I'm not much on jumping so can't help much. I know the Bighorn's are heavy tires so what Flatbed says makes sense.
People have said the stock RZR does a nose dive when jumping and others have said it flies straight, maybe some technique involved there.
Sounds like a beautiful area you live in, do you have lots of riding areas?
And yes, the crystals were mostly picked up off the ground with very little digging. Crystal, Gold and Silver mines are something we have lots of in Northern Nevada and California.