HoppeHunting Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 After some careful thought and many references to suggestions from TFF members, I decided that my first fossil site would be Bayfront Park aka Brownie’s Beach in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. I packed up my newly bought expedition gear, sifter and all, and headed out. It was a little over an hour’s drive, which is not bad at all if you ask me. It was the day after Black Friday, so I had thought maybe everyone would just want to stay at home. But given it was a weekend, and families were in town for Thanksgiving and looking for something fun to do, my timing ended up not being ideal. When I showed up, the place was pretty busy, but I started collecting right away. There were quite a few other collectors, and in talking to them I learned that small teeth were a common find here, and in very large quantities. I actually didn’t find anything for a while, due to a number of things. The conditions were mediocre, considering how crowded it was and how the beach was riddled with those pesky autumn leaves that make combing the tide lines a real pain. Also, I was able to be at the park during low tide, but I would hardly call it that, as the water barely retreated at all. Must’ve just been the wind direction. But regardless of the imperfect circumstances, I was able to get a nice handful of small fossilized shark chompers and ray plates. My largest tooth, although still small, was actually the first one I found! A decent Physogaleus contortus I believe. Unlike the other teeth, I didn’t even have to sift for that one. Just found it chilling among some pebbles on the sand bank near the entrance of the park. The second I saw it I went “Ooh! That’s a tiger” and gladly picked up my first ever fossil. It will always hold a special place in my heart, even if it’s not the best find. Aside from my tiger, I found a bunch of Lemons, some real nice baby Sand Tigers, and I think some small Dusky. Again, I'm new so please correct my identifications. I also got my hands on some ray plates, and (although I had no idea what it was when I picked it up) a dolphin/porpoise tooth! I’m not quite sure what the black object next to it is, but I believe it to be something like a snail shell. If anyone has any clue what it is, let me know! Overall, I’d say I had a good first fossil hunting trip at a really beautiful site and I got to meet some nice people who share my passion. I got some cool finds and I can’t wait to hunt some more. I won’t let the small teeth scare me away from Brownie’s; I definitely plan on returning in better conditions to get some bigger, better finds. I actually plan on going in the winter, not too long from now! Hope you enjoy the trip report. Hoppe fossil hunting! The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Awesome finds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Congratulations on the successful first hunt! Thanks for the wonderful trip report too! Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Nice report,good pix of the scenery. Enjoyable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Thanks for the report. It's refreshing to experience your obvious enthusiasm. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 @HoppeFossilHunting As in my reply to your other post, anything you want help identifying, post clear, close up photos from multiple angles, with good lighting and include some type of scale in the photos for reference. Cheers, SA2 Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Nice finds,Congrats. Where there's small ones there's big ones too Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneheadz Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Hey is your last name Hoppe? It'd be cool if there was another fossil hunting Hoppe out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted December 12, 2017 Author Share Posted December 12, 2017 33 minutes ago, Boneheadz said: Hey is your last name Hoppe? It'd be cool if there was another fossil hunting Hoppe out there! Yeah! It’s hard to come around someone with the same name, especially such a unique one! The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneheadz Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 18 minutes ago, HoppeFossilHunting said: Yeah! It’s hard to come around someone with the same name, especially such a unique one! Haha No way! Hey if you ever need any help with fossil hunting or you wanna organize a trip we'd be happy to help! We're a father son duo. Just shoot me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrieder79 Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Brownie's is a great place. Its where I started hunting back in the day. First big tooth came from there. Luck is the most important skill of a fossil diver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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