West Virginia’s first established elk herd is growing, and now wildlife biologists are helping the animals thrive
This story was originally published in the August 2024 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.
Written by Laura Jackson
Photographed by Mark Bias
For the first time in over a century, the eerie bugles of elk echo through the autumn fog on southern West Virginia mornings. The bulls’ unmistakable, high-pitched mating calls signal the start of another breeding season and the much-anticipated arrival of a new generation of calves.
However, the elks’ journey back to West Virginia hasn’t been an easy one. Extirpated from the state over a century ago, intense and ongoing efforts by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) have established this new herd. The animals’ growing numbers reflect the efforts of dedicated wildlife biologists, state officials, and policymakers, all of whom have played a role in bringing elk back to the Mountain State.
Welcome, Wapiti
Long decades have passed since elk—known as wapiti by the Shawnee people—wandered through their ancestral home in West Virginia. The last animals disappeared in the late 1800s as a result of hunting and timbering. But hopes for their return led to feasibility studies within the WVDNR as far back as 2005, when wildlife biologists identified West Virginia’s southern coalfields as the most suitable habitat for a potential new herd. With support from then-governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration, over 44,000 acres of land were secured for public access, including 25,000 acres for the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan and Mingo counties.
In 2015, the state legislature opened the door for the elks’ return, though another year would pass before the first members of the new herd would arrive. It was a complicated and delicate process.
Randall Kelley is a wildlife biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. He’s been leading the elk reintroduction project since its inception.
“We wanted to make sure we had a large chunk of public land property on which to do this work so that the public would have access for viewing,” he says. “We have since added an additional 3,000 acres. Tomblin abuts the Laurel Lake Wildlife Management Area, so our combined total of contiguous public land surrounding the release points is about 40,000 acres now. That’s all open to public hunting, although the elk are protected.”
The first animals that were turned loose in December of 2016 came from western Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL), though the herd originated in Elk Island National Park in the Canadian province of Alberta. Kentucky has had success establishing a healthy herd with large numbers of animals.
“The LBL elk had been vetted by the U.S. Park Service for restoration work at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” Kelley says. “So we knew they were high-quality animals and as safe as possible from issues like parasites and disease.” In 2018, 15 additional elk came from Kentucky, and 42 more were introduced from Arizona.
All the animals are continuously monitored. The division gives them ear tags, and a large percentage of them have GPS radio collars so biologists can track them. West Virginia University has been working with Kelley for a home range study that looks at the elks’ habitat use.
Challenges
When it comes to the release, it’s not just a matter of turning the herd loose and hoping for the best—elk have specific needs. Unlike white-tailed deer, who are adaptable browsers that prefer forested habitat interspersed with wider spaces, elk are grazers and thrive in more open areas with grasses and meadows. Therefore, wildlife managers perform regular habitat work to maintain clear areas appropriate for the animals. Management techniques include aerial herbicide application, controlled burns, mowing, and bulldozer work, all with the intention of creating a better environment.
Before they become Mountain State residents, the elk must be captured and moved from their existing ranges. This is tricky, as transporting the animals causes significant stress. While the LBL elk came from a managed herd, the Arizona animals had been free ranging. By law, they had to be held for 120 days, monitored, and tested for parasites and disease. The length of time in captivity, which lingered into the heat of summer, took a toll on the new arrivals, 14 of which didn’t survive. Stressed animals are more susceptible to illness—it’s why Kelley and the division are so dedicated to caring for the herd before, during, and after they’ve been released. Healthy animals have the best odds of survival.
Once in the wild, though, the elk still have to take their chances. West Virginia’s herd faces threats from predators, mostly on calves by black bears and coyotes. As they grow, this becomes less of an issue, and at four months, many elk calves are already bigger than white-tailed deer. A much greater risk has come from a parasitic brain worm. While white-tailed deer carry and spread the parasite but aren’t sickened by it, elk are susceptible to infection and often succumb.
Elk that show symptoms of brainworm can be brought into the division’s facility and tested. While infected animals can be treated, there’s no guarantee of success. Kelley has returned some elk to the herd after treatment, but he doesn’t know if those individuals survived because the parasite was eliminated or if the elk developed a tolerance or immunity.
“We’ve averaged losses somewhere between four and ten percent each year,” he says of the brainworm infections. “Some years it’s a little higher or lower. But we’re hoping that we can overcome that, eventually, with reproduction. The same issue exists in Kentucky and Virginia and Pennsylvania. They’re free-ranging elk, and they all have the same issue, but those programs have been successful.” He hopes the elk will eventually develop some resistance to the parasite.
The division monitors the elk for calving in the spring and summer; in the winter, the previous year’s calves are captured, tagged, and released. Some calves receive radio collars so the team can keep tabs on the survival and movement of the animals, as well as studying as environmental impacts. According to Kelley, capture also gives them the opportunity to draw DNA samples on each new baby.
“We sampled any animal that we turned loose from LBL or Arizona, so we know the parentage of all of our elk via DNA. We’re working with WVU on that project, funded in part by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which is a big sponsor and has put millions of dollars into the project over time and into assisting with land acquisition and research.”
The WVDNR also continues to work toward expanding West Virginia’s elk numbers, and this practice benefits other herds too. During the winter of 2024, LBL had an overpopulation of animals, so 20 bulls and 20 cows were moved to the Tomblin herd.
It Takes A Village
The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act provides revenues that support state wildlife agencies like the WVDNR in their conservation work and hunter education programs. Money generated from hunting goods and licenses goes back to the state, along with donations from organizations like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association, and the West Virginia Bowhunters Association. Help also comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Governor Jim Justice’s administration has dedicated itself to the support and expansion of the project.
“There are no state tax dollars involved,” Kelley says. “Whenever the Department of Agriculture, or any group, helps us, we reimburse them. It’s been a big cooperative effort by lots of organizations.” As the herd continues to grow, the division will keep a close eye on the animals. Down the road, elk across the state line in Kentucky may commingle with the West Virginia herd and increase the herd’s genetic diversity, though it’s important right now that the Tomblin elk maintain their health and numbers. Once a robust and stable population has been established, the WVDNR will permit hunters to enter a drawing for an elk hunt lottery.
Currently, the herd numbers roughly around 120 individuals, and anyone who wants to view the elk can do so. Chief Logan State Park Lodge offers affordable tours in September and October when the bull elk are bugling during the rutting season. Also, the division has paired with the Abandoned Mine Lands Program for tourism development. Currently, a visitor center and viewing tower are under construction.
For those who want to go it alone, the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area is open to the public. The former mountaintop removal sites on which the elk graze are open, grassy, and accessible. Four-wheelers and off-road vehicles are prohibited, but Kelley says hiking may yield the best chance to see West Virginia’s remarkable new residents.
“Most of the time, if you’re willing to wear out a little shoe leather and take a walk on the roads and trails down here, you have the opportunity to see an elk.”