Assessing hunting strategies and ancient mule deer migrations with stable isotope analysis at site 48PA551

Abstract

This study assesses mule deer hunting strategies using isotopic data from tooth enamel bioapatite at site 48PA551 in northwestern Wyoming. In this paper, data from the original excavations in the late 1960s and early 1970s is combined with the most recent excavation data from 2018 to provide a robust dataset. Specifically, carbon, oxygen and strontium isotopes are used to assess attritional versus mass harvest events at the middle Archaic site located in the foothills of the Absaroka Mountains. Harvest events have specific implications for hunting strategies and the social conditions that support either communal or individual harvest. In a broader context, the isotope data is also used to establish the ecological conditions at the time the site was occupied. Ultimately, the goal of this study is to highlight the important intersection between archaeology, ecology and wildlife biology and the influence interdisciplinary studies can have on modern wildlife management.