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Hey guys! Equipment check!


Williamrock

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Hey guys ! What are some of  The tools and equipment you guys take when you go fossil hunting for the weekend? Favorite containers to store you're finds in the field ? Rucksacks ? Shovels ? Picks? 

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I took care of it for you.  ;) 

 

It depends where you are looking, and what you are looking for. 

I would never bring a screen to hunt for Devonian trilobites, but I would to sift streams for shark teeth, etc. 
Regards, 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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I usually bring a hammer, pickaxe, chisel, or another large rock to split shale or dig for fossils. My favourite storage containers include my backpack, ziplock bags, or in my pocket. I would not advise storing your fossils in your pocket, though. Finding fossils in the laundry can be a bit annoying...

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You may be spoiled for choice given how many Florida river hunters we have here. Just off the top of my head, perhaps @jcbshark and @Shellseeker will see this and provide some helpful advice on this (among several others!).

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I like a 1/2 inch sifter if I’m on the peace where gravel tends to run larger but in other spots I’ll opt for 1/4 inch. All my sifter are 18x24 made out of pine 1x4 with pool noodles ty wrapped all around. I personally like a shovel with a tapered tip, I think it’s less likely to break some stuff but you still need to dig gently if there is such a thing lol. To pocket my finds I use a gallon ziplock for regular stuff but any quality pieces go in my large plastic coffee can with hand towels in it to take up space and cushion fragile stuff:)

Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there!

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Over time,  every piece of equipment gets optimized.

1) You need a kayak to get far enough away from the common access points. I have an XT-Scrambler 11.5 foot sit on top Kayak. The basic requirement is I must carry the unloaded Kayak 100 feet (it weighs 45 lbs). Sit_on_top to carry sieve and shovel.  Sit_in Kayaks are inferior in carrying gear.

2) You MUST carry life jacket and whistle. Fines are significant  -- $90 per instance . The jacket/whistle go in Kayak hatch.

3) Florida fossil permit costs $5..  renew yearly. I seal mine in plastic. It goes into a waterproof bag along with cellphone, wallet, car keys, band aids, neosporin, pocket knife, measuring tape.

4) Another waterproof bag with Food (boiled eggs, cheese triangles, and sliced soppressata in 1 plastic container, grapes and cheese in a second, cooked chicken wings/legs in a 3rd. 2 plastic bottles of water..  All in kayak hatch. My hunting days are LONG and calorie consuming.

5) Round Point Shovel Perforated Blade, I replace the handle with a 6 or 7 foot version..  (Deeper is better).

6) 2x3 foot sieve, with pool noodles for flotation, attached 12 pound weight (hold in current).

7) 5 foot metal probe with "T" handle, attached plastic recovery marker.

8) Scuba boots and bicycle racing glove on left hand.

9) black swim shorts, scuba rash guard, 5mm Shorty wetsuit. Baseball cap

10) plastic collection bag, strapped around my waist with plastic tie_down.

 

That is about it. I try to lighten the load whenever possible. i.e a walkin location means no kayak, or a shortened 4 hour day means no food. 

 

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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When hunting limerock pits, I often carried a pickeroon.  I recovered the head from a river bottom, and re-hafted it.  This is a big-boy tool for excavating the moderately-indurated limerock or opening a crevice holding those elusive vertebrate fossils.

 

 

hammers.JPG

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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8 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

When hunting limerock pits, I often carried carried a pickeroon.  I recovered the head from a river bottom, and re-hafted it.  This is a big-boy tool for excavating the moderately-indurated limerock or opening a crevice holding those elusive vertebrate fossils.

 

 

hammers.JPG

A pikeroon, I have never heard of that, but I need one, because what I have isn’t doing the job. If you’ve ever noticed the Estwing rock picks say the pick is for prying only, not for hitting rock. LOL. Does anyone actually follow that rule?

I noticed today @Uncle Siphuncle has these cool chisel type tool set with hand guards (love it!) and a little sledge hammer that he uses.

