WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESS Newswire / March 13, 2026 / Athena Gold Corporation (CSE:ATHA) (OTCQB:AHNRF) (“Athena” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that, further to its press release dated February 26, 2026, it has completed the acquisition of the Forester Gold Project (“Forester” or the “Project”) through the acquisition of Last Bounty Gold Corp. (“Last Bounty”), a private British Columbia company that holds a 100% interest in the Project, pursuant to a share purchase agreement dated February 25, 2026.
“We are thrilled to close the Forester acquisition, a pivotal step in refocusing Athena as a disciplined explorer of high-potential, historically overlooked ground near multimillion-ounce gold producers. Positioned along trend from Orla’s Musselwhite Mine, Forester’s favourable geology suggests strong potential for a near-surface, bulk-tonnage, orogenic gold system – the kind of deposit that was largely dismissed until modern economics proved otherwise, as seen at Detour and Malartic. Similarly, our flagship Laird Lake project in Red Lake sits along trend from West Red Lake’s Madsen Mine, where the prospective Balmer-Confederation contact has only recently been recognized on our ground. With drill permits now in hand at Laird Lake, we expect to mobilize rigs in the coming weeks to test our highest-priority targets,” said Koby Kushner, CEO of Athena.
The Company acquired all issued and outstanding common shares of Last Bounty in exchange for 42,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, at a deemed price of CAD $0.08 per share (the “Consideration Shares”), representing, at closing, approximately 12% of the Company on a non-diluted basis. The Consideration Shares are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The transaction is arm’s length, no finder’s fees were paid, and no new insiders were created on closing.
About Athena Gold Corporation
Athena is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct additional exploration drilling and studies on its projects across North America. Athena’s Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering over 7,000 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 373 g/t Au. This underexplored area is road-accessible, located about 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold’s Madsen mine and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project. Also located in northwestern Ontario is Athena’s Forester project, a 4,900-hectare land package located less than 30 km southeast of Orla Mining’s Musselwhite Gold Mine, with historical drill intercepts showing strong potential for both high-grade, narrow-vein and low-grade, bulk-tonnage gold mineralization. Meanwhile, its Excelsior Springs Project is located in the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada, where it is currently under an earn-in option with Mammoth Minerals Limited (formerly, Firetail Resources Limited). The Excelsior Springs Project spans over 2,500 hectares and covers at least three historic mines. Athena also holds a 100% interest in its Oneman Lake Au-VMS project in Ontario.
For further information about Athena Gold Corporation, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Koby Kushner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Athena Gold Corporation
For further information, please contact:
Athena Gold Corporation
Koby Kushner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 416-846-6164
Email: kobykushner@athenagoldcorp.com
CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume, CEO
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251
Email: cathy@chfir.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration plans, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: “believes”, “will”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “may”, “should”, ”potential”, “scheduled”, or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company’s projects in a timely manner.
The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise stated.
Readers are cautioned that mineralization on nearby or adjacent properties, including the Musselwhite Mine and Madsen Mine, as well as references to other deposits such as Detour Lake and Canadian Malartic (for examples of deposit styles or modern economic viability), are not necessarily indicative of mineralization, grade, size, continuity, or economic potential on Athena’s Forester or Laird Lake projects.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Prepares for fully funded, 5,000 m drill program, testing new targets
White Rock, BC — Accesswire — March 2, 2026 — Athena Gold Corporation (CSE: ATHA) (OTCQB: AHNRF) (“Athena” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the receipt of permits (PR 25 00201) for its upcoming maiden drill program at its flagship Laird Lake project, located in Ontario’s world-class Red Lake Gold District. With receipts in hand, drill contractors selected, and targets further refined (including new geophysical interpretations), the Company plans to mobilize in the coming weeks.
“Our upcoming program marks a major milestone for Athena, representing our first shot on the net to make a grassroots gold discovery in Ontario. It follows two years of extensive data collection, comprising surface grab sampling, mapping, till geochemistry, and geophysical interpretation. This initial, ~5,000-metre diamond-drilling program will test both geophysical and geochemical anomalies,” said Koby Kushner, CEO of Athena.
