Elk in Missouri – A New Reality

Elk in Missouri? You bet.  Elk lived throughout the Show-Me State long before the early settlers showed up.  They’ve been gone for about 150 years, mainly due to overhunting and habitat destruction.  But fortunately for Missourians, elk will once again roam the forested hills of southern Missouri starting this year.  A team of state and federal agencies and citizens are working together to bring a small herd of elk from Kentucky, where they were introduced and now thrive.  The elk will be moved to a restoration zone in and around the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in a remote part of the Ozarks.  The Missouri Department of Conservation will manage the elk’s return.