Found Outdoors

[Oldan Grumpi]

I’ve found a quite a few things over the years.

A badly weathered 99 Savage in .308, leaning against a spruce tree north of Slave Lake.....a rusted solid Winchester in .30 WCF under the rotted floorboards of a cabin on the Mackenzie river near Little Chicago....a catholic rosary, grown deeply in the fork of a tree on the banks of the Peace River south of Carcajou.

The rosary was the most interesting; it had deteriorated to the point of falling apart when I tried to cut it free, but the crucifix was very ornate and made from aluminum with a wood insert. At first glance that would indicate ‘contemporary’, but I learned that while aluminum was in use after 1825, by the mid-1800s was considered a precious metal on a par with gold.
I’ve done a lot of research, but have never been able to identify it or connect it with any specific order of clergy.

Buffalo skulls and dessicated balls of pemmican were fairly common finds under breaking plows in the Peace River country in the ‘50s. My dad had a quite a few, and I never really gave them a second thought as a kid. I still have most of a shoebox full of arrowheads, scrapers and other such stone tools that we (90% he) found - the old bugger had eyes like a hawk, and could spot an arrowhead right from the iron seat of his John Deere “D”. I guess it’s how he kept those thousands of hours on the tractor interesting.

I also stumbled across a couple of hundred joints of 5 1/2” drill stem with 6” poplars growing up between them, that I’m still scheming on how to fetch them home!

[David Henry]

Round about 1980 I hiked up to south Scarp Lake for a day or two of fishing and found a hunting knife stuck into a tree, rusted pretty bad of course. When I got it home and did a clean up on it I found out it was a Puma made in Germany the antler handles were still good and the manufactures serial number was checked and it was made in the late 1950's if I recall, wonder how long it was stuck in the tree before I came along. D.H.

[saddleup]

Over the years have found a whiskey still, compete with bottles, copper boiler and piping, but no whiskey,.... two whiskey caches to smuggle whiskey across the 49th, US/CAN border, an indian grave,, carbon dated back 500 years, beads, arrowheads, tomahawk heads, grinding stones, and hide scrapers. Also many petrified tree fossils, dino parts, and buffalo skulls, but those were just left as YOU know the rules....;lol

BUT........ a friend of mine claims he found jesus................. heck I didn't even know he was lost.

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by ÜberFly

I’m sure everyone is aware, but I’ll reiterate just in case... objects of historical and anthropological significance cannot be removed from public land ( I would presume private land, as well). And of course all of us being ethical outdoors people would respect that!!

My understanding is if you aren't digging you are allowed to take the item, but it can't be sold or leave the province.

[1MTNMAN]

this sounds like it will be vert interesting reading

[alpineguy]

2 day ride (55 km) back into the Northern Alberta mountains.......Happy Birthday helium balloon......just lying in the bush

[alpineguy]

Found this Billy in the front range of our Rocky Mountains down low on a treed slope. He hadn't been killed from a fall, avalanche or predator.....just picked apart from birds

[Norwest Alta]

Great thread.

I've found lots of things but usually it's because I've lost lots of things.

[pikeman06]

Find lotsa neat stuff sluicing for gold on the north sask. Lotsa fossils and buffalo teeth and snail shells that have turned to stone. Too bad a guy couldn't keep the fossilized stuff seems a shame throwing it back in the river but the rules are the rules. 😉

[ÜberFly]

Nope. Everything is the property of province. You technically need to report to Alberta Cultrue and tourism and give it to them. Subject up to $50k fine and 2 years in prison.

Don't shoot the messenger Jason!

Originally Posted by Jayhad

My understanding is if you aren't digging you are allowed to take the item, but it can't be sold or leave the province.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by ÜberFly

Nope. Everything is the property of province. You technically need to report to Alberta Cultrue and tourism and give it to them. Subject up to $50k fine and 2 years in prison.

Don't shoot the messenger Jason!

Killjoy

[sns2]

Damn... all I ever find is empty beer cans and Tim Horton's cups.

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by sns2

Damn... all I ever find is empty beer cans and Tim Horton's cups.

rolled or unrolled?

