Help finding arrowheads, spear points, etc.

[K1DDO1979]

I always see some great finds on here and thought I'd give this a go sometime and I was wondering how to even start looking for this stuff? I seen some found arrow heads from my area as a kid that were eyeball found by accident by some old locals but they are long gone now to ask where they found them. I do know a general area of where one guy found a great complete spear head but the area is huge. I know there are things around me to find because of the old history of Indians the area before the settlers but how on earth do you know where to look? Sorry if I sound dumb but I know nothing of this type of artifact hunting but always wanted to find a arrow head or spear head. Any help on how you guys do this is greatly appreciated. Now if only they were made of metal and not stone I would have found some by now! Haha

 

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[chase2]

They did have metal arrowheads. Factors help in narrowing down your search. I recommend looking at the ground. But really look around water sources. High ground is one out here. Wind works to keep bugs down. But the one without fail, is boots on the ground.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Here's what works for me here in the deep south. I look for recent land disturbance which is normally plowed fields but, can include construction sites. Hunting after a good rain event helps too. Next, I look for high ground near "old water" sources. (Creeks, swamps, springs etc.) For me, the sandy higher areas are sometimes a dead give away for an old site. When you enter a good place to hunt you will normally start finding flint chips and pottery shards which is a good indication your on a site. Very Important! ->Make sure you have property owner permission. Someone that goes without permission gives us all a bad name. Good luck and be safe.

 

[quito]

I hunt farm fields along creeks and rivers. About any flat area overlooking or near water around here has had someone camping or living there in the past.

 

[K1DDO1979]

They did have metal arrowheads. Factors help in narrowing down your search. I recommend looking at the ground. But really look around water sources. High ground is one out here. Wind works to keep bugs down. But the one without fail, is boots on the ground.

I knew there was metal ones in places but the ones found up here in my area of Nova Scotia all seem to been stone that I think. Pre contact stuff. Thanks for your tips! [emoji2]

 

[unclemac]

where in NS?....if you are close to the water or PEI I would find good beaches to walk. Beaches can be very productive. You want to find potential habitation sites...good rule of thumb is where is year round fresh water (streams and rivers)...where do these streams meet the ocean....are there any reliable salmon runs?...where did they spawn....are there sheltered areas?...think as if you were going to build a village on the beach, what do you need and where would it be safe from storms, tides and land slides....stuff like that.

 

[K1DDO1979]

where in NS?....if you are close to the water or PEI I would find good beaches to walk. Beaches can be very productive. You want to find potential habitation sites...good rule of thumb is where is year round fresh water (streams and rivers)...where do these streams meet the ocean....are there any reliable salmon runs?...where did they spawn....are there sheltered areas?...think as if you were going to build a village on the beach, what do you need and where would it be safe from storms, tides and land slides....stuff like that.

I'm in the st. Margaret's Bay Area. There was lots of activity in this area. Mostly was all spring to fall grounds though. They traveled inland for winter months I believe.

 

[fishstick]

Welcome to the addiction!! All the replies above are spot on for you to start with. After some time under your belt it will get easier for you to spot places to hunt. Down my way the 2nd plateau above a water source is the most common area. If your ground around you has clay I would'nt waste your time on those spots. They DIFF liked the sandier ground(dried faster & did'nt stick to their feet). Once you start seeing flint chips start looking close, flip chips also, they could be points that are'nt fully exposed. The last 10yrs they have been no tilling around here and it has KILLED pickin for us!!! Good luck & HH....

 

[unclemac]

when I look at your area i see a lot of coast, a lot of lakes, a lot of trees and a lot of big dam rocks...the thick forest is a waste of time, too much growing and too many years of accumulated debris...but after a big fire, would be a good time to look there. As for creeks etc....find some that empty into the sea and look for gravel fans at the mouth of the creek on the beach. Gravel is a good source of points. Look also along stony areas along the creeks where gravel accumulates...bends, holes, mounds...and look especially after a good hard rain when there has been some bank erosion upstream. Many areas along beaches were not perhaps habitation sites but were "meeting" areas where neutral trade occurred...these areas usually have a fresh water stream, a sheltered cove and easy access to many village sites by water and by land. But mostly you have to pound the pavement, so to speak, and get out there. Find places other people don't think to look too but in your area the beaches are the most open and uncovered...and probably had the largest concentration of peoples over time. Remember...food resources are going to attract people...so were did they hunt, fish and gather.

but before you do any of this, be sure you know the laws governing artifact collection in your province.

