vertman Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I would like to doff my cap to those who have staked themselves out, perhaps sounded a little crazy, and sang the praises of nighttime fossil collecting to the rest of us. I remember more than one field trip summary where our buddy Dan mentions getting to a place before sun up and collecting via headlamp. I thought he was crazy. To be honest, I still do, but in a very good way. It turns out nighttime collecting is an awesome experience. My buddy and I recently found ourselves in the age-old situation where there were more spots to check out than daylight left in the day. With the short fall/winter days and the soft light, this is a real problem. So, we decided to go to Walmart and purchase our very own head lamps. Where we were and what we found is not really important. What is really cool is the experience. We collected a well-known Pennsylvanian aged road cut that we last collected back in July. It seems the beams of the head lamps may actually help collecting. They produce a very powerful, very bright circle of light in a radius of up to 4 or 5 feet. It seems every fossil in that circle of light jumps up and screams, "take me, take me!". I think it also helps one focus on the task at hand instead of gazing around at all the sights like we tend to do in the daytime. I am sure the folks driving by thought we were nuts. And, I would not want to do this in the spring or summer when snakes and other critters could have their way with us. But for one winter night in the heartland, it was awesome. I think I will try this at a local Cretaceous shark tooth site in the next couple of evenings. Attached is a shot of the pile of common inverts I found in about an hour, as well as a look at the wonderful, all-enlightening headlamps themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenacanthus Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Sounds really fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 mua ha ha ha! (sinister giggle with just a dash of crazy) Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 fyi the cidarid in my avatar was found in the periphery of my flashlight beam... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 fyi the cidarid in my avatar was found in the periphery of my flashlight beam... I really think I'm hooked on hunting in the darkness. THANK YOU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sward Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I've always wanted to try it as well. I've always thought the limited sight area would help you concentrate and that something shiney like sharks teeth would really stand out. While my wife and I were walking our dog a few days ago, I found a head lamp set very similary to yours. Now I guess I don't have any excuses not to try it out. SWardSoutheast Missouri (formerly Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX) USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I remember some time ago someone else from Texas saying they enjoyed collecting at night in certain areas because they avoided the daytime heat and Sun, and the snakes might not be out as well. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Sounds intriguing. I just feel like I'd be missing something that may be a few feet away that I might spot in daylight. But I think it would be fun to give it a go! Don't bet on the logic of snakes not being out at night though. Many are nocturnal, and those that aren't, also resort to night hunting to beat the heat. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessed1 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Night hunting is great! It helps me by forcing me to slow down and be more focused on a smaller area. Of course finding one of my biggest Megs by flashlight might cause me to be a little bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webmasterj Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Night hunting is also a great way to see a new place in a different "light" a spot you have been to a lot and has gotten stale can get a lot more interesting in the dark, just be careful! Dark Water Megs www.DarkWaterMegs.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've always wanted to try it as well. I've always thought the limited sight area would help you concentrate and that something shiney like sharks teeth would really stand out. While my wife and I were walking our dog a few days ago, I found a head lamp set very similary to yours. Now I guess I don't have any excuses not to try it out. Well...darkness has fallen over north Texas. Part two of the experiment begins. I am heading out to an Upper Cretaceous aged Arcadia Park Formation shark tooth site with a couple of my daughters. I will share the results later tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Well...darkness has fallen over north Texas. Part two of the experiment begins. I am heading out to an Upper Cretaceous aged Arcadia Park Formation shark tooth site with a couple of my daughters. I will share the results later tonight. My daughters and I spent exactly 30 minutes on a well-known Upper Cretaceous aged, Eagle Ford Group, Arcadia Park Formation site tonight. We collected 23 teeth in those 30 minutes (22 shark teeth, 1 fish tooth, and 1 fish vertebra). Granted, I took us to a site that I know has yielded almost 500 teeth in the past few years. I do think that the concentrated beam of the headlamps really makes the teeth stand out. So, Mr. Ward, I would encourage you to try it. I think you will like it. Attached are soome images of the night hunt and the findings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 good show... look for similar tomfoolery in my upcoming reports... