Stay Away from Elk

Upstate residents are being warned to stay away from elk. Wildlife biologists warn about approaching young bull elk that have wandered into South Carolina from North Carolina. The first official sighting of an elk in South Carolina was made on Oct. 21 at Camp McCall, a South Carolina Baptist Convention camp on U.S. 178 in northern Pickens County. In the following days, the elk was seen at the Sunset Post Office on Highway 11; in the Nine Times Community, also in northern Pickens County; and at The Reserve at Lake Keowee Golf Course, which is near S.C. 133 in Sunset. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) reports that legislation was passed five years ago by the General Assembly protecting elk in the Palmetto State, so they cannot be harmed. The young bull elk, which may weigh upwards of 700 pounds, was likely pushed out of its territory in Heywood County, North Carolina, by bigger bulls.