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KatyMarie

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Well, I definitely didn't have any luck today. I went to a few spots and was either 1) absolutely clueless as to WHERE I should be looking, or 2) absolutely clueless as to WHAT I should be looking for. Granted it was my first time looking, I still feel like I am missing something major. Ugh.

Any tips would be great because luck is definitely not on my side when it comes to this stuff.
 
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It takes practice miss Katy. You only see the good luck everyone has on here...but believe me that ALL of US have had endless hours of trudging through the mud or moving a mountain of dirt and rocks with nothing to show for it. Be patient and persistant. Ya need to find someone that you can go with to get ya started.
 
That was a great article SRV.
 
I can tell you how I started. I was shown 1 site but quickly realized I wasnt welcome there. Still wanting to hunt i researched indian history in my area. From there i went to the water in those areas. Wherever a stream emptied into larger water or rocky beaches. It took a while but I have found spots that have produced. Stick with it and look up the history in your area. It will help and stick near water. Good luck cant wait to see your first peice.
 
a quote from SRV in his interview... "To me they are all priceless works of art" I totally agree with you!
 
Katy,

I have spent so long looking for places to look for artifacts that my Wife would prefer me to just go and buy one once a month. I have to tell her it's not always the prize that makes it worth while. A lot of value in the find comes from the pain of the hunt. I have looked for days and not found a flake. I was looking for two years b4 I found my first un discovered mound. Take someone with you who knows what to look for. Enjoy the hunt. Good Luck !
 
A big thanks to everyone that is helping me along this journey!

SRV, thank you for that wonderful article. There is a lot of valuable information and inspiration in that interview.

As to taking someone with me who knows what to look for, I'm new to this area (here for school) and don't know anyone. I took a few friends along yesterday but they weren't interested in the hunt.

I think my goal for today is to find some old maps at the library.

I know they're out there and under my feet, I just have to focus!

Thanks again to everyone for sharing their stories and motivations!
 
Marie. you have been given some best advise i can think of by someof the best hunters we have. some things for comfort.. as Steve said get a light broom or will add a iight weight paint roller handle. tie a oversize tablebpoon to the botton tip of stick touching cup where spoon handle and cup meet with stick on back side spoontie wire or heavy string, i used a piece ofwire out ot old tellephone wire,, wrap spoon and broom handle with wire tie off,, p.s. pull wire tight.. wrap this joint with vinyl elictrecal or duck ..stick is now readdy to be used as walking, dog [4] or [2] leged, fliping, or pick up stick in water or in or on top of ground some othem you will only see paet of it .. alsoyou want to get an old soulder strap purse.. to carry water and camera and what you find if you dont give to soon..go to projectile point types ,com...click on click here, click on individual states.. click on alphabetical, every point listed will one black shadow shape and one or more photos of that point,look color, texture and shape of the points. use a piece ohheave paper to cover differant parts this is what you see sticking out of ground or under a rock in water
 
Marie in my first post after it said click on individual states it should have said click on state you are hunting in. you should be a pretty good hunter in [1or2] years, a much better hunter than i am a typist if you follow the tips you got on t.net.. most of my tips were confort tips except covering the point in the photo, you will be suprised at how little you need to see to know you are looking at an arrowhead under the dirt or water,,,, T,
 
Lot's of great advice here. The only thing I would add and seldom see mentioned is looking for 'red rocks'. They are a sign of being heat treated (in other words, there was a camp fire there). Around here, it almost looks like the rocks have 'rust' on them. Once you find one, you'll very likely find many others within a 10 to 20 yard radius. Aside from flint, this is the very first thing I look for in a new field. Just about every time you find them, you will find flint fragments within easy reach. Work your way around in small circles and it is just a matter of time!
 
I live near Peoria and in this area of Illinois in "most" places there is not a lot of naturally occuring rocks lying around and any rock should be checked out. There are areas with natural rocks depending on the topology, such as hillsides & ravines but in most flatter terrain if you find hockey-puck (and smaller but not gravel) to softball sized rocks look the area over closely looking for flint flakes and flint shards. Also look for fire cracked rock which is glacial type rounded rocks that are broken and fragmented. It is my understanding that rocks were used in fire pits for cooking with the heat causing them to split and break. If you find an area with alot of fire cracked rock and worked flint it could be a camp area and should be looked over closely. When I find sign, rock and worked flint, I mark the spot and any other nearby sign and then walk the area around & between.
Fields on or near a bluffline are always a good place to look as is the first terrace back in creek bottom land. Flood channels across a field in a creek or river bottom can also be very productive.
I would agree with whoever here said that the confluence of creeks and a rivers are good areas. Around here there is usually at least one real good campsite near the confluence of a larger creek and small river. And thousands of smaller sites in the bottoms and rolling terrain near creeks and rivers.
I have never had much luck finding a helpful map but have found acient civilization has been about everywhere when you figure out the general topography of where to look and the sign to look for.
 
bede2691 said:
I live near Peoria and in this area of Illinois in "most" places there is not a lot of naturally occuring rocks lying around and any rock should be checked out. There are areas with natural rocks depending on the topology, such as hillsides & ravines but in most flatter terrain if you find hockey-puck (and smaller but not gravel) to softball sized rocks look the area over closely looking for flint flakes and flint shards. Also look for fire cracked rock which is glacial type rounded rocks that are broken and fragmented. It is my understanding that rocks were used in fire pits for cooking with the heat causing them to split and break. If you find an area with alot of fire cracked rock and worked flint it could be a camp area and should be looked over closely. When I find sign, rock and worked flint, I mark the spot and any other nearby sign and then walk the area around & between.
Fields on or near a bluffline are always a good place to look as is the first terrace back in creek bottom land. Flood channels across a field in a creek or river bottom can also be very productive.
I would agree with whoever here said that the confluence of creeks and a rivers are good areas. Around here there is usually at least one real good campsite near the confluence of a larger creek and small river. And thousands of smaller sites in the bottoms and rolling terrain near creeks and rivers.
I have never had much luck finding a helpful map but have found acient civilization has been about everywhere when you figure out the general topography of where to look and the sign to look for.
grew up in the monmouth area welcome aboard. if you get the chance head north to the spoon river and i guarantee you will find some points. alot of little creeks in your area and i wish i had the time to hunt up that way again. check out the DICKSON MOUNDS and the areas around there and good luck. !!!!!!
 
grew up in the monmouth area welcome aboard. if you get the chance head north to the spoon river and i guarantee you will find some points. alot of little creeks in your area and i wish i had the time to hunt up that way again. check out the DICKSON MOUNDS and the areas around there and good luck. !!!!!!


My hometown is 5 or 10 minutes away from Dickson Mounds and right on the Illinois River, so I'm very familiar with the area you're talking about. Unfortunately I didn't gain an interest in this until I moved down to Southern Illinois. Looks like I'll be hunting during my spring break!
 
KatyMarie said:
grew up in the monmouth area welcome aboard. if you get the chance head north to the spoon river and i guarantee you will find some points. alot of little creeks in your area and i wish i had the time to hunt up that way again. check out the DICKSON MOUNDS and the areas around there and good luck. !!!!!!


My hometown is 5 or 10 minutes away from Dickson Mounds and right on the Illinois River, so I'm very familiar with the area you're talking about. Unfortunately I didn't gain an interest in this until I moved down to Southern Illinois. Looks like I'll be hunting during my spring break!
heres a few spots you might want to look into when you get back home : LAKE CHAUTAUQUA area, QUIVER LAKE area, MATANZA BEACH where the cabins are , and try the main ditch lines off SPRING LAKE. HAPPY HUNTING. !!!!!!!!
 

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