Bison Skull

[BisonJim]

I've changed my "interests" many times over the years, but I've come back around to what I call "buffalo hunting." I hunt bison skulls. Not the modern "ranch bison" skulls, but the original ones from the old herds (pre-1880s and as far back as 200,000+ years. You people got me pumped again so I took a trip up to South Park and went on a hike with my son.

We saw two small snakes (alive), a coyote (alive), several bucks in velvet (alive), a partial bull elk skull, shed antlers (recent), a tarantula (alive), some old bones in a cut-bank arroyo (I need to go back and investigate; they are large, but not bison-large) AND, guess what? A bison skull! It usually takes me a good 30 days of humping to find one skull.

It is not large, Holocene. The left horn core was sticking out of the bank, about a foot down from the top. I was working it out and it came off. I know you professionals would be rolling in your graves if weren't still alive and reading this. Anyway, I got a small piece of the frontals and stopped. Based upon a thread in this forum, I just ordered some Butvar B-76 and I'm going to protect what I have. I will go back when I have more leisure time and work the rest of the skull out with a paint brush and dental picks. Then I will preserve the whole thing and try to glue it back together.

Don't worry, professionals; while I know enough to be dangerous, I also know enough to stop if I see something of *real* value, like an imbedded point, or a B. latifrons or antiquus or crassicornis, etc. I'll call a university or museum.

Oh, we also found a recently (one or two days?) dead cow with some real classicly shaped long horns. I think I'll go back with an ax and a machete if someone else doesn't beat me to it. It'll be stinking for a spell so I'll have to toss her on the back forty for the coyotes and bugs to work on.

Finally, I actually had a camera with me but if forgot to use it.

[steve p.]

I've changed my "interests" many times over the years, but I've come back around to what I call "buffalo hunting." I hunt bison skulls. Not the modern "ranch bison" skulls, but the original ones from the old herds (pre-1880s and as far back as 200,000+ years. You people got me pumped again so I took a trip up to South Park and went on a hike with my son.

We saw two small snakes (alive), a coyote (alive), several bucks in velvet (alive), a partial bull elk skull, shed antlers (recent), a tarantula (alive), some old bones in a cut-bank arroyo (I need to go back and investigate; they are large, but not bison-large) AND, guess what? A bison skull! It usually takes me a good 30 days of humping to find one skull.

It is not large, Holocene. The left horn core was sticking out of the bank, about a foot down from the top. I was working it out and it came off. I know you professionals would be rolling in your graves if weren't still alive and reading this. Anyway, I got a small piece of the frontals and stopped. Based upon a thread in this forum, I just ordered some Butvar B-76 and I'm going to protect what I have. I will go back when I have more leisure time and work the rest of the skull out with a paint brush and dental picks. Then I will preserve the whole thing and try to glue it back together.

Don't worry, professionals; while I know enough to be dangerous, I also know enough to stop if I see something of *real* value, like an imbedded point, or a B. latifrons or antiquus or crassicornis, etc. I'll call a university or museum.

Oh, we also found a recently (one or two days?) dead cow with some real classicly shaped long horns. I think I'll go back with an ax and a machete if someone else doesn't beat me to it. It'll be stinking for a spell so I'll have to toss her on the back forty for the coyotes and bugs to work on.

Finally, I actually had a camera with me but if forgot to use it.

Great story and details. I will look forward to an update.

Steve.