[meteorite-list] Question For The List ???? WHO IS THE BEST ANDMOST SUCCESSFUL METEORITE HUNTER OUT THERE?

[al mitt]

Greetings List,

Not sure where this idea that Harvey Nininger wasn't a meteorite hunter came 
from but it is wrong. He was a meteorite hunter, he chased falls, plotted 
areas they fell in and went to those areas to search. He also hunted in 
areas that he was in. He did that while hunting for scrap metal during world 
war 2. He was effective at getting people to look for him. I would say that 
is using your head so more specimens could be found and using people that 
were familiar with the land to hunt those areas. When Norton County fell, 
Nininger was standing on top of the meteorite when Lincoln LaPaz and his 
friend arrived and looked down to see Nininger already there. Don't tell me 
that hunters these days don't get local people to hunt and go back to buy 
later. Sure they hunt themselves but getting others to help expedites finds.

One would have to define what a meteorite hunter is (as mentioned already in 
this thread). Just because it doesn't fit your definition doesn't mean that 
hunting in a specific way is wrong or excludes you as a hunter. People 
making the claim that Nininger wasn't a hunter, haven't read all his books 
and don't know the extreme efforts he went to finding new specimens. He 
often went back to areas and conducted hunts while also approaching people 
who might know something about a find or fall. Plainview, Texas is one area 
that he hunted extensively finding more specimens to collect and trade. He 
went into Mexico chasing down leads which were pretty risky back then.

One also has to remember the time and conditions in which Harvey Nininger 
hunted. He hunted in the depression era but was still able to persuade 
investors to buy into his hunts. Transportation was not good back then. Lots 
of dirt roads and hazards along the way while driving his model T. Patching 
tires in deep mud. Making it three or four hundred miles was tough. Flying 
back then was expensive and not real common. There were no interstate roads 
that you could jump in your car and drive 700 miles a day easily.

Metal detectors weren't as effective and bulky. People were very cautious of 
strangers in their towns and on their ranches and farms. Harvey mentioned 
that for every successful trip, there were dozens of other trips that didn't 
pan out. He wasn't eager to mention the trips that weren't successful. If he 
found or was able to have others help him find over 222 new finds or falls 
and over a thousand meteorite specimens, he certainly picked up a number of 
meteorite specimens himself. Multiply 222 times a dozen or two (trips or 
leads that weren't successful) and you have nearly 5,000 to 6,000 trips and 
hunts. Divide by a forty year span of time and you have about 125 trips or 
hunts a year! How many trips are people making these days using modern 
transportation? Nininger would often and smartly combine trips but that is 
still a lot of hunting in my book.

Nininger used Farington's book on meteorites 1915 to hunt down old 
strewnfields. I'll try to dig up some of his personal finds and post them 
here when time permits. Saying Harvey Nininger wasn't hardly a meteorite 
hunter shows a great deal of ignorance and such people making claims should 
read some of his books he wrote to educate themselves. Best!

--AL Mitterling