Figure 1: Map of Red Lake Gold District, showing Athena’s Laird Lake project and nearby deposits. Mineralization on nearby or adjacent projects is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at Laird Lake.
Figure 2: Geophysical and geochemical anomalies identified at Laird Lake.
Discussion of Drill Program
A ~5,000 m, eight to ten-hole, diamond-drill program has been designed to test geophysical anomalies (G1, G4-G6; Figure 2) and the Rigby showing within the Bounty geochemical anomaly (see press release dated November 13, 2025). Athena has completed an in-depth review of historical data and supplemented it with new field observations to reinterpret the controls on mineralization.
Athena has identified two main controls on mineralization at Laird Lake referred to as Generation 1 & 2. Generation 1 is dominantly in an east-west orientation and is generally observed as a replacement-style mineralization characterized by the presence of pyrite, arsenopyrite and tourmaline. Generation 2 is characterized by a northeast orientation and locally cutting the first generation. Mineralization is largely hosted within quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins and is able to return high-grade gold values up to 373 g/t Au (see press release dated December 4, 2024).
The drill program will leverage the historical SkyTEM magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) data. This data has been instrumental in mapping out the various structures that, to date, host all the known gold occurrences. The EM data has outlined a series of conductive bodies (targets G1 – G6) that correspond to a confluence of interpreted structures and represents high-priority drill targets. Additionally, these conductive anomalies have the potential to host critical minerals, particularly copper, nickel, and/or platinum-group elements.
As a result, future analytical results testing these conductors will also assay for these metals in addition to their pathfinders. The geophysical anomalies have also been reprocessed to further refine the targets prior to drilling. The reprocessed SkyTEM data identified multi-km-long, stacked zones of low to medium conductance which correspond to magnetic breaks and are interpreted to represent potential sulphide-rich areas. The 2017 drill program completed by Premier Gold Mines Ltd. had intersected broad zones of anomalous gold within these magnetic breaks along strike, returning up to 0.15 g/t over 19 m (17-LD-003) as well as noting visible gold (17-LD-002) (Assessment Record 20000015350). The 2026 drill program will focus on the highest conductance anomalies within these trends which is data not previously available during the 2017 program. Additionally, the planned drill holes will intersect multiple zones within each drill hole to maximize success (Figure 3).
Figure 3: 3D geophysical interpretation over the G4 anomaly (looking east).
Exploration Agreement
Athena is pleased to announce that it has entered into an exploration agreement dated February 20, 2026 (the “Agreement”), with Wabauskang First Nation (“WFN”) to promote a cooperative and mutually respectful relationship concerning the Laird Lake project situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, or any other additional mining claims or properties in which Athena may acquire an interest, located within the WFN’s traditional territory.
In connection with the Agreement, which transaction is arm’s length to Athena, the Company has agreed, among other things, to issue 100,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, at a deemed price of CDN$0.065 per share. The shares issued pursuant to the Agreement will be subject to a hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The issuance of the common shares remains subject to certain conditions, including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange.
QUALIFIED PERSONS STATEMENT
The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Benjamin Kuzmich, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for Athena Gold Corporation, and the Qualified Person for exploration at the Laird Lake project, as defined by NI 43-101 “Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects”.
About Athena Gold Corporation
Athena is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct additional exploration drilling and studies on its projects across North America. Athena’s Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering over 7,000 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 373 g/t Au. This underexplored area is road-accessible, located about 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold’s Madsen mine and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project.
