CAMPBELL COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency cut the ribbon on a new viewing tower where visitors can relax and watch the wildlife pass by — especially elk.
The tower is in Campbell County, at the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. It's officially called the "Terry and Jane Lewis Elk Viewing Tower." Construction on the project started earlier in the year, and officials with TWRA said that the space is unique to East Tennessee.
"This is the only area in East Tennessee where you can come and view elk. It's going to be a neat place for the local economy, for the local folks and for our sportsmen and users to come up and view elk here," said Jason Maxedon, the TWRA Director.
There is also a live camera in the North Cumberland area that people can use to watch elk from the comfort of home. TWRA officials said that the best time to see elk are at down, at around 6 a.m. or at around 4 p.m.
The camera is set up in Hatfield Knob, and the department has also taken photos of grazing elk spotted on the camera. They can be seen online.
Elk stand around 5 feet tall and males can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, according to TWRA. They look similar to moose but lack a distinctive overhanging snout and a brown rump.
They are mostly active in the mornings and evenings and tend to travel in groups of more than 25 elk. Males tend to split off from the groups during the summer, according to TWRA. They also said elk tend to eat grass, herbs, twigs and bark while migrating up mountains in the spring.
Groups of elk will travel back down the mountains in the fall, TWRA previously said.