Looking for Tips to Find Arrowheads in WV

[Snell]

Hi, I am a college student currently getting ready for my first year at Marshall University in West Virginia. I am originally from the foothills of the Adirondacks in New York and I am an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing. While looking to see what type of hunting West Virginia had to offer I came across a type of hunting I had never considered before, arrowhead hunting. After watching videos on YouTube by SenecaRelics I realized areas nearby me seemed to be plentiful with arrowheads and other artifacts. I am now eager to try this but my problem is I am from an area where this is not done and I have no prior knowledge of arrowhead hunting. Any tips you can give me would be very much appreciated. I am not looking for access to anyones secret spots or anything like that, I just would like to know what I need to do to get started and eventually have some success. Is this even something that can be done with success on areas of public land? And what about legality wise? Any information helps!

Thanks in advance,

Snell

[gregszybala]

Welcome to the site.

https://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/new-member-area-gc25/hunting-tips-gc144

Spend some time going through this section of the forum. A lot of help to be found there. As to hunting on public lands that is more than likely illegal. Good luck on the hunt and in school.

[Lindenmeier-Man]

Look for a geology survey of the area. If there are areas where sand( Natural Sand) is accumulated , there will be artifacts in the sand... JJ

[CMD]

It should be legal to surface hunt private property in WV, with the owner's permission. But, as noted, in all likelihood it will not be legal on public land. That's certainly true of federal land. One basic rule of thumb is to look on agricultural land located near some source of fresh water. One looks when the soil is turned over, some farmers will be fine with you looking in season, some not, and only after heavy rains. Not when the field is dry. You will also need to know what type of rock(lithic) the natives most commonly used in that neck of the woods, so you can spot that rock type in the field. It's a learning curve, but farm fields near fresh water are almost always a good bet. Not sure what stream hunting is like in WV, but that's another potential hunting area.

[Kentucky point]

Hello! So you're in Huntington? Cool! I live about an hour away. I've never point hunted in West Virginia before, but folks look around on the Ohio river, and local creeks. Just get permission from landowners first on hunting plowed fields and creeks that run through private property first though.

Don't be discouraged if you don't have much luck getting permission around here. Landowners are pretty stingy about out of staters, but as long as you're nice, or bring them a gift like fresh vegetables or something, they'll let ya hunt all the live long day.

[SDhunter]

Welcome