Back in Aurora !

Day 4 – Saturday
We leave Jacksonville at around 5:30AM, and arrive shortly before 7:00AM. We are the only people there, which is just the way it should be ! ;)
We start out with some surface collecting, but just not seeing much, at all, so we return to the back lot. Mike was there around the time these piles were delivered, so we know that they are only, like, 3 weeks old.
The museum is not open yet, so Mike and Jess head to the convenience store. While they are gone I break out the shovel and screen, and decide to start with one of the front piles.
Several screens in, I locate a perfect Mako that I show off when they return. Mike takes an adjacent pile, and starts screening.
I find a decent Hexanchus gigas upper, and then I go through a bit of a “dry spell.” It is weird that I only go down a few shovels worth before I start hitting some really soupy material, while Mike’s pile remains dry all the way to the bottom. I know that I am likely missing some good stuff just due to the fact that everything is so muddy! But I keep going due to the nice Mako I found, and the fact that there are several people arriving/hunting, by now.
I excavate a bunch of the pile before I locate another perfect Mako, nearly a twin to the first one. A guy comes walking up with buckets, and Mike recognizes him. Turns out it is another BRF guy, and I am introduced to ncjack99, who has already scored some nice finds at another location. (He came well-prepared to load up some material to take back with him to the Charlotte area, lol !! Nice to meet and talk with you, Jack.)
I continue digging, pulling up some decent Hemi’s and Sandies. I keep checking my watch, knowing that I have to leave around 1:00PM, and the time is flying by. I estimate that I have gone through well over ½ of the pile, by now!
I keep on digging, but am beginning to think about the “work versus rewards” end, and maybe I should try to move to another pile before I run out of time…? but stubborn wins out.
I’ve had a long go without any teeth, and I am just getting ready to call it quits, when I notice a what appears to be a tiny bit of root showing underneath the last shovel-full I tossed into my screen. I gingerly reach down into the matrix to pull out what I hope is a tooth, and in my hand up comes a 1 3/8” L x 1 ¼” W lateral Chub in perfect condition!
I should have just called it a day at that point, but I keep going until I have dug out about ¾ of the pile before I finally decide to head on back to VA.

My best finds (after getting home and cleaning off all the muddy matrix) included a Carcharhinus, a possible Alopias (?), and a Galeocerdo aduncus, in addition to the Mako’s and the Chub. Also ended up with 3 shark vert’s, and a cool position vert from a dolphin.

It was a great 4 days! Mike and Jess are two of the nicest people anyone could ever hope to meet, or hunt with. His knowledge after less than a year in the hobby is most impressive, and he has both the eye and the luck! (He showed me some of his more impressive finds in their display cases)
I definitely look forward to another chance to hunt with him in the future!