Fall is prime time for elk viewing
— Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
After decades of work, state’s herd thriving
The calendar might say there are a few days of summer left, but cooler nights and colorful leaves are evidence that fall is just around the corner.
To take advantage of the changing scenery, now is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy some hiking, biking and wildlife watching.
Elk watching is particularly popular at this time of year, as bull elk will bugle invitations not only for potential mates but for challengers as well.
While Pennsylvania now boasts more than 1,000 elk, the road to create the state’s thriving elk herd has been anything but smooth.
History of elk in state
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, before settlers arrived in Pennsylvania, elk could be found throughout the state, with concentrations in the northcentral and Pocono Mountains.
By 1867, elk had been nearly destroyed and ultimately became extinct in the state due to unregulated hunting.
Elk were reintroduced to Pennsylvania between 1913 and 1926 by the Game Commission, which released 177 Rocky Mountain elk. Today’s elk herds, found in portions of Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Potter counties, are descendents of those elk, according to the Game Commission.
The commission’s website lays out efforts taken to bring back the elk, noting that the first 50 Yellowstone elk were shipped by train in 1913; half went to Clinton County and half to Clearfield County. Another 22 elk were bought from a Monroe County preserve that year, with 12 released on state lands in Monroe County and the remainder on a Centre County preserve.
“To be honest, it’s amazing the Yellowstone elk survived … hauled across America by trains … chased off box cars into the wild without any acclimation period,” the Game Commission states in its history compilation.
It was discovered that within a week, some of the elk traveled more than 40 miles from their release sites.
In 1915, the Game Commission brought in 95 more Yellowstone elk, releasing them in six counties: Cameron, 24; Carbon, 24; Potter, 24; Forest, 10; Blair, 7; and Monroe, 6.
While hunters looked forward to the days they would be able to hunt elk again, farmers were not keen on the animals that ravaged their fields.
“When the farmers complained,” former Game Commissioner John M. Phillips reflected on the Game Commission website, “we went into Centre County and found where a band of elk had been raiding a cornfield at night and had destroyed every ear in the field by biting about two inches off the end. They seemed to like the silk.”
Elk ended up thriving, despite poachers and farmers fed up with crop damage. At one point, the Game Commission looked at possibly killing troublesome elk in Blair and Monroe counties, but farmers took matters into their own hands.
Finally, 10 years after elk were reintroduced in Pennsylvania, the first bull elk season was held.
In 1923, 23 legal bull elk were harvested. Another 25 were taken over the next three years and, in 1927, 26 bulls were taken. But, by 1930, the number dropped to five and in 1931, a single bull elk was harvested in what would become the state’s last elk hunting season until modern times.
By 1936, it was thought only about 14 elk remained in the state and nurturing the elk herd became stagnant, with not much being done to increase numbers between 1930-70.
Although elk continued to survive, mostly in the Dents Run and Hicks Run areas of Elk County, only a few calves were born each year.
Slowly, the elk herd grew on its own and in the 1960s, elk began moving into farm fields again and again complaints followed. By 1970, farmers sought help to offset the damages, with some suggesting fences, compensation for losses or artificial feeding programs for the state’s elk population.
Still, not much was known about the elk population so in 1971, a Penn State study included an elk census, finding about 65 animals. In 1973, the herd began to decline again — this time from what was suspected to be a brain-worm epidemic. By 1974, there were only 38 elk remaining.
The herd managed to rebound, though, and by 1981, there were estimated to be 135 elk and an elk hunt — the first in decades — was planned for either late 1983 or early 1984.
But, an elk hunt wasn’t popular with residents and farmers who had watched the herd throughout the years. The plan was thwarted in the end when, in 1982, 15 elk were shot illegally and another 11 were killed for causing crop damage. Combined with other mortality rates, a total of 35 elk were lost, meaning there was no need to hold a hunt.
Eventually, the elk herd garnered more attention from the Game Commission, hunters and residents, with more studies conducted and more effort being made to build up the herd through improving habitat and forage options.
With help from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, more state game lands were purchased. Electric fencing was installed to protect crops and elk being shot for crop damage dropped.
By 2000, the elk herd was estimated at 566 animals and they ranged over 800 square miles after trap and transfer efforts helped expand their territory.
By 2001, elk hunting was back on the books with 27 elk harvested, the state’s first elk hunt in more than 70 years. Controlled hunting has continued every year since and the elk population continues to thrive.
Elk viewing
For those interested in seeing the elk in person and learning more about efforts to manage the herd, the Elk Visitors Center near Winslow Hill is a must-see. The address is 950 Winslow HIll Road, Benezette. The center is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in September and October, the prime time to see and hear bull elk. More information on the center can be found at elkcountryvisitorcenter.com.
Other locations for viewing the elk include Winslow Hill, Hicks Run, Elk State Forest, Thunder Mountain Equestrian Trail, the Hoover Farm viewing area of Moshannon State Forest and Route 555, which runs through the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk country.
The best time to view elk is in the mornings and evenings.
An elk viewing guide and elk scenic drive map, both available for download, can be found at https://visitpago.com/outdoor-adventures/elk-viewing/.
Visitors are urged to watch for elk crossing roads. Do not approach elk and do not feed the elk.
For those unable to travel to see the elk in person, a livestream of the elk feeding grounds is available at https://hdontap.com/. Find the “Pennsylvania Elk, Benezette, Pennsylvania,” livestream and watch. There is no set time that elk will appear. A view of the livestream Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. showed a few white tail deer grazing in the field. The direct link is https://hdontap.com/stream/228253/pennsylvania-elk-live-webcam/.