i thought i saw

[larson1951]

driving my tractor back to the truck i thought i saw a fishing weight, so i stopped the tractor and realized i almost ran over it as you can see by the tire tracks from the john deere
when i got around the back of the duck foot i started to see it was granite which told it was not a fishing weight but it still was very round and kinda polished
so i took a picture and picked it up to examine and was disappointed....then i cleaned some of the dirt off and could see a groove around it like a small hammer stone
and sure enuff it was,.......so i took some images and posted here for your study and perusal
when i got by the truck and was walking across the road i thought i saw another piece
so i photographed it and dug it out of the hard packed road surface and could see a nice example of a KRF thumb scraper only it is a broke with the small end missing
this pc had been driven over hundreds of times since it was tossed on the road by the other surface hunter that picked up alot of stuff over the yrs
he is my friend, but he always would go out for an hour and fill up a bag of stuff, like maybe 50 or more pcs and then walk back up to his truck and 'sort them out'
then he would throw his non-keepers and 'maybes' onto the same area onto the road.......which is now strewn thick with flakes and brokes in and about a 15 by 15 foot area......true story
anyone had an experience like this before??
here are todays images added info

 

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[GatorBoy]

did you think about it being a bola stone?

 

[larson1951]

i have never thought of a bola
i don't know if those were used in this area
but anything is possible

 

[GatorBoy]

really nice artifact by the way.. here's a photo of a fishing net weight

 

[larson1951]

that is interesting
are you sure it is a net weight?
the fishing weight in north dakota are made of sandstone with a very thin groove

 

[Lone Star]

that is interesting
are you sure it is a net weight?
the fishing weight in north dakota are made of sandstone with a very thin groove

I just had a long conversation with some fellas at the Temple show saterday about these puppies. Commonly referred to around here as "Waco Sinkers" . The only problem with that is that's a lot of work for fishing net weights in any quantity, when a simple rock will do.. I was always under the impression they were used as "bola stones" as the grooves would assist tight bindings, and re-use over and over. I think they're cool. Good eye there dude. Lone Star

 

[larson1951]

that one pictured by the remote looks almost too nice for a fishing weight in a way
and looks to be about five pounds which might be kinda heavy for a bola
it almost looks like a real nice hammer in a way
i don't know anything about a bola so i am just guessing
these are north dakota fishing weights

 

[GatorBoy]

I agree with your way of thinking. I to believe they are bolas. here in florida we have the same argument over plummets

 

[joshuaream]

The issue with bolas that the ends will whap together and break pretty regularly. Most "bola stones" from Florida and almost all plummets show too much work for something that is guaranteed to shatter if used repeatedly. Most bolas balls in South America are bone. Heck, a leather pouch filled with clay or sand would work just as well.

Some of the cruder versions of Waco sinkers would be perfect.

 

[GatorBoy]

I agree with you when it comes to plummets. but when it comes to spherical objects especially made of hardstone it's about the strongest shape you can make an object.

 

[Harry Pristis]

The issue with bolas that the ends will whap together and break pretty regularly. Most "bola stones" from Florida and almost all plummets show too much work for something that is guaranteed to shatter if used repeatedly. Most bolas balls in South America are bone. Heck, a leather pouch filled with clay or sand would work just as well.
Some of the cruder versions of Waco sinkers would be perfect.

I agree that bola stones from Florida took a beating in use. The few in my collection have some battering on the sides.

The examples I have from North Florida rivers are the classic egg-shape with a flattened end. I have alway understood that the flattened end was the point of attachment of the cord.

Since there is no groove in the classic bola stone, it must have been cradled in a leather wrap with the cord attached to the leather wrap. The leather would have provided a buffer when the bola stones cracked together.

While the leather would have its own wear problems, it would be more easily replaceable than finding, grinding, and pecking a replacement stone.

​

 

[GatorBoy]

okay... that is very logical. now we could apply that same line of thinking to a net weight or fishing sinker. yet we still have the spherical stones with pecked and ground grooves.