Prehistoric Pronghorn Hunting in Southwest Wyoming

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Anthropology and Museum Studies

Publication Date

11-2000

Abstract

In the Wyoming Basin of southwest Wyoming, there are more pronghorn-dominated bone assemblages and possible communal kill sites than anywhere else in North America. Ten faunal assemblages in the region are dominated by pronghorn bones (>60% of identified specimens) and six assemblages possess at least six individuals each. Two of these sites have at least 26 individuals each, and one has at least 212 animals. Three additional sites retain possible structural remnants of pronghorn traps. Based on an evaluation of 93 radiocarbon-dated regional faunal assemblages, it is clear that pronghorn were used commonly, but in low numbers, throughout prehistory. However; there was a significant shift in pronghorn hunting about 700 years ago, including an increase in communal hunts and in pronghorndominated bone assemblages.

Comments

This article was originally published in Plains Anthropologist. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.

Journal

Plains Anthropologist

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