When Americans think of elk, visions of The Rocky Mountains come into mind or perhaps the Yellowstone herd with a geyser in the background. Ironically, this elk sighting is in alligator country in a state with a palm tree symbol on its license plate and about as far away from elk country as you can imagine. In recent years, elk herds have been restored in Tennessee and Kentucky where herds are thriving and hunters keep their well managed numbers in check. Pennsylvania capitalizes on elk interest to support a booming elk tourism business and thousands of outdoor lovers flock to the Keystone state to see and hear the animals bugle each fall. The Palmetto state may never become prime elk habitat, yet this wondering young bull is getting plenty of attention as it roams in places no elk has walked for 200 years. Here’s the latest from USA Today:
For the first time since the Upstate was Cherokee territory, a wild elk has been seen roaming the woodlands of South Carolina.
Northern Pickens County is abuzz with sightings of the bull elk, whose wanderings are being traced on social media. It’s not a descendent of species that once inhabited this area, but more likely a young bull elk that was ousted by the dominant males of a herd of Rocky Mountain elk that have been re-established in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to outdoorsman and Pickens County resident Dennis Chastain.
“This is a historic moment that some of us knew would eventually come,” Chastain said. “This is the first wild elk to roam the woods and wild places in South Carolina since they disappeared in the early 1700’s.”
