Clash of Water Logged 5 point Antler and Rodents?

[PetesPockets55]

I was in the Nashville area (Lebanon) over the weekend and got a chance to walk a mostly dry creek. I came across two items that got my attention and brought them home so I could ask you guys what your thoughts are. I'll post the other on another thread.

Here is the full antler. The base looks normal like it fell out on it's own and wasn't cut.

View attachment 1942011

I noticed the missing prongs and tip and when I looked closer I could see cut marks on most of the missing ones. Without a magnifier or loupe I couldn't tell what caused them but in my excitement thought they were cut off. I assumed it was probably modern cuts. I don't hunt and never had an occasion to use antlers for anything so I couldn't venture a guess as to why someone would cut them off.

A relative thought they were used to call bucks by hitting two together to simulate bucks battling until I told him they weren't broken but cut. He thinks they were damaged by rodents which kind of makes sense except part of the missing doesn't have chew marks on them.

Here's the end with no visible marks.
View attachment 1942012

The next point with some cuts.
View attachment 1942013

Another point.
View attachment 1942014

Here is the one closest to the base with lots of "cut" marks around the base.
View attachment 1942015
View attachment 1942016
View attachment 1942017

(I don't really get to look outside of Florida so forgive my ignorance. )
Thanks for any insight and assistance on this one. It's probably rodents getting their needed minerals but I just wanted to confirm.

BTW- What would the points off a rack be used for, either back then or in modern times?

ps.Here's a link the the other thread about the tapered rock.
PP55

 

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[PetesPockets55]

This is a bone cut with stone and then snapped. It was found in a archaeologists dig site. View attachment 1942338

That's very neat. Thanks for the image.
Sugar cane is best cut the same way. Score the perimeter and then snap it.
(I found out the hard way about sugar cane after trying to cut through with a utility knife. My forearm lost. On the upside, the attending physician complimented me on a nice clean cut. )

View attachment 1942448
It?s not my best example but the one I was able to find relatively fast, here?s an example of cut marks on a whitetail rib. It?s from a native site that has lots of bone, many pieces are burnt and some have cut marks. Notice they aren?t paired up and run at slightly different angles. Rodent are paired and much wider marks

That's a neat image as well. Thanks for sharing it.
It shows the cut marks pretty well.

 

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