One thing that is not being considered about the Eastern Elk's former range, and why it no longer exists here, has as much to do with habitat difference as it does with being hunted to extirpation.

The forests of Alabama pre European settlement were much, much different than they are today. Vast tracts of old growth forests almost everywhere.

I'm not saying that Elk wouldn't survive today in Alabama, but it is for sure a different type of habitat than it was when there were still here as a native species.

Bankhead and Skyline....turn'em loose!

Many years ago I read an article where an Alabama biologist thought the only feasible place would be in NW Alabama where the Lauderdale WMA exists. I don't remember where I read this. It may have been a newspaper article when the Kentucky and Arkansas re-introductions were making news.

The elk near Cherokee, are they in a pen?

I call BS, if they can thrive in GSM national park , they can in Jackson Co. AL. and Franklin Co. TN. Since when does Alabama biologist know about Elk anyway?

Bigly.

In the big pen, free range though.

I like the way you think.

They can live where roads are all over the place - they do great in similar habitat in other areas. Just have to not shoot/run over them.

Easiest way to get them away from the roads is open up a hunting season on them. Those big animals can get into some knarly stuff, still amazes me.

I believe at European contact they were largely plain animals and were only driven to mountains by pressure..

The Eastern Wapiti were woods animals and they were bigger than Western. Very little prairie around the East at contact time. Most of our woods were massive forests then too.

Yep. Think what some of the Old Growth areas of the Sipsey Wilderness look like. Then down toward the southern part of the state you had basically Longleaf Pine savannahs.

If stocked it would be decades before they are huntable, if at all.

One of the reasons they won't be stocked is that they would be considered huntable to a sizable portion of our state population as soon as they were released, legal or not.

I see you are familiar with some of our world class , night hunters, road hunters and poachers up here in Ol' Hi-Jackson.

I've heard stories. Heck, elk meat is so good, I'd be tempted.

I'll drive....

Were in a pen.... Some have gotten out and farmers with depredation permits have whacked a few of them. NC Wildlife folks have been batting around the idea of a lottery for tags but can't seem to come up with a solution that makes the legislature happy (AKA doesn't gouge enough money from the public for the legislators on the right and doesn't satisfy the far left and their environmental nutcase constituents). Won't be long though. Eventually they'll figure out a master plan to allow a limited number of tags to be sold and rake in the money from all those wanting a chance to kill an elk. After seeing all of the debacle here in NC over these things I think I'd rather them stay out of AL.

I'll hold the spotlight.