Question on Celts

BrettCo124 · Mar 7, 2018

Hi all, another question yet again:

Are celts found pretty much anywhere? Rivers, creeks and fields? More so in one of those areas? It’s on my bucket list right now, big time.

sandchip · Mar 13, 2018

Around here at least, if there's gravel, you stand a chance of finding artifacts. On my land, I have a nice creek with a deep sandy bottom, and in 12 years, zilch. I don't have a doubt that they're in there somewhere, but getting to 'em is another thing.

Shorewalker · Mar 13, 2018

BrettCo124 said:
Do you feel like your only chance at finding celts (and arrowheads for that matter) is on an area on or immediately nearby a campsite? Obviously chances are probably better at or near a campsite, but I’m curious how you all do searching rivers and creeks NOT around a campsite. Still find stuff? Still feel just as confident?

I'm new here but this is what I do when looking for artifacts along the water (I don't search fields). I move quickly, scanning for signs of tool making - chips, flakes, spalls, cores. When I see this type of stuff I stop and look hard. I think you can waste a good amount of time looking in the wrong places. It's time-consuming to find a good site but the legwork will payoff. It took me 2 yrs to find my first arrowhead and this is because I didn't know the signs of a good spot (or those of a time-wasting spot). Have you seen any good indications on your creek site?

Shorewalker · Mar 13, 2018

Here is a picture of the type of things that I look for:

sandchip · Mar 13, 2018

Here's what I look for.

Shorewalker · Mar 13, 2018

sandchip said:
Here's what I look for.

View attachment 1563895

LOL! ...explains my lack of production...look for points!

BrettCo124 · Mar 13, 2018

Shorewalker said:
I'm new here but this is what I do when looking for artifacts along the water (I don't search fields). I move quickly, scanning for signs of tool making - chips, flakes, spalls, cores. When I see this type of stuff I stop and look hard. I think you can waste a good amount of time looking in the wrong places. It's time-consuming to find a good site but the legwork will payoff. It took me 2 yrs to find my first arrowhead and this is because I didn't know the signs of a good spot (or those of a time-wasting spot). Have you seen any good indications on your creek site?

Thanks! I do look closely for worked stones. I’ve never found any in my creek. I believe I may have found a flake or two, but whose to say it’s actually a flake and not just chipped naturally off of a stone? I know artifacts are in there, I just don’t believe it’s anywhere near where I search, which isn’t a large area. I may need to take a long walk along the creek. Perhaps there is a good spot right down the creek somewhere.

BrettCo124 · Mar 13, 2018

hucklburry said:
Those things are heavy, so I just don't think they carried them alot, they probably left them to use around "home" the most, increasing the odds of where they are found. I could be wrong, and it doesn't apply 100%, but if any rock will do for a lot of stuff, why carry something heavy that you don't need too??

Makes perfect sense that they’d be found at campsites. I need to find one of those sites lol.

Shorewalker · Mar 13, 2018

Brett - at the sites I've found there is lithic debris all over the place. All kinds of stuff washing out week after week. It's coming out of the banks (also some fire rock) and is on the beach and in the water. From minute flakes to spalls to large core stones. I usually find at least one point. If this stuff isn't there I would keep walking or try another location entirely. It's hit or miss - mainly miss. Apologies if this repeats what you are already looking for/doing! I'm not too familiar with the folks here yet. Anyway...this is my m.o., fwiw.

sandchip · Mar 13, 2018

I was into creek walking for bottles long before arrowheads and I have to wonder how many I must have walked over. If you are locked into bottles only, there's a very high possibility that you'll miss a point. So now, I concentrate primarily on points instead, because if a bottle enters my field of vision (which ain't hittin' on much anymore), I'll see it. Arrowheads in water and on gravel bars can hide in plain sight. It's nothing like field hunting, to me at least. A friend and I used to look together and if one of us spotted one, we'd call the other over. It was amazing how sometimes, with the finder standing over it, and the other looking straight at a fully exposed point, couldn't spot it until the finder bent down and pointed at it.

BrettCo124 · Mar 13, 2018

I’m always nervous I’m walking over them too! But as shorewalker has stated, I should be seeing flakes and cores every time I look. I think I may have found a flake or two out of dozens of times of being there. Not a good sign. I need to move somewhere else down the creek. It’s my fault for sticking in one general location all of those times. It’s where a small tributary creek meets the larger creek. So I just thought it’s a home run. Still looking for something I can positively identify as an artifact!