Greg Jordan: A chance to view elk in the wild would be worth a short drive

Feb. 8—Last Monday I had the day off, so after finishing a bit of personal business in Bluefield, I decided to go to the city park for a hike. The weather was classic blue and sunny. Soon I was up in the hills.

The silence was pleasant and surprising. I couldn't hear traffic or any other sound of civilization. This silence was broken when I heard movement on the ridge above me. Looking up, I saw a couple of good-sized deer loping away and out of sight. The hunters in my family would have admired them and silently cursed themselves for spooking them.

I've lost count of how many deer I've spotted during my hikes. Wild turkeys have crossed my path a couple of times, and there was one instance when I came across a fresh bear track at Pinnacle Rock State Park. I didn't spot the bear that made it and that's just as well. And I've seen bald eagles more than once.

Recently, a new possibility for animal sightings arrived in West Virginia. About 17 transplanted elk were brought to Logan County. Elk once roamed the forests of West Virginia and neighboring Virginia, but they disappeared due to overhunting.

Fortunately, elk are still found in other parts of the country and now efforts are underway to reestablish them in the Virginias. A herd of them has been established in Buchanan County, Va.

I've never seen a living elk, but I've seen trophies. I learned something when I saw these stuffed specimens.

Elk are huge.

The largest buck I've ever seen is downright small compared to them.

What would it be like to encounter an elk or a whole herd of them in the wild?

I'd stay still when I spotted an elk in hopes of not spooking it or coming across as a threat. I'm sure it would be an awesome sight, so I'd try to get a picture with my cellphone. Unfortunately, cellphones are not very good for wildlife photography unless the wildlife happens to be a turtle. Good luck trying to get an animal that's on the move.

Plans are underway to create observation towers where visitors can view elk without disturbing them.

I think these projects speak to how sensitive elks are to approaching predators and approaching humans, so I don't think hikers are liable to encounter them unless some of them wander off their range and cross into state parks. I really hope elk are not encountered on our roadways because colliding with one of them would be worse than hitting a deer.

Last year I clipped a deer that ran in front of my car as I was going up Courthouse Road. The damage was only a broken headlight, but getting it fixed cost me around $500 even after insurance paid most of it.

I don't want to think about the damage hitting a full-grown elk would inflict. Hospital bills would be among my expenses, I suspect. Hurting an elk would bother me, of course, but I'd rather not feel this regret while getting stitched up in an emergency room.

According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), 40 elk are scheduled to be released this year and will be transported from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. Partner agencies involved in the capture and release include the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The WVDNR launched its Elk Restoration Project in 2016 with the release of 24 elk acquired from the Land Between the Lakes. Since 2018, the WVDNR has introduced 57 elk (15 from Kentucky and 42 from Arizona) to the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan County.

The WVDNR will be offering guided elk tours there so people can learn more about the history of elk in West Virginia and see elk in a natural setting. These tours are being offered in September and October each year.

I might down to Logan County or Buchanan County, Va. to finally see live elk. Even if it's not a chance encounter in the wild, they would be worth the effort to see.

Greg Jordan is a reporter at the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com