jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 24, 2016 23:34:08 GMT -5
This is 8 out of 10 buckets so far.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2016 1:26:43 GMT -5
Indigo. Texas form. Season is now to Thanksgiving. 8-( Season ? What season ? Indigo snake activity season in Tejás. They mate for about 4 weeks from now to thanksgiving.
|
|
meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
|
Post by meviva on Oct 25, 2016 2:02:50 GMT -5
Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for the pics.
Andrea
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 8:29:07 GMT -5
Indigo snake activity season in Tejás. They mate for about 4 weeks from now to thanksgiving. Never know, season around these parts means dinner fare. Hate to see one killed. In Florida they often nest in gopher turtle holes-right ? Texas has terrapins too, Indigo stay in their burrows too ?
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
|
Post by Sabre52 on Oct 25, 2016 8:29:30 GMT -5
James: When a horse pins his ears back, that is a sign that it is pissed and considering aggression and that you should be cautious. Herd boss can get real protective and horses can get real dangerous. Kicks can kill and bites can flat tear off your hide. Those full buckets are beautiful. You guys are doing great out there. How are the allergies? Fall down in that region for me has me sneezing my nose off...Mel
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 8:31:06 GMT -5
Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for the pics. Andrea Thanks Andrea. Wish it were closer.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 8:48:56 GMT -5
James: When a horse pins his ears back, that is a sign that it is pissed and considering aggression and that you should be cautious. Herd boss can get real protective and horses can get real dangerous. Kicks can kill and bites can flat tear off your hide. Those full buckets are beautiful. You guys are doing great out there. How are the allergies? Fall down in that region for me has me sneezing my nose off...Mel Sensed that horse was going cocky on me. He certainly has nothing to fear from me. He is quite the beast. Staying healthy. Sampled a lot of spots From lake's edge and going perpendicularly away from lake. Agate density higher closer to river. But the vertical layers effect density too. Must say that the lower section in the caliche is producing the most agate. And where the caliche is 10-15 feet thick instead of 3-4 feet thick. If I had a 35 gallon insecticide tank with misting pump it probably would have quintupled production. A thin mud coating is coating 90% of the cobbles in the highest density areas. Need a drizzly day.
|
|
|
Post by txrockhunter on Oct 25, 2016 13:51:11 GMT -5
Great thread, James! Very jealous of your hunting trip and the haul you'll be taking home! I love the Ranch Gates, too. Mel's right.....many of the ranches with huge gates wield some old single wide trailers, used as temp lodging for hunters. High fences usually mean pure bread deer and or exotics. The Deer Corn & Protein Feed sales have to be staggering in Texas!
P.S. If you haven't already done so, stop at a Buc-ee's. It's an institution here in Texas....almost cultish. Not sure how to describe it, other than the biggest, busiest, gas station / general store you've ever been in. Might be the 8th wonder of the world......marketing genius's.
Honk on your way by, as you head home!
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
|
Post by Fossilman on Oct 25, 2016 15:34:29 GMT -5
A hounders dream Brother-great haul...........SCORE!!!!
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
|
Post by Sabre52 on Oct 25, 2016 15:55:14 GMT -5
OH man, I've heard of Buc-ees but never hit one yet, though I like Loves a lot. Good hot dogs!
Yup, high fences here means you never know what will come out of the bushes, lots of exotics in Texas. Also means you must manage your deer herd and as Txrockhunter says, feed them to keep them in good shape. My monthly feed bill for just the little herd of deer. mouflon and blackbuck we have around runs about $300 per month. Dang things are eating machines if you want to keep them healthy.
This is like my favorite thread ever! Hunting Rios vicariously without leaving the house. How cool is that?.....Mel
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 25, 2016 17:06:43 GMT -5
This is 8 out of 10 buckets so far. Do you have to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from all that firey color when you collect? So nice!
What are the logistics of sending the booty home? Several trips into Zapata to add them to your shipping bags?
Glad you are both holding out and finding some treasures! Bet you'll need at least a week to rest up after you get back.
James, stay away from those horses! Oh, and a group of horses is a herd. Just saying...
|
|
|
Post by Pat on Oct 25, 2016 18:00:02 GMT -5
James, thanks for all the explanations, and pictures. I admire your source tracing ability. Interesting story. And it looks like a lot of fun.
Thanks!
