finally a field hunt....

[Treefrog]

got out after a big rain today and found a few, got 1 pretty nice copena...
Tree

 

[Felinepeachy]

Well done! Is the top pic the Copena? I like it I can't wait to get out to see what the rains exposed.

 

[Treefrog]

thx, yes the top several pics is the copena, Ive found 4 copenas this year so far.
3 within 3-4 ft of each other in my dig.
but this one came from a field.

Tree

 

[Felinepeachy]

Very cool!

So how old are Copenas anyway?

 

[Treefrog]

late Archaic to Woodland, somewhere around 4000-1800 B.P.
there are 2-3 diff kinds but all close in age according to my book.
Tree

 

[ohioaxeman]

 

[Felinepeachy]

Thanks for the info Tree

 

[1320]

What's it like taking a break from digging?! Good score frog.

 

[Treefrog]

thx all, ya this is the 1st field Ive been in since last oct-nov
gotta wait till it dries out a little more to see the rest of it.. its all underwater right now from the big rain we had....
Tree

 

[Jonzer]

After all the digging you've been doin, I'm sure it's a welcome relief to hunt standing erect.
I tried my hand at digging last fall and can tell you I was sore as heck from it. I prefer to hunt in the fields first, the cricks second and dig as a last resort.
I love the idea of digging but my body is resisting.
You have done quite well digging. That makes me never want to rule out the option.
Good luck Tree.

 

[Jonzer]

BTW. There is a series of digging videos on youtube from a guy named Spike. He finds the most amazing pieces. Lot's of Sedalias and bigger stuff. You should check out his vids. Awesome.

 

[Treefrog]

Jonzer, its all in the way you do it, most the time when I go dig, I can stand it for 4-6 hours is all. I don't try to kill it though, I set a mild pace, dig 3-4 5 gal buckets of dirt searching with my eyes, then drag (don't lift) them 10 ft away to sift em and find what all my eyes missed. I don't do much lifting, and only fill my buckets to about 80% full to not load up the weight. I then left my sift lay on the far side of it on the pile and just lift my end enough to shake and wiggle it side to side, or rock it up and down side to side. I used to hold the sift and man that is back breaking work. I've found that using less effort and more brain power has been a lot better for me. I also do not use a shovel very much (that is real back breaking work). I only use hand shovels but mostly a little hand held 3 fingered garden tool. I get me a hole where I can drop my bucket into and scratch dirt up and move it with my gloved hand into the bucket. At that pace, I can go for hours with only a short drink break. It is slower than the other way, but after figuring the endurance and safety of the points intact, I like my way a lot more.
maybe Ill make a video of my way tomorrow when I go. I could go back to that field, but I got a feeling I'm gonna find some nice ones digging tomorrow.

Tree

 

[*Molly*]

Not bad, not bad at all TF..

 

[Jonzer]

Make that video. I need all the pointers I can get.
Thanks for the advice. I'm arrowhead crazy.

 

[Krisrock]

Nice finds !
The Buckets not a bad idea Tree. I started using a tarp rather than a shovel this year. A heavy canvass tarp 2ft X 2 1/2 ft with a 4 ft length of rope tied to each corner. You can pull the material onto it or pick dirt falls on it and gather up the ropes and drag it out. You can also use a sprayer to spray water mist on your dug dirt while it's on the canvass or in the wall, the flint will usually shine right up. I never shovel any more. I may try the bucket trick tomorrow. Happy Hunting !