The Radio blurts out the extremely unusual. A winter storm warning for 4 P.M. along the coast of North Carolina with 1-4 inches of off shore snow covering the coast from Savannah to the Outer Banks. That’s another bad omen as I tool down the road for my no tap out cage match with the “King of Fossils”. He’s travelling up from Myrtle Beach and bringing along Joe to referee the FossilFight.
A neutral arena was selected, one we’ve only been to a few times. The Rocky Point Mine! As I pull in (A little late) The King is there, he’s got his 4x4 all done in a new fossil sticker scheme. You know things like MegHunter and Meglomanic. He’s got waders. He’s got rakers, He’s got GPS, He’s got UV glasses. Me..? I even forgot to bring gloves and it’s not going to break 40 today.
“It’s jus you n me pal.” He sneers “Waah do y’all wan to do and wer you wanna go”. He drawls as the tobacco spit dribbles down his chin. “Man.. I am here for the teeth”. I reply and he smiles. The conditions for a FossilFight are simply gorgeous. Ton’s of rain recently and nobody has been hunting much. We didn’t see a footprint the whole day.
Taking a tip from Fossil fanatic Linda Wooten, we jump a major water obstacle and start on endless ridgelines. The erosion is fantastic and within a minute the King of Fossils has a small Ric in hand. I’m speechless because I haven’t found one in 6 months, but if you could have seen the King’s face this is a garbage tooth. I make a column right and head away from the King to stake my own claim down the line and a ridgeline over.
I’m walking around by myself scanning all the cubic yards of eroded dirt wondering if a big ric is going to appear and thinking maybe I would be better off looking for echnoids down on the bottom. Also I wonder just how bad the King of Fossils is going to pound me this time, you see I have never, ever come close to getting this guy. Sure I can bet up on easy marks like N.Y.Rob but the pro’s, well that’s another story.
I walk around on top of a ridgeline and see a cliff of red dirt up ahead tumbling down to the gully, as I peer over the side there she is just laying there in the sun . Yessir the ric I’ve been looking for to finish out a shadow box. I’m elated and know the King will have to work his royal ass off to bet this pristine 40 million year old relic.
Back at the vehicles the King pulls out his own ace of spades. A smaller ric… thin and rapier sharp. I’ve never seen one that thin before and for all I know it may be ultra rare! I got big and he got thin; Who won the fossilfight? I guess we both did!
Afterward, we headed out to a Civil War encampment which is in the area. This is Joe’s passion and we spent the afternoon talking about the fights around Wilmington. I did get a period pistol bullet and some odd silver plated lead box remnants which rounded out a great day to be goofing off rather than working for the man.
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