Small Appalachian mtn stream hunting

[campcreekman]

I am currently trying to figure out creek hunting for arrowheads. I have been a few times with no luck. Going tomorrow to a small 3' wide stream to hunt.nice stuff has been found randomly in area and the stream flows into a large river about a mile down. It is situated in some steep terrain but the spot I'm going to I think is the only place suitable for a camp on this section of stream. A football field sized flatspot. It's hard to find any info on hunting streams in my area. I don't know where and how to start. Also taking newly made sifter with me. Anyone with any experience in these western Carolina streams?

[Sugaree]

Hi campcreekman I have been hunting WNC creeks for the past five years. Well to be honest with you I have not had much luck but have found a few here and there. All of my points could fit into a small riker case and most are quite beat up. I don't want to discourage you because I know of some quite successful creek hunters up here. It took me days to find my first creek find. Nowadays I'm hunting fields it has been more successful for me by far. When I do creek hunt it is usually in the summer when the fields are full of crops. I tend to only find quartzite artifacts so I tune my eye to the more shiny quartzite rocks. The streams I hunt don't have gravel bars the entire creek is one continuous bar. Also like to go during low water and not return till after a big rain event moves the rocks around again. The only thing that keeps me going back is that I have found some nice big tools. Good luck you never know till you try keep us informed and also look on the banks where it is eroding.

[chase]

They can be found anywhere. Streams are places that scatter artifacts from sites so if your not close to a site they can be rather hit or miss. Look for a convergence of streams or with rivers. But what do I know I dont hunt streams too much. Dont like getting my feet wet. lol but I heard they make hip waders. Good luck.

[campcreekman]

Thank you for your input Sugeree. I too love hunting fields but my favorite places to hunt are now planted in soybeans and they never get plowed. They just barely scratch the surface before planting. My corn fields do alright but because of weather this year the farmer plowed and planted in the same week and i dont stomp through after he has planted so I missed my spring hunting window. I need to pick up some rocks so creek hunting is about my only option right now other than logging trails I've hunted time and again. My area is good for what I call sugar quartz. It looks likes hardened sugar crystals or grits clumped together. I find morrow mtn and Appalachian/aka Savannah river points made from it. Is that what you call quartzite or are you calling solid white flint quartzite?

[Scorpion68]

Hey campcreekman - I have a problem directly opposite of yours. My mountain creeks tend to be very steep drops with very little level area for points to settle into. However, I have a slew of logging trails and roads that erode every time it rains and they have proved to be very productive. My motto is to hunt where you can when you can and hope for the best. I recently experienced a very dry spell in being able to find an artifact for almost a year. But just a couple of days ago I came across a washout on a logging road and broke my dry spell. CCM - I'm wishing you the best of luck.

[Sugaree]

Savannah Rivers and Morrow Mountains are exactly what I find in the rivers with an occasional guilford. And yes I am referring to true quartzite. I find yellow and red quartzite also. In my experience the artifacts are made out of a higher grade of quartzite so they kind of stickout along all of the natural river quartzite. Good luck let us know what you find?

[campcreekman]

I tried my little creek I was excited about today and found nothing but crawfish claws and dissapointnent. I made some observations that I wanted to share to get a little input from any creek hunters out there. On the steep side of the creek I noticed that it was a three foot layer of clayish silt that wouldn't sift through my sifter unless I rubbed it like cheese against a grater. Under that is a definentive layer of creek cobble and pebble that's been deposited over the years. Adjacent to the steep side usually was a little pebble bar. The center of creek was anything from sand to fist sized rocks resting on solid cobblestone creek bed. I did some sifting in spots where arrowhead sized rocks seemed to accumulate behind logs and larger rocks with no luck. If anything is there I don't know if it would eroding out of silt layer or lower cobble layer. Also looking at the area it is mostly laurel and rhododendron thicket. Would it be the same 8000 years ago or would it be a more open and passable wood growth. If it's hard for me too hunt arrowheads in would early man want to live and hunt here themselves. Is anyone still with me here lol. Maybe I need to search for rocks elsewhere let me know if anyone has any comments for me thanks.

[Kyflintguy]

I never had much luck in small streams in the mountains of eastern Ky. I always blamed it on the steep terrain and the amount of material constantly being washed into the streams. Just my experience. I would look for flat terrain around larger streams. Especially were multiple streams converge.

[Scorpion68]

Excellent advice there Josh.

[Von]

I have found a few points in creeks but I've not found anything that resembled a camp site because Indians camped on high ground. Try looking at high spots in fields within a quarter to half mile from a creek. Keep in mind that the water flowed more heavily when the glaciers were melting. Many times the camp sites will be a couple hills back from the edge of the flood plain.

Von

[campcreekman]

Thanks everyone for taking time and giving me your input. I will keep on looking and hopefully I can find some productive creeks and as Scorpion68 suggested logging roads. I have a kayak/rock day planned for this weekend and my hopes are high! Happy hunting yall!