Meteorite Hunting where when and how.

 

 I am certain sitting here at my desk this summer morning in 2018, that within 100 miles of my desk is another undiscovered strewn field. I have spent many days out exploring and rarely did I see any other people. Never did I run into another person looking for meteorites. So that tells me that few if any experienced eyes have seen most of the ground in my desert. Let alone places with lots of brush and weeds. When I found my first Franconia meteorite, I had never heard of the Franconia meteorite or John Wolfe. I did not see the meteorite I was swinging my detector over random areas in my desert. It took dozens of trips and hundreds of hours of swinging to find the first one. But it sure was worth it to find an untouched strewn field. I had a great time hunting that strewn field by myself, but it was a lot of fun to share with my friends as well.

 So what I am saying if you want to find a meteorite, go do it you can find them. They are by no means easy to find, but if you give it all you have you can be successful. 

In Arizona we are at an advantage because we have dry open desert, so the chance of spotting a meteorite visually, is high in Arizona. Back east you will have to rely on a detector more. The good news is even if you do not find a meteorite with a detector, there are tons of very cool things that you might find. 

Some things I have found, Gold in the ore, watches, old parts of guns, old coins, old tools, chains, tractor seat, metal arrowheads, cool cans, cow bells, musket balls, old bullets and casings, horse shoes of every size. I am sure I am forgetting many of the things I have found, but the point is some junk is a lot of fun to dig up. 

Look up the history in your area and see if there were any falls or finds within driving distance, the best place to find meteorites is where they have been found before. Make a trip to the old known strewn fields, you might be surprised to find we left a couple with your name on them. You will never know unless you go have a look. They are still finding Gold Basin to this day, that is where I found my first meteorite and so did many other hunters. Where will you find your first meteorite, and will be as big as my biggest?