What method of hunting does everyone use?

[Adena_man]

I was just curious to see what kind of hunting the other members do. I only surface hunt in plowed fields right now. That is starting to "dry up" with the tobacco buyout and the advent of "no-till" for corn. Digging is a touchy subject in Kentucky. As far as I know, you can dig as long as you don't disturb any mounds or other burial places (which I agree with completely). There is a bill going through the legislature right now that might be the beginning of the end for any kind of digging. I've heard of people wading creeks looking for artifacts. I haven't tried that, not sure of how to hunt in creeks. Any suggestions would be appreciated! How does everyone else find artifacts? I've been surface hunting for about 30 years.

 

[fossis]

I just surface hunt also, not many plowed fields anymore, hunt along cow trails, eroded ditches, & gravel bars in some of our rivers.


Fossis...................... HH

 

[Johnny X]

All of my finds are surface finds as well!


xstevenx

 

[Cannonman17]

plowed fields, river banks, gravel bars in rivers, constructions sites, man made lakes when the water is down (along the banks of former water ways) and one time I sifted an over hang on my friends property...

 

[pickaway]

I hunt plowed fields and hunt fields when the corn is tall,I creek hunt, i hunt woods wherever there is erosion, I dig also I dont see how they can stop digging on your own land.I know I'm digging around burials on my brothers property because the previous owner told the nieghbor when they were logging they thought they found a fresh grave, sheirrff was called and then state archeologist was called and from what I understand the archeologist dug and took everything he found? However he did leave a white broken blade laying on top of his dig.I'm not sure what I would do if i hit bone I know i wouldnt call the state archeologist.

 

[fossis]

I Heard That,


Fossis......................

 

[Cannonman17]

I don't know about where you live but here what you're doing would be illegal and could get you in a lot of trouble...

 

[pickaway]

So your not allowed to dig where you live?All I'm doing is digging on private owned land.
Like I said I've never hit bone and to be honest probably never will, I find most stuff at 6"-12" layer of decomposed forest material then its hard redish clay material.And I wouldnt call some state person to dig it up and cart off the peices in the name of archeology.And I dont think there alowed to even dig a grave in ohio since that nagpra law or whatever it is went into effect.Touchy subject but if its your land and you paid for it whats on it should be yours just my thoughts.
And also I dont know really what was dug up there you know how things go from one person to the other couldve been a pioneer grave,From pictures Ive showed to one person who has extesive experiance in this field he said I'm on a hopewell site where they made peices i have filled a 5 gallon bucket up with flint debris and so far he has been right when he said i wouldnt find many finished peices I have found alot of broken and unfinshed stuff on the surface Ive only dug twice each time about a 5'x5' area and only found one small whole point.I'm down with not grave looting but what im doing i dont think is illegal.

 

[d2]

I surface hunt but mainly dig. I dig on my own property and 95% of the pots you have ever seen were pulled from a burial or a trash pit. On occasion we have found a few small peices of bone. We always put 'em back in the hole and re-bury 'em. Digging and sifting about the only way to do it here...d2

 

[pickaway]

d2 WOW that is one big sifter box.

 

[Johnny X]

d2 WOW that is one big sifter box.

Haha i was getting ready to post those exact words!!!!!!

xstevenx

 

[d2]

My brother-n-law and I started out useing a small one and couldnt move enough dirt. So we came up with the 6X3 one. We can move some dirt now. When we are in a good place we have to keep moving the sifted dirt (good in the flower bed and around the 'maters). I fuss about having to mow the yard and will dig a hole big enough to put a 1,000 gallon septic tank in in a days time when we are finding stuff and then turn around and fill the hole back in . We take turns digging. I shovel untill my BIL sifts one out, then he digs till I sift one out. That way we both have had something to do with helping each other find one...d2

 

[Adena_man]

Wow D2! That is one serious sifter! I have a friend who digs and uses a sifter, but it's definitely not as big as the one you use. I hope to see some of your finds soon.

Good luck!

 

[bean man]

Just curious D2, as to what depths you find most your stuff? I'm going to mostly creek and river scrounge this year. I'm going to monitor flows and hit certain sections that have produced in the past, very often. Digging is just not fun to me. I'm planning on working at it hard but I want to keep it fun too. I love being at the creek. Once I get my new hip boots from capelas and the ice melts, season opens.

bm

 

[d2]

Depth of finds depends on age of the site. My house is way out in the country and is built out of the flood plane on a high place in the field. A 100 years from now when someone else owns this place and my house is gone they will build one on the same site, out of the flood plane, and so on and so on. Indians were the same way. Most of the sites we dig in the deeper you go the less points, flint chips you will find. But at the same time the deeper you go the older the stuff will be and I like the old stuff, daltons, first views etc. The first foot or so will be the newer stuff. You will know when you are in a good place when you start digging in the "AISL" (all important second layer) about 2 feet down. There should be a bunch of flint, etc. We have found stuff down as deep as 4 and 5 feet but this is always in the river/creek bottoms where there is a new supply of soil being left after the floods every year. Lots of hard hot work but it is will worth it...d2

 

[tomsneck]

Here on the vineyard I mostly walk the beach, wich I imagine is like walking creeks, except with the beach you have the tide so every day can be different.I still haven't found out what the laws are on digging here but as I said in my post,people talk in whispers about this stuff here. D2 wow.

 

[Cannonman17]

I wasn't saying you shouldn't be able to do what you want on your own land... I agree with that. I was just saying...... I guess that if I had a burial found on my land that would probably be the end of the digging for me...unless I had a lot of land and could go a safe distance away and still find stuff.

 

[Atlantis0077]

Morning,

Back from the near dead here.....attacked by the creeping crud that has assailed 90% of the population of Louisiana.

I dont know about other states, but would imagine their laws are similar to Louisiana. It is illegal here to dig in a burial whether on public or private land. That is the letter of the law. It is illegal to possess, trade or sell what are classified as "grave goods"....something that is hard to quantify. What constitutes a "grave good"...a pot? really nice point? gorget? axe? All can be found totally apart from any burial settings. So enforcing the law on these points is nearly impossible unless you are caught plundering in known sites or Federal areas.

Private land to me should be that, "private." What you do on your own property should be your business. Legally it no longer is. Personally I agree with D2, I would not call an archaeologist onto a site unless I could see that it was something of archaeological significance. A small village with a few points and broken stuff is NOT archaeologically significant, nor is grubbing up a few points off the bottom of a dry reservoir where water, wave and erosion have long since destroyed any stratigraphy. It seems the "professionals" come, take, leave. Any consideration of the amateur is abandoned as soon as the site location is divulged, but that is only my experience.

I am certain that in time laws will be passed to stop all digging and probably all trade, selling or even possession of relics. I am not in favor of plundering burial grounds to make a profit off relics, but some balance should be possible between the hobbyist and those who wish all such activities to cease. Until then, I indend to continue to look, dig, and enjoy this most interesting of hobbies.

Atlantis