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Fisherman finds ancient skull and antlers
Associated Press, Tuesday, June 5, 2001
WINONA, Minn. -- It was his most unusual catch yet.
Rick Nascak caught a great fishing tale when he pulled up antlers and bones instead of scales and fins while fishing along the Mississippi River in April.
``I pulled my anchor up, and we just thought it was a big tree mess,'' Nascak said.
Instead, he uncovered the skull and antlers of an elk, a creature that disappeared from the area 150 years ago.
He contacted Jim Theler, a professor of archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a researcher with the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center.
Theler said the elk likely weighed between 650 and 800 pounds and probably died within the last 1,000 years, though it could be as much as 10,000 years old.
``We've never seen anything like this,'' said Theler, who previously has only seen smaller fragments and parts in the area.
Both antlers were attached to the skull, and one is complete and more than 50 inches long.
``Elk specimens from this part of the world are very rare. They were lost so early that there are almost no preserved specimens,'' Theler said.
He said researchers will try to determine how old it is through radio carbon-dating at a Canadian lab.
Associated Press, Tuesday, June 5, 2001
WINONA, Minn. -- It was his most unusual catch yet.
Rick Nascak caught a great fishing tale when he pulled up antlers and bones instead of scales and fins while fishing along the Mississippi River in April.
``I pulled my anchor up, and we just thought it was a big tree mess,'' Nascak said.
Instead, he uncovered the skull and antlers of an elk, a creature that disappeared from the area 150 years ago.
He contacted Jim Theler, a professor of archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a researcher with the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center.
Theler said the elk likely weighed between 650 and 800 pounds and probably died within the last 1,000 years, though it could be as much as 10,000 years old.
``We've never seen anything like this,'' said Theler, who previously has only seen smaller fragments and parts in the area.
Both antlers were attached to the skull, and one is complete and more than 50 inches long.
``Elk specimens from this part of the world are very rare. They were lost so early that there are almost no preserved specimens,'' Theler said.
He said researchers will try to determine how old it is through radio carbon-dating at a Canadian lab.
