In an earlier story I mentioned Oklahoma artifact hunting and the peculiar habits and techniques hunters use to find pointy rocks. My wife doesn’t completely understand my interest in walking muddy creeks during the humid (and buggy) days of spring and summer but I love sharing outdoor adventures with my friends, seeing parts of Oklahoma that are rarely traveled and discovering artifacts that have not been touched by man in many years.

I am sure there are other great ways to exercise and spend time with friends but this is what I like, and eating onion burgers at the end of a long day is a great tradition we have to complete a good hunt. So, how do you know it might be a good day to hunt?

A good day of hunting usually follows a good spring rain, and a good rain is one where buckets of rain fall over the right area in a short amount of time. Obviously, this kind of rain generates the greatest erosion and is powerful enough to turn, or “roll”, the gravel in a creek bed. New rock is what you are looking for and obviously a perfectly timed and powerful rainfall is best.

Artifact hunters watch weather forecasts and internet reports during the spring. If April is wet but doesn’t produce a heavy rain event it can cause the young grasses and other plant life to flourish in a way that locks some creek beds into place. For rock hunters it is best to have early and frequent heavy rains that inhibit extensive root growth. A heavy rain that comes in May after all the grasses and plant life have had a chance to grow extensive root systems may result in little improvement in the hunting grounds.

Oklahoman’s are lucky to have a statewide weather reporting system called the Mesonet. One hundred and twenty locations around the state provide weather related information every 5 minutes every day of the year. That is more than 34,000 daily reports. In other words, good information for guys who like to get knee deep in mud, muck and mosquitos.

A few days following a good rain, the creek water level will begin to recede and the once muddy water will begin to clear. You can hunt the days prior to this clearing but the best time to hunt is usually the morning after the creek is back to near normal - assuming you can wait. A fresh creek on a spring morning is a beautiful thing to behold if your pastime is finding artifacts.

crown of mammoth tooth and two projectile points

There are, however, some peculiar tricks of the trade when it comes to being the first hunter on a creek. Most of the high producing creeks are well-known among hunters. Many collectors have special access to stretches of creeks they may have hunted for years. But most of the creeks are well known and getting there first is important. Second place tends to find little more than footprints and a few flakes. It is possible to find artifacts after a spot has been hunted but it is a rare thing.

So, when the right day comes along you have to be ready to hit the road early. It is best to be on the creek before darkness has given way to morning light. If you are on the right creek and it is still dark outside, you will likely be the first and have the best opportunity to find anything that may have been washed out of the gravel.

If there are several spots that might prove potentially good hunting it can be tricky to pick the one on which you want to concentrate. A thorough hunt can take two hours or more depending on the length of the creek. If you picked the wrong creek, then someone else will be hunting the creek you deferred. So what do you do? Is there a way to preserve one creek and hunt another?

One trick that can pay off is quite simple but effective. Your first stop is your second creek of choice, the one you plan to hunt later in the day. That might sound counter-intuitive but there is a reason. While it is still dark you jump down into the creek with your headlight. You walk around a bit, hunting with your light but not really hunting much because you will only be there five or ten minutes. Make sure your footprints are visible; this is important. Walk in the muddy creek bank, back and forth to make it obvious you are hunting. Go ahead and walk up stream and down stream quite a ways. You are marking your territory in hopes other hunters will decide to move on to other locations.

While it is still dark you need to jump out of that creek and head to your preferred creek to wait for day-break. If all works as planned, the footprints you left at the first stop will dissuade other hunters from “wasting their time” on what appears to be a previously hunted creek. If it works out for you, you will have an afternoon creek as well as a morning creek all to yourself.

This sounds like dirty pool and believe me, artifact hunting can be the most territorial of avocations. Getting the particulars of a high producing creek from a dedicated hunter can be tougher than getting that prized pecan pie recipe from aunt Sally or your uncle’s secret fishing hole.

Another trick is not so much a trick but good practice that comes from quality relationship building with a landowner. If a rancher allows you to put your lock on the chain that keeps other hunters away it can be better than a deer lease in November.

I have a friend who knows more history of and people in western Oklahoma than you would believe. He has notes about fields and creeks and canyons going back seventy years. When we talk to land owners he can tell stories about their neighbors and previous land owners and this familiarity has gained us more, regular access than you can imagine.

Recently we were able to gain access to a canyon that has been quiet for several decades and we are looking forward to springtime — and a few good rains.

Walking in canyons where others rarely visit is something special. I love spending time with my friends, talking about our kids and sharing information about ancient cultures. Artifact hunting for me sometimes results in a rock treasure but we always end the day having grown closer and that is really why I set my alarm for those 5AM drives.