CHEROKEE, N.C. (WLOS) — Traveling to a popular destination like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you might grow accustom to the everyday traffic jam. But one person caught a rather spectacular type of Western North Carolina traffic jam recently.

Dean Cloer shared two videos of a large herd of elk that stopped vehicles as they sauntered across a highway in Cherokee, North Carolina.



JAN. 3, 2022 - Herds of elk make their way across Highway 441 in Cherokee, NC. (Credit: Dean Cloer)

ELK POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW SLOW & STEADY, 20 YEARS AFTER REINTRODUCTION INTO SMOKIES

Cloer said the elk were paying Saunooke Village a visit on Jan. 3, 2022, crossing Highway 441 near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In the videos, you can see several stopped cars as some elk saunter across the highway and others begin running. Some elk stay on the side of the roadway to graze in the green grass.



LAWMAKERS WANT HAYWOOD COUNTY IDENTIFIED AS NC'S ELK CAPITAL

Elk sightings have become more common in the last few years, especially since their reintroduction into Great Smoky Mountains National Park over 20 years ago.

Officials with the National Park Service and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation released 25 elk in February of 2001. The next year they released another 27. It started out as an experiment to bring back the native species which was run out by European settlers and overhunting in the late 1700's.

Pretty cool!

That is awesome, but the National Park Service and RMEF need to introduce some wolves to keep them in check as part of the natural order.

Are you allowed to hunt them there yet?

https://wlos.com/news/local/elk-che...-441-saunooke-village-wildlife-officials

Click link for video.

Are there population estimates for this herd?

Not even close.

Around 200.

Tennessee has very limited hunting, I believe. That's on the west side of the same mountains. Elk don't read maps very well.

Not there, but a little bit North in TN there are a few very limited quota/draw hunts.

Where’s the tourist getting stomped? 😮

It is illegal, but that won't stop a North Carolina hillbilly. He even had to surrender his Richard Petty autographed rifle!

NC man gets 150 days in prison for shooting elk in Smokies
Posted by Jeff Doran on July 15, 2010 at 4:00pmView Blog
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Carolina announced that Bruce Wayne Cromer, Jr. of Stovall, North Carolina, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to unlawfully shooting and killing a bull elk within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The animal was known as “Elk #21" and had been introduced into the Park in 2001 as part of a program by the National Park Service to repopulate elk in regions of their former habitat.

Cromer was sentenced to 150 days in prison for fatally shooting the elk within park boundaries in November of 2009.

Cromer must also relinquish his hunting license for two years, and forfeit his rifle, which was autographed by NASCAR legend Richard Petty. He has also been banned from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and all other National Parks for a period of two years as well.


Jeff

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/

They'll do that before letting people eat them.

Dadgum elk was at least 9 years old. Wonder how its teefe were.

Might as well eat him - he's on the down-hill slope with only a couple years left.

It's not why that clown shot him tho.

Not that herd nor Cataloochie

But Tennessee has a statewide hunt in specialized zones



https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/big-game/elk.html

Fuggers in Cataloochie will do a number on a salt covered vehicle.
The cows are bed enough, then the bulls come in head gear swinging!

That's good to see.

You dont know nothin sonny boy, i live in a tin shed Mister, let me tell you about elk. Blah blah blah, I can my own tuna. If i want any chit outta you I’ll squeeze your head. Im 79 years old. Check your grammar

Elk are not considered game animals in Texas. you can shoot them anytime. I think that is strange because Elk have been increasing on the New Mexico Texas border for a while.

Ah I didn't know that.

Good to see them making of go of in some of their historic ranges.