Are the elk in the Jemez the native species?
No. Humans eradicated the Jemez’ native elk (the Miriam subspecies) though hunting around the turn of the 20th century. Rocky Mountain Elk, from Yellowstone and the Jackson Hole Elk Preserve in Wyoming, were reintroduced to the Jemez in 1947 and 1964 by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. This elk herd has grown in size to up to 4,500 in the Jemez and up to 3,000 in the Valles Caldera.
