Tips On Creek Walking Or Field Walking/ Lets Hear Your Tips

[monsterrack]

I am no expert but these are things that have worked for me over the years. First I would say and it should go unsaid but take your time and walk slow. As I said in another post I do what I call the duck walk ,I bend over and place my hands on my knees and get a real close look, and I know some folks have back problems and can't do that, so never try to look over a square area of 3ft then take a step and start over. After I go down the rock bar in one direction I turn around and go back the way I came, until I have walked the whole bar like that, believe me a different angle gives a complete different view. Then before I leave that rock bar I stand up straight look high up on the banks, I have found points more than 5ft out of the creek beds and you never know what may be sticking out of the bank and also as I am walking on to the next rock bar I'm still looking at the ground that I just looked over. Also look in the water, if it is shallow enough make sure the sun is at your back so there will not be a glare. If the water is deep 1-3ft, you can cut the bottom out of a plastic bucket and put plexa glass in the bottom using rubber silicone to seal it in , be sure to leave about a 1/2 of a inch of the bottom of the bucket around the edge, so the plexa glass will have a good area to seal too, the bucket thing helps when there is a lot of ripples no matter the depth of the water, by placing it in the water it is amazing what you can see. Just be sure to walk up stream, so not to cloud up the water and that is another pointer when walking creeks always try to start down stream and work your way up stream.

I know some will say this will take all day and it does take a long time to search a place just right, because you never know what you may walk right by. I have found this works in fields also, you just don't have to walk has slow in a plowed field. I have walked right past a tip of a point in a field only to find it when I came back just a few feet away looking at a different angle. In my line of work and most any kind you need to double check things, so it goes in hunting artifacts. I hope this will help someone and like I said this is just the way I do it , others may have some better tips and I would like to hear some of them myself, because this old dog can learn new tricks.

 

[Older The Better]

Not a field or creek, but a revelation for me was root balls from fallen trees. Tree pulls up a plug of soil, the rain washes away the dirt and you can pick out flakes and tools, I also take a shovel and churn the ground up a bit on the root ball after picking it over, revisit after a few more rains.

 

[smokeythecat]

Older the better, I did that today. Got nothing *sobs*. Creeks here have copperheads on the banks, I haven't tried my new snake boots yet.

 

[Older The Better]

I come up empty a lot too Smokey, persistence pays off would be another good tip... for beginners more than experienced guys. I find a lot when I’m alone because I will spend all day looking around a small area. No copperheads keeping me out of the river but it’s been up for two or three weeks, lots of rain up north I guess, I’ve been waiting and waiting to check what new presents the river has uncovered but I still can’t get to them

 

[MAMucker]

Excellent thread. This is a really good post!

 

[alaskaseeker]

A few years back I worked for a while near a tool making site.. There's only 2 places in Alaska that obsidian can be found and one spot wasn't too far away from what I called the Toolmakers place.. You had to travel from the valley floor up a crooked ruff trail to the top of the ridge. I walked all over that ridge found a couple of points and some unfinished tools.. Since we don't have a lot of trees the ridge top was mostly barren and I was thinking too, that the hunters used thus other area to watch for game in the areas below..Quite by accident early one morning I rode the 3 wheeler over that way and I was aghast, as the sun crept up I could see twinkles appear on the ridge, this was interesting and led me to areas I'd never searched before.. This made my stay a little more interesting at this remote flyin only worksite...At my home I Ak I have photos of these places when I get back there I will grab some things, now as I'm in Thailand (the land of 100lbers lol) I can only talk about remembrances....

 

[Huzzah!]

I like going when it's cloudy.

In Virginia early mornings are always nice because the dew turns bare ground dark--chips, etc. stick out to me more. I try to get there 15 mins before sunrise and go until the sun is spilling over the trees. After that I go hunt in the shaded parts of the field. Unless the ground is wet I won't go when the sun is out--too many shadows. Feels like I'm missing out.

Also, when field hunting, even the smallest rise in terrain is worth a look.