Why so many Birdies?

[NMOutfitter]

Ok.. soo, this isn't really so much "what" did I (we, the wife and the 4yo and i) find, as it is "why"? This afternoon we found a lil spot, maybe 60yards by 20. It's pretty much a classic area, military crest of a small rolling hill along a good waterway. It had very lil flaking, like they didn't knap right there so much, but Tons of "bird" points and not much else. This is the second time we've found a spot like that. Almost identical. Like there was a good amount of shooting but not alot of making.. or something?? Anyone know why they cluster like that? I've been through this larger area a ton, found plenty of points and tools.. very little pottery (I mean like NONE).. but now 2 "clusters" of Birdies? Thoughts? (Colfax County NM just for clarity)

Second photo just for better scale on fingertips

[Dmaver]

Excellent finds!!
I’ve found the exact same thing outside of Taos. A spot on my family friend’s property has large groups of super small points but not a ton of flakes. The points I’ve found there are mostly basalt, but some obsidian. I assume there was a manufacturing site somewhere nearby and the points were kept in a pit house near where I’ve found them.
I did find scrapers, too so maybe a hunter lived at this particular house and didn’t make the points but just used them…?
I really don’t have an answer but thought I’d chime in with my similar find situation in NM and what my assumption was.

[UpNorth]

You’re on a late woodland~ Mississippian site~👍

[Narrow Way Knapper]

Probably was a prime hunting spot near the water. Cool finds!

[JEBMs]

I’m sorry that I can’t answer your question, as UpNorth said, it is definitely a later site. What other type of tool are you finding?. In the ones that are pictured you have quite a variety of types and materials.
Just a thought, we used to hunt swamp rabbits on an island in the Mississippi River and because they were so big we would gut them when we killed them to be able to carry more. Might these sites be places adjacent to hunting areas where they would lighten the load of the day’s kill to carry back to a larger camp or village?

[Cecilia]

How wonderful! The lil points were the most recent. It only makes sense that they are more abundant and intact. But I bet that hunting ground been hunted way before then!

[JEBMs]

Duplicate

[Garguy]

I can answer it. You found a nice little lodge site for a hunting camp. The points in your picture (with one possible exception) were taken off arrows and discarded. Arrow shafts were much more time consuming than archery points. Go hunting, shoot a bunch, come back to camp and replace the damaged points with new ones before tomorrow's hunt.

It's quite possible you could find a cache of first stage birdies there that had been pre-made and stashed.

[JoshinMO]

Good Hunting! Birdpoints / true arrowheads are hard to find!

[Lindenmeier-Man]

First of all , I like the story ! I take it from your avatar , you are an Outfitter !? Anyway , you’ve found the kill zone ! The question is , where is the natural or most likely man made blind ? If you figure out that , behind same you might find a few more interesting items where they waited. Take into consideration that their bows were about three feet long and a thirty yard shot , that would be a long one. Prevailing wind was about or the same as now . Reverse engineer the kill zone !

[Garguy]

He didnt find the kill zone. He found the hunting camp.

[Gary Variant]

I have seen the same thing on a field I hunted last year. There was this one spot on that field where you could find these things and no where else. The spot was small, maybe 10 yd X 20 yd. There was pottery pieces at that location. This is some of the ones I found.

[NMOutfitter]

VERY good thoughts guys! That all feels really right, it seems I wasn't too far off in my thinking. I was also wondering if maaaaybe there was something anomalous in the distant past that made it a slightly better spot for hunters.. a grove of trees that are long gone, game trails intersecting, larger marsh/oxbow that pulled the waterfowl down. To me it's half the fun just imagining all the possibilities!

soo JEBMs asked about tools.. heres a few from within a mile of there, in mostly a southern direction. Pretty standard stuff (I think) lil knives, perforateors, drills, thumb scrapers.. stuff like that.

and Garguy it sure sounds right on retooling the days arrows.. I took a closer one of this point, they absolutely tried to re sharpen it.. probably didn't like the final product and left in the "if I'm absoooolutely starving later" pile.

[Cecilia]

O my my my! I love tools the best!

[Garguy]

That little guy was once at least 3 times as long on the top side. Resharpened until it was a nub . That is just a classic assemblage from a hunting camp. They killed everything with those arrows including bison, elk , and deer.

The little knoll overlooking fresh running water made it a nice little dry spot. To build a tent or lodge.

[smbore]

found these and more in one area probably 30 yards. camp fires n bones mixed in.. camp's.

[Dmaver]

Incredible!!! I love those obsidian points

[Cecilia]

Ha! Throw down!