Newbie needin some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

GodOfRustyNails · Oct 28, 2009

Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I live near a river in Northern Indiana that I look through often. I physically get my boots on and walk in the river looking for items of interest. But, seeing as how many initially look like artifacts due to erosion, I get confused. Should I be looking in the rivers themselves or on the banks? I see people hunt in creeks and such. Where do you look?

uniface · Oct 28, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

Look at everything !

Don't expect to see artifacts. Look for surfaces, edges and corners of what might be artifacts.

sidmind · Oct 28, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

Did you read through this thread all about creek hunting?

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,276416.0.html

As Newt from the thread above say's if no campsites are near then no artifacts will be found, regardless of how much you look.
He has some great advice on where to look.

Great luck and happy hunting.

RichPA · Oct 28, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I'm a newbie myself. I haven't walked any streams or rivers but I have been walking drained ponds. These ponds have alot of rocks making it similar to hunting river and stream shore lines. Look at everything as Uniface said and you have to walk very slow.

Some artifacts may be fully exposed but there will be some that are barely exposed. I have walked over artifacts and found them on my next pass due to the way they were pinned under a rock. Sometimes you have to search an area from every angle to find the ones pinned under rocks.

oldgoat · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I've just started walking creeks for artifacts, usually do it for fossils...I use a grid pattern, go down the stream a certain length, turn around and walk back...sounds tedious and boring but you would be surprised at the pieces that you miss because you don't see the angle, like Uniface said....also works for surface hunters...

vibes · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I know the St Joe, and have walked it and Juday creek as well...still nutin' EXCEPT up by the "Portage" I found a fur trade item

I've now moved south to search for artifacts.

Treasure_Hunter · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

When walking creeks and streams, look for things that stop the flow of the current, look at the down stram side of any fallen tree logs, or rocks, anything that can cause artifact to not be in the current. I found LOTS of artifacts that way, I always searched after a heavy rain, after the water had receded, found points caught in the grass, and behide anything blocking the current.

GodOfRustyNails · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

vibes said:
I know the St Joe, and have walked it and Juday creek as well...still nutin' EXCEPT up by the "Portage" I found a fur trade item

I've now moved south to search for artifacts.

When you say Portage as in Portage Ave. or Portage In.? I went to Pinhook Park where Lasalle set foot for the first time. That is also near Council Oak. There should be a lot of activity there. I just have not been able to find anything.

Tnmountains · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

Listen Rivers can be the greatest places to hunt but you have to figure out where on the river to hunt. You have to know if the river has been impounded by dams. If it has, much may be under water but there is not a river in the USA that does not have artifacts on it somewhere. Look first to see if one side of the river is the original channel(rock shelves,bluffs) and hunt that first,Concentrate on springs and creeks coming into the river. Look for bends in the river with high ground. A bend in the river will have meant possible shallow water and a crossing and fresh mussels and easy food. Look on both sides. There will be many places you find on the river with no sign of a camp or village and there will be artifacts. You may never know where the camp was... if you do you are on track. Use google and you can find known sites in your area and use google earth to look for what I mentioned above. I hunt the rivers and have found artifacts almost every mile on that river at one time or another for over a hundred miles.
Sometimes on a muddy bank will be one rock.That one rock can be an ancient tool.You never know. Also look for areas that in their natural state that hold debris and rocks or gravel. Artifacts collect there. A downed log will trap artifacts from washing away look there. Do not worry about finding the site. I humbly disagree with the poster that says no camp site no artifacts. That's just not true. Rivers change, whip back and forth eating up soil and acreage dumping artifacts in all the time. Find an island and you will find artifacts. I can not name one island or hump of dirt in the river that does not have flint on it around here
I am talking rivers not creeks not streams. People seem to get them mixed up.You can NOT throw a rock across a river.You CAN throw a rock across a creek. A stream or brook you can walk across.
Good luck in your water hunts :thumbsup:

Tnmountains · Oct 29, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

GodOfRustyNails said:
vibes said:

I know the St Joe, and have walked it and Juday creek as well...still nutin' EXCEPT up by the "Portage" I found a fur trade item

I've now moved south to search for artifacts.

Click to expand...

