# Elk in GA



## howl

Why don't we have a huntable population of elk in GA? With all the effort the QDMA folks put into farming antlers, you'd think we could get enough support and resources to have some.


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## cpowel10

I hate the idea of having elk in GA.  I can't imagine hitting a 600lb+ animal at night.

I imagine they would cause a lot of Ag damage also.


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## drewpatt

To many black panthers


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## jkoch

Big foot population would explode!


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## Whiteeagle

Who wants to shoot a spike Elk with spots anyway?


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## GA DAWG

To many dang people have moved here. Thats why.


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## Throwback

we're the 10th most populated state in the nation and 90% of the rest of the populatoin don't want to hit 500 plus pound deer so a few thousand people can hunt them. 

T


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## NCHillbilly

We're starting to get a pretty good herd here in the Smokies. There have been a few hanging out near where I live lately. It would be nice to eventually get a huntable population like KY and TN.


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## buckstone0505

They have already tried it and didnt work.


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## howl

buckstone0505 said:


> They have already tried it and didnt work.



Details for the curious, please.


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## Jr.white

it would be nice to have something to hunt in the mountains the deer herd is not to good.


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## chiefsquirrel83

if i am not mistaken...there was an article in GON about 3 years ago about a guy in the Dillard/Clayton area who shot a Elk(cow) and he was hit by the Feds. pretty hard from what I remember


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## godogs57

All suitable areas (mountains) are too populated with folks. Our largest national forest areas are still not remote enough, nor are they far enough from larger population centers for it to work...straight from the mouth of a DNR biologist.


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## chiefsquirrel83

Cohutta is about it


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## hawgrider1200

We do have an elk herd in Ga! I see them quite frequently in Twiggs county.


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## blacksheep

*Ga Elk heard*

http://www.dixielandplantation.com/

They got them they just cant hunt them,
I hunted the property that joins it on the back side for 3 years. 
They sure got some huge whitetails !


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## chiefsquirrel83

....at the Elk Farm down there....pass it all the time going to Jeffersonville....I had to take a double take the first time I saw them


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## Dpsmith

blacksheep said:


> http://www.dixielandplantation.com/
> 
> They got them they just cant hunt them,
> I hunted the property that joins it on the back side for 3 years.
> They sure got some huge whitetails !



yes they do have some great whitetials. where they brought in from up north or just deer in the area when it was fenced in? either was he has some awesome bucks in there.


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## Son

Might as well go for buffalo too. There used to be a Woods Bison that lived in the South.


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## satchmo

Elk are less than two years from being in Georgia from their locations in Tenn and Ky. If an elk were to come under your deer stand right now ,you could legally shoot it and it would not even count against your deer tags. The elk foundation is working on stopping this before it happens. So elk will be protected when they finally do make it here, so far they are not protected in Ga. in the wild.


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## Big7

Good!

That will save me about 5k on the Colorado trip!!


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## NCHillbilly

We have had a couple of elk from KY show up here in NC. One got ran over on the highway north of Asheville a few years ago-it was right after the first elk had been turned loose in NC, and everyone thought it was one of those until they determined that it was a wanderer from KY. The ones here in our little herd tend to roam around a good bit.


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## yellowhammer

*elk*

Ga.DNR or WRD considered introducing elk,at one time,but decided not to do it.Too much competition for food.Elk and buffalo were once native in Ga.Transplanting is not working everywhere.A Tenn.TWRA game warden told me that in his area,the lawbreakers have killed most of them,and he doesn`t expect a season,EVER.


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## Inspector

godogs57 said:


> All suitable areas (mountains) are too populated with folks.



I keep forgetting there aren't any people in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc.   Also, forgot there aren't any cars in those places to run into an elk, nor are there any whitetails to cause disease problems with.


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## rugerfan

I am originally from Pennsylvania, it took along time for the game commision to allow elk hunting, but the elk hunting there in PA, is all done by drawing. 

This past season there were I think 59 tags drawn. 

13 Bulls Tags
23 Spike Bull Tags
23 Cow Tags

 I am not sure if all the tags were filled or not. 

Back a few years ago, a 17 year old kid shot a 900 pound 8 x 8 Bull in deer season. Said that he thought it was a big buck. Game Warden didn't buy it, he is never ever allowed to hunt in the State of Pennsylvania again, and he had to pay a 5000 dollar fine. 

I think it would be interesting to at least see them in the woods here.