C71E116B-CD5F-4B5E-BEF4-67A3F466F2F6.jpeg.3cff2f90559f35a3bf18a1b24fb820a0.jpeg

I am always looking for a better way to extract things from rock. I am a woman and don’t have the muscle I need half the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit my hand while holding a chisel or had to leave something behind because I can’t get it out of the marl, limestone or the Edwards Formation, which is nearly solid crystal. 

 

Personally I take a pack that can easily carry 50 pounds that fastens around my waste so it doesn’t slide every time I bend over.  I usually hike into somewhere, but sometimes a good road cut can keep me entertained for quite a while and I don’t have to carry much of anything on me.

I also carry another smaller, heavy duty canvas tool type bag to carry in my hand to put fossils in so I don’t have to take my pack off every time. 

I have zip locks both gallon and smaller, empty prescription bottles for small, delicate things I want to protect. I also carry plastic grocery sacks to put larger fossils in to keep the mud or dirt from getting my pack too dirty, I usually carry a small cloth bag and a hand towel size rag.  I can use it to wipe my hands or wrap a fossil in.  I often take a few paper towels for wrapping small fossils in. I always carry water or Gatorade. I take a snack or pack a lunch and leave it in my car. I’m usually out for 3-5 hours at a time. I always take gloves, rock hammer, hammer, chisel set, knife, a compact folding shovel.

I always have sunscreen in my car.

If it is snake season I have a snake bite kit. If you can use it in the first 1-2 min of a bite it helps. Thankfully I have never been bit in nearly 42 years of hiking.

Several people I know take a walking stick. One guy told me he has used it to fend off wild boars, move snakes and pull himself out of waist deep mud. I have been in waist deep mud, but thankfully wasn’t alone. I hope to never be in it alone, but I’ve come across many poisonous snakes and seen boar tracks while out hiking. So I’m thinking a walking stick will soon be added.

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On the subject of chisels, the one in the pic above was a loare, as I was traveling.  Since economy of effort is important to me, I’ve grown fond of a narrow chisel (maybe 1/2” wide tip) plus aforementioned hand guard, backed by a hand sledge of 2.5-4 lbs.  The narrow chisel concentrates the impact, cutting deeper than a wide tip, for maximum cha-ching-per-swing.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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On 12/27/2017 at 1:10 AM, KimTexan said:

A pikeroon, I have never heard of that, but I need one, because what I have isn’t doing the job. If you’ve ever noticed the Estwing rock picks say the pick is for prying only, not for hitting rock. LOL. Does anyone actually follow that rule?

I noticed today @Uncle Siphuncle has these cool chisel type tool set with hand guards (love it!) and a little sledge hammer that he uses.

I am always looking for a better way to extract things from rock. I am a woman and don’t have the muscle I need half the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit my hand while holding a chisel or had to leave something behind because I can’t get it out of the marl, limestone or the Edwards Formation, which is nearly solid crystal. 

 

Harbor Freight has some cheap chisels with hand guards in various sizes.  I’ve used them for extracting trilobites from shale and been very happy with them.  Just remember they are cheap for a reason:

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-flat-chisel-94347.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-brick-chisel-95507.html

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  • 2 weeks later...

well, add a few more inches of sediments and add pressure with some patience, I see a vertebrate fossil in the making. I thought you were searching for fossils not planting the seeds for future finds... :-)

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/27/2017 at 5:57 AM, Uncle Siphuncle said:

I recommend a knife.

What the heck is that, and why has it been stabbed to death?

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1 minute ago, Aurelius said:

What the bloody hell is that, and why has it been stabbed to death?

That is an 80 lb wild hog, and when I encountered it, it was walking around with a devastatingly nasty head wound, turned smelly and septic.  It appeared that it had been shot in the head forward of the brain, blinding one eye and destroying the sinuses.  Nature from that point forward would have brought a cruel death, either through slow starvation and sepsis, or through group effort by coyotes.  I felt that I was faced with an awkward decision.  Let it languish, or end the suffering post haste.  I took no pleasure in dispatching the animal, and unfortunately couldn't keep the meat due to the sepsis.  Nature doesn't always play out like a Disney movie.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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4 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

That is an 80 lb wild hog, and when I encountered it, it was walking around with a devastatingly nasty head wound, turned smelly and septic.  It appeared that it had been shot in the head forward of the brain, blinding one eye and destroying the sinuses.  Nature from that point forward would have brought a cruel death, either through slow starvation and sepsis, or through group effort by coyotes.  I felt that I was faced with an awkward decision.  Let it languish, or end the suffering post haste.  I took no pleasure in dispatching the animal, and unfortunately couldn't keep the meat due to the sepsis.  Nature doesn't always play out like a Disney movie.

