It has been about 150 years since elk wandered throughout Tennessee. Early records indicated that elk were abundant in the state prior to being settled by European explores and colonists. Their numbers proved a plentiful resource that explorers, trappers, and settlers depended on for survival. But left unmanaged, unregulated hunting and loss of habitat eventually became too great, and elk herds east of the Mississippi disappeared by the late 1800s. Since then, efforts by hunter-conservationists and state wildlife agencies have helped restore elk populations across the nation.

TWRA decided to reintroduce elk to the state in the late 1990’s. Part of the agency’s mission is to restore extirpated wildlife when and where it is biologically and sociologically feasible. Beginning in December 2000, the agency began conducting small releases of elk from Elk Island National Park (AL, Canada) into the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. There were 201 elk in total that were released over a period of eight years.

Visit the Hatfield Knob Elk Viewing Tower. It is situated on the Sundquist Wildlife Management Area, 70,000 acres of a diverse array of habitats and wildlife. The WMA is also home to Tennessee’s Elk Reintroduction Program, and is the first and only public viewing area for elk in an authentic setting in the state.