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## NCHillbilly

yellowhammer said:


> Ga.DNR or WRD considered introducing elk,at one time,but decided not to do it.Too much competition for food.Elk and buffalo were once native in Ga.Transplanting is not working everywhere.A Tenn.TWRA game warden told me that in his area,the lawbreakers have killed most of them,and he doesn`t expect a season,EVER.



That's funny, because Tennessee already had an elk hunt last October, some nice bulls killed, too. The main problem we've had with our NC herd is predation on calves by bears and coyotes.


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## jwea89

saw a herd of cow elk one time when passin dixieland, i couldnt believe it at first so i turned around and there was a huge bull sittin right in the tree line where that powerline break is. see deer almost every time i drvie by it and they got some huge deer in there


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## Bowyer29

NCHillbilly said:


> That's funny, because Tennessee already had an elk hunt last October, some nice bulls killed, too. The main problem we've had with our NC herd is predation on calves by bears and coyotes.



You have to wonder if people are compulsive liars or if they really believe the stuff they say. Ten seconds on Google.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_161370.asp

Enjoy.


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## Ohoopee Tusker

A few years back I was hunting a new property, when one morning I hear an elk call. I was like oh, an elk. Then I was like what the heck am I hearing!? Turns out the high fence property next to it had elk.


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## Scoutman

Yes I believe our population density is too high, not enough remote areas left.Everyone loves georgia peaches!


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## Arrow Flinger

These were in NC last week


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## jason bales

Arrow Flinger said:


> These were in NC last week



thats so beautiful, I sure do miss the mountains


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## FX Jenkins

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> Cohutta is about it



Yep, but they would have to clear out some more meadows for food plots...but once these were established, I'd say it would benefit the whitetail population, as it would create more forage ...bear and hogs would have to really be kept in check though. You'd still have quite a few complaints from the bordering family farmers though as they would eventually spread out into the greater Chattahoochee NF.


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## Juan De

I herd there was a darwing in tennesse for elk tags, might have to give that a shot this year, would def save money by not having to go out west.


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## schreck_1

remoteness and number of people has nothing to do with the elk's ability to survive; it only affects people's ability to tolerate the elk.  Some of the Mtn towns in PA have an economy completely centered on elk tourism.  No joke.  they also have people who's farm consists of a 3 acre pumpkin patch that shoot elk for crop damage every year.  there are also real farmers who sustain damage that is very harmful to their livelyhood. There is good and bad things about reintroducing such a large animal.


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## yellowhammer

*Elk in Tenn*

I`m not a compulsive or any other type liar.The area in Tenn.I`m referring to is the Cumberland Plateau in the Crossville area.TWO radio collars from elk were tracked to a pond,where the poachers had discarded them.My info came from a retired TWRA officer.He was not referring to another area,I presume,only the Catoosa WMA and area around it.This area is vastly different from middle Tenn,in regard to deer and turkey.Shorter seasons,lower bag limits.Maybe more poachers?


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## ben300win

Technically Elk are not protected in GA just like in West Virgina. If you are hunting in West Virgina and see an elk during deer season you can shoot it. It will count against your deer tags, but you can shoot it. The Elk Foundation is trying to pass a law that would make that Illegal in West Virgina and Here as well. I am all for reintroducing elk in GA, but I see that it makes sense that there would be lots of PEOPLE/ANIMAL conflict. I am a Life Member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a Comittee member for the Notheast Georgia chapter of the Elk Foundation. The big thing out west is that they measure land in square miles and we measure land in square feet around here. Too much population to sustain the elk herd.


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## hikingthehills

These elk need to hurry up and get down here! I'm ready to hunt something other than deer and small game this time of year!


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## Nicodemus

According to the archaeological record, if elk ever were in Georgia in historical times, they were in the very northwest corner of the state. This is based on a few remains found in middens. As for the bison that were here, they were plains bison, not wood bison. Wood bison were only native to northern Canada and Alaska.


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## lampern

hikingthehills said:


> These elk need to hurry up and get down here! I'm ready to hunt something other than deer and small game this time of year!



Elk are legal to shoot.

Good luck


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## Dep6

Got to see some of the Cows out in the field over by one of the Visitor centers in the Smokies, kept looking for a bull but never saw one. They were bedded down in the field until enough folks with cameras stirred them into getting up and moving.


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## Hookedonhunting

Dang sure would love to see them here in GA. But I think there's a lot that would have to happen or change with the laws to protect them.  Otherwise they wouldn't have a chance.


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