elk in appalachians

[mcorso]

Hey, I just read a article in outdoor life about the elk returning to the appalachians, the map was showing a range growing in pennsylvania,west virgina,and kentucky, with some of the range bleeding into eastern central ohio, has anybody seen any elk in ohio? I know elk are rough on terrain and can travel 50 miles in a day, but I would love to see elk in ohio, I have dreamed of hunting one out west as long as I can remember, and to know they are starting to re populate in nieghboring states is getting me excited that maybe someday I will actually get to hunt one. anyone know of any efforts to bring elk back to ohio?

[Hunting Kuk]

I hear they have put Elk in 5 different states all I know of is Arkansas,Missouri,and now ohio in Akansas they aremoving quickly and beggining to become a better population

[rather_be_huntin]

I don't know off the top of my head where Ohio stands but I know some states don't want to manage elk. It's a whole new skill set for management that many states don't want to pay to have. In fact in some states an elk is actually considered a "deer" and can legally be shot with a deer tag if the venture over the state line.

Having said that I think it's only a matter of time before elk are restored to many if not all states. I think it's a feel good story that I hope continues to grow in the east.

If I were you though I'd find a way to make that trip out west though to hunt elk. There is no other experience like it and there won't be a lot of elk hunting in the east probably in your lifetime. Even as populations grow the drawing odds are extremely tough.

[bowfly]

Don't know about Ohio, but they can hunt them here in PA where I am at...north of where I trout fish, in Black Moshannon State Park, I have seen the occasional elk...which is awesome!