BREWSTER COUNTY, TX—What began as a routine hunt for deer turned into a huge discovery when a hunter stumbled upon a rare mammoth tusk at the privately owned 02 Ranch in Brewster and Presidio counties in West Texas.
“I was skeptical when a deer hunter showed me a picture of what he thought was a fossil,” said Will Juett, the manager of 02 Ranch. “I figured it was likely just an old stump, but imagined how great it would be if he was right.”
According to a Center for Big Bend Studies release, Juett immediately contacted the CBBS at Sul Ross State University for help. Dr. Bryon Schroeder, the CBBS director, along with archaeologist Erika Blecha and graduate student Haley Bjorklund, visited the ranch to examine the tusk.
“It paid off big time,” Juett said. “When they confirmed what they had uncovered, I couldn’t believe it.”
Hunter Finds Mammoth Tusk on West Texas Ranch
The team quickly confirmed that the object was a mammoth tusk, a rare discovery in West Texas. Dr. Schroeder explained that the tusk was found in the drainage area of a creek bed, though it was the only part of the mammoth remains discovered.
“We realized pretty quickly there was not more to the skeleton, it was just an isolated tusk that had been separated from the rest of the remains,” Dr. Schroeder said.
The researchers spent two days carefully wrapping the tusk in plaster-coated burlap for protection before transporting it to Sul Ross State University for further study.
“This is only the second time a mammoth tusk from the Trans-Pecos region has been carbon dated,” Dr. Schroeder added. The last discovery was in the 1960s near Fort Stockton, but carbon dating at the time wasn’t as precise. Now, scientists can determine the tusk’s age within 500 years.
Juett is eager for the carbon dating results, which are expected in the coming months said the release. The discovery has also left him imagining the ancient past of the O2 Ranch.
“Seeing that mammoth tusk just brings the ancient world to life,” Juett said. “Now, I can’t help but imagine that huge animal wandering around the hills on the 02 Ranch.”
Hunter Finds Mammoth Tusk on West Texas Ranch
(Credit: cbbs.sulross.edu)
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