rejd Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Alberta Bandlands and Bow River trip, Sept 18-21 2014 Day 1 A couple of us have been planning this trip for a while now. My son and I along with a good friend and his son decided to take a long weekend and head out for some fossil hunting and camping. There is a nice free campground along the red deer river in the heart of the badlands in SE Alberta. The first day started out by meeting in Strathmore at the local Tim Horton’s to grab a coffee and snack for the road. About an hours drive away is a small town called Bassano. From there we drove about 15 minutes down some dirt roads to the edge of a field. The walk to the bank of the Bow river took about 30-40 minutes. Quite a nice and easy walk.Along the way we encountered this really cool spider web/nest? Not sure from what kind of spider. Anyone have any ideas?It was a pretty warm day and even the hills were wearing sunglasses!Once down by the water we quickly started finding some Baculites. We searched the first area for about 15 min and made some small piles of what we found to carry out later.We made a short trip up river to another spot that was loaded with Baculites. It didn’t take long to find some really nice specimens. I managed to find a nice size concretion with 2 beautiful specimens inside.I beleive they will polish up quite nicely!This one has some amazing crystals inside of it.I quickly realized that the quality of the specimens here were much better than what we had found earlier so I knew I would not be carrying out what I had found earlier. I had to make a decision on what to keep and what to leave behind. I did find a couple of really nice ones. When we were done here we headed to the campsite to get setup and have a quick bite to eat.Once we were all fed, we took a quick 3 minute drive to a late cretaceous site to spend a couple of hours looking before the sun went down.My son and I did not find much but the others we were with found 3 hadrosaur caudal verts all in close proximity. It was a nice evening although the bugs were getting pretty bad. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Day 2 The second day started fairly early and our drive was only a few minutes from our campsite. Once we got parked we started our walk to our usual area for micro fossils. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at this site and it was quit successful. All in all my son and I found 7 small theropod teeth including a pre-max,31 croc teeth, 25 myledaphus teeth,4 hadrosaur teeth and a small piece of jaw,6champsosaur verts,2 small claws,croc scutes, turtle shell fragments,theropod phalanxand some other unknown funky bits, LOL. The other two found 6 small theropod teeth, 39 croc teeth, about 50 myledaphus teeth, 4 ankylosaur teeth, 3 theropod phalanges, 3 claws,a nice chunk of turtle shelland some other bits that I can’t remember. After we were finished here we went on a walkabout to some areas that we had not been to before (which is a lot). We stumbled upon much larger specimens here but sadly most were badly eroded. Here are some of the insitu pictures of what we saw.I beleive this is a hadrosaur humerus. We head back to camp for supper and another short walk. Not much found on this walk. A small section of rib and a badly eroded hadrosaur dorsal vertebra.Another successful day and back to camp for a fire and some marshmallows!A good nights sleep is in order as it was a long and hot day. Day 3 Another day another walkabout. This was to be a short day as we all had from 2.5 to 4.5 hour drives back home. We were off around 9 am. We went back to the same area as yesterday but decided to do some prospecting to an area that we have not been to yet. It didn’t take too much longer to come across another site with lots of bone fragments everywhere.Some theropod teeth were found along with more croc and myledaphus. I also found a hadrosaur toe bone which is a first for me so I was pretty happy with it.Again a fair bit of larger material was found but all badly eroded and fragmented. By this point we were all pretty tired and ready to head back to camp to pack up and head home a bunch of happy hunters! It was a great trip and I hope to make this an annual event. Thanks all for taking the time to read this. 2 A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triceratops Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Woah! Amazing lot of stuff there. Thanks for posting!!! -Lyall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Nice report, but I am slightly confusicated... I thought collecting fossil bones was not allowed in Alberta....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carcharodontosaurus Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 You can collect them, but you cannot sell them or take them out of the province. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thanks for the detailed report. Love to get out that way some day. That Baculite has excellent preservation! Did you save the other part of it as well? Any chances of finding Heteromorphs in that quality at that site? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thank you so much for yet another wonderful write-up Your ability to see a cliff wearing sunglasses, and as importantly compose and take the image to share, is just one reason I really enjoy your reports. Top shelf! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Hey Rejd, Looks like a great time out fossiling with the kids! Nice photos of what it all looks like. Super teeth...thanks for showing us. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 What a fun trip. Cool stuff too. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Nice report, but I am slightly confusicated... I thought collecting fossil bones was not allowed in Alberta....? Surface collecting is allowed and as stated fossils cannot be sold or removed from the province without a disposition certificate (which you would likely not get LOL). A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thanks for the detailed report. Love to get out that way some day. That Baculite has excellent preservation! Did you save the other part of it as well? Any chances of finding Heteromorphs in that quality at that site? If you ever decide to come out this way be sure to get in touch with me. I would love to take you, or any other member here, on a guided tour. I did save the other part as well. I was just trying to limit the amount of pictures on this post. Yes, heteromorphs of this quality can be found here but are very uncommon. I hope to find one some day. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 And thanks everyone for the kind words and taking the time to read it. We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next year. It won't be long before the snow flies here and no more collecting until the summer A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thanks for the invite, rejd. Very kind of you. I'll be in Ontario in October for ten days, but I won't be able to make the hop this time. Hope it works out sometime in the future, though. Until then I'll dream on.... Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busyeagle Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Wow, that sure looks like fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 I hope you have a great time in Ontario. You have family there? I hope you get some fossiling in as well. And I do hope you can make the hop out here sometime. You would not be disappointed. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Wow, that sure looks like fun! It was a blast! Nothing better than a weekend of fossiling with my little man and good friends. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Now that is a great excursion! Well done on an excellent report, Rejd...most enjoyable (I even drooled a bit ). "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Awesome stuff!! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Questions. I know the laws are a bit crazy in Canada regarding fossiling, so 1.) Do you have to claim these? 2.) Do you need a permit or permission to collect there? 3.) If i ever find my way north, could i hunt there? ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 or any other member here, on a guided tour. Just noted in my to do bucket list note pad. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehunt Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Thanks for the great report. You found some great stuff and made even better memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Awesome stuff!! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Questions. I know the laws are a bit crazy in Canada regarding fossiling, so 1.) Do you have to claim these? 2.) Do you need a permit or permission to collect there? 3.) If i ever find my way north, could i hunt there? Rules are pretty strict but not crazy like some of our other provinces. 1.) I don't have to claim these. If I find something I think is significant I will let the Tyrell know about it. I have donated specimens in the past and I have a very good relationship with them. 2.) Yes and know, some of the places I went to are on private land and some are on crown land. Only need permission on private land. 3.) Not sure how to answer this. You could certainly go and look and collect but according to the laws the specimens cannot be taken out of Alberta. The only exception I know about is Baculites and Ammonites. You can get a disposition that allows you to own them and do with them what you wish. As for any other material i suppose you could try and get a disposition as well. All other material is technically the property of the province and we are simply stewards of such fossils. I hope this answers your questions. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Just noted in my to do bucket list note pad. Make sure you check that one off. Nothing like the walking the badlands. A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 forgot the mention how proud I was off both boys. They are 8 and 10 and never once complained about the heat or the walking and we did a lot of walking. They were both troopers! A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPlainPetrified Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Will get down that way hopefully next year! Great read. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejd Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 Hopefully you can make it. Thanks A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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