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The plane tickets are purchased and the sifter and 'Florida Snow Shovel' have already arrived in Cape Coral! My in-laws have a place in Cape Coral and the wife and I visit them every year in early March. Last year we went to Venice Beach and I totally got hooked on fossils and sharks teeth. Living in the Pennsylvania, I don't get down to Florida often, but I have been able to make it to Calvert Cliffs twice this winter. While I did find some very small teeth the last time (my first time) at Venice Beach, just south of the pier I am hoping to find some better spots. I am not looking for anyone to reveal any personal sites or honey holes, but I hope some forum member can chime in and and let me know some decent places to look. I know we will for sure be making a family trip to Venice Beach for a day, but I also hope to be able to steal a day on my own for fossil exploration. Any information or tips would be much appreciated. I will get a permit prior to the trip, and the in-laws gracefully took down a sifter and scoop for me when they left a few weeks ago. There is nothing like examining your finds while sipping some Wicked Dolphin Rum and sitting on the canal!

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There is always the extra drive for Peace River as well though that may be out of the question. I have heard constantly about nice things being found in Venice, good luck!

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On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus!

 

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I would see about getting to the Peace. My family and I are going March 9-16 and I plan on hopefully hitting up the Peace at least one of those days. Last time we were down there I was only able to go for a couple hours in Arcadia. It was fun though and found some decent stuff for such a short time. There are other spots along the river. You need to look for gravel deposits to sift through.

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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11 minutes ago, caldigger said:

OK, I've got my sand scoop all ready for fossil hunting...cant wait till March!

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I’ll bring the sieve if you bring that:ighappy:

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Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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You can find tons of small teeth on the beach around Venice.  The colors are really cool and have a bright brown/orange to them but most of them are very well worn.  If you spend some time looking, its not unusual to find over 100.  The best day we had was over 2000 between 4 of us.  PM and I'll tell you where we go.

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When I went to Venice they had just re-nourished so I didn't find much. I had better luck at Englewood and Manasota Key beaches 2 years ago. Beware of the nasty red tide they had this past year and still might have. Good luck.

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My personal experience with beach hunting has been poor. I think I just have bad luck for shark teeth on beaches. For every one tooth I have found on a beach, I have found 500 (or more) in the Peace River. If the OP is after a fossil-hunting experience and to go back home with a bag full of teeth, I would advise avoiding the beaches and head to the Peace River.

 

Just my two cents. Actual worth may vary.  ;)

PS - it's always been my understanding that the best large teeth are found by diving offshore around Venice. People don't go around finding big meg teeth just laying on the beach unless there has been a big storm or some luck is involved.

 

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I would also highly recommend going to the peace river as well although I don't have any experience with the beaches. There are multiple spots to enter even if you don't have a kayak. One of my only regrets from my trip last year on the peace was that on my canoe tour, we stopped at one gravel bar and hunted there for a bit, but because we had to have the kayaks back at the rental place down river by a certain time the experience felt rather rushed. I don't know what a solution for this would be other than maybe having multi day kayak rental, but the river is long and has many areas to look for fossils. And the permit is the key for Florida! There is a ton of diversity when it comes to vertebrate species in that area so its wise to get it before going.

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If you are just after shark teeth or invertebrates (there are plenty of the latter), then you don't need a permit. But, if you find any other vertebrate fossils, you will need a permit to legally collect them.

 

Agree about canoe/kayak rentals - to not feel rushed, better to just rent one for the entire day (at least). Or, something to consider, used kayaks and canoes are plentiful on Craigslist. You could buy a cheap used one (assuming you have some way to haul it or a rack to put on the roof the rental car) and then discard it before you leave. By the time you figure in rental fees and taxes, it might not be that much more expensive than renting. Sell it quickly at a loss or break even to somebody at the park, or just give it to somebody. I know, that sounds a little silly, but when fossil-fever bites, things can get silly.  Good luck!  :)

 

 

 

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@FossilsAnonymous @Darktooth @caldigger @UtahFossilHunter @Jocassee Tiger @Bronzviking @PaleoNoel @Bone Daddy WOW, thanks for all of the great info and tips! I am sorry I didn't reply until right now....My Gmail just now alerted me that others commented on this post. I will see if I can get out to the Peace River and hopefully find some nice teeth!

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@Darktooth Looks like I will be there a week before you. I promise to leave some teeth for ya!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

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I heard about Peace river and my mother in law live in Florida so we visit her every year.  However, I am afraid of alligator.  Do you think it is safe to hunt in the river?

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18 minutes ago, OwlEyes said:

I heard about Peace river and my mother in law live in Florida so we visit her every year.  However, I am afraid of alligator.  Do you think it is safe to hunt in the river?

Everyone here does it, just be cautious of your surroundings and carry a big shovel, Lol.

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2 hours ago, OwlEyes said:

I heard about Peace river and my mother in law live in Florida so we visit her every year.  However, I am afraid of alligator.  Do you think it is safe to hunt in the river?

I remember last year I passed by some decent sized alligators on my aforementioned float down the river. My kayak also took on water and I was forced to land right next to a 4 foot juvenile who hissed at me and took off. Make sure your Kayak is stable and the right size for you, apparently I wasn't given  an adult kayak, explaining the fact that I had to make a couple emergency stops on the latter half of my adventure. 

To summarize; Be wary of the alligators, if you leave them alone they're unlikely to bother you (especially in the shallower gravelly areas where people often hunt).

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Alligators are everywhere in the lakes and streams of the deep south, but the vast majority of them have a natural fear of humans. They are more wary of you than you are of them. I know that old cliche sounds less than reassuring when talking about a 10-foot long predatory reptile, but it is true. When you consider how many millions (literally) of people engage in watersports in Florida (swimming, jet-ski, fishing, boating, etc), the amount of unprovoked alligator attacks is extremely small. You are more likely to get bitten by a snake or a shark.

In most cases where a human is attacked, it is because the alligator was provoked in some way or that particular alligator was fed by humans and had lost it's fear of people. And, stay out of the water at night and obviously avoid any baby gators (mamma gets agitated when the babies or nest is disturbed). 

 

I've been wading around, fishing, swimming, and boating in Florida creeks and lakes for 40 years. I've seen thousands of gators and been in close proximity to hundreds of them. I've never once felt threatened by them. But, I do respect them and behave accordingly around them.

So, after all of that, the short answer is - yes, it is safe to fossil hunt in the Peace River.  :)

 

15 hours ago, OwlEyes said:

I heard about Peace river and my mother in law live in Florida so we visit her every year.  However, I am afraid of alligator.  Do you think it is safe to hunt in the river?

 

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BTW, don't discount Cape Coral itself. Some of my nicest fossils have been found there. It is a fast growing city, and often has piles of dirt near construction sites that are available to check. I found mastodon teeth, bone, deer antler, sloth bones and countless pleistocene shells from such piles. I always ask permission, and generally am told sure, look  at the pile, just don't get in the way. Posted a couple images of fossils found in Cape Coral near Burnt Store area...just to whet your appetite

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Seawall bones-22.jpg

Seawall bones-8.jpg

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