Last of the elk photos Cataloochee Cove - GSMNP

I like these 3 photographs the best of all the elk photographs I took while we were at Cataloochee Cove, especially the last one.

Some more information to go with the earlier post with Elk information. Elk once roamed the southern Appalachain Mountains and elsewhere in the eastern United States. They were eliminated from the region by over-hunting and loss of habitat. The last elk in North Carolina was believed to have been killed in the late 1700s.

In Tennessee, the last elk was killed in the mid 1800s. By 1900, the population of elk in North America dropped to the point that hunting groups and other conservation organizations became concerned the species was headed for extinction.

I hope you have enjoyed the photographs and information about the elk in the Smokies.