Got permission to dig.

[Pishtaka]

The owner of the property I am allowed to search has offered me the option to dig if I want.

Well, of course I want to dig!

There's two giant piles of dirt (around 50 yards) from when he excavated for his house and garage up on the hill. I plan on going through those piles first, because that's gotta be paydirt right? They dug down like 8ft and put all the dirt in a pile. Hasn't been touched since.

Next three areas I can dig would be near the base of a swamp where I've found abalone / oyster shells. There's a pine forest that was planted about 30 years ago, use to be farm field before. And finally a section of woods that has a mound. Obviously the mound is off limits, I won't go sink a shovel within 100 yards of that.

Where you would y'all start first? How would you tackle so much area? I don't want to get burnt out on digging and sifting before I find anything because I was digging in lame areas.

[UpNorth]

Are you hand digging? Or bringing in the heavy equipment?… lol.
would this property be the same you found that Axe in?… if so, A no brainer, do sections of the field. After all that’s where artifacts are being found.
I would also respect that mound, artifacts will be nearby . Don’t forget the creek, river or spring. If you’re hand digging, drop the shovel and hit the water….✌️

[Pishtaka]

Are you hand digging? Or bringing in the heavy equipment?… lol.
would this property be the same you found that Axe in?… if so, A no brainer, do sections of the field. After all that’s where artifacts are being found.
I would also respect that mound, artifacts will be nearby . Don’t forget the creek, river or spring. If you’re hand digging, drop the shovel and hit the water….✌️

So, for the most part, I'd probably be hand digging. He does own a tractor with a backhoe and said he wouldn't mind me using it when he brings it out of storage. I'd take him up on that offer, but I also don't want to be driving that thing across his beautiful lawn into the woods where I need to get it. So I want to try test pits with a shovel first, and if it's really promising, break out the digger, convince my boss to let me take the bobcat home for a weekend.

It is the same permission property I found that axe at. I have no qualms digging in the field, but right now they are getting ready to plant and it seems disrespectful to go digging the fields now. Obviously come harvest I will go sink some test pits where I found that axe.

There's a spring on the property just north of me which funnels through my permission and into the swamp. Sadly the utility companies were out there 30 years ago and re-arranged the whole creek. They dug down about 10ft in areas to create a basin and re-routed the creek / filled in the old one. The new creek is 100% silt and mud. Not a single rock in there I can find.

[SGT.Digger]

Highest ground closer to water

[Tam]

Ask Willjoe … master digger

[Buckeye Bill]

I’m just seeing this post. Late to the game, hope you’ve had good luck digging! I like to hunt for old postal maps or any old maps of areas, the older the better. Some have old trails or tribes marked, old dig sites, even check with any local historians or museums. I know of an old, approved dig site at “X” location (before I was born ha), they didn’t find enough to warrant continuing, so no further funding was approved and dig ended. Fast forward 60+ years later, lining up modern roadmap with old postal route, talking with a grandson of local old land owner…seems they might have been off by a couple hundred yards. We found loads of items in the 80’s near there (surface finds), but everything is now parking lots and retail shopping. Sad, really. You might be able to locate great spots just by checking local history. And of course- as wisely mentioned by others, always up a good ridge or two from waterways.