Cataloochee NC elk

[Resica]

My theory is that Eastern Elk were not as large as Rocky Mountain Elk, because of the lack of food in old growth forest.

I've read that the last one was killed in Pennsylvania in 1877.





Does anyone have insight on the Eastern Elk?

(and Rocky Mountain Elk have been the best N.A. game mammal that I have ever eaten, but I haven't eaten moose or caribou)

Heard at one time there were some in New Zealand. Doubt its true or maybe they would have tried to reintroduce them.

 

[Resica]

All the elk here aren't like that. They originally sourced them from different areas, one of which was elk that were used to people. Those are the ones that hang around Maggie, Cherokee, and the fields in Cataloochee. The ones living back in the mountains are wild as deer. The town and roadside elk came from a different place. And you can't hunt in town or the national park. Any hunting would be for the wild ones that act like deer. It probably wouldn't take long for them to get the picture, either.
I see plenty of extremely tame deer and turkeys and bears hanging around town here too, that have no fear of people. That doesn't mean they are all like that, by a long shot.

Here as well.

 

[lampern]

But you can’t hunt in the park

I took the wildlife folks to mean where you can hunt the elk are on private land or in town

 

[Resica]

Like hillbilly said the forest we have now are not natural or at least not historical. What we have now is the result of people not allowing any kind of major disturbance. We put out fires instead of allowing them reset large sections of woods. The eastern elk and Eastern bison didn’t survive off of laurel leaves.

Also the elk that were introduced here are not Rocky Mountain elk like most think. They are Manitoban elk which is genetically the closest to the old eastern elk.

Most of ours came from Yellowstone, I believe.

 

[Nicodemus]

Heard at one time there were some in New Zealand. Doubt its true or maybe they would have tried to reintroduce them.

I believe the ones there are all red deer.

 

[WOODIE13]

We got them from a few places, AZ, KY (they were already here), NM and CO I believe

 

[Resica]

 

[Resica]

We got them from a few places, AZ, KY (they were already here), NM and CO I believe

We got ours first in 1913.

 

[WOODIE13]

We got ours first in 1913.

We didn't pay for ours

 

[Resica]

We didn't pay for ours

Nice! Watch that video, it's interesting!

 

[NCHillbilly]

But you can’t hunt in the park

I took the wildlife folks to mean where you can hunt the elk are on private land or in town

There is one state-owned game land that they range on. And occasionally onto the Pisgah National Forest.

 

[huntfish]

I believe the ones there are all red deer.

New Zealand has both Elk and Red Stag. Here are photos of my dad from New Zealand. BTW, both were one shot kills with a .243.

 

[Nicodemus]

New Zealand has both Elk and Red Stag. Here are photos of my dad from New Zealand. BTW, both were one shot kills with a .243.

I read somewhere recently that some red deer escaped from deer ranch in either Colorado or Wyoming and are breeding with elk. It is a concern with the Wildlife agencies in both states.

 

[flconch53]

Maybe NCHILLBILLY or some one else can confirm or refine this but when I lived in Mars Hill the locals insisted there were Elk in the Black Mountains until around WW2

 

[lampern]

On March 16, The Asheville Citizen announced the arrival of 20 elk, by way of Yellowstone National Park. “There were twenty-five of the animals in the car when it started on its twelve-day journey, but five of them died,” the paper noted, adding: “The buffalo to inhabit the pasture with the elk will also arrive here soon it is stated.”

1916

Yes the federal govt released elk in NC years before they did a second time

 

[blackbear]

I wonder when Georgia and North Carolina will ever stock Big Horn Sheep?
What would that tag cost?
Maybe a combo tag for Elk,Big Horn,Deer,Bear.
They could start the stocking up around Helen,Chattahoochee,Warwoman and Swallows Creek.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Maybe NCHILLBILLY or some one else can confirm or refine this but when I lived in Mars Hill the locals insisted there were Elk in the Black Mountains until around WW2

They tried a reintroduction for awhile, but it never took off.

 

[NCHillbilly]

I wonder when Georgia and North Carolina will ever stock Big Horn Sheep?
What would that tag cost?
Maybe a combo tag for Elk,Big Horn,Deer,Bear.
They could start the stocking up around Helen,Chattahoochee,Warwoman and Swallows Creek.

Never, I would guess, since they were never native here like elk and buffalo.

 

[blackbear]

BUFFALO WOULD BE AWSOME!

 

[dwhee87]

Maybe NCHILLBILLY or some one else can confirm or refine this but when I lived in Mars Hill the locals insisted there were Elk in the Black Mountains until around WW2

Elk were in about 97% of the US back in the 1600-1700's.