Need help identifying this bone

[Lindsey]

My boyfriend and I are always finding vertebra, at the moment we do all our hunting in the North Sulphur River, but this particular bone is different from any of the others we have found. We were wondering what the bone is and what it came from. I'm sorry if the photos come out real big, not sure how to make them smaller.

 

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[Harry Pristis]

Your bone appears to be the distal end of a deer metapodial ("cannon bone").

 

[RPG]

Your bone appears to be the distal end of a deer metapodial ("cannon bone").

Nice looking bone Lindsey.

Harry, do you think this bone was cut or split open to get the marrow? Sure looks cut in that side pic.
If so and this bone is fossilized...Who did it?

Randy

 

[Harry Pristis]

It is so hard to say if this was worked. It might be useful to see the surface where the knuckle is missing.

These cannon bones were often worked by native Americans to produce pins, perforators, even daggers. However, the knuckles were typically left in place as the butt of the dagger, and the knuckles were typically completely removed to make bone pins from the shaft. Absent cut marks, this fragment is not an artifact.

 

[Lindsey]

Thanks for the info, although I would've never thought of it as possibly being an artifact. It would be nice to come across an artifact and even though this bone is not it's still going to be my favorite from our collection as it is different from any of our other bones. The closeup photo where I'm holding the bone showing the end is the surface where the knuckle is missing, I believe it was the last photo.

 

[Harry Pristis]

The piece is problematic. Green bone does not usually break along straight lines.

 

[naturegirl]

The way that knuckle is absent sure looks strange, Lindsey, I know very little, but would like to hear what the atrifact guys would say about this. They don't just call everything an artifact, if it isn't. Maybe they've seen something similar. And problematic is interesting. You might try it over there. Apologies if you already have.

ng

 

[Lindsey]

No I haven't tried over there, it never dawned on me to do so, I guess I will do that now. My curiosity is peaked now, but whatever it is the credit goes to my boyfriend who is the one who found it, sometimes it sucks to be near sighted.