Hey guys, I have been invited by a friend that has some acreage along the Nueces River. Does anyone know if there could possibly be a good place to look for artifacts, and if so, what type of stuff would be around that area. Never been along those parts of the state. There is also another ranch I've been invited to, told the owner about all you guys, and he has no problem with me coordinating a weekend surface hunt. So if any of you are interested, let me know. This place is on HWY-59 just 8 miles due East of Laredo, Texas. I also spoke to a friend of mine(Local Judge) he also has a ranch along the Rio Grande River, his place is on HWy-83(Zapata Hwy) but this place is 36 miles due South of Laredo. Anyways, good hunting ya'll.

Gino, our ranch is located only 8 miles west of the east nuecces river. Anywhere along the river in this area is great for artifact hunting. I can only speculate that the lower river area would be good as well. I can tell you that Northern Mexico has great areas for artifacts as well, but if you mention artifacts, or digging for them to any officials, you are required to have an FM-3 Scientific Permit issued by the government to be legal there.

Thanks for the advise Mike, this area is around Carrizo Springs, am I still required to have a permit to collect artifacts?

Gino, You might get quite a few takers for an invitation only exploration of some remote areas...

That might be a long trip f0r some so to sweeten the pie....You see Mike's input...He's very close. Maybe he wouldn't mind too much if 400 or 500 diggers stop by to help with HIS cave site before moving along to your place.

All in favor, raise your picks and say...Whoopie !!!!!

Yeah, Mike did say something about his cave being able to hold a ton of people for a party. Sense Hal invited 500 people he can bring the beer!

Well now Gino, get a U.S. Geological Survey topo map of the property where you intend to look........the land owner may have one. For starters look for the highest point along the river; look for sandy or sandy-loam soils on the southeast slope of that highest point. Should there be any tributaries to the Nueces on the property, the highest point at the confluence is also a possibility. Such procedures are not always a sure thing, but are places to start.

Note: The southeast slope of a hill is protected from the cold north wind in winter and catches a cool breeze from the river in the summer.

Gino, Mike said that you would need a permit to collect in Mexico. Carrizo Springs is not in Mexico. In Texas you must have the consent of the land owner to collect artifacts. If you do not have the consent of the land owner you are guilty of felony theft. If you walk the banks of river or creek without the consent of the landowner you are guilty of felony trespass. If you collect artifacts from the bed of a navigable stream in the state of Texas you are guilty of a felony.........those artifacts belong to the state of Texas and you cannot legally collect them.
I hear stories from folks who are collecting along the San Jacinto River. If those collectors have the consent of the land owner they can legally collect down to the mean high water mark. Below the high water mark the bed of the San Jacinto and all rivers in Texas belong to state of Texas and you cannot legally collect there.
The laws have been in place for sometime now and ignorance of said law is not an excuse. A collector only needs to stopped by a game warden who has had a bad night to find out how much trouble an arrowhead can cause.

Re beverage for cave ,,, REAL cave diggers drink clean pure cave dripping WATER. Only drawback, seems stalactites and stalagmites tend to form in unwanted places. I suspect Mike usually finishes off a big diggin day with a muriatic martini ! !

Well now, Redman knows how I feel about other folks diggin in our cave. He feels the same way about his site. That much has already been previously posted. I however, am not by any means opposed to having visitors out and they come often for the caves of the area in general. Yes, I would show off the cave with the dig and give a history of it as I know it. I'm not trying to promote more business for Nacho's screen dig (very close by), but if any of you chose to go there with time to spare, then just let me know when you'd like to drop by. DJ, beer is good, but stronger is better. Hal, On a BIG Diggin Day, I top off with my favorite Almond Tequila (Crema de Almendrado Crendain) of which to me is the Best there is. You cannot buy it in the states, and I make about 3 trips a year to Cuidad Acuna/ Del Rio to buy it and good quality meds that you would really overpay for here. You'll have to try my well water, of which comes from a cave stream down deep (excellent). Oh, and I'm not far from Frio Landing or Camp Live Oak either. You could even bring you know who (P-)!
Yes, the cave could actually hold 500....maybe more!

WOW Mike, I had NO IDEA cave excavators needed such an exotic dust cutter, sounds almost like what one would expect of a rocket fuel scientist.

As a junior [ no corner tang ] catagory midden digger, I'm still on the "sparkling" grape juice level.

I'll pass on your dig then and go straight to Ginos place, surely walking around in 130 degree deserts will only require some Ozarka water [ in 5 gallon buckets !! ]

Thanks Redman, I will ask the property owner where the line is from the main River, I don't want to get in any trouble.

It's not rocket science Hal, but a simple pain reliever that even indians knew about, and oddly enough even grape juice turns alcoholic, just a matter of application. Your pass is your loss, ours is not a secret site, and were not leaving for a long time should you change your mind. Water means life in the hill country, desert, or anywhere else in the universe it's found. Along the path through life, we all pick our own poisions ( wounded knee )....no points required in the hereafter.

I have found some nice bird points while quail hunting near Carrizo Springs. Lots of points in that area. You find one and you dont worry about the quail too much after that.