Countless visitors spend hours watching deer snip and tear plants. Other people look for tracks and scat of bobcats, listen for the rustling of raccoons in the brush, and occasionally smell striped skunks. Because hunting and trapping are prohibited, some animals appear almost tame. They are wild, however. Even beautiful brown-eyed deer will defend their young from harm.
Mammals are some of the most obvious residents of the park.
Black bear and white-tailed deer are excellent subjects for studies that provide information not just on their lives, but about the complex ecosystem of the southern Appalachians.