 

[K1DDO1979]

Welcome to the addiction!! All the replies above are spot on for you to start with. After some time under your belt it will get easier for you to spot places to hunt. Down my way the 2nd plateau above a water source is the most common area. If your ground around you has clay I would'nt waste your time on those spots. They DIFF liked the sandier ground(dried faster & did'nt stick to their feet). Once you start seeing flint chips start looking close, flip chips also, they could be points that are'nt fully exposed. The last 10yrs they have been no tilling around here and it has KILLED pickin for us!!! Good luck & HH....

Look out if I find anything because if it's like metal detecting I'll be hooked. Even as a very young kid I always wanted to find a arrow head. I always kept a eye out and liked fossils, minerals,relics,arrow heads etc. but I just never really went out of my way to go out looking for them.

 

[K1DDO1979]

when I look at your area i see a lot of coast, a lot of lakes, a lot of trees and a lot of big dam rocks...the thick forest is a waste of time, too much growing and too many years of accumulated debris...but after a big fire, would be a good time to look there. As for creeks etc....find some that empty into the sea and look for gravel fans at the mouth of the creek on the beach. Gravel is a good source of points. Look also along stony areas along the creeks where gravel accumulates...bends, holes, mounds...and look especially after a good hard rain when there has been some bank erosion upstream. Many areas along beaches were not perhaps habitation sites but were "meeting" areas where neutral trade occurred...these areas usually have a fresh water stream, a sheltered cove and easy access to many village sites by water and by land. But mostly you have to pound the pavement, so to speak, and get out there. Find places other people don't think to look too but in your area the beaches are the most open and uncovered...and probably had the largest concentration of peoples over time. Remember...food resources are going to attract people...so were did they hunt, fish and gather.

but before you do any of this, be sure you know the laws governing artifact collection in your province.

I have a few good starting places to check out and a good thing is nobody I ever know of actually went looking for anything around here. Just some old timers back on the day happened to spot them on there travels. To bad they passed away before I was really old enough to be curious to ask locations. I bet they had some great old stories to tell about the area.

 

[Lucky Eddie]

This is a small collection of napped stone indigenous spear points and 2 hand axes - found in West Australia's Kimberly Region, (Around Halls Creek), back in the 1970's when working on a local cattle station as a stockman. We camped often around water holes and often the indigenous would leave hand axes for e.g. where they were so they could use them again next time they visited or their relatives (kids in future) would be able to do so.

Being nomadic - such things were too heavy to carry around on long walks - so it made sense for them to leave a set at each place of permanent water / shelter so that they themselves or indeed someone else could use them when camped there.

You just have to learn how to think like them and look with your eyes... and to recognize stone thats been worked.

Often if you look in river beds for sandstone you can find slots where hand axes have been sharpened in the erosive sandstone bedrock material.

Is about traveling slow on foot or horseback or walking and keeping your eyes open.

You just don't find stuff like this driving around in your 4wd or zooming along on a quad/motocross bike.

It takes patience... which these days few have -most are too busy looking for Pokemon go!.

 

[monsterrack]

All of the above are all good advice, one thing you may want to check on is the type of flint used in your area and a source for that. They would have made camps near by. Also use the internet for searching for info for your area and as it's been said put on your walking boots and keep your eye on the ground. You have to look at this way, we have only been here for a few 100yrs and they were here for over 12,000yrs and look at the stuff we have dropped or broken and left it. It's amazing how fast dirt and forest growth will cover items. An yes some spots will produce more than others, but never don't look in a spot because you don't think it would have been a good spot or someone say's it's been hunted out. You won't know till you look with your eyes and after every rain, rise of the tide or large flow of water in a creek look again. Good luck and it is a addiction.

 

[JonG]

We're working a HUGE piece of land now, that the owners have used for taking in "fill dirt" for 30+ years. It belongs to one of my friends uncle. We were out metal detecting and he said he knew of a place full of fill dirt from all over. We got to talking about how and where the fill came from. I try and go there at least once a week.

Talk to dump truck drivers who move dirt from construction sites. And as chase2 pointed out "boots to the ground".