A hunter was out looking for deer at a private ranch in West Texas when he spotted something unusual sticking out of the ground: a fossilized mammoth tusk.

“Seeing that mammoth tusk just brings the ancient world to life,” Juett said. “Now, I can’t help but imagine that huge animal wandering around the hills on the O2 Ranch. My next thought is always about the people that faced those huge tusks with only a stone tool in their hand!”