[daveyn]

Found a group of really old foundations with some partial log walls still in place lots of buildings in various shapes and sizes along what was obviously a water well. Thought at first it was an old logging camp but after a little research we found out it was actually a POW camp from WWII. Went back later and had a good look around and found a coal bucket with a swastika scratched into it. Always meant to go back with a metal detector but never did get around to it. Maybe this summer. It’s up north of the Ram River in 426 cause I know that’s the next question

[tinmoc]

Very nice, thanks for sharing and inspirations. Brings back my good memories when I found incredibly more things as a kid, including money (new and old) and stones etc... now it's very occasional

[baticus]

Originally Posted by David Henry

Round about 1980 I hiked up to south Scarp Lake for a day or two of fishing and found a hunting knife stuck into a tree, rusted pretty bad of course. When I got it home and did a clean up on it I found out it was a Puma made in Germany the antler handles were still good and the manufactures serial number was checked and it was made in the late 1950's if I recall, wonder how long it was stuck in the tree before I came along. D.H.

I know of a few old timers that have lost multiple knives by sticking them in trees in those areas. Seemed to be quite the trend when field dressing an animal.

We have found quite a few things out in the bush, one of the most notable would be a drive gear and misc parts from an old steam powered tractor that predated the massey ferguson merger. I'm trying to track down pictures of it.

Ultimately probably have lost more than I have found though.

[Oldan Grumpi]

I think I forgot the creepiest one. About 15 years ago, I was trudging through a coulee when I came across a bizarre, but mostly intact, deer sized skeleton.

This thing had a strange barrel shaped rib cage, and a lengthy neck. The back legs were extremely long. The front legs were missing. There was no skull. It had me completely creeped out, I was pretty sure I’d found a dead space alien.

Then I came up out of the coulee and realized I’d been right below an ostrich farm....

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by ÜberFly

Nope. Everything is the property of province. You technically need to report to Alberta Cultrue and tourism and give it to them. Subject up to $50k fine and 2 years in prison.

Don't shoot the messenger Jason!

Peter, I've seen you promote this idea previously, I feel it is erroneous due to the fact that the experts refute your claim;

This is directly from the Royal Tyrell

For most types of fossils found in Alberta though, the ownership resides with the Crown so you can't sell, trade, or remove the fossil from Alberta. If you live in Alberta, you can take the fossil home with you but if you are visiting from outside the province, you cannot take any fossils when you return home.

https://royaltyrrellmuseum.wordpress...ls-in-alberta/

[Okotok]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

Peter, I've seen you promote this idea previously, I feel it is erroneous due to the fact that the experts refute your claim;

This is directly from the Royal Tyrell

For most types of fossils found in Alberta though, the ownership resides with the Crown so you can't sell, trade, or remove the fossil from Alberta. If you live in Alberta, you can take the fossil home with you but if you are visiting from outside the province, you cannot take any fossils when you return home.

https://royaltyrrellmuseum.wordpress...ls-in-alberta/

Thanks for the info. I have a number of fossils picked from along the Peace and Heart Rivers as well as a pretty large piece of petrified dinosaur bone found in the South Saskatchewan River valley near Burstall. I wouldn't sell them but was pretty amazed when I saw a rock shop selling less impressive dinosaur bone pieces for $1k plus.

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

Peter, I've seen you promote this idea previously, I feel it is erroneous due to the fact that the experts refute your claim;

This is directly from the Royal Tyrell

For most types of fossils found in Alberta though, the ownership resides with the Crown so you can't sell, trade, or remove the fossil from Alberta. If you live in Alberta, you can take the fossil home with you but if you are visiting from outside the province, you cannot take any fossils when you return home.

https://royaltyrrellmuseum.wordpress...ls-in-alberta/

This is correct. Have a friend that found a camel skull in southern Alberta, and that was exactly what he was told when he tried to hand it over.

[ghostguy6]

I once spotted something bright pink about 100ft up a pine tree across a coolie with my binos. I couldn't figure out what it was or how it got there so I decided the check it out. Once I got close enough I was able to tell it was a pair or womens underwear. I was miles from any road so I have no idea how it got way up the tree.

I found skeleton still holding onto an old rusted lever action rifle out by Hinton. Police wouldn't let me keep the rifle though. Never did find out what happened.

