Back from Grundy and the elk release
I spent the end of last week in Buchanan County for the elk release. Photographer Sam Dean was with me.
In case you missed our package in Saturday’s Roanoke Times, you can find it on Roanoke.com. The online version includes a link to a nice photo gallery, too. Sam took this picture, of course.
We also spent one afternoon on the Pound River tailwater below John W. Flanagan Dam, trout fishing. A story on that adventure is forthcoming.
That part of Virginia is some wild country. The mountains are not too big, but man are they tight and steep. It takes forever to get around over there. And God help you if you are towing a camping trailer, as we were. It was just my little 14-foot-long vintage Play-Mor canned ham, but my mileage was just terrible. Ugh.
Anyway, what do you all think about elk in Virginia? Will this restoration effort work? Or not?
May 21, 2012 - 9:51 AM
I hit a deer over the weekend.. I sure am glad it wasn’t a elk.
I hope the VADGIF does a better job of regulating the elk population than the deer population.
I am exstatic!!! Cannot wait until we have a huntable population. Kudos to DGIF and Buchanan Co. for making this possible!
I grew up in those mountains on the West Virginia side. I miss them every day.
I think it is neat that the restocking was happened. The possibility of killing an elk in VA…WOW. I went elk hunting in southern Colorado a couple of years ago, and didn’t see a live elk.. It was more of “hiking” vacation, where I got to carry a gun. Enjoyable, just not the end result for which I was hoping. I know the release of the elk was a long time in the planning stages. My hat goes off to VDGIF, RMEF, and the local people who made this happen. I look forward to was success stories come from the effort.
As an alumnae of the Appalachian School of Law located in Buchanan County (and therefore a former temporary resident) and a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, I could not be any happier for and proud of everyone involved in making this happen! What an accomplishment.
Mark, I fly-fished the Pound many times when I lived there. Can’t wait for the story.
Brent — I have had many, many, many hunts that were essentially hikes while carrying a hunting implement!
Clint — You just volunteered to talk to me for my story. (I’m only half-kidding — there was no one else there on Thursday evening and I’d love to get a little more insight into that fishery.) My buddy Pat Baker also went to law school there and turned me on to smallmouth bass in the Levisa River right in town. Some pretty nice bass in that river, due in part to the mercury contamination that makes it a catch-and-release-only fishery.
As far as the elk, I believe it is a great idea for that distinct area which can benefit financially and economically from the opportunities the animals provide, and geographically there is not a much better place east of the Mississippi.
Mark-I am an alumni of UVA Wise and have fished that section of the Pound river many times! Great brown trout and interesting people, however I have encountered people fishing the trophy waters without fly tackle which drove me crazy. Can’t wait to hear the story!
Eric — I have to admit I fished it with spinning tackle, but adhered to the single-hook, artificial lures rules. The water was low and clear and I would have been better off with fly tackle as proven by the fact that Sam, who rarely out-fishes me, caught seven trout and I caught 2.75 (one flopped off at my feet). I did find a 4-inch-long, hard minnow plug down there but it was my hope that it had washed through the dam!
I hope the elk population goes well. It will help with the wildlife diversity.
It is wonderful to see elk re-introduced to Virginia woodlands. Hopefully, the population will be self-sustaining and eventually lead to a rifle/bow season for Virginia sportsmen (even though I am no longer one). Just pray we don’t end up with another Jackson River-type “not-on-my-land” situation:IOW pray the elk stay on the west side of the resevoir!
I lived in VA for 50+ years. I now live in Colorado – in the Roaring Fork valley near Aspen (though not in the gazillion dollar part of town). We have several elk herds in our valley – we see them mostly during the spring and fall migrations – and there is nothing like watching a herd of 200 elk grazing about a football field’s length away from the highway in the late afternoon sun. We also deal with deer herds and no shortage of bears. Sightings happen more frequently when the winters are harsh because it drives all the animals lower into the valley – three years ago (true story) the snow was so deep I had to shoo the deer away from the driveway each morning at 4:30 to go to work. The elk aren’t quite so tame.
Congratulations on your elk. They are magnificent to watch. We’re also in the “relocating” mode out here – though these days it’s moose instead of elk. We had a picture in the paper last year of a moose in a field surrounded by cows – and I wonder what the cows thought of their guest.
Jim — I totally hear where you are coming from on the worries about this turning into a Jackson River-type situation. For this to work there will have to be some kind of cooperative agreement with private landowners over there. Best case scenario, landowners will welcome viewers and (eventually) hunters. But what happens when a guy draws the first elk tag, and the landowner where the elk are wants to charge a $2,000 “lease” fee to allow the hunter access? Could get ugly.
Mark,
I would be happy to tell you about my Pound River adventures. As a matter of fact, Pat Baker and I were in the same class and often fished the river together.
Mark, thank you so much for showing this in a positive light.