Arrowheads found?

[Rooster410]

I have put miles and miles across the mountains and sage flats of Northern Utah and the Wasatch front. I have been fortunate to pick up my share of sheds and miscellaneous "found" items. 2 years ago while helping a good friend on a Pahvant Elk Hunt, my friend found a really cool arrowhead and what appeared to be a spear point. For what ever reason this is the first time I have been part of this type of "find". I have never consciously looked for arrowheads. It really opened my eyes and mind to what could be just laying around. I wonder how many I have stepped over and not found an arrowhead because I was focused on other things.

I am seeking some advice and/or pictures of what has been picked up and how common is it to come across these finds? Also, is picking up a single arrowhead legal?

 

[Tim McCoy]

My understanding is you can pick em up on private land with permission, and not on Federal land. I'd guess states are all over the board, so do your research or you could get in trouble.

 

[Iron Mike]

The way the law reads as I understand it is you can not actively be searching for arrowheads or other types artifacts on federal lands, which is way open to interpretation, but if you just "Happen" to look down and find one you can take it as long as you do not disturb ground - dig- to get it.
I am not sure what I am going to say to the BLM ranger when he asks me what I have been doing out there in the middle of nowhere walking slowly with my head down picking up stuff.

I have "accidentally" found lots of points strolling around.

 

[Rooster410]

The way the law reads as I understand it is you can not actively be searching for arrowheads or other types artifacts on federal lands, which is way open to interpretation, but if you just "Happen" to look down and find one you can take it as long as you do not disturb ground - dig- to get it.
I am not sure what I am going to say to the BLM ranger when he asks me what I have been doing out there in the middle of nowhere walking slowly with my head down picking up stuff.

I have "accidentally" found lots of points strolling around.

Thanks so much. Is it safe to assume that like shed hunting, once you find one your likely to find others in the area? The points you have found, are they in areas where you would hunt small game or big game?

 

[Hilltop]

I have found several through the years. Many were in dry waterways or on hillsides where dirt is washed away slowly by rains. I have found several in the Platte River in Nebraska when the water is very low but most were in Wyoming in the Red Desert. I make it a habit to use the dried up waterways to stalk antelope or whatever else I'm hunting so I give myself a little better chance to find them.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I found several here in the Willamette Valley where winter springs ran extra hard in a wet year, apparently enough dirt was moved exposing small arrow heads made of a pinkish stone. You can also find what I'd describe as stone knives or scrapers, they fit in the hand pretty nicely. Most were just stumbled on as I was wandering around scouting or hunting, all on private land of course.

There are a variety of opinions, and several sometimes contradictory laws. Do your own checking. Here is a clip from the OR/WA BLM site... "Under no circumstances will artifacts of any kind, including arrowheads, points, feathers, whole or broken pots, stone tools, basketry, or even old bottles be distributed or removed from their location on public lands.". I suspect they are after collecting for sale rather than a guy who happened to pick one up. But I do not want to find out the hard way.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Arrowhead in my pocket? Whose to say where it came from? Tell the Ranger to ..........

 

[crzy_cntryby]

Found the first one elk hunting in CO, second building fence o. My property. This last one elk hunting in NV. If they aren't complete I usually just enjoy them a moment and throw them back on the ground.

 

[Iron Mike]

After some more research I may have been wrong on this. It seems there was a 1979 law that Jimmy Carter helped with (he was a collector) that allowed the casual pickup of arrowheads. Looks like legislation after that has closed that loophole.

I hope the arrowhead police will not come knocking on my door!

 

[tperry5]

Here are a couple I found during my grad research (I spent a lot of time looking at the ground).

 

[Tim McCoy]

Not sure if this is a core for making flakes or a hand axe. It is tapered on both sides so I lean towards a tool, and not a core. Regardless it is pretty cool.

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