jikohr Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 Hi everyone! My family and I are staying in Boca for a week and half in a month and while I'm in Florida I was hoping to hunt the Peace River. It will be my first time at that site and I was hoping to see if anyone has any tips about hunting there and avoiding hazards environmental and large/scaly. P.S. Yes I am aware it is a three hour drive, I live in Houston, that's near the minimum I have to drive to find anything. I am fine with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Fun Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 I recommend a guided tour, if it’s your first trip out. Otherwise you can walk in at many spots and you won’t find the kind of gravel needed to find some good specimens. my two cents Rick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 I concur. From what I've seen on the forum here is that it's similar to Mazon Creek in my neck of the woods in Illinois. If you go out by yourself, plan to be skunked the first three or four times until you get the lay of the land. It's more difficult nowadays than it was 50 years ago. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 3 hours ago, jikohr said: It will be my first time at that site and I was hoping to see if anyone has any tips about hunting there and avoiding hazards environmental and large/scaly. One of the guide services will get you up to speed quickly. Do an inter-webber-net search for "peace river fossil guide" and you'll see several great options. No need to worry about gators. It's the cooler time of the year and not mating season so they will generally keep to themselves (and mostly be seen basking on the banks). I've never heard of a fossil hunter having a run in with one (other than a few who have been diving in deeper water investigating "gator holes" for any fossils that might have dropped in). You have more to worry about sunburn than gator attack. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jikohr Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 7 hours ago, Family Fun said: I recommend a guided tour, if it’s your first trip out. Otherwise you can walk in at many spots and you won’t find the kind of gravel needed to find some good specimens. my two cents Rick 6 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said: I concur. From what I've seen on the forum here is that it's similar to Mazon Creek in my neck of the woods in Illinois. If you go out by yourself, plan to be skunked the first three or four times until you get the lay of the land. It's more difficult nowadays than it was 50 years ago. 5 hours ago, digit said: One of the guide services will get you up to speed quickly. Do an inter-webber-net search for "peace river fossil guide" and you'll see several great options. No need to worry about gators. It's the cooler time of the year and not mating season so they will generally keep to themselves (and mostly be seen basking on the banks). I've never heard of a fossil hunter having a run in with one (other than a few who have been diving in deeper water investigating "gator holes" for any fossils that might have dropped in). You have more to worry about sunburn than gator attack. Cheers. -Ken Thank you all so much! A guided tour huh, don't get me wrong, it's not my first time fossil hunting, just my first time at this site. Sounds like a really good idea though to get the most out of my limited time there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 5 hours ago, jikohr said: Sounds like a really good idea though to get the most out of my limited time there! Yup. That's the point. Once you've learned the ropes and are familiar with the types of fossils that can be found in the river you can consider constructing your own sifters or renting them from the Peace River Canoe Outpost office and try it on your own during repeat visits. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 23 hours ago, jikohr said: Hi everyone! My family and I are staying in Boca for a week and half in a month and while I'm in Florida I was hoping to hunt the Peace River. It will be my first time at that site and I was hoping to see if anyone has any tips about hunting there and avoiding hazards environmental and large/scaly. P.S. Yes I am aware it is a three hour drive, I live in Houston, that's near the minimum I have to drive to find anything. I am fine with that. The basic gear for hunting the Peace River is shovel and sieve, and water transportation to get you away from the access points. The guide service provides all that and takes you to a place where others have had some recent success. By their nature, the guide services return to the easiest places to find some fossils and make their clients happy. Usually there has been a lot of digging in these locations. Some strategies: 1) You are prospecting: If you dig in a spot for 30 minutes and find little or nothing; move 2) Rather than digging wide, first dig deep. Many hunters give up before they reach the good layers. 3) When you reach the bottom of the gravel, dig laterally. If you run into leaf/branch debris, it means that leaves have filled holes created by others, and then sand or gravel have rolled in on top. If you are fortunate, you will end up with a lot of little teeth and a few "trip_makers" 2 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PODIGGER Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Don’t forget to get yourself a Florida Fossil Hunting permit. You will need one to legally keep any thing other than shark teeth. It only costs $5 and all information and the application can be found on the Florida Museum of Natural History website. Good luck! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Yup. Both great additions to this conversation. If you choose to avail yourself of a fossil guide you are covered under their fossil permit. They are responsible for identifying any Scientifically Important Specimens (SIS) that need to be reported to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH). The state allows you to keep vertebrate fossil finds but has first dibs on any that really should be in the collection for study. This is a really rare occurrence (less than one per year) but is an important part of the permitting process that makes sure important finds are available for science. All explained here: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/amateur-collector/fossil-permit/ Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Fun Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 I’ve been out just over 16 times over the last year, and all of mine have been with a tour. I could easily purchase a kayak or canoe, now that I know some of the better spots from the location we put into the river. That said, I LOVE finding fossils, but I also love seeing others find them as well, and many have found much better than me, my dumb luck. That would include my bride who found a small, but nice Meg her first trip. if you private message me, I’d be happy to share my source. good luck on whatever path you take, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jikohr Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 Once again, thank you all! I've booked a guide for two days, hopefully the weather is nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Current river level seems to be 20" below normal in Arcadia so barring any rain or cold snaps it looks like you should have excellent conditions for a fossil hunt. Good luck and take lots of photos. Looking forward to the trip report. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Fun Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 I was in the river Saturday and it wasn’t to cold for me, and I hate cold. As long as I didn’t go further than waist deep. Good Luck, I sure hope you find a bunch. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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