creeks, cultivated ground, and digging questions.

[waterglass]

Which have you had the most success at for the ammount of effort you put in? Walking creeks, fields or digging?
I have never had much luck with creeks, and I need to refine my methods when it comes to digging. I have found the vast majority of my points while walking cultivated fields here in KY. On a good day on a freshly turned field in likely location I have found a pocket ful or two.
How about you old campaigners? What is your most sucessful methods for finding points? Any tips you want to share about looking for likely creeks and the best methods for digging and what to look for when finding new cultivated sites to hunt?

[cgode]

Excellent question. While my methods won't help you (salt water beach with tidal fluctuations daily) there are definitely  things you should be looking at. Plowed fields are a great place to look especially after it has had ample rain to expose rocks/artifacts. Keep in mind, everyone needs water, so if you can find plowed fields near a water source that is a pretty good starting point. It appears that the confluence of two streams or a stream into a river is even better. Use google earth to scope out potential spots to get permission. Always, get permission!
Stream walkers tend to wait until the water level goes down and then they concentrate on gravel bars which trap artifacts as they get washed down stream.
I'm sure others will chime in here with advice as well. You seem to have a great attitude and have taken your rock finds/critics quite well which is great!! I will enjoy seeing you find a good spot and post some real artifacts,...I'm sure your excitement will be quite obvious when it happens. Good luck, and keep asking questions !!! 

[OBION]

I find a lot more in fields :laugh:
I find better quality in creeks
I get fired up about digging a spot and after about 30 minutes think, "man, this seems like work!" inch:

[kreative]

Posted by [GarScale]:

I find many times more digging. The secret is finding a way to sift a high volume of dirt.  Grubbing is second.

[Bone2stone]

Location location location.
Success depends on how far you want to go with your obsession to find.
The vast majority of my better quality/quantity has been dependent on who else knows of the location.Other is how long site was occupied.
Best day ever digging, cigar box full with gallon bucket full of brokes. 35 years ago.
Best day surface hunting ~200 with one being over 10" in length-one of 11 in a cache of blades.
All washed out in one rain event.  [Wife was with me on this one / We were the only ones who had ever hunted this site.)
Woodland - Post Paleo/Early archaic.
  Jess B.

[JoshinMO]

Creeks.

[kreative]

Posted by [GarScale]:

The good stuff is below the plow zone. I have had many 300-500 whole point days. Once again, its about systematically screening dirt. The number of points you can find in a given site is determined by your limitations.

[rockdigger]

What GarScale has said. Its all about how much dirt you can move. I personally dig in caves cause not any fields get plowed around here. I don't have much but I believe my better quality stuff has come from the caves. Thanks

[waterglass]

So basically I need a front end loader to dig effciently? I have a good facsimile in my farm tractor. What about sifters? I have seen several different types. The first one I built leaves much to be desired.
For my next try at a sifter I am thinking a large box screen held up by chains on an easily moved scafold so that gravity does the work for me. Anyone know of a sight that has printable blue prints or plans for sifters?

[kreative]

Posted by [GarScale]:

You can suspend it with heavy springs and put a bump bar on it to bump with the FEL to sift it if you don't want to go mechanical.

[Adena]

I have never had much luck in creeks either and have never really had a chance to dig, so I guess mine would just be walking the plowed, rained on fields. Something else I've had good luck with in this general area is salt water kills. You know, where oil wells come into the area and they have tanks that hold the salt water pumped out  of the ground. Sometimes they leak and made totally bare spots on the ground that are perfect for hunting.

[whit]

I've had more success in Iowa with creeks and better quality.  Almost all my field finds have been brokes.  Also with fields I run out of time with the crops growing and even after harvest with the residue on the ground.  The creeks I have a longer "season" to hunt.  Of course high water, fall leaves, ice and snow are limitations to creek hunting.

[waterglass]

GarScale wrote:

You can suspend it with heavy springs and put a bump bar on it to bump with the FEL to sift it if you don't want to go mechanical.

Thanks. How would I set that up? What would be the best way to go mechanical?

[waterglass]

I have had alot of luck finding points in erosion areas in no till fields in the winter time. The good thing is most people haven't cultivated really hilly areas much so the chance of finding complete pieces is better. That might not be much help on the plains but any place with rolling hills should have plenty of washes.

[kreative]

Posted by [GarScale]:

Build a box big enough and strong enough to hold a FEL dump of dirt and a frame strong enough to hold it up. Put a car spring on each corner. Put a bumper on one end and ease up to it with the FEL. Just use the bucket curl to bump the bumper and sift it.