witch

1. verb, N. Amer. (cheifly US), to dowse for underground sources of water (or sometimes minerals, oil, etc.) using a divining rod or similar technique (“witch, v.2.” OED); ‘divining rod’: a forked branch or stick that is believed to indicate subterranean water or minerals by bending downward when held over a source (AH); 2. also noun, ‘witching’

1.
“He witched out here.”

“Before we built the house here, I had them come and witch right here where the well is.”

“What about diviners, like people that witched for water?”

“Tom had it witched by Len, got a great well out in the backyard.”

“Len come down and witched for Tom, and he said, ‘There’s water back about 300 feet from the house’.”

2.
“Do you know how they did it?”
“What? Oh, witching. Oh, well you just gotta take a branch off a tree. It’s something like a slingshot. You gotta hold it in your hand and walk up to the spot where you think there should be water. And if there’s water in that area when you walk up to it, you want to have it in both hands and the stick will just take and bend over like if there’s water there.”