How to find arrowheads?

I’m thinking about trying to get into the hobby of arrowhead hunting!! Can anyone give me pointers... tips... or suggestions for locations ?!? Is there type of things you look for to find them or make them stand out? Any help is appreciated

I am not an arrowhead hunter...but I have found a few handfuls. You can find them by keeping an eye out when there is exposed dirt. In my experience I am rarely finding a perfectly formed fully exposed arrowhead on top of the dirt, but the things that jump out at me are 1. an exposed straight edge, 2. rocks of a certain color that don't occur naturally in my area (as they migrate and take their arrowheads with them). I also have found them on logging skid trails.

If you have access to cultivated land near creeks where they camped and hunted, you can find arrowheads by the truck load and I'm sure many on here have found a ton.

I am no expert but I have found a few hundred here in Pa.
I look for farm fields after they have been plowed and discded if possible or wait until the crops are sprouted. Search after a really good rain. I start by finding fields somewhat close to major streams or small rivers. Look for where the springs or small creeks flow into those bigger streams. Once you find that look for the highest ground that is dry and well drained. That’s where they would camp. Spring flows for drinking water bigger stream for transportation and fishing.
Look on the ground for rocks and stones that look out of place or odd color. Look for anything. They usually are not just fully laying around on top. Sometimes it’s just and edge or a tip sticking out. Also look for river stones or larger stones that just don’t look right. They may be hammer stones, axes, scrapers etc.
I sometimes find them just laying right on top. Unfortunately most of my best areas are housing developments now. Shame.
Hope it helps just what I have found that works

I like to look on the closest natural high spot (that doesn’t flood) to a permanent unaltered water source...I’ve found hundreds of them in fresh cutovers that border up to a water source, after they’ve had several good rains on them... Good luck...

Used to find a bunch on the local ball fields where they used river sand. Picked a bunch between pitches when I umpired some really boring games.

Unless you are in an area that has naturally occurring chert/flint then any pieces you find was dropped/left there by humans. Learn how to identify these raw materials in your area. Once you start finding numerous pieces you know you are in the right area. Return after soil disturbances and heavy rains. Walk grids and cover the entire area where you find the chert pieces. If you don't like to walk...find another hobby. Watch for clay pottery shards also.

Part of my lifetime family collection..

High ground near streams or rivers. Learn what to look for at museums or online. Learn what flint sources are in your area and what they look like.
Also other cultural remains. If you have sandy knobs in fields go on a day that the wind is blowing or just after. In good areas expect some competition.
I'm a slow typer and it looks like the above post are covering the same stuff. Keep track of what you find by location. I have found broken points and then later found the other half.

Get permission first. Dont trespass. In Ga, artifacts are the property of the landowner. Dont steal.

Remember that in most states removing artifacts from public land is illegal.

There's a guy from New York on You tube Paleoman 52, watch a couple of his videos for material that may be similar to your area. Have fun and don't make it work.

Excellent info guys thank you for all the help! I’m gana try to get out this spring after a good rain and put leg work in to find a good location

Swamp,

Enjoy seeing you're "keen eye" for artifacts!

2nd

I look for a level spot very near a flowing water source, like others here have said, but I try and find these locations that have been plowed very infrequently. Plowing every year tends to damage the nicer pieces. When we built our house in 1995 I picked up a double handful of nice pieces. The field where we built had been plowed only once in the last 30+ years I could remember. When looking do not expect to see a whole arrowhead, many times you will see only a tip or a corner, the rest is still covered with dirt. Remember they can be tiny!

May I ask then if there is flint like stones around your area then there is a good chance of finding arrowheads then if I understand this right.

I agree with a lot of the above and I'll add it takes practice. No one is born a master flint knapper. So there will be lots of crude almost , discards and partials. Furthermore, these folks were like us. Sitting around chewing the fat(literally) and making arrowheads by a the handfuls. Also if a knapper breaks one he can just work it smaller. There's no great mystery here. We all know where the best campsites are in our area. So did they and they used them throughout their lifetime and on and on, up to hundreds and hundreds of years of continual use. The only thing not rotting away is rocks/flint/arrowheads. Unless you live in an area where flint is naturally found, if your finding flint shards your on.

My grandfather Ralph Space made over a hundred of these frames of arrowheads he had found (this one he did for me of pieces I found on the family farm as a kid) and sold them in the gift shop at Space Farms in the 1970's for around $100.00 each. Many had pictures of rabbits, trees or Indians made with arrowheads. Once in a while one of them shows up on eBay and we have seen where they sold for up to $6,000.00. It is possible that a trapper who attended the NTA conventions in either 1970 or 1976 (those years the conventions were held at Space Farms) may still have one he purchased. Gramp signed all of them on the back.
Of particular note in this frame is the long point just above center with white lettering on it (my name and date, not Indian writing). I found this point on top of a woodchuck' hole mound, he had brought it up from much deeper in the ground. My guess is that it was buried with the owner upon his demise long ago and then brought to the surface by Woodrow K. Chuck, whose reward for this deed was a 22 bullet to the head.

My dad used to find a few at the cemetery. He would check the spoils pile when a new grave was dug.

A coworker of mine was into the hobby. He lived near LBL in Ky. Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are shallow man made lakes with lots of islands. A good rain would cause the lake levels to rise and after they went back down he would boat out to the islands and walk the shores. It was particularly productive because the islands were the high points of land the Indians had used to escape the river flood waters.

Here in Iowa farmers use no-till for growing crops. This leaves all crop residue from last growing season on top of ground. So can't see arrowheads laying on top. I find a few on sandbars in a small river after high water.

You'd be surprised what's in a no till field. Found plenty

Caveat - I am not a big time artifact hunter...but I do know some who are.

Many good ideas have already been shared, here is one that I learned from someone else that I haven't seen listed here...if you see a new pond being built, get permission to "hunt" the newly bare dirt. Obviously, it would be wise to do so PRIOR to the pond filling up. Good luck!

Me and my dad have always collected.Have done the best on hills near water.But have found them far from water too, where you wouldn't have expected them to be.

Also look for spots in the field where you see an area that is darker than the surrounding soil. Campfire/refuse discarded over the years makes the soil dark. Invariably these areas will be near water, or where water once ran. Out our way 90% of the arrowhead are made of obsidian so those are the flakes that I look for. During my younger days I found them by the pocketful after the first fall rains.

Beaverpeeler, brother Phil and I have had many a talk about arrow heads, relics and metal detecting. The advise you just gave is spot on and provided some great success in my hunting.