Episode 61: The Fascinating History of Eastern Elk

Episode 61: The Fascinating History of Eastern Elk

Eastern Elk once roamed widely across the eastern United States. They lived in the New York Adirondacks and the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. Elk thrived in Big Bone Lick, Kentucky and the Northwest Angle in Northern Minnesota. Listen and learn about the fascinating history of the extinct eastern elk and some questions that still need to be researched.

Historical Accounts

William Penn and Samuel De Champlain documented elk in the 1600s. John James Audubon painted a picture of an eastern elk from PA in the 1850s. Vernon Bailey classified them in the 1930s with the Audubon’s painting. The Academy of Science Museum in Philadelphia displayed a skull from Potter County in 1853. Remains have been found in the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, central Michigan and Cassadega Lake, New York.

How Many Eastern Elk Were There?

Ernest Thompson Seton predicted that at the time of European contact, there were 10 million elk ranging across North America. This implied that there could have been several million elk in the East. Here are some interesting questions that need more thought. If elk were so prevalent in the East at that time, why weren’t they being utilized as a primary food source by Eastern Woodland cultures? Is the story of mass populations followed by European extirpation the whole story? What type of habitat did ancient eastern elk prefer? Subscribe to the East to West Hunting Podcast wherever you listen, follow along on this journey and find out.