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MuskiemanNC
Posts: 134 Deckhand
Elk in Florida
MuskiemanNC
Posts: 134 Deckhand
In the 1960s free ranging elk were released in Highlands County.
Are any still around or have they since died out?
Are any still around or have they since died out?
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I know it's not feasible given the human population of the eastern US, but I'd love to see elk reintroduced into more of their historic range. TN, NC, VA, PA, KY, MI, MO, AR all have elk populations in them now (I might be missing one or two of the eastern states)
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EDIT: Ted's last name is spelled Beleu, and the book that he published with this info is titled "Long Hunt East of the Mississippi". Get a copy to go along with Bartram's!
There was a report last year of the first elk sighting in South Carolina in something like 150 years.
Remember reading that and believe it was one of elk from the re-introduced herd in NC. Hopefully it wasn't a lone elk wandering but rather the herd expanding, which is a good thing.
Yep. That animal was actually photographed on my buddy's (and one-time FS Fur participant) lease.
When i read that story my friends and i were making jokes about someone trying to bring it to the processor with white out all over it's tail, and some antlers sawd off. Woowee, man i shot this buck right at daybreak...
A good example of this "Law" in operation is the re-establishment of the Whitetail Deer population in the Deep South. If you're as "old as dirt" as I am, and if you spent your productive career in forestry/wildlife management here in the Deep South, you will remember when there were NO DEER anywhere hardly! In the early 1960's a wildlife biologist, Jack Crockford by name, started a pilot project of reintroducing Whitetails into the Piedmont of Georgia where excellent habitat existed, but no deer! The deer came off the barrier islands along the coast of Georgia AND VERY **** FEW EVER CAME FROM UP NORTH!
I was lucky beyond belief for having the opportunity of working with Jack in the development of the hypodermic "Capture Gun" as a student employee during my days at the UGA forestry/wildlife school. Jack and I much later became re-associated and very good friends on a South Georgia Plantation where he was a very frequent quail hunting guest, and I was the forester/wildlife manager.
The elk was simply one from NC roaming around.
The farmers in NC are having to shoot the elk because they are causing problems.
I think it was calendar year 2015 that there were over 41,000 auto-deer collisions in the state of Georgia!
Thanksgiving week-end in 1954 while fox hunting on Cedar Mountain, North Georgia, a doe ran across the road in front of our truck on the way up the Mountain----we stopped to look so everyone could see what a deer track looked like!
The deer in N GA came from the Pisgah Forest in NC which was restocked with deer from New York by George Vanderbilt because Mr Vanderbilt was from NY.
As I understand it the rest of GA was stocked with native deer.
The elk released in NC are not native. They are from the Alberta prairie and NC has no prairies.
I love reading your stories.
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=289286
Kinda funny that you mentioned Vanderbilt! My granddad, by whom I was reared from age 14 months, and Jack Vanderbilt (the son) used to fox hunt together up around Old Fort, N.C.
And as long as you realize they are stories not based upon fact you'll be just fine.
Kentucky is now the primary stock source for elk in the east since their animals have become so well acclimated and are breeding like crazy.
x 2
What makes you say that?
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Nice 5pt. Love those dark antlers with ivory tips! The 6pt I missed with my bow last September still haunts me. Hope to return next year for revenge on any legal elk that presents a shot.
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woodsrunner contributes some great info to this forum..
I value his input as do many others.