolling Rock has the option to earn up to a 51% interest in the Domain property.

Lincoln Gold Corp. (OTC BB: LGCP) has begun a small four hole core drill program on the company's 100% owned Pine Grove gold property in Nevada. Gold was discovered on Lincoln's claims back in 1866. The area was mined extensively until 1872, with intermittent production until 1915. Historic underground mining on the claims produced approximately 240,000 ounces of gold. The average grade of the ore was 1.36 ounces per ton (38.56 g/t). The company says drilling should be completed by the end of the month.

Mengold Resources Inc. (TSX-V: MNI) has commenced a planned 5,000 meter diamond drill campaign on the Goldcreek and Burchell Lake properties located in the Shebandowan area, 100 kilometers west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Management has outlined approximately 25 to 30 holes for this program which is expected to take about two months to complete.

Vault Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: VMI) has recently commenced the first of two winter-based drill programs planned for its 100%-owned Lebel gold properties in Ontario. In late January, Vault commenced an eight-hole drill program on its 200-acre Gordon-Lebel property. The initial 1,500 meter program is designed to test several targets, including the Boundary Zone, where recent grab samples collected assayed as high as 27.9 g/t Au over 0.3 meters. Historical drilling in this area has also returned a near-surface interval of 1.4 g/t Au over 21.3 meters. To date, six drill holes have been completed totaling 1,225 meters and preliminary analytical results have been received and tabulated for the first two holes. Drill hole LB08-23 encountered multiple gold intercepts including 10.2 g/t Au over 1.1 meters, 6.7 g/t Au over 1.4 meters, 6.6 g/t Au over 1.4 meters and 3.4 g/t Au over 1.5 meters. Vault also recently announced that, pursuant to the terms of an option agreement, Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG, TSX: G) intends to proceed with a 4,500 meter diamond drill program on Vault’s Lebel property. To date, 18 target areas have been identified for proposed diamond drilling along 12 known mineralized structures on the 2,300-acre property. Existing high-grade drill intersections and surface channel samples that require follow up include: 95.1 g/t Au over 2.7 meters, 124.8 g/t Au over 0.2 meters, 14.1 g/t Au over 1.0 meter, and 30.6 g/t Au over 1.3 meters; while those representing open-pit potential include: 1.0 g/t Au over 36.5 meters, 3.3 g/t Au over 10.2 meters, and 1.4 g/t Au over 21.3 meters.

Apollo Gold Corp. (TSX: APG, AMEX: AGT) announced that the company has begun a 30 to 40 hole core drilling program totaling approximately 4,000 meters at the Puma de Oro target on its Huizopa project within the prolific Sierra Madre gold belt in western Sonora, Mexico. The Huizopa concessions are approximately 235 kilometers due east of the city of Hermosillo and are located between the advanced stage multi-million ounce gold/silver projects at Alamos Gold Inc.'s (TSX: AGI) 2 million ounce Mulatos mine and 17 kilometers southwest of MineFinders Corporation Ltd.'s (TSX: MFL, AMEX: MFN) Dolores project, which has gold reserves of over 2.4 million ounces. The Sierra Madre gold belt has a known mining history that goes back an estimated 400 years, with estimates of historical production as high as 40 million ounces of gold and 2 billion ounces of silver. Drilling is expected to be completed next month.

VenCan Gold Corp. (TSX-V: VCG) announced the commencement of its winter diamond drill program on the Fern Elizabeth property, located in the Atikokan area of Northern Ontario. The current drill program will consist of 7 to 8 holes totaling approximately 1,500 meters and will initially focus in the area of the old mine workings on the Fern Elizabeth property. The results of a recently completed geochemical soil sampling have revealed a strong arsenic anomaly which has coincident anomalies in a number of other elements, including gold.

Harvest Gold Corp. (TSX-V: HVG) announced that a diamond drilling program will commence this week on the Lesavage North property, in the Rice Lake Gold Belt, located approximately 20 kilometers east of the mining community of Bissett, Manitoba. The program will consist of 1,200 meters to 2,000 meters of diamond drill testing of targets in three areas of the property. Drilling will re-examine the gold mineralization discovered in 2005 at the Red Hill Zone, including 7.5 g/t over 2 meters in hole L-05-01 and several other intervals as high as 3.4 g/t gold in adjacent holes. The program will also test a new zone identified during the second drill program in the summer of 2006.

Keegan Resources Inc. (TSX-V: KGN, AMEX: KGN)
Esaase Project, Ghana

Detour Gold Corp. (TSX: DGC)
Detour Lake Property, Canada

Rainy River Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: RR)
Rainy River Project, Canada

Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (TSX: KGI, AIM: KGI) and Queenston Mining Inc. (TSX: QMI)
South Mine Complex, Canada

Gold Eagle Mines Ltd. (TSX: GEA)
Frog's Leg Project, Australia

Did we miss a new exploration program or set of drill results that you think are noteworthy? Tell us by making a comment below.