Wildlife encounters in Unicoi County are nearly a guarantee for citizens spending any time in the outdoors, but precise measurements of local wildlife populations are elusive, according to Matthew Cameron, the communications and outreach coordinator for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

“It’s difficult if not impossible to put a number on the population of any given species at a county or even regional level,” Cameron said.

Instead, he directs people to the “Hunter’s Toolbox,” which is available on the TWRA website. He said this online tool is the best way to get information on harvest reports for big game animals in Unicoi County.

TWRA does have some data on population sizes of black bears, white-tailed deer and wild turkey at the state level; however, Cameron noted that the estimated 6,500 black bears are shared with the neighboring states of North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia.

He added that the deer herd in the Tennessee consists of about 900,000 individuals while the wild turkey population is about 300,000 animals.

Cameron also noted that the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has made changes to the hunting season and bag limits for wild turkeys in response to concerns about declining populations.

According to Cameron, the only animal being reintroduced into local environments in Northeast Tennessee are two species of trout. One is the cutthroat trout, which he said was stocked into Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir in 2021 for the first time since the 1960s. This reservoir is located in Sullivan County and is west of Warriors Path State Park.

The Fisheries’ Report webpage on the TWRA website includes information about the reintroduction of brook trout by state biologists, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the U.S. Forest Service, the Tennessee Aquarium and Trout Unlimited.

Cameron said that Unicoi County was included in five Northeast Tennessee counties that are being restocked with brook trout.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to small herds of elk that have been reintroduced into the Eastern United States by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, according to a 2017 article by Lisa Densmore Ballard and published in “Appalachia,” a journal of mountaineering and conservation.

The article reports sightings of these wild elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but also notes that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation acquired more than 2,000 acres of land adjacent to the park to provide a safe and “natural path for elk leaving the park.”

Cameron added, “The tract will soon become a North Carolina state wildlife management area. Elk are already using the area for calving.” There is also a live camera feed of the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area that broadcasts the elk viewing tower to the TWRA website. This WMA is located about 50 miles north of Knoxville.

Could these animals move into forested areas of Unicoi County? What other animals might the citizens of the Valley Beautiful see in Unicoi County?

Information on the TWRA website does catalog sightings of mountain lions, but only west of Nashville. Use of trail cameras and hair sample analysis suggests the origins of these big felines can be traced to distant South Dakota.

According to the website, the most recent sightings took place in 2016, and it is likely that these cats were a few adventurous individuals that were exploring beyond their normal habitat ranges.

No sightings of reproducing female mountain lions have been made, according to the website, and therefore no new populations are being established either by natural occurrences or deliberate introduction by the state- level wildlife agency.

One animal that is invasive to Tennessee, and across the United States, is the wild hog. TWRA has taken extensive measures to mitigate the habitat risks that they pose for native wildlife. According to the TWRA website, there are lenient permissions for licensed hunting and trapping of wild hogs.

The details are extensive, including the proper handling of the likely disease-carrying animals, so citizens should confirm for themselves the rules and regulations in their local region before engaging in any hunting activity.

Foxes, coyotes and bobcats also populate the state, but no specific information is available on the number of individuals throughout Unicoi County on the TWRA website.

Of course, some of the more frequent human and wildlife encounters involve species like opossum, skunk and raccoon.

There is a diversity of wildlife present in the forests of Unicoi County, and with rising tourism and recreational opportunities, plenty of explorers and wilderness enthusiasts will be present to possibly witness sightings.

Juan Villalba, public relations director for the Appalachian Christian Camp, spoke about some non-human “campers” and said, “We had a bear spend a little time in our area this year, which happens from time to time.”

He added, “Lots of deer and turkey come through as well.”

Steve Domagala, owner and operator of Unicoi County Shuttle Service, said he is in daily contact with hikers of the Appalachian Trail.

“Recently things have been kind of quiet,” he said regarding wildlife sightings.

He explained that there are fewer trail hikers in the summer season, thus fewer bear sightings, and he attributes that to an improvement in food security among the late-summer hikers.

Domagala added that the lack of food waste left behind in fire pits by hikers, for example, forces bears to rely on the hard mast foods available like acorns and hickory nuts.

He did note that some hikers have reportedly seen bobcats near Iron Mountain Gap and three elk cows east of Interstate 40 and Max Patch, which is near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.

Max Patch is about 60 miles southwest of Erwin and is part of the same uninterrupted wilderness that persists throughout Unicoi County.

“I’d be interested to know how they got across I-40,” Domagala added.

According to Domagala, bear sightings are more common in the spring when the natural food sources run low and food scraps from outdoor adventurers are greater.

Mason Schmidt, co-owner of Blue Ridge Paddling, said the rafting trips along the Nolichucky River stay within Unicoi County, and sightings of birds like bald eagles, ospreys and double-crested cormorants are a daily occurrence.

“We definitely see lots of wildlife,” he said. According to Schmidt, the cormorants are often seen fishing in the Lower Nolichucky River with their wings spread out to dry after having dived beneath the surface seeking meals of fish.

Alert paddlers might also spy river otters, as well as birds such as great blue herons and belted kingfishers.

Schmidt said otters typically hang out under the driftwood piles that wash to the river’s shores during high water events. He spots them near the Devil’s Looking Glass and the Pyranha Kayaks property.

Schmidt said this year only one black bear was spotted, where in previous years there were usually more bear sightings. He noted that the sighting this year occurred near the same area around Pyranha Kayaks and the Devil’s Looking Glass, which is directly east of the Erwin near Highway 107.

Schmidt said black bear sighting can be more about “luck of the draw.” According to Cameron, bearwise.org is the best resource for learning how to safely co-exist with black bears.

Domagala described one hiker’s bear encounter by saying that the bear took brief notice of the hiker and promptly continued on into the forest without any signs of aggression.

Most local wildlife is shrouded within the thick temperate forests that are continually attracting more people in search of a connection with nature.

It’s a trend likely to continue and will perhaps attract a more concerted effort to find out just what lives in the many ridges and hollows of Unicoi County.