When you say Portage as in Portage Ave. or Portage In.? I went to Pinhook Park where Lasalle set foot for the first time. That is also near Council Oak. There should be a lot of activity there. I just have not been able to find anything.

Portage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water.Or a put in place.Like portage for a canoe

Newt · Oct 30, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

TnMountains said:
Listen Rivers can be the greatest places to hunt but you have to figure out where on the river to hunt. You have to know if the river has been impounded by dams. If it has, much may be under water but there is not a river in the USA that does not have artifacts on it somewhere. Look first to see if one side of the river is the original channel(rock shelves,bluffs) and hunt that first,Concentrate on springs and creeks coming into the river. Look for bends in the river with high ground. A bend in the river will have meant possible shallow water and a crossing and fresh mussels and easy food. Look on both sides. There will be many places you find on the river with no sign of a camp or village and there will be artifacts. You may never know where the camp was... if you do you are on track. Use google and you can find known sites in your area and use google earth to look for what I mentioned above. I hunt the rivers and have found artifacts almost every mile on that river at one time or another for over a hundred miles.
Sometimes on a muddy bank will be one rock.That one rock can be an ancient tool.You never know. Also look for areas that in their natural state that hold debris and rocks or gravel. Artifacts collect there. A downed log will trap artifacts from washing away look there. Do not worry about finding the site. I humbly disagree with the poster that says no camp site no artifacts. That's just not true. Rivers change, whip back and forth eating up soil and acreage dumping artifacts in all the time. Find an island and you will find artifacts. I can not name one island or hump of dirt in the river that does not have flint on it around here
I am talking rivers not creeks not streams. People seem to get them mixed up.You can NOT throw a rock across a river.You CAN throw a rock across a creek. A stream or brook you can walk across.
Good luck in your water hunts

Yes and yes. You said it all. I was referring to creeks. In a river, there are many creeks that feed it. I agree, rivers are tough, but, they all hold artifacts .
Newt

sidmind said:
Did you read through this thread all about creek hunting?

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,276416.0.html

As Newt from the thread above say's if no campsites are near then no artifacts will be found, regardless of how much you look.
He has some great advice on where to look.

Great luck and happy hunting.

Thanks for the quote! As you'll read above, I'm not contesting your understanding. I was referring to creeks. Unfortunately, I did not clarify that to well. Either way, input is always appreciated on any topic. As far as I'm concerned.
Newt

Treasure_Hunter · Oct 30, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I have walked many, many miles up and down stream of dozens of creeks and streams that had no sign of any known campsites, and yet I found hundreds of artifacts in Missouri.

The campsites can be buried under several feet of topsoil and not visible on the surface at all. Heavy rain causes the sides of the banks to crumble which puts the artifacts in the water. Besides looking for points, i looked for the flakes and chips from knapping, that are signs that better things can be found.

Tnmountains · Oct 30, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

I think you made a good post Newt. Was just trying to help Godofrustynails. I think on a River you do have a better chance of getting on major village sites but I have found you need a boat to speed up your hunting. On a small creek you can wade up it looking at everything.On a river you are reduced to a shore line. But with a boat and a shore line you can cover many miles very quickly. Fun thing around here is all the plowed fields along the rivers will have artifacts as well as the shoreline.
Good post and hopefully Godofrustynails will bring home a bunch before to long.
Good luck sir.
:icon_sunny:

TnMtns

joshuaream · Oct 30, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

Yep, the St. Joe is hard to hunt... Too many damns, too much silt. There must have been some large sites along the banks at one time, but you'll have better luck going south a bit to hunt the glacial morraines or some of the smaller streams that feed into the St. Joe. Or go down to Potato Creek state park, and ask some of the farmers in the area if you can hunt their fields.

vibes said:
I know the St Joe, and have walked it and Juday creek as well...still nutin' EXCEPT up by the "Portage" I found a fur trade item

I've now moved south to search for artifacts.

steve71 · Oct 30, 2009

Re: Newbie needin' some advice on artifact hunting in rivers and streams

hit them creeks just keep your eyes to the ground if you dont look you wont find.look for real thin flakes of flint and fire popped rock.when you do, look good in that area.it sometimes takes miles of walking.i got many miles.