For further information about Athena Gold Corporation, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors Koby Kushner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Athena Gold Corporation
For further information, please contact:
Athena Gold Corporation
Koby Kushner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 416-846-6164
Email: kobykushner@athenagoldcorp.com
CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume, CEO
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251
Email: cathy@chfir.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws… [Content Truncated for brevity – ensure full text is kept in your live post]
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
All-share deal to acquire a 100% interest in Forester
WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESS Newswire / February 26, 2026 / Athena Gold Corporation (CSE:ATHA)(OTCQB:AHNRF) (“Athena” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the proposed acquisition of a 100% interest in the Forester Gold Project (“Forester” or the “Project”), located along-trend of Orla Mining’s Musselwhite Gold Mine in northwestern Ontario.
Highlights
100% ownership of the 4,900-hectare Forester Gold Project, to be acquired via a low-cost, all-share deal with no known encumbrances other than the existing 2% net smelter return (“NSR”) royalty, half of which is repurchaseable for $2 million, adjusted for inflation.
Forester acquisition diversifies risk and aligns strongly with Athena’s expertise in Ontario mineral exploration; similar to Athena’s flagship Laird Lake Project, Forester is located along-trend of a producing, multimillion-ounce gold mine.
Strategically located less than 30 km southeast of Orla Mining’s Musselwhite Gold Mine, which was recently acquired for up to US$850 million and has produced over 6 million ounces of gold to date. The area benefits from strong regional infrastructure and access, including established road and air connections that support efficient operations in this proven mining district.
Forester shares the same favourable geology as Musselwhite (iron formations, volcanics, and sediments) and remains historically underexplored for over 30 years, despite multiple gold occurrences across the large land package, including surface grab samples up to 147 g/t Au.
Historical shallow drilling (1984-1986) on the eastern Tex Zone, a bulk tonnage target, delivered significant gold intercepts at surface, with several holes ending in mineralization, including:
Hole ID
Length of Hole
Sampled Length
Length of unsampled core
Average grade of hole (top to bottom)
Average grade of sampled core
TN86-2
89.2m
61.8m
27.4m
0.68 g/t
0.98 g/t
TN86-1
101.4m
56.2m
42.0m
0.46 g/t
0.80 g/t
TN84-1
154.2m
53.3m
98.7m
0.28 g/t
0.80 g/t
These significant intervals contain numerous portions of unsampled core and gold grades were assumed to be zero in the calculation of average grades. At the time of sampling, only higher-grade material was believed to be assayed and so there is potential for low grade gold values to be present in the unsampled core, however this remains to be proven. Individual assays are uncapped and range up to a maximum of 49.37 g/t over 0.2m (TN86-2)
Historical operators primarily targeted narrow high-grade veins in iron formation rocks and largely overlooked bulk-tonnage potential; Athena sees excellent opportunity to test both high-grade vein and lower-grade bulk-tonnage styles.
Plans include a potential diamond drill program later in 2026 to verify and potentially extend historical results and new targets.
The Company eagerly awaits drill approvals for its flagship Laird Lake Project in the Red Lake Gold District and intends to mobilize for its maiden diamond drilling campaign during the current quarter.
“The acquisition of Forester provides a strong complement to our Ontario portfolio. Like our flagship Laird Lake Project, Forester is historically underexplored yet lies along trend – in a similar geological environment – from a producing, multimillion-ounce, gold mine. Despite only limited drilling in the 1980s, we are impressed by the exceptional grade-thickness gold hits of up to 60 gram-metres, which we consider highly anomalous given the shallow and sparse nature of that program. Back then, large-scale open-pit mining of orogenic gold systems was virtually non-existent in Canada, so the bulk-tonnage potential at Forester was largely overlooked. With a newly consolidated land package, a much stronger gold price environment, and access to modern exploration tools, we believe we are well-positioned to build upon the historical work with a fresh perspective and systematically unlock value at Forester” said Koby Kushner, CEO of Athena.
Forester Project Overview
Forester is located in northwestern Ontario, less than 30 km southeast of the operating Musselwhite Gold Mine (owned by Orla Mining Ltd., with proven & probable reserves of ~1.5 Moz Au at 6.43 g/t). The 4,900-hectare land package is underlain by the same banded iron formations, mafic volcanics, and metasedimentary rocks that host significant gold mineralization at Musselwhite.
