RIO GRANDE COUNTY — Bones discovered by hunters in the Rock Creek area were determined to be animal bones, Rio Grande County Sheriff Brian Norton said on Tuesday.

He explained that archery hunters in Rock Creek saw some scattered bones near an old boot so they contacted the Rio Grande County Sheriff’s Office, which sent the bones in for testing by a pathologist.

“We took a look at it,” he said.

Sheriff Norton said he received the pathologist’s report on Tuesday that the bones were of animal, not human origin. The boot just happened to be located in the area where the bones were found.

“It was just an old boot,” Sheriff Norton said.