Elk in odd predicament seen roaming NC mountains, cops say. Does it need rescue?

UPDATE: The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office reports the elk was captured early Monday, Dec. 1, and the swing has been removed. “We’re happy to report that the elk is doing just fine, and there is no harm to him,” the sheriff’s office says.

The original story is below.

One of the defiant elk roaming North Carolina’s mountains has gotten itself into an awkward predicament involving a children’s swing, deputies say.

The bull apparently challenged a “Little Tikes Secure Swing” to a duel and the swing ended up attached on the elk’s antlers, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office says. It was first reported Friday, Nov. 28, in Maggie Valley.

“We are aware of the elk with a swing tangled in his antlers,” the sheriff’s office said in a Nov. 30 Facebook post. “At this time, wildlife officials believe there is no immediate harm to the elk. We will provide updates as soon as we are able.”

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been notified, and a state biologist is “working on a plan to safely help this elk.”

The county’s Facebook post had nearly 2,000 reactions and comments as of Dec. 1, many from people making jokes at the elk’s expense.

“He won the fight, but who swung first?” Dwight Doherty asked.

“This kind of nonsense is why I quit hiring elk for babysitters,” Paul Mitchem wrote.

“It don’t mean a thing, if he ain’t got his swing,” Bill Diamond said, referencing a Duke Ellington song.

A rescue operation will likely involve trapping the elk, which won’t be easy. Bulls weigh up to 700 pounds and grow up to 8 feet in length, the state reports.

“Elk get things tangled in their antlers from time to time,” state wildlife biologist Justin McVey said in a release. “As in this case, it was causing no harm to the animal nor preventing the animal from behaving normally.”

Elk vanished from western North Carolina in the mid 1800s due to overhunting, but the species was reintroduced to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 25 years ago, state biologists say. Elk have since spread beyond the park to surrounding counties.

It is believed as many as 200 wild elk now roam their historic eastern range, according to the N.C. Wildlife Federation.

Haywood County is about a 150-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 7:02 AM.