Area with lots of Elk bones, what to make of it?

[bgreen1tcu]

I am fairly new to hunting elk in Arizona... I took my son out on a scouting/camping trip this weekend and we found what I think would be a very good/hard to get to area which would provide several days worth of good hunting. The odd thing was that just about every few hundred yards of walking we would come across groupings of elk bones. Several spines, leg bones, a few skulls and a ton of jaw bones. In two specific spots we found no less than 8 or 10 sets of jaw bones. Were these from past hunts, a predator, or what? There are hardly any signs of human activity in this very secluded are and even if it were due to hunting, what hunters would take multiple elk like this? Also, i thought about maybe hunters had a favorite area to clean their elk over the years but there was nothing special I could figure out about these area, no good hanging trees, etc. I will say one theory was that most were close to dry creek beds, did they wash down and collect?

We just found all of these bones to be very odd, I will say we had a great scouting trip and saw several elk and one bull that looked like he would be a good one after his antlers were full grown.

 

[hank4elk]

Lightning strike.

 

[azelkhntr]

Lightning strike.

Agreed. That would be the best explanation. Or they ate something together which also happens when some noxious weeds run amok.

 

[hank4elk]

Algae blooms in tanks are another cause. Toxic.

 

[bgreen1tcu]

Lightning strike.

That would never have come to mind but I guess it does make sense! That makes me feel even better about our spot, if there are so many elk they are getting taken out in groups by lightning!

 

[come2elmo]

Well I suppose that depends...are there thunderstorms in that part of AZ during elk season?

 

[Gr8bawana]

Well I suppose that depends...are there thunderstorms in that part of AZ during elk season?

We watched this thunderstorm roll in during a Sept. hunt in AZ. The lightening strikes were unbelievable! They were hitting the ground all around us as we ran for the truck.

 

[kwyeewyk]

There's an area near me where a local game processor dumps bones, but if it's remote probably not that. I hear of wild horses being killed by lightning, and know someone who saw a beef cow get struck in Colorado.

 

[hank4elk]

If its near a road & looks like a dump, then that's outfitters dumping bones.
I have found several lightning kill sites in AZ & NM of elk & cattle. Miles from a road and while hunting during storms.One was fresh,within a few days.
The algae bloom cause was dertimined by G&F a few years ago in NM.

 

[diamond hitch]

One summer while working out of Missoula we drove past a ranch with a single tree in the pasture all of the cows would cluster around that tree in the shade. One day a lightning strike killed all 23 of the cows. certainly a good possibility.

I would check to see if there are any cut surfaces might indicate dumping.

In the northern areas you find areas of winter kill. Last year I found 26 deer skeletons in a basin. likely a late spring snow storm.

 

[2rocky]

Here's an interesting story from CA. http://sierrabighorn.blogspot.com/2017/11/migrating-mule-deer-deaths-in-high.html

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Migrating deer slid to their deaths below Bishop Pass. Photo Nov. 11, 2017 Courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife

 

[kwyeewyk]

That's an incredible photo, never seen one like that before.

 

[bgreen1tcu]

If its near a road & looks like a dump, then that's outfitters dumping bones.
I have found several lightning kill sites in AZ & NM of elk & cattle. Miles from a road and while hunting during storms.One was fresh,within a few days.
The algae bloom cause was dertimined by G&F a few years ago in NM.

Definitely not near any roads... I only saw one skull that was sawed off, the rest were cows and in-tact. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

[hank4elk]

Here's an interesting story from CA. http://sierrabighorn.blogspot.com/2017/11/migrating-mule-deer-deaths-in-high.html

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Migrating deer slid to their deaths below Bishop Pass. Photo Nov. 11, 2017 Courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Saw some videos & pics of that from one of the Bishop boys .

 

[Lyfter1013]

Here's an interesting story from CA. http://sierrabighorn.blogspot.com/2017/11/migrating-mule-deer-deaths-in-high.html

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Migrating deer slid to their deaths below Bishop Pass. Photo Nov. 11, 2017 Courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Here’s another pic of that I screenshot and saved in my pics.. that would have made me sick to walk up on

 

[Borny1]

You found my tree stand location. Back off.

 

[LaSportsman]

Well I suppose that depends...are there thunderstorms in that part of AZ during elk season?

August into September is monsoon season in parts of the state. Mt Humphries near Flagstaff is known to be at risk of lightning in the afternoon summer and fall.

 

[kentuckybow]

May be an old Navajo BBQ restaurant site.

 

[Sagesniffer]

Hunger crazed Sasquatch, maybe?

 

[bgreen1tcu]

Hunger crazed Sasquatch, maybe?

That was our first thought, but we wore out our Sasquatch call for three days and... Nothing!?!