OT -- Took an Elk Ride Yesterday

[Noah Zark]

Here in north central PA yesterday (21 Feb 2010) the weather was beautiful; not a cloud in the sky and the temp was bumping 40F. My wife and I decided to take the dog and go for an "Elk Ride" to the southeast corner of Elk County, PA, near the village of Benezette on PA 555. It's not far for us, since we live in the center of the county. That part of Elk County and adjoining Cameron County is home to until the late 1990s what was the only herd of wild elk west of the Rockies, and is several hundred animals large.

We ended up seeing 10 total elk, two bulls and eight cows, all were in the brush, and mostly laying down resting. The elk were about 35 to 50 yards off the road in the Winslow Hill area above Benezette.

The best of the photos follow; enjoy!

One of the bulls, closest to the road:

(Bonus point if you can find the hidden bull in the photo above!)


One of the cows:


Two other cows laying down:


Noah

[nemhed]

Very cool photos, I had no idea PA had any elk. I thought I remembered attempts in recent years to a establish a herd in northern Kentucky, possible the "Land Between the Lakes" area. I don't know if that was successful or not. Boy, people in my area of Indiana would be ticked if they started hitting elk on the road, or had elk in their corn or soybeans.

[madman4570]

Some very nice photos Noah,

Reading that the elk population is really booming there.(this year at 700 or so) and Pa Game Comission is planning on transplanting to start another 100 or so to other Pa Forests.
http://www.americanprofile.com/spotligh ... e/628.html

Great to have em back in Pa!

[Windjammer]

Very cool photos, I had no idea PA had any elk. I thought I remembered attempts in recent years to a establish a herd in northern Kentucky, possible the "Land Between the Lakes" area. I don't know if that was successful or not. Boy, people in my area of Indiana would be ticked if they started hitting elk on the road, or had elk in their corn or soybeans.

KY now has a herd in excess of 8000. Tennessee now has about 700 and growing..

[madman4570]

That is so cool. Love to see this stuff.

What's not to love----Deer/Bear/Turkey/Small Game/ELK Oh ya!

[jnyork]

Great to see those elk in your state. Hope the nitwits dont get the idea it would be nice to have some wolves to go with them.

[madman4570]

A weird thing was a few years back(maybe 5 or so)guy I know at work brought in a photo of him kneeling beside a 8 point buck he shot and next to it a coyote he shot.(photo had date/time on it)
That (coyote ????) was as big as the buck.
It was 110lbs and it was neutered?????? The Game Warden he took it to said it was just an overgrown coyote that must have jumped a barbed wire fence and lost his jewels. This guy said Hum???? Boy that was sure a clean cut line for tearing on a fence(said the scar appeared there was stiching involved)like taking your dog to the vet! I still have a copy of that photo somewhere???

[RIHMFIRE]

very cool pics...
NRA American Hunter Magazine has a article on Elk in the appalachian mts

[Noah Zark]

very cool pics...
NRA American Hunter Magazine has a article on Elk in the appalachian mts

PA has a very limited Elk season each year. The licenses are by lottery, and limited to around 50. Licenses are specific to "zones", areas of the elk range that are defined. You can take an elk only in that zone.

Elk season in PA is only around 10 years or so old; prior to that the species was not hunted and strictly protected by major fines and jail time for poaching and accidental shooting. The game commission voted to hold a limited season in order to put a little fear of humans into the herd, because prior to that the animals were all but fearless of humans. The residents of the Benezette area had to contend with elk damaging shrubs and gardens, and property, and still do to some extent. The elk are a mixed blessing to the locals -- the animals bring in much-needed tourista $$$, but the elk are also a nuisance.

Noah

[Noah Zark]

Great to see those elk in your state. Hope the nitwits dont get the idea it would be nice to have some wolves to go with them.

We don't need wolves here. We have more than enough coyotes.

I scared one off from the back yard the other night when I took our dog out for a relief walk. Now we don't go out back unless with a handgun.

Noah

[BigSky56]

Nice pics Noah looks like their healthy, there no better sound to my ears than to hear elk bulging. danny

[BenT]

Keep the wolves out . Northen Wisconsin had a herd that was nearing 400 . Then the wolves were introduced and now the elk herd is down to about 100. There will be no herd soon.

[pokey]

Keep the wolves out . Northen Wisconsin had a herd that was nearing 400 . Then the wolves were introduced and now the elk herd is down to about 100. There will be no herd soon.

then what will the wolves eat? hhmmmm?

[C. Cash]

Thanks for sharing those. My wife and I love to go up there....we always laugh that the Elk always refuse to be viewed in the "viewing area" that they worked so hard to build, and always hang out in someones front yard.

[Rusty]

I remember reading in a WV wildlife magazine years back after Ky had started trying to do something with their elk. It seems Ky had no open season yet since they were attempting to increase their numbers and in WV they were off the books. No rules that said you couldn't shoot 'em so they were free game with no season. The folks from Ky cried foul but WV wouldn't do anything about it. I don't know if they ever sorted that out or not.

[Hobie]

True in VA as well. If shot in VA it is legal/required to check the elk as a deer.

[Old Time Hunter]

Here is an update pertaining to the Elk population in Wisconsin:

Wisconsin had 143 elk as of mid-June, 14 of which were new calves, with somewhere between 10 and 20 more new calves expected to survive to the August count. That would put the herd at close to 160 animals heading into winter, with two more spring calving seasons to hit 200.

This year's calves looked good, according to biologist Laine Stowell.

“They were above average in terms of their weights, which indicates the cows were healthy and the calves were healthy,” he said.

But growing an elk herd can be a step-forward, step-backward proposition, especially in northern Wisconsin. Bears killed at least four of 20 elk calves counted this spring. Wolves take their share of elk too, but they typically target young males that travel alone. Disease and logging trucks are a greater concern because they are indiscriminant – they're just as likely to kill the adult cows that are crucial to the growth of the herd.

But, there is a population count of 1300 in the U.P. that seems to not honor the state boundries and meanders back and forth across state lines. DNR moved over 100 of 'em last year back across the line in Vilas county Wisconsin to the U.P., but they would not stay there for some reason...gooberment even warned them the next time they would issue tickets...still didn't work!

[rjohns94]

kewl pics. I have yet to make a trip up there to see that. Will have to bump that up on the to do list.

[C. Cash]

kewl pics. I have yet to make a trip up there to see that. Will have to bump that up on the to do list.

Mike....let me know if you do. I would be honored to buy you a hamburger and coke. And the Cash's always send you home with a "bag of stuff."

[Noah Zark]

kewl pics. I have yet to make a trip up there to see that. Will have to bump that up on the to do list.

Mike....let me know if you do. I would be honored to buy you a hamburger and coke. And the Cash's always send you home with a "bag of stuff."

Both of you let me know if you're coming -- the "Bugle Burgers" at the Benezette Hotel are on me . . .

Noah

[C. Cash]

Will do my friend! But, do the burgers bugle before or after you eat them? My boys and I have eaten in there...good stuff.

[hondo1892]

We have had a wild elk herd in Michigan since back in the 60's. There has been limited hunting since the 80's. They never have had a population explosion like our whitetails though. The herd in Kentucky seems to have done the best. They have sixteen counties they reintroduced them to and they have spilled over to VA and TN. They also let out of staters put in for the lottery Michigan does'nt.