ABSTRACT
Hunting became a major means of subsistence since the time humans acquired the technology to manufacture weaponry with which they could predictably kill animals once they were outmaneuvered. Mortality data obtained from the study of animal kill sites on the northwestern High Plains and in the central Rocky Mountains have been used to interpret hunting strategies for large animals. Gladwin portrayed a bison "jumping" event in which three hunters, one waving a blanket, one waving his arms and shouting, and another carrying a spear, are chasing eight bison. Archaeologists too often are reluctant to utilize animal behavior studies or the direct experiences of hunting for analyzing past hunting methods and the limitations imposed by prey species. Taphonomic and archaeozoologic data on North American cultural mammoth kills are not yet sufficient to determine season of death, herd structure, and other conditions relevant to mammoth procurement.