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaKoStar Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sward Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 ... So, Mr. Ward, I would encourage you to try it. I think you will like it. Attached are soome images of the night hunt and the findings. So, Mr. Benefield, you've talked me into it. It looks like you and your daughters made quite a haul for 30 minutes effort. Congratulations! Did your daughters have flashlights too? I bet they had a good time too. By the way, Mr. Ward was my father. My name is Steven. SWardSoutheast Missouri (formerly Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX) USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 So, Mr. Benefield, you've talked me into it. It looks like you and your daughters made quite a haul for 30 minutes effort. Congratulations! Did your daughters have flashlights too? I bet they had a good time too. By the way, Mr. Ward was my father. My name is Steven. Steven, yep, all three of us were hooked up with night vision. They were a little nervous at first but ended up enjoying it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 If you guys think I'm crazy, wait till you hear what the cops think of you when they come over to investigate...just sayin'.... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sward Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 If you guys think I'm crazy, wait till you hear what the cops think of you when they come over to investigate...just sayin'.... I've been kinda wondering about that myself. My hillside is right next to a residential neighborhood. I was hoping to try it out tonight, but it sounds like the rains will be moving in this aft. Oh well, they're saying we may get as much as 3-4 inches of rain, so hopefully, that will expose some new teeth. SWardSoutheast Missouri (formerly Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX) USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpaleo Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Night hunting is a blast, especially for light colored shells and shark teeth. When I was camping on a site one day I started walking around with a headlamp and to my suprise found a couple teeth. I try and give it a few minutes now and then at night when I get a chance. Theres something very satisfying about finding fossils at night, like bonus finds for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 making finds at a familiar site is certainly fun, and when you are ready to step it up a notch, i can tell you first hand what a blast it is following a hunch and discovering a hyper productive virgin site at night... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneman007 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I've only hunted by headlights at night. It was a virgin upper britton site with ammonites everywhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Ghost 27 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I love to hunt at night at the beach. I mainly hunt North Myrtle Beach, SC when I go down. Depending on when the tide is on the way out or already out night hunting is best because usually no one else is out hunting. Day time is good but you have alot more competition. Day time I usually try to get out about an hour after high tide and walk the surf as it goes out and hope I'm in the right spot at the right time to find those nice big sharks teeth. Now back to night hunting. I have purchased lights from Lowes that will last about 2 hours on a charge. I'll try to explain what the lights look like since I usually leave the at the beach. They are about 12 to 14 inches long with a handle at one end and the LED bulbes that run the rest of the lenght and are about as big around as a regular flash light. They will cast a very nice light about 3 to 4 feet around. They have a hook on one end so I hang then on my belt. I will take 3 of the them out and that would give me about 6 hours of light if I stayed out that long. I usually stay out about 3 hours so if I have one thats got a full charge I will use 2 and that gives me more light. Most if not all of the fossils and sharks teeth will be black so that makes it even easier to see them. As I said they are rechargeable so I don't have to worry about batt. Since I'm usually the only one out there especially on a cold winter night I can find my best and biggest sharks teeth. I'll probably be going back to the beach in a couple of weeks and I will take some pictures of the light so if folks want to buy some they will know what they look like. They really are good lights for night hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckcreek Davy Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I've been doing it for years. I love it. There's something special about the quiet....I know this summer if you wanted to collect...and not die...the night was the only way to go. But I love doing it anyways. The North Sulfur at night is a trip. I just worry about my car....so far so good. But then again who would want to steal that old Flivver. I have a headlight purchased at Cabella's that really puts out the light for a long time. My favorite so far. I suggest rubber boots. Fire ants have a hard time crawling up them. Usually falling off before they reach you. I also wear lightweight neoprene waders when in or near water. Allows you to go to so many more places. If you are afraid of snakes...then don't do this. Stay home.They are MORE active at night. I'm not bothered by them. Just be sure and make some racket while walking in thick grass and brush to give em fair warning of your approach........I hate spiders. I carry a small pump bottle of 100% Deet. ....yeah-yeah....I know.....nasty stuff...blah-blah. It works! Don't spray it on any plastic, especially lenses on your high dollar flashlights and such. It will dissolve it and ruin your stuff. A firearm is definately an optional piece of equipment in some situations and locations. We're responsible adults here...with responsible offspring. I think we all understand the corrisponding legal and safety requirements........Now the best time to night hunt is when the temp drops to the dew-point and the good stuff starts to shine. Dang I wish I was out there right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 North Sulphur River at night...dang, that is hard-core! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life 42 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 What a cool idea for date night ! Headlamps vs. Candles and moonlight! I'm a bit concerned though - any night time encounters with wild critters? I think some of them would be a bit more active when the sun goes down. ...I'd rather be digging...Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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