Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Man Apprehended In Bull Elk Poaching Case
Charges are pending against a Granville County, North Carolina, man who is a suspected of shooting a bull elk inside the park. Rangers found the carcass of bull #21 lying along the edge of one of the pastures in the Cataloochee area on the morning of November 13th. The animal was believed to have been shot and was taken to the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy. That report is pending. An investigation was begun immediately by rangers, an NPS special agent, and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officers. A vehicle description lead them to a man who subsequently confessed to the offence. The park is working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop the case.