The state stopped authorizing elk hunting in 1960, but wild elk disappeared again from Virginia. The last wapiti was seen in the Botetourt-Bedford range in 1970, and in the Giles-Bland range in 1974. However, these deer were heavily infested with roundworms (brainworm), a nematode parasite, which proved lethal to the wapiti. At this time, there were no white-tailed deer in these areas, those being extirpated by the late 1800’s.Ī total of 85 white-tailed deer were released in the 1950-1956 period that flourished. By 1940, the Giles-Bland herd was estimated to contain approximately 100 animals and the Botetourt-Bedford herd approximately 25 animals. An additional 56 wapiti were imported from Yellowstone in 1935, released in the Sugar Hollow section of Giles County and Botetourt County near Natural Bridge. To supplement their populations in 1935, more elk were imported from Yellowstone National Park.īy 1922, an estimated population of 500 elk existed in Virginia. The lack of winter grazing habitat, plus excessive poaching, resulted in disappearance of the elk imported by the Virginia Game Commission except in two locations.Īfter 1926, only the two herds in Giles/Bland and in Botetourt/Bedford counties survived in the wild. Elk which moved into the valleys in the winter became, in the eyes of local farmers, large pests. By the 1900's, the habitat on the ridges was still available, but the valley bottoms had been converted into farms and ranches. Elk ate more than just natural vegetation planted crops also became a meal.īack in the 1600's, elk could graze in the summer on mountain ridges and winter in the valley bottoms long-distance migrations comparable to bison moving acrosss the Great Plains were not necessary. Re-introduction was intended to create hunting opportunities for recreation, but hunting was permitted in part to accommodate farmers upset at crop damage. Five years after the 1917 re-introduction, the Virginia Game Commission authorized elk hunts. Public support for controlled hunting seasons increased in the 20th Century, but poaching and over-hunting affected the first elk restoration effort that started in the early 1900's. 2ĭespite reintroduction in Princess Anne and Cumberland counties, the only population of elk to survive east of the Blue Ridge after 1926 was in Bedford County (where elk migrated across the mountains) By 1922, there were none left in Cumberland County either, but elk did expand their range into Bland, Craig, and Bedford counties. The elk released in the sand dunes near Cape Henry discovered the local vegetable farms, so the herd in Princess Anne County (now the City of Virginia Beach) was destroyed soon after release. Most releases occurred in 1917, when the state imported 125 Rocky Mountain elk from Yellowstone National Park. Reintroducing elk required capturing the animals west of the Mississippi River, and shipping them east.īetween 1913-1922, elk were imported and released in Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Cumberland, Giles, Montgomery, Princess Anne, Pulaski, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Warren, and Washington counties. No elk survived in neighboring states either, so there was no natural migration back into Virginia. The last elk in Virginia was killed in Clarke County, and for nearly 60 years there were no elk living naturally in the state. The original subspecies ( Cervus elaphus canadensis) disappeared from Virginia and from other eastern states for two reasons:ġ) hunters killed mature elk for hides and meat faster than the animals could reproduceĢ) elk lost winter grazing habitat, as valley bottomlands were converted into farms and ranchesĮlk Garden Ridge, on the border of Smyth/Grayson counties near Whitetop Mountain The last native elk was killed in Virginia in 1855, before the Civil War. Source: Library of Congress, A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia Place names such as Elk Island in Goochland County offer a clue about the historical range of elk in Virginia There are multiple places in Virginia with "elk" in their name, reflecting the historical presence of the large animals. Buchanan County wants mature bull elk with antlers to become a tourist attractionĮlk ( Cervus elaphus) once grazed in Virginia east to the Fall Line.
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