How do you look?

[ClearCreekBeauty]

I hear advice around here that says to take it slow when looking. To not get impatient. But I'll admit my personality isn't good at this. Since I've never hunted with anyone else, could you give me a description of what you might look like when hunting for arrowheads? Do you stand in one spot and turn over everything? Do you do a little hand digging where there is smaller gravel and sand? Or do you just sit down on the ground and examine everything within arms length from you?

It's a killer on the neck and back to look down at the ground while standing in one spot but I've just got to suck it up and stop trying to move around to stay comfortable. But I'm curious just how slow or detailed in a 3 ft by 3ft radius one should be. I'm a walker because my joints get stiff by not moving but I'll tote a chair if i have to if it might bring me more luck!

'preciate it!

[NeoGeo]

I don't have much creekin under my belt,but I do hunt a couple of washed out camps.They cover lots of area,and everything pretty much looks the same.Much like creeks....What I do is to pick a good spot,or a mostly open one anyway.The I squat down like a jumping frog....And I scan the ground slowly circling.(starting inward moveing outward) ,usually picking another place to start again .After many trips and circles later,I can start out in the more productive spots first.Hope you can adapt some of that info into somethin useful.

[ClearCreekBeauty]

Thanks NeoGeo. It helps a lot just getting an idea what successful hunters do when they get to a spot they want to look. Right now I'm venturing out to a couple of rivers and several creeks. I think my problem is not being able to see the forest for the trees so to speak. I just see an entire bank of rocks (river or creek) and I'm overwhelmed. I fear that if i don't keep moving until I see something right away that I'm wasting my time. This is probably a huge mistake. My myopic views on my scenery prevent me from being able to see any spot as a potential good one and just start somewhere and stay there for a few minutes before moving on. I'm unable to squat like you (had both knees operated on last year) but I can find some way to get closer to the ground and spend more time in the area before walking off.

[NeoGeo]

I haven't creeked too much,but it can be overwhelming.I always try to look more around spots that water has to go around.Rocks,trees,bends in the creek..I I can't resist low spots the are now dry.I imagine that points kinda skip along the bottom,and in those deeper spots water moves over them moreso then under....

[Cannonman17]

If I'm hunting with somebody I usually end up doing the quick once over meaning I walk the best part of the site at a pretty good clip. I normally pick up one or two obvious points laying right on top doing that. Then after we have quick walked the best parts of the site(s) we slow it down and walk it slow investigating and flipping ever flake. Sometimes what you think is a tiny flake winds up being a part of a point or blade just barely sticking out so I flip 'em all. Of course all the above is dependant upon the site too, one site my nephew and I hunt is so vast and so full of stuff that we can walk for several hours at a "normal" walk before we slow it down to hit the little rises and what not above the creek at a slow slow pace to see what we missed. I've never sat in a field and went over everthing in great detail or dug at random, too much ground to cover as it is I think.

[paleo_joe]

I walk until I find flint and then I get on my hands and knees and crawl. I think it helps me focus in and really look at the spot my eyes are pointed at.

If I am on a camp and I know there are points to be found, I may crawl an entire grid. Back and forth, up and down, 3 feet apart each time. Hell on the knees, looks stupid and if you are with someone it really slows them down.

I have hunted with a flashlight in the dark and it worked. The flint did not show up any differently, like I had heard, but the beam forced me to focus in on spots of ground and really look at them.

[Easttexashunter]

I'm like paleo joe, i'll get on my knees in a good area. if i'm in a new spot i'll just walk around till i find something good, then if i find a point or two I'll get on my hands and knees, to me it's easier on the eyes and back. Plus i find proolly ten times more on my knees, alot of the stuff that looks like a small chip, will be a point. But your area may be different than mine. All i do is surface hunt.

[John G. Scoggins]

Like a coon hunting a crawfish.I get in the water and feel for any hole or obstruction that can stop an artifact.

[Cluton]

Walk, crawl, climb, dig, scratch, drive, and sometimes run!!! Lol

[paleo_joe]

What is strange is how it sometimes takes a while for my eyes to warm up and lock on to flint.

Someone should invent a flashcard game on the web that would train your eyes to find points. Full screen of a natural background and then time how long it takes to click on the scraper that is in there somewhere.

To make it realistic, every once in a while a big water moccasin would jump out of the picture at you. A 600 pixel image of a big white mouth with fangs.