Heartland Gem Hunter

08/12/2025

A couple nice LSA's from this sunday's hunt area. Terri Steinman will be joining us yay! 😄

08/12/2025

A little bit of fun on the side. Pokémon is not really my thing, but some old football wax would be nice. We're going.

FEATURING: 900+ Vendor Tables, Sports Cards, Funko POP!, Comic Books, Vintage Toys, Video Games, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Celebrities, Live Performance, EXCLUSIVES.

08/11/2025

Sunday polish by Jeffrey Snook.

08/10/2025

Ahh. Now I understand what's going on. Watch the quail, drop its leg and wing. It kicks up a bit of dust. " Hey look at me. I'm injured!" Wait till the end and you'll understand.
I don't claim to be a wildlife expert. I'm just describing what I think I see and hear.

08/10/2025

There are some low maintenance road areas to avoid. Yesterday revealed one of these locations. While most landowners are not too worried about someone picking rocks from low maintenance roads (I talk to them), we must keep in mind ownership is to the center of the road in most townships. We will not be revisiting yesterday's location. Nothing overly dramatic occurred, but I did talk to the landowner and we came to an understanding. An understanding he still was not content with based on his demeanor throughout the conversation and ending. Access is allowed and he didn't care about the rocks. He was worried about his property and embankment to fence - No man's land. And he's 100% correct, property line is to the center of the road.
So, is permission required on low maintenance roads? Just talk to the landowners. If they don't want you there, they'll tell you. Respect their wishes. Virtually all landowners I talk to are pretty happy-faced and talkative when they figure out we're just walking the roads looking for little rocks. But some don't understand it. They're just fearful you're going to hop the fence. Some are pretty hardcore about ownership to the center of the road but you got to consider what kind of business is going on out there? Farming. So rock hunters can be a detriment to their livelihood in many ways. Just look for limestone gravel to appear someday at your favorite hunting spot.
Remember that big 50 to 75 lb Stone buried in the center of the road a month back? This is exactly why it's still there today.
As time has passed, I've learned a lot more details about hunting the glaciated region of Kansas. Where you find the agates can be a touchy subject and often is. Even if you think you're not breaking the law. I stick to areas in which I have had many conversations with landowners. Permissions. Areas I've visited in the past in which negative interaction has occurred on a road? I don't go back. You shouldn't either.

08/10/2025

We have definitely hit our stride with identifying various Lake Superior moss agate varieties. We've picked over 10 lb in the last year.
There are common varieties, but there are also some that are much more complex and HTF. The grays and blacks would fit that category IMO. But the problem is every agate is unique. As soon as I get comfortable thinking one variety is more common than the other, that's when I end up finding something crazy cool. Like the red quartz fill. That one will surprise you. The more I look at it, the more I think that quartz is actually saturated with some beautiful moss structure.

08/09/2025

Me too.

Two things against this agate. It's a quartz fill and it's a moss LOL but if you look closely, the moss infiltrates the quartz center. A half point upgrade IMO. I also noticed needle-like structure on the exterior. It could be dendrites and probably are, but one other option comes up - sagenite (doubtful). Limited areas so not significant.

08/09/2025

Rhiannon is on the board.

08/07/2025

Show me the money - a yearly post.

The largest banded LSA ever found in Kansas, that I know of (still a qf). There's a story or two, but no documented proof. Not including moss agate (BB).
Found 2016 by an old friend. Right about 4 months after making an ass of myself in a big Great Lakes FB group - "10 lb LSA's can be found in Kansas." Ugh. Logical, but proof was needed.
It's far from a high grade LSA, but it is a great example of what is possible - everything from the Lake Superior region. The only difference is finding widespread till at the surface in Kansas. About 800,000 years of erosion. It's going to be different.

08/06/2025

Dinner break agate in Shawnee county .

08/05/2025

Lunch break agate at the beginning.