Hi, my girlfriend & I are really still rookies at artifact hunting. We live in Hunt Co (NE TX) & mostly hunt in the riverbeds around here. We've been on a couple of digs in Red River Co, and came back with a couple of nice points. But we're anxious to do some exploring down in central TX. This is where the real rookie shows . . . we don't know where we should start, and we're on a pretty tight budget. We're trying to plan a long weekend trip to the area maybe in early April. I've seen the spot for Chrisners ranch on this site. Can anybody tell me anything about it? Thanks for any info you can give me!

I spent a day at Chrisners back in November during Digfest. I only dug for a little while and spent most of the day surface hunting. Didn't find much, a couple of tools. A couple of people had some good finds that day, and I've heard of a couple since then. It is the cheapest, but obviously there's a reason for that. For the best return on your money, I'd check out "Local Paydigs" on the front page. They're more expensive, but there are more points to be found. The only other dig I've been to is TJ's and I had a lot of fun.

Thanks for the reply Chris. Those photos from TJs are awesome and I know it would be a blast, but that trip would definitely bust our budget. Bandera Co would be like a 6 hour or more drive for us, and then add in gas, food, and beer . . . . Although, maybe we could do just one day of hunting & then check out the hill country scenery the rest of the time. Thanks for the input!

Hey Dave I live in the far east part of Collin County and have been looking for a good place to hunt in the Greenville area. I have checked several spots on the Sulphur River w/o much luck but I have found some very cool dinosaur bones and such. If you have some spots you wouldn't mind sharing it would be very much appreciated. My son and I go "exploring" as often as we can get out. We are probably going somewhere this weekend but don't know where yet. I have this nice old timer friend who wants to show me a creek he used to hunt 20-30 years ago that not many know about west of Greenville. If it turns out I can share it with you. The only problem is that he is way old and down in his back so it might be a while. You can call me at 972-800-1763. thanks and good luck with the central Texas hunt.

Dave my other half and i live in Lubbock tx , we also are on a tight budget , although i talked with a friend last weekend , his family has a large farm in Comanchee , he said that his dad had passed away a couple of years back and the land hasnt even been plowed in 8 years , mom wont have any problem with you guys hunting all you want , also my mother owns an H&R block , one of her long time customers owns a 10.000 acre ranch in spur tx , so being addicted i asked to see if we could hunt there also . sure no prob . so if you guys are wanting to hunt , let me know , it would be a lot funner with a couple of more people along , maybe my other half wont yap at me so much and distract me with other people around lol , thats a joke dont tell her lol

D&J, checkout the D2 pay dig, still costs money but might be closer to you, gas saving some comp.

thanks to all for the tips!
Jon - I'll be glad to show you a couple of spots on the NSR that I hunt. It would be great to have some company. Some of the areas are body-ditchin territory & I get a little uneasy goin alone. I run into all types up there, but have never had any trouble with anybody. It's also overrun with wild hogs, so I usually wait until the sun is up high in the morning before I head out. I got some good shots last weekend of one that weighed 225-250 with some nice cutters on him. It's kinda hard to relax when I know that dude is in the area.
I can't get out today-gotta catch up on chores & got a hot date tonite with my girl. Maybe tomorrow (S-bowl Sunday) I'll get out. You can email me. You may want to consider waiting until we get a good rain before driving up, tho. The river has been pretty well hunted since the last rain event.

Yo Jon - I sent you email about meeting up in Cooper tomorrow AM about 0900 to go surface hunting on the NSR. I never got a reply, so I'm a little confused. You gonna make it or no? Gimme a shout - Dave 903-413-7458