VA Elk Hunt Help!

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Im gonna start a task force and kick these dirty NR out of the drawing!
Jokes aside the fact that we have these eastern herds is awesome and the primary reason I started this thread.

Huge conservation win, I hope VA residents can work to expand the range and numbers of elk.

The east coast has the capacity to support far more elk than the west, if we could adjust social tolerances I think OTC eastern elk could be a thing.
 
The east coast has the capacity to support far more elk than the west
Wow! I would never thought such was possible though that's without any information to base my understanding of the public/private corridors and elk friendly expanse of land the east coast has available. I sure enjoy the steps RMEF, along with the various private and public entities involved, have taken to expand elk's eastern U.S. range.
 
Wow! I would never thought such was possible though that's without any information to base my understanding of the public/private corridors and elk friendly expanse of land the east coast has available. I sure enjoy the steps RMEF, along with the various private and public entities involved, have taken to expand elk's eastern U.S. range.

There is definitely the habitat… tolerance though… but, you need exactly 0% public land to have elk.

Same bs that goes on in the west happens in the east, for instance there are a bunch of high fence elk operations in NY… I wonder if they push back against re-introduction 🙄

PA has more deer than MT, WY, and CO combined… the eastern landscape is just more productive.
 
You will never ever see over the counter elk tags in the east. Assume you get the support to have that many elk out there......which means major land holders like farmers, timber, and both state/national lands can agree. There are just too many hunters for OTC tags. The only thing that holds eastern guys back right now is the time and cost associated with a western hunt. Now give them a limited resources they can hunt for a couple hours after work and it would be decimated.

I think expanding the range is possible.
I think a potential world record is possible.

Pessimistic post done.
 
You will never ever see over the counter elk tags in the east. Assume you get the support to have that many elk out there......which means major land holders like farmers, timber, and both state/national lands can agree. There are just too many hunters for OTC tags. The only thing that holds eastern guys back right now is the time and cost associated with a western hunt. Now give them a limited resources they can hunt for a couple hours after work and it would be decimated.

I think expanding the range is possible.
I think a potential world record is possible.

Pessimistic post done.

Lol so suddenly the framework for whitetail goes out the window.

You still have mostly private land to contend with, I can buy like 10 deer tags within 4 hours of my house…

Western MA could definitely support elk.

It wouldn’t be an easy hunt, and access would be the limiting factor, western private land issues x10.

All of the elk would pile onto the land of the one person who doesn’t allow hunting.

But I think habitat wise, carrying capacity, not human tolerance we could easily have 1MM elk east of the Mississippi.
 
Here's the thing there are already hundreds if not thousands (cumulatively) of elk in many eastern states.

Vermont (I believe this place closed in 2018)

New York

New Hampshire

Maine

Ohio

It would not surprise me in FL, GA, AL, NC, etc states that allow high fence hunting also have elk populations.

So elk are already on the ground... but like the Wilks bros folks in these states don't actually want elk to be managed as a game animal.

Maybe eastern residents should start pushing back on their states.
 
In my part of Va(south central), the farmers would not want them destroying the crops.
If a herd went through a tobacco field, it would be financially devastating to a grower.

Private land access would be difficult, but like what may or may not happen on occasion during whitetail season, hounds would probably get dropped on the edge of private land to push the elk out to huntable land! Dog hunting is strong in this part of the state.

Funny sight would be to see a pack of hounds running an elk across a cutover!
 
It would not surprise me in FL, GA, AL, NC, etc states that allow high fence hunting also have elk populations.
NC actually has some wild elk in the western part of the state.

GA is extremely strict on high fence operations, particularly regarding importing game, so we don't have any pen elk. We don't have any wild elk either, aside from the occasional sighting near NC border.

Certain parts of Florida are covered in high fence operations and a ton of them have elk. It's the most ridiculous thing.

Alabama I believe is similar to Georgia but I don't know for sure.
 
NC actually has some wild elk in the western part of the state.

GA is extremely strict on high fence operations, particularly regarding importing game, so we don't have any pen elk. We don't have any wild elk either, aside from the occasional sighting near NC border.

Certain parts of Florida are covered in high fence operations and a ton of them have elk. It's the most ridiculous thing.

Alabama I believe is similar to Georgia but I don't know for sure.
Don't forget about FL's sambar deer hunt also! Not elk, but equally weird.

 
Jokes aside the fact that we have these eastern herds is awesome and the primary reason I started this thread.

Huge conservation win, I hope VA residents can work to expand the range and numbers of elk.

The east coast has the capacity to support far more elk than the west, if we could adjust social tolerances I think OTC eastern elk could be a thing.
As much as I'd love to see Virginia expand the elk zone I highly doubt it will happen. The ag industry would fight any expansion tooth and nail IMO. Even our counties with tons of national forest have tons of ag and livestock to tend with and farmers for the most part aren't interested in seeing elk on the landscape from my experience and the comments I've heard.
Heck they are already whining and complaining about what we have in 3 counties that are 95% mountainous coal country with almost zero ag.
 
As much as I'd love to see Virginia expand the elk zone I highly doubt it will happen. The ag industry would fight any expansion tooth and nail IMO. Even our counties with tons of national forest have tons of ag and livestock to tend with and farmers for the most part aren't interested in seeing elk on the landscape from my experience and the comments I've heard.
Heck they are already whining and complaining about what we have in 3 counties that are 95% mountainous coal country with almost zero ag.

So it's like Montana/CO/ WY ;)
 
So it's like Montana/CO/ WY ;)
Probably worse when it comes to the political powers to be in the farming industry. They absolutely hammer deer and bear all summer on damage permits in corn pastures. I live in a county that borders the EMZ and it's a hard NO with the farmers. Most of the fence work isn't like fencing out West. It really isn't elk friendly. A buddy of mine took a 5 point last year on his small property. The bull had wondered out of the WV. herd.

 
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