Trip To the Bone Valley Formation, FL

[rdfox]

Hey all on the Fossil Forum! 
Just seeking some general advice or knowledge on here for a trip I'm planning on making down to the Bone Valley area in FL. 

Any time I ever search anything Fossil related, whether it be advice for trips, help Identifying fossils, etc. The people of this Forum reign as the nicest and most friendly, helping people and I just want to say yall are the best for that. 

 

I'm From Jax, FL and the majority of my hunting has consisted of either here in Jax or over in Gainesville, I took one trip out to the Venice area before since I was staying in Tampa but the weather was not the nicest so I found one teeny tiny tooth, called it a day and then headed back home lol. 

A couple weeks from now I'm heading out to Gainesville, then the Wauchula/Arcadia area for some sharks tooth hunting and camping, as well as just nature seeing. 

I have only been hunting for around a year or so and I just wanted to know if anyone could share some advice on where to hunt in the Bone Valley area. 

I have heard many people talk about abandon spoil piles from phosphate mines that used to operate, and my hours on google earth have yielded a few potential sandy looking areas I pinned I would like to check out, but I guess my main concern would be Mosaic patrol and trying to identify areas that would be more safe to hunt on, really just places that are no longer used or abandon. 

 

Any advice would be appreciated, or just cool finds from around the area just because I like seeing teeth! 

Thanks all!

Here is me and my GFs bigger tooth collection from the past year in Jax so far.

[rdfox]

I found a place to stay off of Charlie Creek and have heard great things about hunting there! 
So stoked. 
Ill keep yall updated with my journey, hoping for at least two megs, 

one for me and one for the gf. 

[jpc]

I have wisdom to offer, but what is Mosaic patrol? 

good luck when you get there.  

[Balance]

@rdfox

 

Some uncommon knowledge. 
 

Charlie creek is the only creek off the Peace without access rights. You can technically walk in the creek bottom but it’s private property on both sides.  The new owners of the South side are not interested in fossil hunters. So make sure you have permission to camp where you are. 
 

So, I will venture in on Charlie creek when the waters up for some fun boating but know that you’re trespassing on that creek if the waters low and you walk in. Camping off the creek is definitely a no for me. I’d rather wake up to a gator in my tent than deal with a drunk A-Hat from Arcadia rolling up in SxS off-roader to kick me out at 2am. 
 

Now, does everyone still hunt in there? A lot do. Is to legal? No.  
 

Mosaic Patrol is not a thing. 😂 What is a thing is the Polk and Hardee county sheriff departments. Trespassing is a Felony. Not a wrist slap. If you’re planning a trip around trespassing on Mosaic property that’s a very cavalier approach to an area you don’t know. Not sure how to put this in perspective for you but NOBODY trespasses on Mosaic property anymore. 

 

Jp

[jpc]

Mosaic property meaning lots of different landowners, I assume.  

[Balance]

@jpc no. Mosaic, the worlds largest phosphate corporation. 
 

They have a zero tolerance policy. You get reported the cops come. You go to jail. They press charges to the fullest extent possible. 
 

you’re just fishing , minding nobody else’s business. They do not care. You are going to jail for 30 days. 
 

Jp

Edited December 11, 2024 by Balance

[Jaybot]

3 hours ago, Balance said:

@jpc no. Mosaic, the worlds largest phosphate corporation. 
 

They have a zero tolerance policy. You get reported the cops come. You go to jail. They press charges to the fullest extent possible. 
 

you’re just fishing , minding nobody else’s business. They do not care. You are going to jail for 30 days. 
 

Jp

Yikes!

[jpc]

Mosaic Patrol is so different than the report also 'streaming' here now, about fossiling in Antwerp... Security Guards ask the writer to please.  

[rdfox]

On 12/11/2024 at 8:13 AM, Balance said:

@rdfox

 

Some uncommon knowledge. 
 

Charlie creek is the only creek off the Peace without access rights. You can technically walk in the creek bottom but it’s private property on both sides.  The new owners of the South side are not interested in fossil hunters. So make sure you have permission to camp where you are. 
 

So, I will venture in on Charlie creek when the waters up for some fun boating but know that you’re trespassing on that creek if the waters low and you walk in. Camping off the creek is definitely a no for me. I’d rather wake up to a gator in my tent than deal with a drunk A-Hat from Arcadia rolling up in SxS off-roader to kick me out at 2am. 
 

Now, does everyone still hunt in there? A lot do. Is to legal? No.  
 

Mosaic Patrol is not a thing. 😂 What is a thing is the Polk and Hardee county sheriff departments. Trespassing is a Felony. Not a wrist slap. If you’re planning a trip around trespassing on Mosaic property that’s a very cavalier approach to an area you don’t know. Not sure how to put this in perspective for you but NOBODY trespasses on Mosaic property anymore. 

 

Jp

Hey Balance! good to see you again. 

I am staying on someone's property directly off of the creek so luckily no-one is going to pull up on me in my sleep and I appreciate the info about the rest of the creek. 

I will redirect some of my main day hunts to the Peace itself rather than wondering Charlie Creek. 

The land I'm staying on says its neighbors are nice too tho so that's a good thing luckily. 

Yeah lol I guess I should've been more clear, I just said mosaic patrol as a broad thing, idk why. My plan is to hunt the Peace and the Creek I'm on and to just explore the new area for the most part, I just figured if someone had some wisdom on an old phosphate spoil pile that they knew wasn't actively patrolled then that would be sweet (not like anyone on this earth would share that though lol but worth an ask.) 

 

Thanks again for the info man! 

[rdfox]

On 12/10/2024 at 9:26 PM, jpc said:

I have wisdom to offer, but what is Mosaic patrol? 

good luck when you get there.  

Ooooo, I seek your wisdom if you care to share. 

 

Mosaic, as Balance said is the largest phosphate mining company, I read on some thread a long time back that they still sent patrol to old sites that they bought up just to not continue to work at. 

He is also right though in the sense that the thing I should worry more about would be local police. 

[jpc]

3 hours ago, rdfox said:

Ooooo, I seek your wisdom if you care to share. 

 

Mosaic, as Balance said is the largest phosphate mining company, I read on some thread a long time back that they still sent patrol to old sites that they bought up just to not continue to work at. 

He is also right though in the sense that the thing I should worry more about would be local police. 

Darn... that is a typo.  I left out the word no.  I have NO wisdom to offer.  Sorry about that.  

[rdfox]

Day 1 complete 🎉🎉

Headed upstream Charlie Creek, met some dope land owners who invited us to come camp on their beach any time, right where a huge gravel bed was. 
 

Tomorrow morning we set out for Brownville park, hoping to score some more megs if there are still some swimming around over there. 
 

Haven’t seen a gator yet and it’s tripping me up honestly. 
 

R.I.P to a tooth container with a few nice meg chunks in it and nice tinies. If anyone finds a black eyeglasses case with a clip on it in the river, enjoy lol.