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Deconstructing Hunting Returns: Can We Reconstruct and Predict Payoffs from Pursuing Prey?

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Abstract

Explaining variation in hunter-gatherer livelihoods hinges on our ability to predict the tradeoffs and opportunities of pursuing different kinds of prey. Central to this problem is the commonly held assumption that larger animals provide higher returns upon encounter than smaller ones. However, to test this assumption, actualistic observations of hunting payoffs must be comparable across different social, technological, and ecological contexts. In this meta-analysis, we revisit published and unpublished estimates of prey return rates (n = 217 from 181 prey types) to assess, first, whether they are methodologically comparable, and second, whether they correlate with body size. We find systematic inter-study differences in how carcass yield, energetic content, and foraging returns are calculated. We correct for these inconsistencies first by calculating new estimates of energetic yield (kcals per kg live weight) and processing costs for over 300 species of terrestrial and avian game. We then recalculate on-encounter returns using a standardized formula. We find that body size is a poor predictor of on-encounter return rate, while prey characteristics and behavior, mode of procurement, and hunting technology are better predictors. Although prey body size correlates well with processing costs and edibility, relationships with pursuit time and energetic value per kilogram are relatively weak.

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Acknowledgments

The following people provided various insights concerning the biology of various species: Alessandra Bertassoni, Hani Bizri, Richard Blob, Craig Byron, Avril Figueroa, Paul Garber, Jean Huot, Peter Jarman, Harriet Kuhnlein, Erica Nol, Caroline Pond, Stephen Secor, Lisa Shapiro, Denis Youlatos, Jesse Young, and Pete Zani. Many thanks to Andrew Ugan for generously helping us replicate some of his return rates. The ideas expressed here were greatly improved through comments and discussions with Michael Alvard, Jack Broughton, Jose Capriles, Brian Codding, James Conolly, Sheryl Gerety, Kristen Hawkes, James Holland Jones, Jeremy Koster, Karen Lupo, Jim O’Connell, Michael Price, Elspeth Ready, Eric Smith, John Speth, Todd Surovell, Paul Szpak, and Blake Vernon. The analyses we present were supported by a SSHRC Explore Grant (#25816, internal grant, Trent University). Those focused on Martu hunting strategies were supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (BCS-1459880, BCS-0850664, BCS-0314406).

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Trent University, DNA Bldg Block C, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Eugène Morin

  2. PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Bat. B18, Allée Geoffroy St-Hilaire CS 50023, 33615, Pessac Cedex, France

    Eugène Morin

  3. Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, 410 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA, 16803, USA

    Douglas Bird & Rebecca Bliege Bird

  4. Anthropology & Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Bruce Winterhalder

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  1. Eugène Morin
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Morin, E., Bird, D., Winterhalder, B. et al. Deconstructing Hunting Returns: Can We Reconstruct and Predict Payoffs from Pursuing Prey?. J Archaeol Method Theory 29, 561–623 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09526-6

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