Lastly I found a unexploded WW2 bomb. Called the police who in tern called the army to send some engineers to blow it up. Engineers said it was likely accidentally dropped during a training mission but not properly armed to detonate on impact. They blew it up on the spot, made a hell of a bang even though they moved me back almost a mile before blowing it.

[Fish along]

Originally Posted by Oldan Grumpi

I think I forgot the creepiest one. About 15 years ago, I was trudging through a coulee when I came across a bizarre, but mostly intact, deer sized skeleton.

This thing had a strange barrel shaped rib cage, and a lengthy neck. The back legs were extremely long. The front legs were missing. There was no skull. It had me completely creeped out, I was pretty sure I’d found a dead space alien.

Then I came up out of the coulee and realized I’d been right below an ostrich farm....

Awesome story,thought you'd found an alien hey.lol well I suppose it was an alien in a way ..

[tool]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

I once spotted something bright pink about 100ft up a pine tree across a coolie with my binos. I couldn't figure out what it was or how it got there so I decided the check it out. Once I got close enough I was able to tell it was a pair or womens underwear. I was miles from any road so I have no idea how it got way up the tree.

I found skeleton still holding onto an old rusted lever action rifle out by Hinton. Police wouldn't let me keep the rifle though. Never did find out what happened.

Lastly I found a unexploded WW2 bomb. Called the police who in tern called the army to send some engineers to blow it up. Engineers said it was likely accidentally dropped during a training mission but not properly armed to detonate on impact. They blew it up on the spot, made a hell of a bang even though they moved me back almost a mile before blowing it.

Haven't you ever heard of the 100' Pine Club?

[Masterchief]

About 25 years ago, I was fly fishing in the Cadomin area. I followed a stream for a few hours and when I looked across the stream there was a set of 4 dinosaur footprints in the stone that was turned almost vertical. I wish I had a camera with me.

[nimrod]

I was fishing up north a few years ago, trolling around a shelf for lakers, when I hooked something below, when I brought it up, looked like it was a volcano type rock, I have it somewhere, will try to find and post pic's when I do.

[Albertadiver]

Neat thread. Nothing stands out for me other than out hiking in the Buller Pass area in K country a few years ago, we were hiking off trail going up a ridgeline in the trees and ran into a squad of soldiers in full camo, netting, etc.

Turns out it was the G8 and they had soldiers all over the hills around the Kananaskis lodge. We were told to go the other way....

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by Okotok

Thanks for the info. I have a number of fossils picked from along the Peace and Heart Rivers as well as a pretty large piece of petrified dinosaur bone found in the South Saskatchewan River valley near Burstall. I wouldn't sell them but was pretty amazed when I saw a rock shop selling less impressive dinosaur bone pieces for $1k plus.

No problem, I have well over 300 interesting rocks, all grabbed through out Alberta so my exposure to litigation could be huge. I have been over this to make sure my interpretation of the law is correct and iron-clad

[Red Bullets]

The difference in collecting fossils or artifacts is whether the finds are on the surface or in situ, (in the original place), and require excavation to extract. Like arrowheads found in a plowed field are from disturbed land could be picked up. Those same arrowheads found under 3 inches of dirt on a undisturbed hilltop would require permits because they are in-situ. Same with dinos.

A good explanation here...

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/research/fossils_law.htm

[pikeman06]

Originally Posted by nimrod

I was fishing up north a few years ago, trolling around a shelf for lakers, when I hooked something below, when I brought it up, looked like it was a volcano type rock, I have it somewhere, will try to find and post pic's when I do.

Volcano rock actually floats because it's so porous. I was fishin in forestburg reservoir one day and heard something banging on the side of the boat and it was a volcano rock. Wish I could post a picture of it but I never have any luck posting pictures and the old girl gets sour from the procedure too.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

The difference in collecting fossils or artifacts is whether the finds are on the surface or in situ, (in the original place), and require excavation to extract. Like arrowheads found in a plowed field are from disturbed land could be picked up. Those same arrowheads found under 3 inches of dirt on a undisturbed hilltop would require permits because they are in-situ. Same with dinos.

A good explanation here...

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/research/fossils_law.htm

So basically just say it was sitting on top and it’s yours. Good to know.