Human Hunting or Animal Predation?

A large Bison sp. pelvis was discovered at American Falls Reservoir with a unique groove and perforation that some believed may be the result of human hunting. Recent analyses sheds light on its origins...

Recently, Dr. Andy Speer, Museum Anthropology Curator and Department of Anthropology Idaho State University professor, published on his work to explore whether an organic projectile point could experimentally produce damage morphology on a modern Bison bison ischium similar to that of a Bison sp. ischium fossil (IMNH-47001-1655) that was discovered in 1953 in American Falls Reservoir in Bingham County, Idaho, administered by the Bureau of Reclamation.

The experiment showed it was clear that none of the organic projectile points had a consistent pattern of damage seen on the bone. However, the damage appears to have come from the American Lion (Panthera atrox) and the Bison died shortly after receiving the injury.

Read the full article: Speer 2025: Simulating Organic Projectile Point Damage to Bison Pelves