[2020] Screamers...

Auger mining is most ideal for when you've created an entrenched position with defenses and traps that can kill the screamers before she sees you. It makes a LOT of noise/activity; And that makes for lots of screamers.

If you aren't willing to entrench, then just mine with a pickaxe- It's much more efficient to do it with a pickaxe than to spend 3/4 of your time killing zombies just to use an auger.

Ideas:

• Drive-by mining: you probably have gas and a good vehicle by now. Do a rotation where you mine with the auger for a minute at one mining site, and then drive to the next site before the first site gets too hot. You'll leave before the screamers arrive, or if not, you'll leave the screamer horde in the dust.
  
• Stealth mining: wear a stealthy outfit while mining. It won't stop the screamers from coming, but they only scream if they see you. Keep an ear out for the first sign of a screamer, and pick them off before they see you.
  
• Active defenses: if you're going to have a big, conspicuous mining operation, you need to protect it. Install traps, even powered traps, at the entrance/perimeter to obliterate anything that comes to investigate what you're doing.

Originally posted by aY227: Auger + mastery in The Art of Mining Books - oh my oh my - it's a zombie spawner basically.

Every "click" on auger is +1% (so hold the button, don't click it all the time - sorry if you knew this)
One block of ore is about 6%

But it's not that bad in vanilla - if I remember correctly raising heatmap to 100% doesn't guarantee screamer spawn (or did they change it?)

Also this: https://youtu.be/zy0V5u2a-W4

Reaching 100% will spawn a screamer in short order and consume 100% of the built up activity. If the engine is unable to spawn one for any reason, it will just wait until it can and then do so.