New Members Greyspace Posted November 20, 2022 New Members Share Posted November 20, 2022 Hi all! Apologies if this is not the right area to post this, if I need to re-post in another sub form please let me know. I’m looking for advice on how to expand my expertise in fossil hunting, preferably by connecting with other enthusiasts in a mentorship fashion. This probably seems like an odd request, and I feel like it’s strange to even ask. But it’s something I’ve been truly struggling with. A bit of back story - I moved to Florida roughly 3 years ago and have been head over heels in love with fossil hunting since my first dive in Venice, FL. Since then, I’ve done several Venice dives, gone hunting in the peace river, paid for dig site access in the bone valley, and gone to local fossil shows. Everywhere I go, I try to connect with local fossil hunters in effort to gain companionship in this area of my life (none of my family or friends shares this hobby with me) and it’s been strangely unsuccessful. I’ve found that everyone is very tight lipped & does not want to share much of their personal ventures. Which hey, I can completely understand and respect! They seem to already have their own groups or friends in the hobby and don’t want to open it up for a newbie. Which again - I respect! I’ve tried to go surface hunting myself as I can’t afford to dive in Venice all the time for “Guaranteed finds” & have spent many a Saturday (including today) walking creeks with no success. I know people are finding some great stuff here in central & southwest Florida, and it’s made me quite sad that I don’t really get to be a part of it unless I’m paying hundreds of dollars for a dive. I really don’t know how to connect with others in this hobby without seeming like I’m asking for their “honey holes” that I’m going to go geotag on my next Instagram post (which I would never do). Any advice? I really feel like I’ve put my best foot forward in these situations (and hey, maybe it’s just my personality or something lol) and I just keep coming up empty. anyhoo, I’ve loved lurking on these forms & seeing everyone’s fantastic finds. Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Join a rock/fossil club. The members of the clubs to which I belonged were always willing to share knowledge and even some of their "honey holes". 1 4 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 - Give more than you are expecting. - Find your own honey holes with your own prospecting. You are doing this already . Sooner or later, you will find them. Most of the fun is the hunt for the sites, not the exploitation of the sites itself. Franz Bernhard 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Hi, Look at geological maps of your area, it may help you find fossils and know what to look for. Finding fossils often results from a lot of time reading publications, looking at geological documents, prospecting in the field etc. So the non-participation probably does not depend on you, but on the amount of work to do before finding. Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Pareidolia : here Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Greyspace Posted November 20, 2022 Author New Members Share Posted November 20, 2022 12 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said: Join a rock/fossil club. The members of the clubs to which I belonged were always willing to share knowledge and even some of their "honey holes". Thank you! I will need to try and find a local group to join. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Speaking from experience…being active here on TFF can have fringe benefits as well. Get to know other members who live in your area, those that visit your state, or even people half a world away that are interested in the same kind of fossils as you. Pretty soon you may find that you build relationships, and those may blossom into fossil friends, hunting partners, and mentors. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members bone to stone Posted November 21, 2022 New Members Share Posted November 21, 2022 (edited) Hi Greyspace, Just come across your post as I was researching Shark teeth in Florida. I could feel your pain and desperation, the scenario you wrote about is unfortunately a sad condition of humans, being 'generally' unaccommodating, worrying sometimes unnecessarily that someone else will make a great find before them, they want the success! Anyway I thought I'd send this to let you know that not all of us have a closed mind regarding this, I live in the Scottish borders and have sites on my doorstep as well as having Yorkshire's Dinosaur coast 3 hrs away, which I readily share with all, 'particularly' anybody new to the game, young or old. There's nothing like encouragement, if you ever happen to venture over to this side of the pond then feel free to get in touch, I will take you to these sites. Steve “Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavours. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.” Edited November 21, 2022 by bone to stone extra word error 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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