Need advice: Hunting arrowheads in creeks and streams.

[WAREHOUSE]

Hey there, I'm new to the site and I have been reading just about every post I can trying to learn some tips and tricks for finding my first arrowhead. I live in SW Ohio in an area where Hopewell Indians/Woodland people lived, as well as where Clovis period items have been found. I do a lot of kayaking/fishing and have come across some old gravel beds and creek mouths that I believe were the original riverbed in this area years ago. When I find an area with a lot of small/medium sized rocks, is it best to just scour over them and look for items on the surface or would I be better off walking the creek and looking at the wall for items uncovered by recent rainfall? Some of these gravel bars are several feet deep with small rocks so just knowing where to begin is quite intimidating. As to the "high ground" around these creeks...they are completely covered with stinging nettles and thick brush, so I'm not sure how you guys search those areas. I'll keep reading the forums for more tips but I'd sure appreciate a jump-start here if anyone can give me a how-to bit of advice. Thanks in advance!

I didn't see any How-To's in this section regarding this, sorry if I'm posting in the wrong area.

Update: I just found this link and it has been a great help:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/north-american-artifacts/218171-creek-small-river.html

Here are some of the thread's highlights:
scotto - "just find the flakes and chips. Where you find them, there the points will be. " "...Are there any 'high ground' areas near it (creek)? I'd try those spots first, and along the top of the banks near high ground, probably where the camps were. Check the creek in those places after hard rains, if you are finding chips and flakes then you're there."
The Grim Reaper - "Definitely check the springs that flow into the river as well. I'm sure there are artifacts in there. "
Tnmountains - "I would start where the creek and river join. Biggest sites I have seen are in the corner of the two. Start there on the banks and work backwards up each waterway."
Th3rty7 - "High spots above the old flood plain between a river and creek or spring are usually a sure thing. Smaller creeks that have meandered through the years are imo the most productive. If they have cut into old sites along the way they can be very good."

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[OregonMaryJayne]

It can be really random with erosion, time etc.
if pieces are present your in hot zone. Look around at the land. If you were an Indian where would you camp? What blocks the wind? is the water stagnant or are there rapids for clean water? where did the creek used to flow? blackened rocks from fire? deer trails/pathways/routes

If the creek or stream is gentle, an air mattress is a nice mode of transportation. Laying on your stomach with face next to water and a good pair of sunglasses
Plow along sifting through the gravel. this is how my brother & I found gem stone quality opal fishing point fully intact. And many others...

Well, he found it, lost it and I found it again



OMJ

 

[Pointman]

I haven't been arrow hunting in years, but I was fairly successful at finding them along streams and creeks. The area where I was at had a range where you could pay a fee and dig. I believe it was well over 20 acres of hills, streams and everything in between. Some of the better areas where we found items where at the confluence of streams. Around 2 foot deep we would find a shell layer and then generally the finds would be below that. We would home in on flint shards, charcoal or old animal bones.

We would use a topographical map and find the larger older streams that had higher sides which evidenced that they were around for a while. I found a lot of arrowheads along the gravel and sandbars, especially after rains. I would also scour the sides of the streams and find choppers and blades pocking out of the sides of the banks. Quite frequently I would walk over something and my buddy would find it, or vise versa. If we found a productive spot, we would sometimes take a bucket and wash the sides of the bank to expose a little more.

 

[Kevin in IN]

I mostly have walked fields, but I hunted a creek in southern Indiana once. I noticed that bends and pockets around obstructions had lots of flakes piled from flooding, and I did find a hornstone point mixed in with these flakes. Good hunting to you. Kevin

 

[deadeye 22250]

I mostly walked fields, if you find where water washed a trench in a field, that is a good place to find points.