BY DANNY BLEVINS

STAR CORRESPONDENT

There is a part of me that feels like I was born in the wrong century.

I would love to be able to see this area in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was still wild and filled with wildlife in its fields and mountainsides.

I would love to see the splash of the native fish in the creeks or hear the howl of the wolf and the bugle of the elk on the faraway hillsides.

Many of these animals are gone now from the Appalachian Mountains. We no longer have the buffalo, elk, wolf, or mountain lion roaming our hills.

Although many animals that used to call Tennessee their home left their mark on our area, none impacted this area more than the elk.

After the last elk was killed in Tennessee in 1865, we still had the things that were named in honor of these Lords of the Wild.

Banner Elk, North Carolina (or bugle of an elk) and Elk Park, North Carolina (a place where elk gather in the winter to get protection from the snow and storms) are just two places named for the elk.

There are others such as, Elk Mills, Tennessee, Elkmont, Tennessee, and Elk River that are there to remind us that elk were once here.

The good news is that over the last several years, Tennessee has been restocking these animals in several counties just west of our area, and the restocking has become a big success.

Between 2001 and 2009 the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stocked a total of 201 animals in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (near Knoxville) and that herd grew to over 400 animals by 2009.

This was when the agency started offering a yearly hunt for this animal. A quota hunt was established, and during the first year, the TWRA only allowed five bulls to be killed.

During that first year, all five hunters who were drawn were successful.

In 2019, the TWRA is allowing men and women to once again take a chance on being drawn for one of these elk hunts.

This year there will be a total of 21 tags issued. Seven of these tags will be given to young sportsmen during a special young sportsman season on the first Saturday of October and lasting until the following Friday. This season will be for youth who have a permit and are ages 13-15. Also, they must be accompanied by an adult who is 21 years or older.

Seven tags will be drawn for an early archery-only hunt. This season will start the last Saturday of September and will run through the following Friday. Only one bull per permit may be taken.

Finally, six tags will be drawn for a gun hunt during the second Saturday of October through the following Friday. Another gun tag will be given to a nongovernmental agency to raise money for elk restocking.

This year’s agency will be the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation (TWRF).

This group will offer a raffle for one winning hunter. They will sell raffle tickets for 20.00 each. You can also buy three tickets for $50.00 or 10 tickets for $100.00.

These tickets are on sale now, and you can buy them until August 2, 2019. There is no limit to the number of tickets any individual can purchase.

The grand prize winner will get to participate in the October 2019 rifle elk hunt within the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area.

The winner will also receive a Best of the West Mountain Scout Rifle with a scope and the option to have your hunt filmed for an episode of The Best of the West Outdoor Television series.

Go to www.twrf.net for more information on the drawing.

All 20 quota hunts will be determined by computer drawing. You can apply for these hunts by going to a TWRA license agency or by going online to the TWRA web site.

For more information on the hunt, pick up a copy of TWRA Hunting Guide, or visit their website.

For over 150 years, Tennessee did not have the bugle or the majesty of the elk, but that has now changed.

With excellent wildlife management and careful elk restoration, elk now roam in several counties of our state and hopefully, they will be here for a long time to come.