Yesterday we were rabbit hunting and I stumbled upon this. Obviously it's not an arrow head, but what is it? You can see the serrated edges and on the back, my thumb fits in the groove. Some of the guys I was hunting with agreed that it was a "skinner" or used to removed the remaining meat and fat from the hides. Beside it is a 3.5" 12 gauge shell for size reference. Post some pics of what you've found.
Yep, it's a skinner. I have one exactly like it, amazing how well it fits the hand with the thumb groove! Let me see if I can dig it up
I have one also...it's just a rock. JK, yeah it's a skinning tool I believe, an uncle found mine around my dad's old home place while turkey hunting and gave it to me. They're pretty common down around the hills and hollers of a Stockton MO. I always thought how neat it would be to have a looking glass tapped back into that era of time and what a different world it was.
That's a good find! I have a little collection from about 10 years of looking around where I grew up. All aero heads found in tidal river at low tide when the water was out. I did find a hand tool one time but it's buried in a box some where. I will have to look for it and post it up
I was also very impressed when he showed me how to hold it. I've only ever found one arrow head and of course, the tip was broken. I might have to walk a field this afternoon haha
When's the best time to walk a field? I'm trying to think of it like shed hunting, but I can't seem to find any of those either haha ---sunny, cloudy, after a good rain...?
Always wanted to find an arrow head or something else from that era but never have. Congrats on the cool find!
One of the first questions that I asked when I found this "skinner" was how rare it was in comparison to an arrow head...they needed a bunch of them (arrow heads) to hunt, but I wonder how many skinners they needed...interesting.
The best time to look is after a rain. It brings rocks to the surface and water will make a flinted rock shine. The arrow heads that I found came in a lot of different colors, so it was hard to pin point rocks of certain color. So I would always look for the shape. A pointed rock looks different then round rocks. Try to focus on the color of the rock that the Indians used or just look for the shape. I would pick up hundreds of rocks for every one that was a arrow head. All the heads I found were on a 10 yard by 100 yard beach bank that the tide changed twice a day. So every time you go, there was new rocks. A lot less walking then shed hunting, but I find sheds hunting easier.
Very informative. I will likely walk one of the fields behind the new house tomorrow after work as it is supposed to be raining all night tonight and all day tomorrow.
I would call that a scraper. My dad and I have "hunted" artifacts for years and have substantial collections. I find most of what I find in plowed fields that are near a river. Rivers were their highways, remember. As to what to look for.... it does come easier and easier as you train your eye as to what to look for. I look for a flaked edge more than a shape. You will likely find a lot of broken pieces. I also look for certain materials that are common to that area. In one of my favorite spots, there was a black stone they had to work from so I look for pieces of black stone. In another the rocks are grey, so I am looking for grey stones. It is easily as addicting as any other hunting so be careful!!!!!
I had an awesome afternoon; I found 3 in about an hour and still have roughly 200 acres to walk. Needless to say, I'm addicted. Pics to come.
Well, as I've said in previous posts, I was going to walk a few fields behind the house. I finally had about an extra hour of day light after work today. The field that I walked this afternoon was about 80 yards wide by 500 long. From where I started, I only covered about 40 yards of that 500 and found 3 arrow heads in an hour...I was pumped and needless to say, I'm going back tomorrow. However, the hard part is, this field is farmed and this last fall, it was planted with gords and all of the shells were the perfect color, shape a size. Although I bent down hundreds of times, this afternoon was worth it.
I just use a good metal detector. That's a load of nice finds!!! Dad and his brothers always said to search plowed fields after a good rain too.
Awe, you were supposed to call me out on using a metal detector to look for arrowheads...I was going to say well that must be why I don't find any. Lol, oh well.
There are some lots around here next to a decent sized river that they have leveled out using dozers and stuff to build townhouses or something on. Would those be good to walk or do crews usually pick them all up? I'd probably sink knee deep right now in all the mud but figured maybe if it got really cold again I could walk it
