Calvert Beachcombing Tips?

[Tyrannosaurus-wreck]

Hi guys! So I'm planning to go back to one of the Calvert County beaches to try my luck again- I haven't had any success with finding teeth bigger than about a quarter inch and I'm hoping to find something a little bigger next time. My current technique is to dig up sand from the water and sift through it super carefully- should I switch it up and try something different to find big teeth? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for how to find them? And, final question, which beaches are good for finding larger specimens? I know Purse and Matoaka are good for quantity but I don't know which are best for finding big fossils. I'm still very new to tooth hunting so any help would be appreciated! 

[Fossildude19]

Be the first on the beach at low tide.

Walk the beach, scanning for gravel beds in and out of water.

Big teeth usually get picked up quickly. Being early is better.

Also, your best bet for bigger teeth is to get away from heavily hunted areas.

Most successful hunters use a boat, canoe kayak, or wave runner/jet ski to get out further away from the main beaches.

 

[Northern Neck]

Bigger the rocks...bigger the teeth in gravel beds.  Big rocks hold big teeth.  Small beds hold small teeth.  Of coarse one could violate these laws but just think of that when looking.  I couldn't find anything at matoaka so that place felt like a waste of time for me.  Calvert isn't big so I hear.  So I doubt you find alot there if you aren't first in beach when the tide is falling.  If you wait till low tide, it's already been picked over.  My biggest teeth i find are in the water.  But then again when I say big im talking 1.5-2inches.  Been looking a long time and have thousands of teeth but no Meg's yet.  Public places won't produce alot this time of year.  Good luck 

[Searcher78]

I’ve found a lot of sand Tiger teeth from 1 to 1 1/2 inch in the Douglas Park/Purse Park area. I don’t find as many teeth along the Calvert Cliffs. I don’t believe I have found anything larger than 1 1/2 inches there. I believe people love the cliffs due to the slim chance of finding a Meg.

[hemipristis]

A few tips from when I used to hunt there:

 

> Collect in the fall-winter, the worse weather the better. Keeps the number of collectors down.

> Look for slump blocks and crawl all over them. Check every nook and cranny. If you start finding bone fragments in a slump block, settle down and mine it. You might find nothing, but the potential for greatness is there, from large megs and ‘makos’ to cetacean skulls.

> Be the first after a good storm. Frankly, I’d suggest waiting out the storm in the parking area so you can be the first once the rain clears.

> The wave climate and deposition also environment at each beach is distinct. Learn the beach. For some, the low tide area is best (Matoaka Cabins), for others (Purse State Park) the high tide mark is best. At Pope’s Creek, it’s both.

> Whether you find anything or not, take time to “smell the flowers”. The scenery is pretty, and there is some wonderful wildlife. At Purse, one used to be able to get rather close to Ospreys and Bald Eagles nesting in high trees on the waterfront. I saw a sturgeon there once.

Edited July 18, 2021 by hemipristis

[Tyrannosaurus-wreck]

On 7/16/2021 at 3:46 PM, Fossildude19 said:

Be the first on the beach at low tide.

Walk the beach, scanning for gravel beds in and out of water.

Big teeth usually get picked up quickly. Being early is better.

Also, your best bet for bigger teeth is to get away from heavily hunted areas.

Most successful hunters use a boat, canoe kayak, or wave runner/jet ski to get out further away from the main beaches.

 

Thank you!! Would you just use a shovel to bring up sand from the bottom on a boat? 

On 7/16/2021 at 6:11 PM, Northern Neck said:

Bigger the rocks...bigger the teeth in gravel beds.  Big rocks hold big teeth.  Small beds hold small teeth.  Of coarse one could violate these laws but just think of that when looking.  I couldn't find anything at matoaka so that place felt like a waste of time for me.  Calvert isn't big so I hear.  So I doubt you find alot there if you aren't first in beach when the tide is falling.  If you wait till low tide, it's already been picked over.  My biggest teeth i find are in the water.  But then again when I say big im talking 1.5-2inches.  Been looking a long time and have thousands of teeth but no Meg's yet.  Public places won't produce alot this time of year.  Good luck 

Thank you!! 

[Tyrannosaurus-wreck]

On 7/18/2021 at 1:33 AM, hemipristis said:

A few tips from when I used to hunt there:

 

> Collect in the fall-winter, the worse weather the better. Keeps the number of collectors down.

> Look for slump blocks and crawl all over them. Check every nook and cranny. If you start finding bone fragments in a slump block, settle down and mine it. You might find nothing, but the potential for greatness is there, from large megs and ‘makos’ to cetacean skulls.

> Be the first after a good storm. Frankly, I’d suggest waiting out the storm in the parking area so you can be the first once the rain clears.

> The wave climate and deposition also environment at each beach is distinct. Learn the beach. For some, the low tide area is best (Matoaka Cabins), for others (Purse State Park) the high tide mark is best. At Pope’s Creek, it’s both.

> Whether you find anything or not, take time to “smell the flowers”. The scenery is pretty, and there is some wonderful wildlife. At Purse, one used to be able to get rather close to Ospreys and Bald Eagles nesting in high trees on the waterfront. I saw a sturgeon there once.

Thanks so much, this is very helpful!! I do want to try going in the Fall one year if I can. What are slump blocks?

[RuMert]

On 7/16/2021 at 10:46 PM, Fossildude19 said:

Be the first on the beach at low tide

 

On 7/18/2021 at 8:33 AM, hemipristis said:

> Be the first after a good storm. Frankly, I’d suggest waiting out the storm in the parking area so you can be the first once the rain clears.

The 1st law of fossil hunting

[hemipristis]

On 7/18/2021 at 11:24 AM, Searcher78 said:

I’ve found a lot of sand Tiger teeth from 1 to 1 1/2 inch in the Douglas Park/Purse Park area. I don’t find as many teeth along the Calvert Cliffs. I don’t believe I have found anything larger than 1 1/2 inches there. I believe people love the cliffs due to the slim chance of finding a Meg.

I believe you are correct.  Thats why I kept returning to Matoaka,  I was rewarded only once , with two megs in what was a recent cliff fall. One tooth was pushing 5.25"!  But every other time, little stuff, and not much of that.

 

That said, Brownie's Beach can be a gold mine for smaller teeth: hammerhead, thresher, cow sharks, and much more.  Its a fun place

19 hours ago, Tyrannosaurus-wreck said:

Thanks so much, this is very helpful!! I do want to try going in the Fall one year if I can. What are slump blocks?

Cliff falls due to erosion. Just don't get too close to the cliff!

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by hemipristis

[Tyrannosaurus-wreck]

On 7/20/2021 at 6:13 AM, hemipristis said:

I believe you are correct.  Thats why I kept returning to Matoaka,  I was rewarded only once , with two megs in what was a recent cliff fall. One tooth was pushing 5.25"!  But every other time, little stuff, and not much of that.

 

That said, Brownie's Beach can be a gold mine for smaller teeth: hammerhead, thresher, cow sharks, and much more.  Its a fun place

Cliff falls due to erosion. Just don't get too close to the cliff!

 

Thank you!!