© 2014-2021 Copyright by P. K. H. Groth, Denver, Colorado, USA All rights reserved - See contact page for for permission to republish article excerpts.
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Scouting Using Archeology
Native Americans had to be efficient and successful hunters to survive. This demanded they critically observe their surroundings and contrive tactics to gain the protein source of wild game. These people rarely spoiled their environment with billboards, directional signs, or non-important art. You can be a better hunter if you train yourself notice the tell-tale remnants of their hunting practices and locations. I recreated this Native American hunting scenes panel from SW US pictograph photos. They illustrate the actual, imagined, or wished for outcomes of hunting and observing nature. Their presence where they were left indicate the kind of game available there at that time. The pictographs also illustrate the influences of white explorers and clergy during early historic times. Do some thinking about what the narrative are trying to record. SW Region Colorado Parks Manager Pat Dorsey (2016) points out that many of the camping sites used today were probably also used by early Americans. The chosen locations offered water, elevation for game observation, and access to migration game trails. Linda and I are fortunate to be able to antelope hunt on a large Wyoming ranch for twenty-five years. Linda has certifications in archaeology, and we both have geology degrees. It is easy to see topographic aberrations, human built crude structures and artifacts (all left as we found them). Conjuring the mindset of ancient hunters is a pleasant and added hunt past time. I give us an idea how Native Americans and early explorers/settlers hunted, and where they consistently found game. Here are examples of observations. 1. A star-scared Impact stone at ranch ambush site at the top of a ravine, where an open grass grazing area is adjacent to vegetation barren badlands terrain. This stone was probably used to crack open large bones to extract the rich marrow. There is opportunity at this location to hide from Wyoming’s constant high winds in lside trenches of a major ravine through which the antelope and elk would travel to get to grass and sage pasture. A large rock is tilted vertical as a one-man hunting blind. A stone ax lies where meat-processing Americans may have inadvertently left it. 2. Ambush site – rocks piled along game trail, in a talus slope where game cannot veer off the trail. Cattle will not walk over an actual or perceived (painted graating) cattle guard. Game is reluctant to walk over scree that moves underfoot. 3. Indian Camp – escape route for elk and deer to get away from winds and bad weather. Elk and deer do not like high wind conditions. It prevents using hearing as a safety indicator. 4. Arrowhead hill on ranch – there are wood plank remnants of an early settler or miner’s spring box along hillside, where water once trickled out. Game trails radiate from it. Once established, game trails on hillsides tend to be use by game, even though the original attraction (spring) has vanished. Perhaps the ephemeral spring was also a salty attraction to game. 5. Elk extensively used a particular spring, while other springs and seeps were not used. Evidently, that spring had good, not salty, non-sulfurous water that the elk favored. 6. Teepee rings indicate Native American longer-term camps. They would not have stopped there so long if historically there were not abundant plant foods and game. 7. We have a restored settler cabin that was located adjacent to a spring. This location was prehistorically and historically was used for camping by Native Americans. The evidence is the succession of arrowheads found, from ancient simple quartzite points to heads made from brown beer bottle glass. 8. The Wyoming winds can be tough on the sandy soil landscape. I once located a deep blowout hole, which must have been created where local topography concentrated a vortex of wind energy. I know the blowout hole was used as a hiding place to ambush game in the tree-less open area. A previous native hunter had lost his prized possession. The large black obsidian spearhead had lain in the white sand blowout hole for perhaps a thousand years. (This perfect spear point must have be highly treasured. I have to wonder if the ancient hunter sought refuge in the blowout hole from a cruel typical high-wind snow storm, where he froze to death. He and his spear shaft melted into oblivion, leaving the point as the only history of his being.)
Index Index
Buy Elk Hunt Book Buy Elk Hunt Book
Game behavior Game behavior
Colorado elk hunting Colorado elk hunting
Elk hunt photos Elk hunt photos
Hunter health and welfare Hunter health and welfare
Elk Hunt spirit Elk Hunt spirit
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© 2016 -2021 Copyright by P. K. H. Groth, Denver, Colorado, USA All rights reserved - See contact page for for permission to republish article excerpts.
Native Americans had to be efficient and successful hunters to survive. This demanded they critically observe their surroundings and contrive tactics to gain the protein source of wild game. These people rarely spoiled their environment with billboards, directional signs, or non-important art. You can be a better hunter if you train yourself notice the tell-tale remnants of their hunting practices and locations. I recreated this Native American hunting scenes panel from SW US pictograph photos. They illustrate the actual, imagined, or wished for outcomes of hunting and observing nature. Their presence where they were left indicate the kind of game available there at that time. The pictographs also illustrate the influences of white explorers and clergy during early historic times. Do some thinking about what the narrative are trying to record. SW Region Colorado Parks Manager Pat Dorsey (2016) points out that many of the camping sites used today were probably also used by early Americans. The chosen locations offered water, elevation for game observation, and access to migration game trails. Linda and I are fortunate to be able to antelope hunt on a large Wyoming ranch for twenty-five years. Linda has certifications in archaeology, and we both have geology degrees. It is easy to see topographic aberrations, human built crude structures and artifacts (all left as we found them). Conjuring the mindset of ancient hunters is a pleasant and added hunt past time. I give us an idea how Native Americans and early explorers/settlers hunted, and where they consistently found game. Here are examples of observations. 1. A star-scared Impact stone at ranch ambush site at the top of a ravine, where an open grass grazing area is adjacent to vegetation barren badlands terrain. This stone was probably used to crack open large bones to extract the rich marrow. There is opportunity at this location to hide from Wyoming’s constant high winds in lside trenches of a major ravine through which the antelope and elk would travel to get to grass and sage pasture. A large rock is tilted vertical as a one-man hunting blind. A stone ax lies where meat-processing Americans may have inadvertently left it. 2. Ambush site – rocks piled along game trail, in a talus slope where game cannot veer off the trail. Cattle will not walk over an actual or perceived (painted graating) cattle guard. Game is reluctant to walk over scree that moves underfoot. 3. Indian Camp – escape route for elk and deer to get away from winds and bad weather. Elk and deer do not like high wind conditions. It prevents using hearing as a safety indicator. 4. Arrowhead hill on ranch – there are wood plank remnants of an early settler or miner’s spring box along hillside, where water once trickled out. Game trails radiate from it. Once established, game trails on hillsides tend to be use by game, even though the original attraction (spring) has vanished. Perhaps the ephemeral spring was also a salty attraction to game.
Scouting With Archaeology