4-16-14. dig

[Red Earth]

Illinois dig

 

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[painterx7]

Man them are nice that heart breaker greenbriar or big sandy what's your call on it ?

 

[intensecrasher]

Very nice! I recently got permission to dig on an early archaic site on private property in Iowa this summer. Do you have any advice for someone who has never done it before? I have a screen and other equipment.

 

[Red Earth]

Man them are nice that heart breaker greenbriar or big sandy what's your call on it ?

Not sure painterx, but I sure wish that woulda been the full one of the day

 

[painterx7]

No doubt it would of been a killer !!! There's a whole one there somewhere

 

[Red Earth]

Very nice! I recently got permission to dig on an early archaic site on private property in Iowa this summer. Do you have any advice for someone who has never done it before? I have a screen and other equipment.

It's hard to say, I can tell you that patience and consistency is very important.
Also keep your site very clean and even. By this I mean, don't dig in deep and leave an overhang or vise versa.
Try and use canals for rain water. Dig canals above your site.
I truly have sooo much I could tell you. I get very excited when someone is going to embark on a new dig site. And I also have an early archaic site. It has given me very amazing artifacts.
Another thing is that however deep you think the lowest artifacts are located, go about a foot and a half deeper. ALWAYS stay around a foot and a half deeper than the lowest relic. It's a very good practice.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Q: Is it illegal to dig up artifacts?
A: In the states where Cardno JFNew primarily works, which includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, it is illegal to disturb the ground for the purposes of discovering archaeological sites without proper permits. For an overview of all state laws, see http://www.ibsgwatch.imagedjinn.com/learn/lawsstate.htm.

Better be careful. Just sayin'.

 

[Red Earth]

Better be careful. Just sayin'.

And yes grim is right. Above all, be careful.

 

[intensecrasher]

And yes grim is right. Above all, be careful.

Of course I will be careful. I am almost positive that you can dig in Iowa on private property as long as you are not digging burial mounds. I will double check but I don't think it will be a problem...Then again, I'm really not into breaking the law. The last thing I want is to have my collection confiscated! Thank you for the advice Red Earth!

Plus the sight will be in the middle of an 80 acre field that will be planted to corn this summer....

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Red Earth, that message was for you. You are the one digging in a state where it is illegal to do so. Even on private property unless you have the proper permits, ie: a university or archaeologist.

 

[intensecrasher]

Red Earth

Do you take your time and go very slowly like the archeologists or do you just dig and screen? The site I will be at is a farmers field and has been plowed for god only knows how many years. I believe I wont find very much that is not broken in the top 20 - 24 inches. I was planning on going through that pretty fast and then slowing down and taking my time. At that point how slow should I go? Should I use plastic trowels? I will not have a lot of time. I'm only going to be hunting artifacts for 2 weeks and have a lot of ground to cover! Thanks!

 

[monsterrack]

This just how I do it , first I string off a square the size I want to dig and then go down 1ft at a time and unless you are trying to figure out context and the depth from the top of the soil you don't have to go super slow. But I would not get in such a hurry that you run your digging tool thur a stone point and screen every scoop with a 1/4in screen.JMO