11,500-Year-Old Bison Butchering Site Discovered in Oklahoma

Western Digs ^ | June 8, 2015 | Blake de Pastino

[SunkenCiv]

The newly found feature of butchered bones, named Jake Bluff East, is the fourth -- and historically most recent -- Paleoindian bison-hunting site to be found along this stretch of the Beaver River. (Map courtesy Carlson et al., PaleoAmerica)

[SunkenCiv]

[arbitrary.squid]

Very cool. I grew up in eastern Oklahoma and always wanted to explore the panhandle areas more.

[Larry Lucido]

I would think an 11,500 year old bison would be pretty tough. And hard to butcher.

[SunkenCiv]

• Complete 9,000-year-old frozen bison mummy found in Siberia [2014]
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• Marin Environmentalist Claims Recreating Extinct Species Is Possible [ No more endangered species! ] [2013]
• When Did Humans Come to the Americas? [2013]
• European Bison Return to Wild in Germany [2012]
• Dozer Driver Makes Fossil Discovery of the Century [2010]
• Bringing bison back to North American landscapes [2010]
• Earliest domesticated horses dated 5,500 years ago [2009]
• A 7,000-year-old find awaits detailed analysis [ Minnesota bison kill site ] [2008]
• Diggers find proof of old bison hunt-Hundreds of bones unearthed at site in Kentucky riverbed [2008]
• Bison Bones Bolster Idea Ice Age Seafarers First To Americas [2008]
• (Wild) Bison once again roam eastern Colorado (wildlife refuge formerly the Rocky Mountain Arsenal) [2007]
• Bison Poop Reveals Two Distinct U.S. Populations [ Holy Feces!!! ] [2007]
• Out West, With the Buffalo, Roam Some Strands of Undesirable DNA [2007]
• Ancient Bison Teeth Provide Window On Past Great Plains Climate, Vegetation [2006]
• Boy finds 5,000-year-old bison skull--Now called 'Bradford Bison' [2005]
• Bison Bone Discovery Turns B.C. History Upside-Down [2005]
• Ancient bison done in by climate, not hunters. Conclusion of study already drawing fire. (update) [2004]
• Deep freeze dealt death knell to bison (Ice Age) [2004]
• Evidence Aquits Clovis People Of Ancient Killings, Archaeologists Say [2003]

[SunkenCiv]

Wily, able to outwit or outfight predators for 110 centuries? Probably have to shoot ‘em from a chopper.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. Interesting.

[TigersEye]

Nice collection of hot buffler links ya got there, Pilgrim! ;-)

[rdl6989]

I’d think you would have to slow cook the meat for a few centuries.

[freedumb2003]

At 11,500 years this is the oldest bison ever!

;)

[yarddog]

When I lived in Western Kansas, I made it down to the Oklahoma Panhandle a couple of times.

It was the roughest country I ever remember seeing. For some reason, I liked it. If there were any way I could have made a living there, I probably would have moved.

[ETL]

Pic of a diorama at the American Museum of Natural History here in New york City.

[left that other site]

Well, you can’t blame the white folks for THAT one! :-)

[tumblindice]

My mother went to high school in Leedey, OK, a little to the southwest of that area. They were called the Leedey Bison.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

So how many 11,500 year old bison have shown up to be butchered?

[West Texas Chuck]

Gosh, those poor 11,500 yo bison, being slaughtered like that.

No respect for the elders, even back then in Oklahoma. Sad. I blame Woody Guthrie.

[minnesota_bound]

A Texan could still make great barbecue from it :)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

We lived in the New Mexico-Oklahoma-Texas area back in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The most terrifying time I remember was going from Clayton NM to Boyce City OK and crossing the dry Beaver River on a long ONE LANE wooden bridge. That bridge scared me to death as it looked to be very ramshakle.

[Larry Lucido]

They slow down quite a bit after age 11,100.