Elk NetworkWest Virginia Yet to Have Any Elk Poachings

General | January 21, 2019

It’s been a few years since elk returned to their historic West Virginia range and law enforcement is happy to know that not one animal has been illegally killed.

“Luckily, everyone seems to be minding their P’s and Q’s in regard to the elk,” Terry Ballard, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) captain, told the Logan Banner. “We haven’t had any poaching so far.”

The WVDNR, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other partners worked together to return elk to West Virginia in December of 2016.

“The people living in Logan and Mingo counties near the elk-management areas have really embraced the animals,” Ballard told the Logan Banner. “They enjoy seeing them from time to time, and they like the fact they’re there. A lot of people call us to report anytime they see one of the elk. Certainly, if someone poached one and they heard about it, they would let us know.”

Another batch of elk arrived in West Virginia after a cross-country trek from Arizona in early 2018.

(Photo source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources)