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Hunting the grapevine


Shellseeker

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I really like going out hunting... the thrill of the instant of finding something unique is pure joy and I like to relive that joy over and over, so I take lots of photos. I also have a lot of hunting techniques and many do not require a shovel and sieve. For example , I go to fossil shows and local fossil club auctions,  and sometimes I trade and even purchase occasional fossils.

 

So here is a hunting technique.. I live in a fossil rich area of the world..  There is all sorts of stuff here in central and southwest florida, including the gulf of mexico, bone valley , the Peace River, etc. I just put out the word to fossil friends, fossil dealers, hunting buddies, that I am very interested in some specific types of fossils (whale, sloth, small horses included) and if they happen to come across any of that in their wanderings, give me an opportunity to acquire them. That is IT... Over time , it is amazing the number of "damaged fossils" I am gifted!!! and some of those damaged fossils are pretty good.

The above is just background to what occurred yesterday. 

I went "normal hunting" to the Peace River on Sunday and found a bunch of small shark teeth,  a few excellent hemis and tigers, a nice Bison lower tooth, an unerupted horse tooth, a 3 plate chunk of mammoth tooth, assorted turtle spurs and footpads.  A good day but not fantastic. However, my other method of hunting really paid off... My normal hunting partner got wind of a relative of a friend who had the leftovers of his father's collection of mostly bone valley fossils from 20 years ago... and some were  broken whale teeth... Was I interested  ???? Do bears live in the woods???

The bucket had 30 fossils 2 half dollar sized shark verts, 1 dolphin tooth,  1 small croc scute, and 27 partial to almost complete whale teeth. Most were dusty and needed some cleaning, but I was only offering about $7 per fossil and I had already seen at least 5 that were very attractive...

Here are 2 of those: This 1st is a sperm whale tooth (note the tip and shape),  a relative rarity in South Florida, and will fit very well in a display of the only sperm whale tooth I have ever found in the Peace river.

March2018Whale2Mrg.jpg.9a29651116614ef036336da0f96e12b6.jpg

The 2nd one is Kogiopsis .sp.  I have found these before, and while not as good as my best, it is pretty close....IMG_0872.thumb.jpg.38c84a3bb49f70c52e0dc583cf7a81a9.jpg

 

Length of each tooth is approx 4.25 inches.

This last tooth has the tip shaved on 2 of 3 sides from grinding against the tooth/teeth in the opposite jaw... Definitely belongs in my collection...  :megdance: A great day for alternate hunting techniques.

IMG_0874.thumb.jpg.78183f98df420cda498b66ec157f54a6.jpg

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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That's a great way to add to a collection! 

Lovely pieces. :)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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 Beautiful pieces Jack:fistbump: love to see that bone valley stuff

Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there!

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Excellent Jack. Hard work always pays off, in more ways than one.

Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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Nice acquisitions! Fossils turn up in unexpected places, sometimes a friend of a friend.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Thanks for all the great comments.  Just adding a few more examples in this batch. This 1st one is really unique, super light, almost like chalk...I need to organize these and create an album,,WhiteWhaleMrg.thumb.jpg.24b31ecbd2a9c723e13156b32706d313.jpgSplitWhaleMrg.thumb.jpg.76049114dabb7babf0ef248e4d3be7e2.jpgIMG_0920.thumb.jpg.30e3a0b8c6376d34ed2936951b9420ab.jpgIMG_0932.thumb.jpg.65b082c1bab2035c98e7b92820450a1a.jpgIMG_0896.jpg.cba336ab2d284edb0ac6cbd19f1f63bc.jpgIMG_0898.jpg.c4cb2df0eaa99e37d2d43604e4195dd4.jpg

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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Great score, Jack!

 

Unfortunately, your topic title has just implanted an earworm and I've now got the 1968 Marvin Gaye song "I heard it Through the Grapevine" running through my head. This threw sparks and created a short circuit which triggered ancient memories of a 1980s advertising campaign for the California Raisin Advisory Board (imaging having that on your business card?) which brought this to mind:

 

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And this, for some subtle reason brought to mind one of my favorite forum members, @GeschWhat

 

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. :P

 

 

Glad you were able to get out last weekend, even if you had no significant trip-makers that day. Hoping to get out next Saturday to investigate the possible widening of a small spot of gravel that I dabbled in on my first trip to the river last month. I think Irma may have pushed off the sand overburden and extended a small gravel outcrop into a larger field to play in. Will know more after a prospecting trip.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Oh my Lord! Those are some fine dentures you got there. The creatures that had 'em must've been really good children and brushed their teeth regularly! Take that as a lesson, kiddos! :ighappy:

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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11 hours ago, digit said:

Glad you were able to get out last weekend, even if you had no significant trip-makers that day. Hoping to get out next Saturday to investigate the possible widening of a small spot of gravel that I dabbled in on my first trip to the river last month. I think Irma may have pushed off the sand overburden and extended a small gravel outcrop into a larger field to play in. Will know more after a prospecting trip.

 

Agree Ken, Irma really tumbled a lot of things around.. You might be amazed at the spots I am finding productive. I have gone to many "old, dugout locations" and found fantastic stuff like this WhaleMRG2txt.jpg.a78462bc4cdc69819cbcd798b8e44614.jpg

and thisc2017Nov23rdUrsusCanine.thumb.jpg.e3d59ab733ce6042ba0cc078897f8fe9.jpg

 

There are lots more examples where Irma has move tons of sand off of gravel like your case, or rolled 12-15 inches of new gravel into areas that I had abandoned years ago. It is rather exciting to go back to places I had dug 5-6 years ago.

 

I am getting out sporadically compared to normal, but I go again tomorrow and every day is an adventure. Hopefully we both find some special fossils in the next couple of days.

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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