Bank hunting.

[Wichita]

I see a few creekers finding stuff sticking out of banks. The only thing I have ever found sticking out of a bank is my pipe. I look banks often though, and have found where the creek bottoms used to be, but no occupation layers in them. In most every spot the top layers of the bank are too high up to see something small sticking out.

Are there certain areas I should look for when searching these banks?

Are the darker layers of soil an indication of human occupations?

Obviously ash/carcoal could be an indication, but is there a tell tale sign that those are from human fires, or wild fires?

I know alot of camps are on the outside bank on the high side of a bend, but a farmer I talked to told me he always found points when plowing on the low side, in the flood plain, and not on the high side.

Just a few questions to help me better understand where these folks may have camped. There is one spot where I find alot of birdies in this creek. I have looked, and looked on both sides of this creek for camp sign, but am coming up empty. I've looked right at the spot, and upstream a lil way. I just can't believe these points ar traveling very far in the creek. So what am I missing?

[ABR3825]

Exellent question! I can't wait for some answers!

[joshuaream]

I look down stream for relics, then for small lenses of charcoal (cross section of firepits), clusters of fired rocks, stained areas, etc. in the bank. In the desert some of the stream beds are 30 feet down because of recent errosion. When possible two of us hunt, one on each bank since the camps are high up. One spots it, and helps center the other guy over the feature. Digging down, climbing up, or roping down is the tough part because none are exactly safe.

[rockhunter]

check this video and channel out, may be helpful or atleast give ya some confidence. this guy finds em in the bank all the time.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UobgolbHqQ

[willybee]

creekdalton on youtube finds some great stuff occasionally, but he suffers
from the same syndrome as many lifelong hunters-he pounds the same
(not so great) ground year after year. Thats a super formula for ending up
with the EVERYMAN COLLECTION- five G8 points and 112 field grade ones.
but thats a little off topic-back to business-


Locating the source bank is one way to increase the QUALITY of your
finds-IF you can get em BEFORE or JUST AFTER they fall into water
they can be CRISPY and sharp, like the day they were made.

Finding artifacts in the water is usually the first step in finding a
good bank. Literally follow the trail of flint back to the spot where
artifacts are entering the water. OK-that part was obvious-

PATIENCE IS MY ADVICE.
You might not find the origin bank on the first try-
it often takes me several visits after rainstorms
to find the sweet spot. -(keep looking Wichita)

One of my best regularly hunted banks
produced NO FLINT or ARTIFACTS for 4 MONTHS! Banks do not
necessarily CONSTANTLY dump flakes and points-be patient.

The more damage an artifact shows generally the farther it
has travelled-if you find an undamaged crispy point in the water
YOU ARE AT THE BANK OF ORIGIN!> whether there is flint coming out or not.

Now you know to check RIGHT THERE after the rainstorms/floods.
If you are finding points in the creek-KEEP LOOKING-those points
ARE entering from a bank-

Definitely looking for dark midden soil and burned rock
is correct, but NOT NECESSARY for points to be found there.
Don't limit yourself to dark areas-LOOK EVERYWHERE-especially
once you find an artifact or worked flake. I have actually found
FIRE RINGS eroding out of banks. Its awesome to KNOW they
camped RIGHT THERE.

I am NOT LOOKING FOR TINY EDGES up high while exploring-
I am looking for FLINT FLAKES down low-THEN LOOK
UP-and if that means DIGGING STEPS INTO THE
bank DO IT! (one of my best tricks is digging steps, and
sometimes i use LARGE SCREWDRIVERS jammed into the
angled (NOT VERTICAL) bank and step on them.

Be extra careful when looking down a cutbank from
above- they can GIVE WAY and you can go with em!

My other piece of advice is once you find a good bank-
DONT EVER TELL ANYONE OR TAKE THEM THERE!

a single good bank well hunted can furnish you
with HIGH GRADE ARTIFACTS for the rest of your life.
Happy Hunting
Willy

PS: birdpoints indicate relatively recent occupations, and may
not be indicative of large multi component sites. if you find
older larger points AND birdpoints-it will most likely be more
worth an intensive effort.

[Dirty_Digger]

What about tools????? Does anyone have some special tools they wont hunt banks without?????

[blue]

That valuable information Willbee Thanks!

[Wichita]

The layer I'm wondering about is the darker area that looks like midden dirt below the top layer of soil.

[neralich]

That blackish area does appear to be midden soil. I wouldn't let it go unchecked, it looks very promising. I would bring along something to poke around/dig next time you go there. That is if you can reach it w/o a ladder?? The only other thoughts I have that may be a possibility is that the black layer is modern decomposition and that there is a couple feet of modern fill above it. I've seen that quite often but it doesn't mean it still wouldn't have debitage/artifacts within it. Willybee summed up creek bank huntin' well. I've found stuff in midden soil similar to what your pic looks like but I often hit onto E.Archaic stuff much deeper. Even at the base layer and lower with NO signs of midden etc. Just upon the closest of examinations I may notice a small flake protruding and/or small pea sized burnt earth orange in color along with small bits of charcoal. Keep a keen eye and study close and patiently. It helps also to know what calcined bone and tiny red ochre looks like in the soil too.

@Dirty_Digger....... I use an old golf club with the head lopped off for a walking stick and it doubles as a probe or for reaching up high above my head if I see something that protrudes that catches my eye. Besides that I can't go creekbank huntin w/o my 5way paint scraper that I use to jab in the dirt/dig here and there! Also I bring along root cutters and a limb saw (a must!!)

A pic of my creekbank tools I prefer to have with me....



Midden rich soil and a handful of debris from a few minute creekbank dig. This soil/site looks much like the black layer in your pic.



Here's a pic of the E. Archaic soil with orange burnt earth/small charcoal bits that I speak of... If you look above my thumb, that white speck is calcined bone.
(no signs of a midden nor organic soil layer) The only sign I have of a refuse pit is that the digging will be much softer than outside of the pit area. Sometimes you will find so much charcoal and fire cracked rock it's no doubt some kind of hearth or pit.



Here is a small peice of red ochre on E. Archaic site that my scraper cut in half....



Here's a couple pics of finds from E. Archaic site creekbank...

[justonemore]

Good posts Wichita, and great replies gents, thanks.