I was not the first to hunt this mountain

[LuketheDog]

That's really cool. I've found shards where projectiles have been made, but never a whole one...

 

[idnative1948]

Very cool story and a big THANKS for leaving it.

 

[Jamen]

That is very cool!! I have found a few different items while out and a about. Several arrow heads pottery pieces. But the one that took me by surprise was a rock fire starter while out fishing. I was fishing along a highway and the rip rap rock they put in had it there. I knew what it was right away my buddy had no idea he said what is that I said an old artifact lol leaving him guessing. I put it in my truck we got back and then I finally told him what it was! pretty neat how they did things way back then!

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

cool find

 

[MT_elk]

Very cool!

 

[smarandr]

One of the better stories I've read in a while.

 

[Gellar]

I have been fortunate enough to find a few points, not as fortunate as my father in law though. He finds them in the spring while tilling fields. This isn't the oldest artifact he has found and it is probably not from a Native American, but how he saw it from the tractor seat I do not know. And every time I look at it I wonder how did it end up in that field and what was it being used for? The barrel is still out there somewhere too.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Great post by the OP.



And, as a reminder, collecting arrowheads is illegal on Federal Lands.

Release Date: 08/10/10
Contacts: Donna Hummel (505)954-2019

Collecting Artifacts, including Arrowheads, from Public Lands is Illegal

Santa Fe, N.M. – The Bureau of Land Management would like to remind you that collecting artifacts – including arrowheads – from federal public lands or Indian tribal lands is illegal under federal laws and regulations. These objects are archaeological resources and remain the property of the United States.

Collecting archaeological resources, including arrowheads, is a violation under Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations 8365.1-5(a)(1). It is also a violation of the Antiquities Act of 1906 and Title18 of the United States criminal code. Violators may face prosecution and prison sentences of up to one year or more and/or possible fines in the tens of thousands of dollars.

According to the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA), people who remove artifacts may be ordered by the court to relinquish or surrender any archaeological resources, vehicles, or equipment involved in the removal. These ARPA forfeiture provisions apply as a penalty in prosecutions regarding arrowhead removal.

We encourage everyone to learn more about the value of archaeological sites and to visit these places with respect. For those interested in learning about modern American Indian perspectives and the importance of cultural resources, the Visit with Respect DVD, produced by the BLM in cooperation with American Indian tribes, is available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/nm/canm.html .

As stewards of your public lands, the BLM asks for your assistance in preventing the loss of these irreplaceable artifacts. BLM lands are patrolled by federal law enforcement officers who seek your participation in protecting archaeological resources. Please call the New Mexico state police dispatch at (505)827-9377 or the BLM duty officer contact information line at (505)761-8938 to report vandalism, looting, or artifact trafficking.



The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands.
--BLM--

 

[The Hedgehog]

When I find an "arrowhead" on public land, I take a "as it lay" photo, write a poem about it, do a sketch or painting of it, and maybe ponder the unique cultural value I'm leaving behind.

Of course, if I find one in my garden, on the family ranch, or a friend's place (with permission obviously), I do a happy dance, whoop and holler, put that bad boy in my pocket, then set it right on my mantle, for it to be often fondled while wondering what kind of critters it worked on in the past and how thick its creator's brow was.

I drank a beer in my pick-up last night and wondered just how so many damn natives managed to leave "arrowheads" and other cool rocks right in my flower bed.

 

[tjones]

When I find an "arrowhead" on public land, I take a "as it lay" photo, write a poem about it, do a sketch or painting of it, and maybe ponder the unique cultural value I'm leaving behind.

Of course, if I find one in my garden, on the family ranch, or a friend's place (with permission obviously), I do a happy dance, whoop and holler, put that bad boy in my pocket, then set it right on my mantle, for it to be often fondled while wondering what kind of critters it worked on in the past and how thick its creator's brow was.

I drank a beer in my pick-up last night and wondered just how so many damn natives managed to leave "arrowheads" and other cool rocks right in my flower bed.

You drinking a beer I can buy, you having a flower bed, not so much.

 

[JoseCuervo]

When I find an "arrowhead" on public land, I take a "as it lay" photo, write a poem about it, do a sketch or painting of it, and maybe ponder the unique cultural value I'm leaving behind.

Of course, if I find one in my garden, on the family ranch, or a friend's place (with permission obviously), I do a happy dance, whoop and holler, put that bad boy in my pocket, then set it right on my mantle, for it to be often fondled while wondering what kind of critters it worked on in the past and how thick its creator's brow was.

I drank a beer in my pick-up last night and wondered just how so many damn natives managed to leave "arrowheads" and other cool rocks right in my flower bed.

I sometimes toss my beer cans out while driving on back roads, for future hunters to find, and ponder my exploits and my taste in beer.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I brought 100lbs of antlers, 50lbs of rocks, and one antique beer bottle home from my Wyoming antelope hunt this fall. Oh, and 2 Boone & Crockett antelope also. My flower bed is like an obsidian mine, chuck full of giant scrapers, points, and chippings. Must have been a ancient buffalo jump right were my concrete steps now sit. Jack Horner would have been amazed had he been the one working for JD's Sprinklers when they put in the water lines in my yard. Truly unbelievable.

 

[James Riley]

When I find an "arrowhead" on public land, I take a "as it lay" photo, write a poem about it, do a sketch or painting of it, and maybe ponder the unique cultural value I'm leaving behind.

In archaeology terms "as it lay" is called "in situ". Sounds like you are blessed with your land. You might have a "site" and, if interested, could contact your local university and see if they have any interest in it. A friend of mine and I discovered a 4,500 year old site and notified BLM. Slaughtered Bison, cooked fish, etc. Awesome spot. My friend is also an artist. I found an auger and he sketched it for me. Scientists like the sketches because they reveal more than photos. He's more archaeo and I'm more paleo but we cut the same country looking for our interests which sometimes overlap.

 

[mtmuley]

When I find an "arrowhead" on public land, I take a "as it lay" photo, write a poem about it, do a sketch or painting of it, and maybe ponder the unique cultural value I'm leaving behind.

Of course, if I find one in my garden, on the family ranch, or a friend's place (with permission obviously), I do a happy dance, whoop and holler, put that bad boy in my pocket, then set it right on my mantle, for it to be often fondled while wondering what kind of critters it worked on in the past and how thick its creator's brow was.

I drank a beer in my pick-up last night and wondered just how so many damn natives managed to leave "arrowheads" and other cool rocks right in my flower bed.

Whatever you do with those arrowheads GH, don't waste em. mtmuley

 

[The Hedgehog]

Sounds like you are blessed with your land. You might have a "site" and, if interested, could contact your local university and see if they have any interest in it. A friend of mine and I discovered a 4,500 year old site and notified BLM.

I'm mostly blessed with sarcasm.

 

[James Riley]

I'm mostly blessed with sarcasm.

Sarcasm maybe, but blessed? Not so much. Yours was an accurate descriptor of folks like me. Just no point poems . . . yet.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I think you'll especially like the ancient tool my better half picked up last week..

 

[noharleyyet]

..............

 

[Brando]

Awesome find and story. Thank you for sharing!

 

[bobbydean]

In my twenties. used to hunt a lot for artifacts. Drive thru the sand hills and looked for old fires in the cutbanks. Surprisingly, very effective.

I hunted the Jornado experimental farm north of Las Cruces, NM and south of the Organ mountains. Federal land, and you could not take a step without stepping on broken pottery or other artifacts. Never seen the like in my life.

Was tempting, but I just lay it lie.