Fort Ancient wild turkey harvesting strategies in northern Kentucky

Fox Farm (1300–1650 CE) is a 16.2 ha Native American farming village in Mason County, Kentucky. The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) death assemblage documented for this site is suggestive of a harvesting strategy that differs from that of Fort Ancient villages occupied for shorter periods of time....

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Published inWildlife Society bulletin (2011) Vol. 46; no. 2
Main Authors Manzano, Bruce L., Pollack, David, Henderson, A. Gwynn, Erhardt, Andrea, Munizzi, Jordon
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.06.2022
Subjects
archaeology
hunting strategies
isotope analysis
Kentucky
middle Ohio valley
Native American
turkey
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Summary:Fox Farm (1300–1650 CE) is a 16.2 ha Native American farming village in Mason County, Kentucky. The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) death assemblage documented for this site is suggestive of a harvesting strategy that differs from that of Fort Ancient villages occupied for shorter periods of time. Relative to those villages, the residents of Fox Farm killed twice as many male as female wild turkeys. By focusing on adult males, the residents of Fox Farm were able to maintain a sustainable wild turkey population in the vicinity of their village, which allowed them to live at this locality for more than 300 years. Over 600 years ago, Native American farmers at Fox Farm, an upland village in Mason County, Kentucky, faced a challenge: break the cycle of routine village movement linked to their agricultural practices. Analysis of the site's large, well‐preserved turkey wing bone assemblage revealed that they adjusted their harvesting strategy to maintain a sustainable wild turkey population. Relative to some of their contemporaries, the Fox Farm residents killed twice as many male as female wild turkeys.
ISSN:2328-5540
2328-5540
DOI:10.1002/wsb.1271