finding them

[richbat]

i was just wondering how you guys find all these great pieces? my 8 year old son and me where out back in the field metal detecting one time and dillon my son comes up to me and says daddy is this an arrowhead?well low and behold it sure was,it was kind of yellowish looking,but in great shape all except the tip was broken off. now we are in the field all the time looking for them and there seems to be quite a bit of this exact colored stone in the field. i live in berks county pa. and along the field is a stream tributary that feeds into the schuylkill [sp] we have searched near the stream but not to much luck there.now where my son found this one was quite a distance from the stream,actually not to far from the house on a higher area,now my question is should we concentrate on the area where he found it or not? like i said though there is alot and i do mean alot of this same stone throughout the whole field.thanks,rich

 

[Wallydraigle]

If you've just found the one point and you don't really have any reason to believe that there was a settlement there or anything, then it might just be a stray, ie, a single point that was dropped, lost in use, or discarded. If you're finding lots of flakes and evidence that someone was staying there and working stone for a long time, I would actually search in a circle about fifty yards around that area. In my own experience, they had a workshop area where they made tools, but lived nearby, and that's where you'll find the points. Your mileage may vary, but it makes sense. Flint flakes are sharp, and you don't want them all over in your front yard.

Something else you can try is to search about a bowshot away from the stream on either side. They might have waited at the stream for game to come to drink, and took shots at them from there. That only works if the course of the stream hasn't changed much, but it's worth a try.

Best of luck.

 

[Tnmountains]

If the field is real rocky it would have been an uncomfortable place to camp. The best fields actually have very little rock in them. I hunt a place that has two identical fields by a creek. One is rocky the other is smooth.The smooth spot produces points. I would always hunt the higher areas of the fields off the creeks first due to flooding. If there is any more fields close by that are plowed they may be better.
Sometimes in the middle of no where you will find a single point and nothing else. Most arrowheads were knifes so I am not ever thinking that it was thrown or lost on game. They burned out areas for camps but the grass and weeds came back quick.... I do not think it was unusual for them to burn miles at a time. Created new fresh food.
Good luck.