Izzy bags her first elk

Toads are a piece of cake; worms are always there for the taking; holding on to salamanders can be tricky sometimes, but Izzy knows where to find them; and butterflies are regularly falling prey to the butterfly net. I decided it was time to broaden Isabella’s horizons. It was time to introduce her to big game.

A couple of Saturdays ago we packed a picnic dinner and strapped Izzy in for the dizzying descent to Cataloochee Valley in hopes of getting a glimpse of the valley’s new residents. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park reintroduced elk to the mountains of North Carolina in 2001 when they released 25 animals captured at land Between the Lakes National Recreation area along the Tennessee-Kentucky line. In 2002 the park supplemented the initial release with 27 more animals from Elk Island, in Alberta, Canada. To date the population is more or less stable with a net gain, since 2002 of four animals. This does not include any of this year’s calves, which should be joining the herd any day now.

The five-year “experimental phase” of the release will end this year. GSMNP staff will decide what the next step will be. The options are: leave the herd as it is; remove the herd; add to the elk population.

There is little doubt how the public feels about the elk. Their addition to the valley changed Cataloochee from a remote little-used area to a major park attraction. Visitation to Cataloochee tripled from about 65,000 annually to more than 200,000 by 2003. There was a significant decline in visitation last fall, but park staff attributes that to the two major storms that passed through the area.

There were plenty of elk-watchers present the evening we went down, but it wasn’t as crowded as I have seen it. And we hit it just right. As we passed the ranger’s quarters and approached the first open fields on the left I could se the pale rump patch of an elk near the woods across the first field. As we got a little closer the elk raised its head to reveal a large velvet-covered rack. Two other large bulls were just beyond the first one.

Then in the fields just before the chapel there were three young bulls with much smaller racks about 100 feet from the road. Izzy said they looked like reindeer.

After a bit of ohhing and ahhing we continued down the valley to the barn across from the old Palmer house. There is a parking area here where many elk-watchers picnic and scan the fields. When we got there, there was one parking spot so we pulled in.

Just to the left of us was a group sitting on and around the tailgate of their truck with cameras on tripods pointing at the empty fields. I strolled over and asked if they had had an opportunity to use the cameras. When they said no, I told them about the elk in the front fields. They said thanks and immediately began to pack their gear.

I went back to my vehicle and we began to unpack our picnic. Well, the e-word must have spread. By the time we sat down for dinner there were only three cars left at the barn. That was cool. Izzy got to run barefooted through the grass and explore the old barn and the stream and the Palmer house across the road. She added to our wildlife tally by spying wild turkeys from her vantage point in the loft of the old barn.

After picnic and play we loaded up and headed out of the valley at twilight. The elk population in the front fields had grown as some cows came out to join the bulls for a little grazing. We saw about 15 in one group.

Exiting the valley, we stopped at an overlook to take in the sunset. I did my barred owl impression and about 10 minutes later we were rewarded with an answer from the darkening woods.

I think Izzy enjoyed her first big game trip.

(Don Hendershot can be reached at ddihen@juno.com.)