Andre Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 My wife and I moved to San Antonio, Texas recently and are excited about hunting for fossils in and around the central Texas area. I picked up a few books/ guides from the local library, but I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me answer. 1) What are the laws for fossil hunting? I do not want to wander on someone's field or end up in the middle of a herd of longhorns. What public grounds/ streams are okay, which are not. Things like this we are not sure of. 2) Are there any hunting clubs in San Antonio? I found a few in Austin, but does anyone know of any clubs out of San Antonio. We would like to go fossil hunting with experienced hunters so we can learn a little. 3) Can anyone recommend good hunting grounds? I see online posts/ photos of places where people have gone along with photos of the fossils they have discovered, but it seems that exact locations are kept private. My wife and I are new, so if anyone knows a good place for beginners that would work best for us. We want to start off slow and learn a few things first, before we get knee deep in water/dirt. Many Thanks! Andre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharks of SC Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 (edited) Andre, First, welcome to the forum! Secondly, this forum is great in that, as you post, you'll begin to meet hunters in your region. I've only been on here for a few months and have had the pleasure of hunting with 5 forum members already, some from different states. So, introduce yourself on the "member introductions" section and tell where your from, what got you started, or...whatever! Im sure you'll be hearing from folks in your region in no time. Best of luck in your future hunts! CBK Edited February 15, 2010 by Sharks of SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Welcome to the forum from Northeast Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Andre, First, start with the the Southwest Gem and Mineral Society, thats the rock club for San Antonio. (Google Southwest Gem and Mineral Society). They have a website that shows meeting times and location. Incidently their annual rock show is coming up March 20-21 in San Antonio. And they have members who are primarily interested in fossils and who can be a big help to the newbie. Second, hang out on this board. You will be surprised how much information can be gleaned from here. As for hunting grounds, road right of ways, road cuts/ sholders, are public and you can surface collect. There is little or no public land open to collecting except the National Forests in East Texas.. Generally if you cross a fence you need the land owners permission. Welcome to the Forum. I'll PM you some more info later. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Welcome to the forum. Central Texas is a good place to hunt fossils. Not sure about SA area clubs, but there are some forum members in your area that can probably answer that question. Clubs are a good way to get started. State parks and National parks are typically off limits to collecting unless otherwise specified. Parking on the side of an Interstate highway (for example I-10) will likely get you into trouble. Trespassing on private property could cause you problems. You can ask a landowner and they might say yes. Navigable streams and rivers are usually OK. There is some disagreement about that in certain areas and with some landowners. The other issue there is where private property begins and the stream bed ends. Some people enjoy a group hunt, others don't. Don't expect anyone to take you to their best, secret spot, but may they be glad to point you to a well known public spot. This can change once you get to know people. Search the Hunting Trips section of the forum and see what others have found in Texas. Also, search for San Antonio. You may get a few hits on some locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Welcome to the forum. It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Andre, First, start with the the Southwest Gem and Mineral Society, thats the rock club for San Antonio. (Google Southwest Gem and Mineral Society). They have a website that shows meeting times and location. Incidently their annual rock show is coming up March 20-21 in San Antonio. And they have members who are primarily interested in fossils and who can be a big help to the newbie. Second, hang out on this board. You will be surprised how much information can be gleaned from here. As for hunting grounds, road right of ways, road cuts/ sholders, are public and you can surface collect. There is little or no public land open to collecting except the National Forests in East Texas.. Generally if you cross a fence you need the land owners permission. Welcome to the Forum. I'll PM you some more info later. JKFoam I am in a constant state of bedazzlement Welcome Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 Thank you all. These are some very good suggestions. I will go to the Southwest Gem and Mineral Society rock show to talk/ meet other fossil hunters in the area. Thanks again, Andre Martinez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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