Jim,
Not sure how he died. He was already picked clean when I found his skeleton. The coyotes, eagles, and everything else already mopped him up. The hole in his left palm is actualy a velvet injury. Directly behind that hole is two drop tines on the back side. Quite often they do get holes poked in the palms from fighting though. In fact, it's not often that you find a big one without any holes. They are pretty awnry critters and are always looking for a fight.
Chris