Round two of an anticipated visit to a creek running through a hunting club. We were invited down to see what we could find on the creek being the last trip until hunting season is over in 2023. The weather worked out perfectly with low temps in the morning hours and warming up to the mid 70s during the course of the day. It was a long drive down, these drives are better when you have your hunting buddies with you! Traffic was stop and go on the interstate, we wondered why all the traffic? Summer vacations are over but all the traffic headed south? Once we got on the country roads there wasn't much traffic other than the locals. We got to the site before right around 11ish.
We were greeted by our very friendly hosts with ATV ready for us to go down to the creek. Of course, I drove the ATV and got my wires crossed direction-wise as to what road to take and sure enough I took the wrong one! In the woods, everything looked familiar as we wound up on a food plot with no creek around, so I made my way back up to the staging area and our host gladly lead us back down the roadway to the left not center. When we got to the creek we unloaded our gear. The landscape changed, the beach didn't but the waterway did. It had been dry for quite some time, so the water levels were lower than last visit. I noticed darker holes where there may be fish? I did fish those holes but no hits, they weren't biting?? The gravel bars all but disappeared finding out later that a flood occurred last month explaining why the landscape changed. I found a gravel bar near the sandy beach and started digging and sifting.
My hunting buddies made their way further down the creek. I sat there for at least and hour shoveling and sifting and found one fish vertebrate and some broken shark teeth. I decided to move upstream and explore some. I'm sloshing through the water and hear a herd of wild pigs in the brush snorting and grunting... then I hear piglets squealing to the left of me. Yep, it was time for me to turn around and go back to where I was or downstream a bit.
While walking and sloshing through the water downstream I encountered several gravel bars so I stopped to shovel and sift. I found a shark tooth with a broken tip and several other broken teeth. I didn't see my buddies near so I did a hooty hoot, of course while doing it loudly I couldn't stop laughing... thinking of Gomer Pyle on an Andy Griffith episode! I got a response from around the bend and saw them down that way so I went to join them. I sifted through the gravel there and found two mammal teeth. One of my buddies was raking the sand with his hand and found several shark teeth that way and encouraged me to do so as well. I sat my butt down and found several broken teeth along with a whole Sand Tiger Shark tooth! I got bored with that and went back to sifting not finding much after that. I was getting tired, so I made my way back up to the beach because I was feeling a bit famish and thirsty. When I got to my backpack I sat on the beach just enjoying the solitude of the woods and nature. After eating, I went back to sifting in the same spot I started with gathering my micro material where I found a snake vertebrate.
There is soooo much sand and smaller gravel, so I decided to take about a gallon ziplock bag home. We decided to call it a day. I didn't find much, but was happy with what I found. My two buddies came away with a lot cooler fossil finds! What little gravel I brought home, this is what I found... In the above picture are the micro shark teeth, a possible very worn sting ray tooth, snake vertebrate, and have no idea what the long slender curved tooth like objects is? I will have to get an expert opinion?
We got our gear loaded to hit the road. Our hosts were gathered around a flat screen TV when we got to the staging area watching the Bama/Arkansas game. We said our goodbyes, and thanks for the invite down and hit the road. Great time of fellowship en route home as well as at dinner. Look forward to going back next year!
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