NEWLAND â Love was in the air this past week at Sweetwater Ranch, as two female elk were introduced to Bert Valeryâs elk herd on Wednesday, Feb. 10, just in time for Valentineâs Day.
The lucky male in this case was Braveheart, who previously was Sweetwater Ranchâs lone elk. Valery said that Braveheart was both surprised and happy to have some female company. The two new females of the herd come courtesy of Carolina Bison, who Valery says started their own elk herd with one male and two females and was able to grow the herd up to 40 elk. At Sweetwater Ranch, the two females are already pregnant, and Valery expects the first births to take place in just a couple months.
NEWLAND â The bellowing call of elk can once again be heard resonating over the hillsides in Newland. On Monday, Dec. 23, Bert Valery, owner of Sweetwater Ranch, introduced Braveheart, a three-year-old male elk, to the property with the intent of having the young elk be the first in what will eventually be a herd of elk.
Valery purchased the 60-acre property, or what would become Sweetwater Ranch, in Newland last fall. The idea to begin the herd is the culmination of trips to Avery County which he and his wife Donna began taking in the 1980s, as well as excursions to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to visit the National Elk Refuge.