Limited historical exploration in the mid-1980s included 16 shallow diamond drill holes focused on the eastern Tex Zone, returning encouraging high-grade gold mineralization near surface. The Project has seen virtually no modern follow-up for almost 40 years and hosts 14 known surface gold occurrences grading up to 147 g/t Au, along with multiple additional showings.
Athena believes the bulk-tonnage potential was largely ignored by historical operators, who focused primarily on narrow, high-grade vein mineralization. The Company sees a compelling opportunity to apply modern exploration concepts and test for both high-grade, banded iron formation-hosted (Musselwhite-style) mineralization and broader, lower-grade bulk-tonnage style mineralization. With Orla actively exploring and expanding resources at Musselwhite, Forester is well-positioned to benefit from regional activity and potential processing synergies.
In addition to gold, the Project is also prospective for hosting critical metals, including copper with historical results returning up to 1.49% Cu along with 2 g/t Au from surface grade samples (https://www.geologyontario.mines.gov.on.ca/persistent-linking?mineral-inventory=MDI53B08NE00009). The copper potential at Forester has never been a focus of historical exploration and represents an opportunity for Athena.
The Company has begun reaching out to local Indigenous groups and has commenced preparation for drill permitting. Athena plans to compile and review all historical data, conduct initial field programs, and advance toward a maiden drill program on Forester later in 2026, subject to permitting.
Terms of the Acquisition
Under the terms of a Share Purchase Agreement dated February 25, 2026, Athena will acquire, on an arm’s-length basis, all issued and outstanding shares of Last Bounty Gold Corp. (the “Vendor”), a private British Columbia company, that holds a 100% interest in the Project (the “Transaction”). In consideration, Athena will issue an aggregate of 42,000,000 common shares in the capital of Athena (the “Consideration Shares”) at a deemed price of CAD $0.08 per Athena common share, representing, at closing, approximately 12% of the Company on a non-diluted basis. The Consideration Shares will be subject to such restrictive legends and hold periods as may be required under applicable securities laws. No finder’s fees will be paid in connection with the Transaction and no new insiders will be created as a result of the Transaction.
The Project is subject to an existing 2% NSR royalty payable to arm’s-length third-party vendors. Athena has the right to repurchase one-half of the royalty (reducing it to 1%) for CAD $2,000,000, adjusted for inflation.
The Transaction is subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange.
QUALIFIED PERSONS STATEMENT
The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Benjamin Kuzmich, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for Athena Gold Corporation, and the Qualified Person for exploration at the Forester project, as defined by NI 43-101 “Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects”. The historical exploration data referenced herein (including gram-metre calculations and averages) have not been independently verified by a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and are provided for informational purposes only. Mineralization on nearby mineral claims is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at Forester.
About Athena Gold Corporation
Athena Gold Corporation is a junior mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of high-potential projects in premier North American mining districts. Athena’s Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering over 7,000 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 373 g/t Au. This underexplored, road-accessible project is located about 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold’s Madsen mine and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project. Also in northwestern Ontario is Athena’s proposed acquisition of the Forester project, a 4,900-hectare land package located less than 30 km southeast of Orla Mining’s Musselwhite Gold Mine, with historical drill intercepts showing strong potential for both high-grade, narrow-vein and low-grade, bulk-tonnage gold mineralization. Meanwhile, its Excelsior Springs project, located in Nevada’s Walker Lane Trend, is currently under an earn-in option with Mammoth Minerals Limited (formerly, Firetail Resources Limited). The Excelsior Springs project spans over 2,500 hectares and covers at least three historic mines.
Koby Kushner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Athena Gold Corporation
For further information, please contact:
Athena Gold Corporation
Koby Kushner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 416-846-6164
Email: kobykushner@athenagoldcorp.com
CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume, CEO
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251
Email: cathy@chfir.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration plans, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: “believes”, “will”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “may”, “should”, ”potential”, “scheduled”, or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company’s projects in a timely manner.
The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise stated.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
