At the corner of the Courthouse lawn, this steel sculpture by Aaron Alderman is dramatic in Brevard. Like red wolves, elk were once typical in the Southeast, but they had disappeared by the 1800s. A herd of elk was reintroduced to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2001.
Elk Art
Elk Art Sideways
The bull (male) elk are beginning to drop their antlers—a yearly occurrence that happens a few months after breeding season due to a decrease in testosterone.
Antlers drop annually in late winter, typically January through March. The dropped antlers are called “sheds,” and the process does not hurt the buck. From spring to summer, the antlers regrow and are usually larger than the previous year.
Here is one at the North Carolina Zoo.
Elk Looking Up
Elk
Due to an abundance of wildlife around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, it was common to see use of animal related tourist attractions and icons in the town.
The four elk antler arches guarding the corners of Jackson Hole’s George Washington Memorial Park, more commonly called the Town Square, have become well known icons to the town’s many visitors. A local whitewater rafting and kayaking operator uses bears to attract customers.
Elk resting in Smoky Mountains National Park on a cloudy day
A Gang of Elk