BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Elk Cam has returned, allowing viewers to watch elk throughout the fall during their breeding season, also called the “rut.”
The camera is located in Buchanan County in in Southwest Virginia and is focused on a field frequented by the elk, especially during the early morning and in the evening around dusk.
As the weather cools, later in autumn, the elk are expected to appear on camera more often and be visible at other times of day.
In addition to grazing herds of elk, viewers may see wild turkey and other wildlife that find food and shelter throughout the field.
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Elk spotted on the DWR Elk Cam around 7 p.m. Sept. 13, 2023 (Photo: DWR)
According to the department, elk were historically found throughout the eastern U.S., including Virginia, but by the late 1800s, unsustainable hunting practices and the destruction of their habitats led to the extinction of the eastern elk.
The last survivor of Virginia’s original elk herd was killed in 1855 in Clarke County, but between 2012 and 2014, 71 adult elk and 4 calves from Kentucky were first successfully re-introduced to the Commonwealth. Since then, populations have thrived and expanded to the herd of more than 250 elk we see today.