I am pleased to notify you that today Senate Bill No. 448 became law in SC. This act makes it illegal to hunt or to attempt to hunt elk in SC other than as provided by the SC DNR. Penalties of $2500.00, 30 days in jail or both are called for in the act.
We are all aware that SC currently has no elk. Our nearest herd resides in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in NC. Approximately 75 elk are in NC with the majority content to remain in the Cataloochee Valley of the GSMNP. Approximately 15 elk reside outside the park's boundary. In 2005 some of these elk became restless & were migrating around western NC. One was headed straight towards SC & reportedly was within 15 miles of the state boundary line before being successfully darted & returned to the Park. Had that elk made it into SC it could have been legally shot on a deer license as SC had no law prohibiting it at that time. In essence we would have been faced with a repeat of the VA. incident of several years ago. That no longer is the case.
With the concerns surrounding CWD it is unreasonable to expect any type of reintroductory effort of elk in the foreseeable future. Our first elk will undoubtedly come from the NC herd as it propagates & migrates out of NC in search of new habitat. Naturally that will take some time but we are well positioned to welcome our first visitors.
Some will dismiss this legislation as insignificant given that we have no herd or prospects of such in the immediate future. However I fell that it is significant as SC has,by passing this act, shown it's respect for it's wildlife heritage and declared itself ready to once again become elk country.
Carl Walsh, MD
Regional Chair, Eastern Division
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
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