GSMNP - Elk & bear

[Al and Cindy K]

We just returned from a week in Great Smoky Mountain National Park where we camped at Smokemont and Cades Cove. This was mostly a 'get away from the heat and relax' trip so we didn't make much of an effort to hike, sightsee and take pictures but I did finally spot a bear.

Cades Cove is supposedly bear country but, although we've visited there numerous times, I'd never seen one. My wife has spotted a few while hiking, a lady in our church noted for her honesty claims she sees several each time she's there. Me - nada, none, zero, zilch. However, this time was different. Apologies for the poor photos but I was a bit excited. Mama bear on the left about to cross the road


Followed by a cub (actually two but I only got a picture of this one)


Elk and turkey were numerous in the early morning and late evening hours in several meadows outside the Smokemont campground but I'm having trouble getting those photos to load.


Hope to see ya'll on the road soon

[Byron Kinnaman]

congratulations.
Not everybody get to see bear in the wild. I fully understand your excitement. Wild life is great to see and pretty exciting to see an animal as shy as bear.

[TomandCallie]

Thanks, Al! I didn't know you had elk in the east - learned something today!

[Johnny M]

We have seen them regularly there, 1 spot in particular as you go over the mountain into Gatlinburg. Bears are nocturnal too and roam more at night. We did have an encounter there when staying at the Sidney James Inn before we go our Boler (great place by the way) on the Roaring Fork road and as we walked back from the log cabin pancake house a big black bear (my guess is he was pushing 300lbs easy) crossed right in front of us at about 20 feet late in the morning and my wife liked to have pulled my arm out of its socket as she saw it before I did. He was moving pretty good and didn't seem to notice us but we sure noticed him...

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by TomandCallie

Thanks, Al! I didn't know you had elk in the east - learned something today!

Native to this area they were re-introduced here some years back and the population is growing. It is a sight to see one of these massive bulls from a safe distance of course

Here is a link on an article about them

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm

[The Minimalist]

Originally Posted by Johnny M

Native to this area they were re-introduced here some years back and the population is growing. It is a sight to see one of these massive bulls from a safe distance of course

If you actually saw elk at Smokemont, you have had a real treat, as most of the elk are in Cataloochee. Great that they are moving that far west.

Seeing bears in the Smokies is not always guaranteed, but we have seen quite a few in Cades Cove over the years, usually at a distance. On occasion we have seen a mother with two cubs at the Abrams Creek trailhead in the spring. When coming out of the loop past the visitors center, it is common to see them in the woods. We've also had our 'close encounters' on various hikes.

The bear population in the Smokies has had it's ups and down for the last few years. Lack of mast in some years have forced the bears in search of food down to lower elevations where they have become road kill. A few good years brings the population back up.

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

If you actually saw elk at Smokemont, you have had a real treat, as most of the elk are in Cataloochee. Great that they are moving that far west.

Seeing bears in the Smokies is not always guaranteed, but we have seen quite a few in Cades Cove over the years, usually at a distance. On occasion we have seen a mother with two cubs at the Abrams Creek trailhead in the spring. When coming out of the loop past the visitors center, it is common to see them in the woods. We've also had our 'close encounters' on various hikes.

The bear population in the Smokies has had it's ups and down for the last few years. Lack of mast in some years have forced the bears in search of food down to lower elevations where they have become road kill. A few good years brings the population back up.

Actually you can see them (elk) only a couple of miles from Smokemont on a regular basis in the fields between Cherokee, they have a good population of them there and cars frequently line the side of the road to observe them

[Al and Cindy K]

Byron - Thanks, it was a thrill indeed to see these. Black bear are making a great recovery across all of NC but I seem to have problems spotting them. A game camera near my garden has captured several and my neighbors see them frequently but I've run across less than a dozen in the wild.

TomandCallie - As Johnny M posted, they were reintroduced several years ago and seem to be doing well. I don't know how they compare in size to the ones you have out west but they're pretty impressive to me.

John - I can picture your wife now. Some years ago we had an aft cabin cruiser and often anchored for the night in creeks feeding into the Albemarle Sound. One evening a game warden pulled up next to us and asked "How big was that bear that just swam by?" As usual, I hadn't seen a thing but the missus insisted we relocate further out in the Sound that evening.

Cliff - One evening we counted twenty one Elk in the large meadow on the right before you get to the Visitor Center coming out of Cherokee. The smaller fields on both sides of the road before you get to Smokemont also usually had a few. This was a bull and cow we spotted one morning there.

[Al and Cindy K]

Found this picture I took in Cataloochee last year

[bullfrogeh]

Although there is a smallish elk herd in the east end of Ontario's Algonquin Park, we've never seen one at our home (in the Algonquin forest). But, we do see wild black bears almost every year we've lived here. There was one in the neighbour's yard just last night ! We've actually had mature black bears (approx 250 lb) on our own porch on several occasions in recent years; but, usually only after the cottagers and tourists have 'gone home'. In every instance, the bears depart quickly, as soon as they see us; just as we do, too !