New sites

[Trickkytrav]

I have always looked for shark teeth on folly and Morris island in Charleston SC and I've had very good luck on Morris but I have not found a whole meg yet just broken pieces.  I want to expand my sites and start looking in creeks and rivers but I do not know where to start researching good sites. Everytime I Google a spot though I do not get much information.  Any advice on places to start?

 

[ynot]

Welcome to TFF!

Try looking at some geologic maps of the areas You are interested in to see if the right type of deposits are exposed, then look at property maps to see if it is accessible lands.

[SailingAlongToo]

1 hour ago, Trickkytrav said:

I have always looked for shark teeth on folly and Morris island in Charleston SC and I've had very good luck on Morris but I have not found a whole meg yet just broken pieces.  I want to expand my sites and start looking in creeks and rivers but I do not know where to start researching good sites. Everytime I Google a spot though I do not get much information.  Any advice on places to start?

 

 

Have you done a search of SC and/or your general area here on TFF? Lots of great information in the TFF archives.

 

Other options are to join a local fossil club or volunteer with a local museum.  I have it on good authority there is a great museum at the College of Charleston with a super-awesome Paleontologist, who also happens to frequent TFF.

 

I'm quite confident no one will take, tell or show you any of their "honey-holes" as we've all had very bad experiences with greedy people. Both @sixgill pete and I got burned last year trying to be nice and help some folks out. Won't happen again though.

[Trickkytrav]

34 minutes ago, SailingAlongToo said:

 

Have you done a search of SC and/or your general area here on TFF? Lots of great information in the TFF archives.

 

Other options are to join a local fossil club or volunteer with a local museum.  I have it on good authority there is a great museum at the College of Charleston with a super-awesome Paleontologist, who also happens to frequent TFF.

 

I'm quite confident no one will take, tell or show you any of their "honey-holes" as we've all had very bad experiences with greedy people. Both @sixgill pete and I got burned last year trying to be nice and help some folks out. Won't happen again though.

Thank you for the advice. I know no one will divulge their honey holes I just need some help getting pointed in the right direction to find my own. 

[Raggedy Man]

2 hours ago, Trickkytrav said:

Thank you for the advice. I know no one will divulge their honey holes I just need some help getting pointed in the right direction to find my own. 

I would take Ynots advice and search the forum. Sometimes members divulge site information. Its where I would start.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

If you don’t have site info to share, you could perhaps sweeten the deal another way.

 

1.  Patiently get to know collectors before asking about sites.  This is easiest to initiate with private conversation vs open forum dialogue. 

 

2.  When they invite you, you drive and pay all expenses.

 

3.  Assume your invite was a one day pass for you alone.  Do not access the site without another invite.  Do not discuss it with others.  

 

4.  Take what you’ve learned and apply it far away in your independent site prospecting trips.

 

5.  When you find a good site on your own, take a satisfying “finder’s fee”, then invite your benefactor(s) before the site is depleted.

 

We all get one chance at reputation in this gig, and nobody would ever fault you for following these few tenets noted above.  Showing restraint when dealing with site info earned by others and shared in confidence demonstrates character instantly recognized by experienced collectors, as most of us have observed human nature play out too many times to instantly trust anyone with our better sites.  

 

Finding fossils is the easy part.  Finding good sites in the first place is the hard part.  If you come across as committed to and enjoying the total experience patiently and with gratitude over time, you’ll encounter more help than the guy who says, “Well, I hunted out that site...now can I have another?”  Not implying at all that you came across as “that guy”, but trust me, they are out there, and those with sites of any value avoid them.

 

P.S.  It is often easier to find help when collecting far from home, as in hundreds of miles, as distance and difficult logistics tend to keep humans more honest, resulting in decreased risk for the host, prompting a bit more openness.  But still, these friendships can take some time to establish with meaningful dialogue via PM.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

I hope that didn’t come across too harsh, but the fact is that people often don’t realize the time, toil, expense and finite repeat potential involved in finding and maintaining these sites.  

 

Another tip:  realize that those who share generally hope to guide family and other guests on productive trips in the future, and let that guide how you handle gleaned site info.