Any tips for a starting local fossil hunter?

[Macrophyseter]

So today Ive went down to the bay that I was planning to find fossils in for awhile, only to come back empty handed (I couldnt reach any of the shale quarries and just decided that its layers are too flat to house fossils anyways). Being a Palos Verdean, There are small pockets of quarries which are generaly unprotected by preserves (usually alongside roads, sometimes beaches). Palos Verdes has a rich history of Miocene-Quarternary fossils, but much of the fossiliferous zones are protected by preserves. Because I cant really go far just to find fossils, I can only hunt in the small pockets I can find. Ive studied some geological maps and do know where the according-to-theory fossiliferous shale are, I just dont know how exactly to find fossils without destroying the place and getting under a legal flat. Are there any tips and tricks for this kind of fossiling?

[BobWill]

How far you have to go to find fossils depends totally on where you are. There are many exposures with no fossils at all. If there are public waterways or road cuts that expose rock in your area that is a place to start but often the best way to be sure you're not wasting time on a barren formation is to look for the closest rock and fossil organization for help. They know which places to collect and which to avoid. Sometimes they even make arrangements to collect on private property. Here in Texas there are even rock quarries that let groups in. They ask you to sign a hold-harmless agreement and wear a hard hat to appease their insurance companies but that's understandable. Many groups are a combination of gem & mineral fans and artifact hunters and amateur paleontologists but even these have field trips that might appeal to your interests or even information about public sites on a website or brochure. Maybe a forum member in your area will know of one to check out or a site they will share information on.