After more than a 100-year absence, elk are making their home once again in the hills of West Virginia! The Division of Natural Resources and a number of other organizations worked tirelessly to reintroduce the majestic animals to southern West Virginia. In 2016, the team imported elk from western Kentucky, followed by more elk from Arizona in 2018. DNR continues to monitor the herd, which is healthy and growing.

To learn more about West Virginia's newest addition to its wildlife family, check out the video "Home Sweet Home" produced by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

West Virginia Elk Management Plan (draft)

Photo by John McCoy

Special thanks to the DNR's many partners in this effort: U.S. Forest Service, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; The Conservation Fund; Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; West Virginia Department of Agriculture; West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection - Division of Mining and Reclamation; Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation - Walmart Acres for America Program; Knobloch Family Foundation; Richard King Mellon Foundation; Ecosystem Investment Partners; Ark Land Company; Alpha Natural Resources; Arch Coal; West Virginia State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation; West Virginia Bowhunters Association; West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association; the Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund; and numerous volunteers.