It's been a long time in coming, but we're happy to report that wild elk are back in West Virginia...and they seem to finally be doing quite well for themselves.
Centuries ago, herds of elk roamed through the Appalachian region. But they slowly disappeared, and the last native elk known to West Virginia was recorded in 1875. Now, over 150 years later, elk are back in West Virginia.
You may have known already about the work the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources has been doing to reintroduce elk to certain areas of the state, notably, Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan and Mingo Counties.
In 2015-2018, a herd of approximately 100 elk from Arizona and Kentucky was released in Tomblin WMA.
It's been a bit of a rocky road, with elk competing for valuable resources with other grazers, including horses that are left to roam the same coal fields.
A third of the Arizona elk died early on from an East Coast brain worm that is carried by whitetail deer, and even those animals that did survive have not thrived as expected.
However, 2020 might be a turning point in the battle to re-establish a healthy elk population in West Virginia: At least 15 calves were born this past spring, increasing the Tomblin herd's size to around 85 elk.
Want to try your luck at spotting a wild elk in the Mountain State? Fall is an excellent time to do so, as the bull elk are especially active, bugling, competing with other bulls, and just generally showing off for the cow elk during mating season.
You can visit Tomblin Wildlife Management Area for yourself and spend the day looking for these magnificent creatures; a map of the area courtesy of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources can be found here. Sometimes they are easier to spot than others, but the sight of these elk back in our state after a 150-year absence is worth the effort of tracking them down!
There are no overnight accommodations at Tomblin WMA, but you can stay at nearby Chief Logan State Park if you're so inclined!
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