Technically "hunting", they just don't have a pulse. So, I found a fairly large area with lots of obviously worked flint and pink rocks, that I've been told were their fires for cooking sotol roots, but I don't know if that's accurate. My question is, would this be a good place to scratch around for some semi-recognizable points, or were all the finished product probably taken away and used?

Flat area right above what was probably then a flowing creek.

I'm anxious to find my first, solid point on this new place.

What I have been told is look on the South side of were the fires were. The wind is usually out of the South and it was not as smoky on that side.

Check the creek bed itself.

Use your imagination, and try to envision what the flow path would have been back then. Our best picking has been almost 200 yards from the present river bed, but is up on a raised bank where they would have camped.

Fair warning. After you find a nice one, your hooked, you will lose a crop looking for them. I have an old campsite on the place I just built a new home on and my wife and I spend lots of time in that area. Turns into hard work. Recently found an Obsidian drill and a 3inch long Obsidian point that are perfect.

I am not far from you as the crow flies. I have found several arrowheads on the north side of my Creek, 60-80 yards above the creek bed. Several rock types and designs were found in the general area. I found the most during the 2011 drought.
Lots of fossils as well.

Guys,

please document where you find things with GPS coordinates and a photo.

There is a huge amount of history of this State that is unknown and documenting finds like these can help fill in lots of unknown questions.

Thanks.

I don't think a lot of folks would want to give out that type of information. At least not me.

Sort of. I did archaeology for 25 years. Scavenging/collecting artifacts often destroys a lot of context, sometimes even those from erosional contexts. Except in the case of rare types, a geographic location doesn't really add much to what isn't already known (basic range distribution of point types). Even then, having the data doesn't do much if it doesn't end up in some sort of comprehensive database.

Creekrunner, you should be finding a lot of FCR (fire-cracked rock) if they are cooking sotol and lechuguilla. FCR actually has a distinctive look when you learn to recognize it.

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk01U8Swvb0MpIs_uQyN-Ca_oVwrqag:1592518982162&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=fire+cracked+rock+ovens+sotol+texas&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjg4-rBs4zqAhVSXKwKHbl-B1IQsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=1440&bih=739

Could be a midden.
https://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/bowie/middenwhat.html
There is likely several artifacts to be found there. Most of the central Texas paid screen digs are at sites that include rock middens.

I found a huge one of those at the top of a very steep canyon, on a lease north of Sanderson. It was so big, I was scared to go back up and start digging around, but an absolutely gorgeous setting (for true west Texas). I am a true Christian believer, but I still don't want to piss any past inhabitants off. I told the LO, a true square-head transplanted from Mason. He didn't give a rat's arse.

Yeah I would vote no on that as well

I did not say share it publicly, just document it for future reference.

Or just take a shovel and tear it up if that makes you feel better.

That’s right. That is where I found my best Indian tools. I found a pestle, an enormous kitchen stone the size of a large dinner table with the mortar cut into it, a couple of excellent hide scrapers and plenty of tooled broken points. Just imagine an encampment with certain groups scattered about.

If not shared publicly, the the history you are talking about preserving is just as lost.

I found this at a site in the bend of a large drainage in West Texas. There was an island like large hump about 100 yards from bend of the drainage/channel and these were on top of it. Lot of chipped and worked flint with a few broken points but I could tell it had been picked over in the past. The only reason these were there is the boulder they were ground into was huge and could not be removed.There was an area across the drainage from this spot with worked flint also and a few broken points. IME where the drainage main channel is today is not where it was years ago. It is possible that the channel was on the other side of the the little island from where it was today on that location in West Texas...just years and years of flooding will have rerouted it the main channel.

I’d love to see pictures of that.

STX, what were the holes used for?

Grinding/mixing up grain and such...large mortar and pestle that were used for years and years. The pestles were removed by people in the past who looked for artifacts at that campsite. Those were in the huge boulder so they could not remove them.

I've seen those holes on a ranch south of Marathon, again, on a large boulder. After all that work, I bet it still tasted like . Tough, tough people.

That’s pretty much what I suspected. Thanks. That sort of history amazes me.

Thank y'all for the suggestions and help. I'll get to searching.

You are right. found this one my first time looking. I have been hooked ever since.

Here's a sample of some from along the Nueces in Uvalde. Predominantly lighter in color, depends if they were chert, flint, or obsidian. Looking for them right after a rain helps, while earth is still darker. Darker trade points from different areas show up in dry dirt and dust really well.

About a perfect arrowhead as a guy could hope to find.