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 22:16:44 GMT -5
Great thread, James! Very jealous of your hunting trip and the haul you'll be taking home! I love the Ranch Gates, too. Mel's right.....many of the ranches with huge gates wield some old single wide trailers, used as temp lodging for hunters. High fences usually mean pure bread deer and or exotics. The Deer Corn & Protein Feed sales have to be staggering in Texas! P.S. If you haven't already done so, stop at a Buc-ee's. It's an institution here in Texas....almost cultish. Not sure how to describe it, other than the biggest, busiest, gas station / general store you've ever been in. Might be the 8th wonder of the world......marketing genius's. Honk on your way by, as you head home! Saw a sign "200 class deer for sale". You can count on one hand the 200 class deer in Georgia. I hit Buc-ee's south of Houston. The place was bigger than the town. Big aisles. what freaked me out is driving speed down here. Getting passed like I was sitting still at 80 MPH on a two lane. And no imported trucks, all US made. Most beautiful soil for 150 miles below Houston, no wonder deer grow so well. Add Live Oaks. Gates must be the reason for most of the mortgage. enough steel in the entry to build a battleship. I have yet to see one in Zapata with 'Smith' or 'Jones', all hispanic names. The architecture strongly represents Hispanic roots. We are worn out every day, pretty much sun up to sun down Jeremy.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 22:20:57 GMT -5
James, thanks for all the explanations, and pictures. I admire your source tracing ability. Interesting story. And it looks like a lot of fun. Thanks! I do like the geology side of rock hunting Pat. Try to pay close attention to where target rocks occur. Best rocks on ground at 307 feet above sea level. 307-320 in the quarry's. Lake is about 298. Google earth a big help this trip.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 22:32:32 GMT -5
OH man, I've heard of Buc-ees but never hit one yet, though I like Loves a lot. Good hot dogs! Yup, high fences here means you never know what will come out of the bushes, lots of exotics in Texas. Also means you must manage your deer herd and as Txrockhunter says, feed them to keep them in good shape. My monthly feed bill for just the little herd of deer. mouflon and blackbuck we have around runs about $300 per month. Dang things are eating machines if you want to keep them healthy. This is like my favorite thread ever! Hunting Rios vicariously without leaving the house. How cool is that?.....Mel Found the agate density increases at the tips of the points closest to the river center line almost exponentially, plus jasper and color pet wood. 2002 ans 2013 were very dry years apparently according to time bar on google earth. Must do a trip when the lake is low. Yes deer have an appetite. They leave everything naked from 5 feet and down in Georgia. Our deer density much heavier in Georgia according to the tracks i see here. Way more dense. Tons of browse helps. Darn things eat saw briars. And about everything else.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 22:40:37 GMT -5
A hounders dream Brother-great haul...........SCORE!!!! Some spots the agate is thick. Find a fist sized chunk and pop a small window w/the hammer. Looks like a glass shard came off the sun bleached agate. Quite a rush. Lot and lots of duds though. green brown yellow orange black red pink purple are typical moss colors. Wet them down and it all looks like a bucket of fruit candy. Some of the finest are bleached the most. There is also a million patterns in the very high grade chert. But it is about all earth tone. Been collecting the heels I break off of the chert to do a Texas chert tumble. Shame it has little primary color, just about all earth tones.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 25, 2016 22:55:34 GMT -5
This is 8 out of 10 buckets so far. Do you have to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from all that firey color when you collect? So nice!
What are the logistics of sending the booty home? Several trips into Zapata to add them to your shipping bags?
Glad you are both holding out and finding some treasures! Bet you'll need at least a week to rest up after you get back.
James, stay away from those horses! Oh, and a group of horses is a herd. Just saying...
It is bright out here. Ha, yes some of these agates have some rich color. Will have more than enough to keep the tumblers happy. Been skipping a lot of small stones and collecting where the larger stones congregate for whatever reason. Rio's easy to tumble, you can fill the barrel with golf ball size with no smalls and they do just fine. El primo for 'big' rock tumble. Mother nature left nothing but the hardest part. The Texas cherts are impressive, a small tap with the hammer and a 5 inch chip fires off. The knappers would be in heaven. All that is needed for collecting is a 3.5 foot steel rod out 1/4 inch stock. Tap it once and listen for a ring. That will discriminate glassy vs grainy/fractured real quick. Not sure the source for all the cherts. They are larger say 5-10 inch cobbles and shaped like a mildly flattened oval. Perfect cross section to slab for spearheads. If heat treated they would be like glass.
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
|
Post by Sabre52 on Oct 26, 2016 8:03:27 GMT -5
You guys doing any good on the Shrinkwood, Pocket Rot, palm fiber, or palm root? Pics of the pet wood you're finding please *S*. That region is supposed to have some of the most colorful in the nation.
By the way, your running commentary is as fun ans interesting as the pictures!. Again, best trip thread ever!..Mel
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2016 8:22:32 GMT -5
You guys doing any good on the Shrinkwood, Pocket Rot, palm fiber, or palm root? Pics of the pet wood you're finding please *S*. That region is supposed to have some of the most colorful in the nation. By the way, your running commentary is as fun ans interesting as the pictures!. Again, best trip thread ever!..Mel I try to take some time off to post a tid bit daily. Bob out with the sun. Bob scored double big yesterday. The last pile in the quarry, and then he found a way in to a long finger at caliche altitude going way out in the lake. 90% of the rocks in the hottest zone are on the lake shore but have a mud coating that eliminates ID. Big problem. Bob found a fine chunk of palm first day behind hotel at lake. I found 2 beautiful woods and a palm yesterday. But wood fine wood is not common. Tons of earth tone, but little w/color. And those 3 fine woods close to the river channel. At higher 320-330 altitude wood is real common. Just dark brown/black. Like this:
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,553
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2016 8:46:07 GMT -5
The wood is the most deceptive. Many variations except little with color. The sun bleaches grains on the outer layer but the inside is often bland with no rings. And visa versa.. Tons of this well silicified wood A coarse palm, judging from bleached ouster layer it should be a knockout, but never know wood w/color Most of the mosses and plumes are still classic biscuit shape. Competing cherts much rounder and thicker. Better jaspers biscuits too, do jaspers form in biscuits ? A fine line between a dense moss pattern and a jasper. But some of the best biscuit jaspers ring like glass unlike a moss
|
|