New member from FL. This board is amazing!

[cthulhu]

Hello everyone,
I'm in Tampa bay FL and have been looking at the forum for a few weeks. I am totally amazed at the stuff y'all are finding, especially in the midwest. I'm also blown away that y'all can tell the type of material the points are made from and where it came. How do you learn this?

I hunt for fossils in my area, mostly in the Peace River, but I've never found a point before. I do it just for the joy and wonder of the bones. To me they're invaluable. Now Indian artifacts are cool on an entirely new level. I'd be so thrilled to find something. I have found a few chert flakes in the river and I'll probably post 'em for your perusal.

I've been fascinated with Native Americans in FL for a long time. I have a few books on the subject, and have another one on the way. I have to admit that I'm more most interested in paleo and archaic era, but it's all good.

Does anyone here in FL hunt fields or could take a newbie out to show me the ropes?

Thanks and greetings,
-Darren

 

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[centfladigger]

I like the Hills river but it is VERY gator infested, I always dive with caution and for the deeper N Fl rivers we hit, its just something you have to get use to and carry a few knives on ya incase you get tangled up in something, also might want to carry an inflated innner tube and 100 ft of rope to tie around your waist because there are some deep ledges up there and if your not carefull you wont inow where your in down there.

As for local sites, there arent any place you can just pull up to and dig legally. I lost my best site of 10 + years a few years ago to development, its not built yet but when it sold I lost my permission slip. Funny thing is its been hit harder by others now its sold, they dig alot at night and dig every day. I dont do that. I have had sites come and go, you just have to get out there and hunt something up. All those subdivisions on 54 west of 75 were loaded with coral when they first started them.
Most of my coral comes from a friends private property and its just a friend and I that are allowed in there. There rest comes from the rivers and creeks.

Get with the local fossil club here in Tampa, they run trips to different areas but there are alot of collectors and its a good way for someone new to get into it. Would love to see some of your fossils

 

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[cthulhu]

I like the Hills river but it is VERY gator infested, I always dive with caution and for the deeper N Fl rivers we hit, its just something you have to get use to and carry a few knives on ya incase you get tangled up in something, also might want to carry an inflated innner tube and 100 ft of rope to tie around your waist because there are some deep ledges up there and if your not carefull you wont inow where your in down there.

As for local sites, there arent any place you can just pull up to and dig legally. I lost my best site of 10 + years a few years ago to development, its not built yet but when it sold I lost my permission slip. Funny thing is its been hit harder by others now its sold, they dig alot at night and dig every day. I dont do that. I have had sites come and go, you just have to get out there and hunt something up. All those subdivisions on 54 west of 75 were loaded with coral when they first started them.
Most of my coral comes from a friends private property and its just a friend and I that are allowed in there. There rest comes from the rivers and creeks.

Get with the local fossil club here in Tampa, they run trips to different areas but there are alot of collectors and its a good way for someone new to get into it. Would love to see some of your fossils

Too bad about that coral site, (great for you and your friend, obviously) that would have been sweet.

I actually have joined the Tampa Bay fossil club, but their season is ending. We have the season ending dinner this coming Sat night. I've tried to make a bunch of friends. There are a lot of nice people in that club. One guy gave me some advice on a fossil hunting site that turned out to be quite a fish tale (to be polite). I think it's the same all over, mums the word on sites. They are guarded closer than national secrets!

 

[centfladigger]

A good site that produces is going to be kept a secret. Thats why after 25+ years of digging I have a few "trusted friends "I dig with. I lost a best friend over this hobby, greed is a terrible thing. As a digger I spend alot of time test hole`ing till I find something, rivers are different, its anywhere and everywhere. 2 guys can clear a section in no time.
Everything is either state owned or private property so if you have permission your not gonna pess it up by running your mouth, sneaking in on state land isnt my thing either. Join up on some local forums like
http://sonandersonartifacts.com/ this is a free site, might take a few days to get on, we do check things to keep spammers out. There are alot of us here in Central and N fl on here.
or

http://www.artifactsguide.com/forum/index.php this site is mostly Ga. with some Fl people on it, they charge to be on it but it does have a free section and you cant really do anything on the board .

 

[cthulhu]

Join up on some local forums like
http://sonandersonartifacts.com/ this is a free site, might take a few days to get on, we do check things to keep spammers out. There are alot of us here in Central and N fl on here.

I sent an email so hopefully I can join soon.

 

[centfladigger]

cool, 2 of the mods are my diving buddies and the other lives in St. Pete and is an old digging buddy

 

[cthulhu]

cool, 2 of the mods are my diving buddies and the other lives in St. Pete and is an old digging buddy

Sounds like I know who to make friends with!

 

[Newt]

My all-time favorite from Central Fl.
Newt

 

[centfladigger]

you suck Newt, dang thats one of the nastiest Newnans I have seen. Thats an awesome find. Thank youfor not dinging the heck out of that point

newt, you know this guy?

 

[Newt]

It's a small world.
Very good friend.
Newt

 

[Newt]

you suck Newt, dang thats one of the nastiest Newnans I have seen. Thats an awesome find. Thank youfor not dinging the heck out of that point

newt, you know this guy?

I think I hear someone "shouting" in the background of that pic.
Newt

 

[centfladigger]

I have known him and Lori since the early 90`s when they showed up at Guy and Brians show, we dug with them in Ybor city at the bottle dump. They got the property at Orange lake after we dug it. Guy was and is one of my good friends and he helped out G. alot. In fact where I took that pic at Guy and I got in there back in the early to mid 90`s when it was being sold to the dude that sold it to KB homes. G was out there with Mark and his dog that day he was out there this day also, I had already left . I never figured out how that place got that name, or at least G called it that. It was named after the old man that owned it named Bo and his last name rymed with dials

 

[centfladigger]

hey they have a site opend pay to dig near the wahoo, hear anything of that? its producing some good coral from what my buddy told me.

 

[Th3rty7]

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you...

 

[cthulhu]

My all-time favorite from Central Fl.
Newt

Gorgeous!

 

[cthulhu]

hey they have a site opend pay to dig near the wahoo, hear anything of that? its producing some good coral from what my buddy told me.

Really? I'll try google but please let me know if you find out the place.
-Darren

 

[centfladigger]

you wont find this on any google. I`ll see if I can get info for ya

 

[cthulhu]

you wont find this on any google. I`ll see if I can get info for ya

I struck out on google. Please let me know if you find the info.

Thanks.

 

[yank1780]

New member here also from Lakeland. Started looking for shark teeth with my kids at the Mulberry Phosphate Museum and I ran with it... been to Peace River quite a few times and love it. Found a nice spot I want to get back to when the water level goes down enough. I'm also gonna check out a spot off Lake Hancock another Tnet member turned me onto, maybe I can find my first Indian artifact.



Here's a pic of an interesting bone found in the Peace river, and couple of arrow heads given to me by a coworker.


LO

 

[centfladigger]

this pinhead coral newnan came from there. My good friend lives on that lake, thats where the Peace starts from and one of the main reasons its so polluted, they are supposed to be lowering the lake to dredge the bottoms and clean it up to clean the river. A few canoes have been found there in the past. There was an 1840-50`s fort there also on the south end of the lake

 

[RockHunter]

Anyone on this thread wanting to hunt anywhere in central florida to Tampa let me know, would love some comradery and pointers, I know Tampa is loaded with Artifacts.