How do you find

[redpgmr]

How do you find these arrow heads and points. are they just lying on the ground?
do you have to dig. I have never seen one in the woods but then again I have never thought
to look for one.

RED

 

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[pickaway]

Numerous ways to find them,creeks, fields, const. sites flood zones digging etc.good luck...

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Your best option when you first start hunting is to try your hand in a plowed field right after a good hard rain and you can usually find them laying out, sometimes completely exposed. Look for flint chips and if you find flint in the field then you will more than likely find arrowheads and other artifacts there as well. Make yourself a stick out of an old broom handle and put a nail in the end of it to help flip pieces out of the ground and it will save you back form bending over all day to check something out. Look for the high ridges in the field and try those spots first. Also try to find fields near a creek or river since they almost always camped near a water source.

And the most important thing to remember when looking for artifacts.

Always, always, always get permission from the landowner before entering his or her property!!!!

 

[GL]

Tobacco fields, creek beds, and in my case construction sites.

 

[Billco]

My advice is to forget about looking for arrowheads, and look for the signs that lead to arrowheads - flint chips, flakes and other lithic debris, especially if you don't have plowed fields narby and permission to hunt them. Takes away a lot of the luck and replaces it with just enough knowledge to usually find something. Scraped areas close to natural creeks and rivers are where I find all of my artifacts. High ground near water and the area that washes from the high ground is where you really want to look closely. Find an area with chips and flakes and you will probably eventually find arrowheads. Once you find arrowheads, go back and search the same place after rains. The steeper and higher the hills, the more erosion - the more erosion the more arrowheads. Find your first arrowhead and the second comes easier. Eventually, sooner than you think, you expect to find arrowheads.

 

[GL]

Soon you'll find them easily.
I notice that if I hunt an area and find nothing it's easy to leave. If I find so much as a flake it is nearly impossible to go. If I find a point or a pottery sherd I find myself drawn to return. The urge to return is strong.

 

[razor]

Man, that's a loaded question!!! First and formost... and I think everyone will agree with me for asking this question: Are you sure, I mean really sure, that you want to get into this hobby? Because if you do, it will dominate the rest of your life... FOREVER!!!!!!! If your willing to become addicted then this forum is a good place to start. First, a lot of how you go about it depends on what part of the country your from, and what you have available to hunt. Check your state laws and make sure it's legal. If possible, find a mentor. I got lucky with that one. It may be as easy as starting a thread on this or other forums stateing "I'm from BLANK and I'm new to the hobby and would like to hook up with someone." You might be suprised at the number of people who are willing to help. If you do that, offer to pay for gas and drinks. Pesonally, I like hunting alone, but I'd rather have a friend along. A lot of this hobby is hours of bordom, and having someone to talk to is nice.
As far as my neck of the woods here in NE Texas, I hunt a lot of gravel bars of creeks and rivers. It's a hard way to hunt, but it pays off. Here's kind of a typical look at the stuff I hunt in:

If don't know of any creeks that might contain gravel, google earth is a good place to start. When you find a target creek, drive out and take a look down. If there is gravel, then there is a good chance there are points. Once in the creek, set up a search pattern. A good way to do this is to drag your walking stick, a must in this business, behind you. Walk a straight line, scanning the area just in front of you until you turn around. When you turn around, place the oppisite foot in the foot print you just made, and repeat this procedure. Sometimes the points will be laying flat out, sometimes all you'll see is a tip, or an edge, or a base, ect. Look for worked edges. At first you'll pick everything up, but that'll pass once you find a few points. If in question, bring it home, take a pic, and post it. There are some real experts that will guide you here. As long as you are willing to listen they will help you. One thing. No matter how you hunt, whether fields, digging, or creeks and rivers, take a camera with you. Before I pick up an artifact, especially a point, I take an insitu picture. Remember, you are the first person to see this point in hundreds if not thousands of years. Then document, when where and what type of point it is. And have fun. If your married... will I just hope she's understanding I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any questions. Raymond

 

[riverhunter]

So... you're in CT. I grew up there. Depending on where in the state you are, you'll have luck with either rivers/streams OR fields. Sinse I come from a water-oriented searching background, I'd say- check out the many and various waterways in your area. If you're near the coast, you might have to go inland some, where the water narrows, and the river twists and turns some. Then refer to earlier posts. But there are lots of fields and farms too-. All depends on where you are. The very first point I ever found was when I was hiking up a path -- a steep path to some artist's shack at the top. This was in VA. I was watching where my feet went (lots of roots 'n rocks) and low and behold! A NICE little quartz point (one ear of which broke off when I picked it up- perhaps walked on one too many times... My 'point' is, you CAN find them just about anywhere humanity hasn't plowed everything under w/ developements/housing/stripmalls... I HAVE found it MUCH harder to find anything the more frequented by modern people. Piers, ports, docks and landings in 'popular' areas seem to yield nothing. I figure, just too many curious eyes looking down for too many hundreds of years.
Just remember- always get permission if you're on land. Check the laws. Double check.
Good luck and HH

Riverhunter