Looking For East Texas And Eastern Elk

Elk are one of the most regal animals on the planet.

They are are the second largest deer next to moose and have a fascinating history.

Did you know elk are native to Texas and also other states east of here?

I’m working on a series of articles and podcasts on this topic for this year and thought I would start by sharing this

Elk are not considered a game animal in Texas (so there are no official TPWD population estimates) but by all accounts from landowners in the region, their numbers in the Trans Pecos are increasing.

But their history in Texas stretches to the Hill Country and even the Pineywoods region.

In 1759, Captain Juan Angel de Oyarzún reported elk near Menard.

“This watering place was recognized as that of the buros (what they called elk at the time) for the many it maintains. This species resembles deer, although its body and antlers are larger. As a rule they are, when grown, like a medium-sized horse, and the antlers ordinarily attain the height of two varas [1.7 meters (m) or 5.5 feet (ft)]. For this reason the Comanche Indians use them to make bows for their arrows.”

In 1772, French captain Athanase de Mézières reported elk by calling them red deer (the elk’s close European cousin) between modern day Nacogodches and the Sabine River.

“This very large province can compete with the most fertile and productive. It produces in abundance beans, maize, large and small stock, buffalo, deer, red deer, wild goats, turkeys, wild hogs, partridges, hares, rabbits, and other species of both quadrupeds and birds, which has served us in this long journey for recreations as well as for sustenance.”

There is also at least one pocket of elk in the southern tier of the Pineywoods that are the result of escaped animals from a high-fenced ranch. And elk are coming back in many eastern states.

Do you have photos of elk in East Texas or eastern states like Tennessee, Kentucky or North Carolina? I’m working a project for teens facing special challenges that involves elk at Higher Calling Wildlife®. You can learn more about our outreach here.

If you have any photos or videos of elk in Texas or any Eastern state, please email me at chester@chestermoore.com.

Chester Moore