[meteorite-list] WHO IS THE BEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL METEORITE HUNTER OUT...

From: MeteorHntr at aol.com <MeteorHntr_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:39:23 EDT
Message-ID: <d23.463c50f2.3790dbeb_at_aol.com>

In a message dated 7/16/2009 12:11:43 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
joshuatreemuseum at embarqmail.com writes:
Steve Arnold is a contender, I think he beat
the pants off Mike at West, but didn't he have a 5 year long drought?

*******
Phil,

I am honored by your mention, but we have to be serious here. I have only
hunted at 7 sites in the last 4 years, spending 90% of my time at two
sites. West was a fun 28 day detour in it all.

Before 2005 I was an amateur meteorite hunter only hitting one or two
places a year with metal detector in hand. In 2003 I picked up 113 meteorites
from Park Forest, one being 11 km from the main mass, I found the most
there, but I don't think anyone else was even trying to find a lot.

For the most part, over the years I invested most of my time and made most
of my money from being a dealer not a hunter.

If we are judging this by total weight recovered, I am beat by quite a few
people on lifetime numbers. If we are judged by total number recoveries
from different locations, there are many people who beat me. If we judge by
profit from meteorite sales of found meteorites, there are many more
higher on that list than I am.

Maybe, if you judged success by most media coverage (TV, newspaper, Radio,
Magazines,internet, etc.) I would be at the top of that list. But I
hardly think that is a good barometer for determining the "Most Successful
Meteorite Hunter."

Success is our world is often judged by the amount of money you make. So
who has made the most money? But what about people that are not in this
for the bottom line only? Cottingham mentioned not willing to sacrifice
family time to be gone from home too much. If his kids grow up emotionally
well balanced because he was in their lives more, but someone else finds more
meteorites but has a lousy home life, some people might argue who really
was more of a "success?"

It is easier to measure who did the best at one location. Let's all go
to Holbrook for the weekend, and whomever finds the most in number wins the
title for the day. Or drop us off at Munonionalusta for a week, and we can
put the bounty on the scales 7 days later. Who found the biggest West?
Or the most Wests? Or the most total weight of Wests? Who will find the
most at this new Arizona Strewnfield?

I think it might be possible to single out who might have had the best
year financially, in total weight, in total numbers etc in a given year, but
to stretch it out for more than a decade long period of time, that gets a
bit tough, and very subjective.

Someone might be better or worse than their numbers indicate because of
other factors in their life. Others might just get a little lucky.

It is all so subjective.

And to top it off, I don't know if anyone out there is hell bent on
finding the most new meteorites, or the most total recovered weight, or the
biggest single meteorite of all time. Most of us do this because we love it.
We love the challenge that each day brings, that each new fall brings, that
each old strewnfield with new clues brings.

I would guess there are people that want to find as many as they can. Or
to find the biggest they can. And I am sure there are people that want to
make as much money as possible. But as with so many things in life, it
isn't so much beating everyone else, but beating mediocrity and being the best
one can be.

If being a husband, a father, a grandfather, a teacher, a dealer, a
scientists, etc. gets in the way of being a better "hunter" then we all make
those quality decisions at different times in our lives.

And since this isn't like boxing, where one unquestionable champion holds
the title until someone takes it away from him, and since this isn't like
pro football with a Super Bowl game at the end of the playoffs, how do you
measure the current Champion?

Maybe it would be better to look at this more like a "Hall of Fame"
question where a lifetime of contribution is recognized on a persons individual
accomplishments and contributions.

Steve Arnold
of "Meteorite Men"
 
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Received on Thu 16 Jul 2009 03:39:23 PM PDT