Here is some wonderful information about Elk from the NC Wildlife Website:

The eastern elk once roamed the entire eastern United States, including parts of North Carolina. After the arrival of European settlers, unregulated hunting and loss of habitat led to rapid population declines through the 1700s. By 1800, the eastern elk was extirpated from North Carolina, and by the mid-1800s, the species had almost disappeared throughout its range entirely. The last known wild eastern elk was killed in Pennsylvania in 1877.

In 2001 and 2002, the National Park Service (NPS) reintroduced the Manitoban subspecies of elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) into the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina, as part of an experimental project to determine if elk could survive and reproduce in the area. Some elk ventured outside the park’s boundaries and established ranges in these new areas. During the initial phase of the reintroduction, the NPS was responsible for managing elk on and off NPS property. Beginning in 2008 when the reintroduction was officially deemed a success, responsibility for elk management outside of park boundaries was trans- ferred to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC). Current population estimation of elk in North Carolina is around 200 elk residing on Pisgah National Forest, William H. Silver Game Land, private land, and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. For more information visit ncwildlife.org/elk.