 

That's totally fair enough and a humane thing to do. Without context though, the picture had me wondering if you were some kind of indiscriminate wildlife slaughterer :) 

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17 minutes ago, Aurelius said:

 

That's totally fair enough and a humane thing to do. Without context though, the picture had me wondering if you were some kind of indiscriminate wildlife slaughterer :) 

Understood, based on context, or lack thereof.  I do hunt, but place a much higher priority on meat than on the trophy that might come with it.  I'm very much committed to instantaneous and humane kills, followed by putting in the effort to ensure highest meat quality, meaning keeping it clean and getting it on ice immediately, then trimming, butchering, grinding, and packaging.  I haven't taken an animal to the butcher in over 30 years, as I prefer to take full responsibility through the entire process.

 

But when I'm hunting for rocks instead of protein, I like to stop and observe the same animals I'd otherwise be hunting, as well as non game animals.  And I tend to step around venomous snakes as well, maybe stepping in for photos, then giving them space, rather than shooting them for simply being in my path.  I only take from the animal world what I can reasonably use.  The rest is there for enjoyment.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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On 1/19/2018 at 9:52 AM, Uncle Siphuncle said:

That is an 80 lb wild hog, and when I encountered it, it was walking around with a devastatingly nasty head wound, turned smelly and septic.  It appeared that it had been shot in the head forward of the brain, blinding one eye and destroying the sinuses.  Nature from that point forward would have brought a cruel death, either through slow starvation and sepsis, or through group effort by coyotes.  I felt that I was faced with an awkward decision.  Let it languish, or end the suffering post haste.  I took no pleasure in dispatching the animal, and unfortunately couldn't keep the meat due to the sepsis.  Nature doesn't always play out like a Disney movie.

Humm, can't remember the last Disney film that dealt with an animal suffering a mortal head wound. Lol  You did the right thing in this case.

BTW, did Mr. Piggy get floated downstream for some  unsuspecting fossil forager to bump into? I have had that happen to me before, not a pleasant experience!

 

 

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1 hour ago, caldigger said:

Humm, can't remember the last Disney film that dealt with an animal suffering a mortal head wound. Lol  You did the right thing in this case.

BTW, did Mr. Piggy get floated downstream for some  unsuspecting fossil forager to bump into? I have had that happen to me before, not a pleasant experience!

Time for a sequel!

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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On 1/19/2018 at 5:00 PM, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Understood, based on context, or lack thereof.  I do hunt, but place a much higher priority on meat than on the trophy that might come with it.  I'm very much committed to instantaneous and humane kills, followed by putting in the effort to ensure highest meat quality, meaning keeping it clean and getting it on ice immediately, then trimming, butchering, grinding, and packaging.  I haven't taken an animal to the butcher in over 30 years, as I prefer to take full responsibility through the entire process.

 

But when I'm hunting for rocks instead of protein, I like to stop and observe the same animals I'd otherwise be hunting, as well as non game animals.  And I tend to step around venomous snakes as well, maybe stepping in for photos, then giving them space, rather than shooting them for simply being in my path.  I only take from the animal world what I can reasonably use.  The rest is there for enjoyment.

 

Here here!! I'm all about the full experience from the hoof to the plate as well. I share a deeper connection with my surroundings through the experience. My wife on the other hand has no desire to be that close to her dinner. She would rather not know. :D

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1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said:

 

Here here!! I'm all about the full experience from the hoof to the plate as well. I share a deeper connection with my surroundings through the experience. My wife on the other hand has no desire to be that close to her dinner. She would rather not know. :D

My wife sees enough gore at the office, so we tend to quarter our kills in the field and spare her the details.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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