Yes, Pennsylvania has a robust elk population. The size of the Pennsylvania elk herd is around 1400 animals. This gives the state the distinction of having the largest free-roaming elk herd in the northeastern United States.
Giant bull elk roam Pennsylvania’s elk country that rival trophy elk found anywhere out west for size. In fact, big game hunters from across the nation put into the state’s elk license lottery each year for a chance to draw a Pennsylvania elk tag.
This hasn’t always been the case. In fact, in the period between 1877 and 1913, elk, or wapiti as they were first called by native Americans, were expatriated from the state.
The State’s Original Elk Were Eastern Elk
Pennsylvania’s first elk were eastern elk. Eastern elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis) were a distinct wapiti subspecies that is now extinct. In the time that predates European settlers in the eastern United States and Canada, Eastern elk inhabited a broad swath of eastern North America. This extended from the Mississippi River to the Eastern seaboard and from southern Canada to Georgia.
Pennsylvania’s elk herd ranged over much of the state, with their heaviest concentration being in the Allegheny Mountains. However, by the 1700s, Eastern Elk populations began to decline due to human modification to their habitat and unregulated hunting. Unfortunately, this trend only accelerated into the 1800s.
The last eastern elk in New York state were killed in 1826. Source
Rocky Mountain Elk
Most of the elk that Pennsylvania has today are descendants of Rocky Mountain elk that were transplanted from Yellowstone National Park to the state in the early 1900s in railway cars. In 1913 the Pennsylvania Game commission released 50 elk from Yellowstone, along with 22 animals from a private reserve in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, into the Pennsylvania wilds.
This initial release was in Clearfield County, Clinton County, Centre County, and Monroe County. Subsequently, releases of elk into the state took place in 1915, 1924, and 1926. In total, the Pennsylvania Game Commission released 177 Rocky Mountain Elk into the state in the time period beginning in 1913 and ending in 1926.
Elk Hunting In Pennsylvania
The state of Pennsylvania’s first elk hunting season was conducted in 1923. Bull elk with a minimum of four points on at least one antler were the only animals that were legal to take in that year. Hunters harvested legal 23 bull elk. The record harvest for the state was 26 bulls in 1927. Elk numbers in the state began to dwindle, and in 1930 and 1931, the Pennsylvania bull elk harvest numbers were 5 and 1, respectively. Due to diminishing elk numbers,1931, the last year that the state of Pennsylvania held a sanctioned elk hunt for 70 years.
By the year 2000, the Pennsylvania elk population had increased to an estimated 566 animals. This was due to improved management practices, which included prescribed burning in woodland areas, planting of food plots, and transplanting animals to areas with greater potential to be elk habitat.
After much deliberation, a Pennsylvania elk hunt was slated to take place in 2001. Over 50,000 individuals applied for the state’s elk license drawing. Thirty licenses were awarded for the 2001 elk hunt, which made the odds of drawing a license around 1666.66 to 1. A Pennsylvania elk hunt has been held every year since then.
According to the Boone and Crockett Club website, the state of Pennsylvania has 29 bull elk that have been taken since the year 2000 that qualify for B&C’s Big Game Record Book.
This number doesn’t include the monster non-typical bull harvested in 2021 by Duane Kramer of Bellingham, Washington. Kramer’s bull unofficially measures 455 inches, and if that score holds, it will be the new Pennsylvania state record for non-typical bull elk. It will also be the 6th largest non-typical bull elk of all time. Source
In the Boone and Crocket record book, dating back to 2003, there are five counties in Pennsylvania that have record book elk. They are as follows.
- Elk County- 9 entries
- Cameron County- 8 entries
- Clearfield County- 8 entries
- Centre County- 2 entries
- Clinton County- 1 entry
Best Places To See Elk In Pennsylvania
The majority of Pennsylvania’s wild elk herd lives north of interstate 80. Elk, Cameron, Centre, Clinton, and Clearfield counties have the most elk. McKean, Potter, Tioga, and Lycoming counties also have elk.
The Elk Country Visitor Center
The Elk Country Visitor Center is dedicated to educating the public about Pennsylvania’s elk herd and the conservation of Pennsylvania wilds. It is situated a few miles to the northeast of the town of Benezette, in the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk country. It sits on 245 acres of private property in the middle of the Pennsylvania wilds. Consequently, it is a great spot to view these magnificent animals in a natural setting.
The center consists of a glass-paneled great room. This room comes equipped with interactive displays that educate the visitor on elk, elk habitat, and all the other wildlife that live in the Pennsylvania wilds.
The center opened its doors in September of 2010. In its first four months of operation, the Elk Country Visitor’s Center received over 51,000 visitors from 46 U.S states and 16 countries. It is funded through a public and private alliance between the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. The Keystone Elk Country Alliance oversees the management of the center.
To get to the Elk Country Visitor Center from Benezette, take Winslow Hill Road northeast for approximately one and a half miles and follow the signs.
Kettle Creek State Park
Kettle Creek State Park encompasses 1,793 acres in Leidy Township of Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Park visitors can fish in the Kettle Creek reservoir. On the subject of wildlife viewing, along with elk, the park also has white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkeys, river otters, and fisher cats. Source
The park is on SR 4001, seven miles north of PA 120 at Westport and three miles west of PA 144.
Hicks Run Viewing Area
Hicks Run Elk Viewing Area features a covered blind that overlooks a prime elk feeding area. To get there is an 8.8-mile drive northeast on PA. route 555 from Benezette or an 8-mile drive Northwest from Driftwood PA., also on route 555.
Beaver Run Dam
Beaver Run Dam at Weedville, Pennsylvania, is a small reservoir that also features a wildlife viewing area. There is an adjacent field that is planted with forage for elk and nature trails to investigate.
Thunder Mountain Equestrian Trails
Thunder Mountain Equestrian Trails provide an opportunity for those with the wherewithal to get out into Pennsylvania’s elk country on horseback. The Thunder Mountain Equestrian Trail system is comprised of around 53 miles of trails and roads that wind their way through some of Pennsylvania’s wilds. The majority of the trail system circles off from the Dark Hollow and Gas Well Equestrian Campgrounds in two separate loops. Between these two camping areas, there are 15 available equestrian camping sites that are offered on a first-come, first-served permitting basis. They are located approximately 5 1/4 miles from Benezette on Bell Draft Road. The Dark Hollow area has 10 non-electric motorized campsites, while the Gaswell camping area has five non-electric motorized campsites.
Elk Trail
Elk Trail is 16 miles long and winds its way through the prime elk habitat north of Benezette, Pennsylvania.
Winslow Hill Viewing Area
Winslow hill has two elk viewing areas and offers access to off-the-road parking and portable restrooms. There are also trails and dirt roads that get you back further into the elk’s habitat. Besides elk, you may see deer, black bears, red fox, wild turkeys, and songbirds. To get to Winslow Hill from Benezette, Pennsylvania, turn north on Winslow Hill Road and follow it 3.6 miles to the elk viewing area on the west side of the road.
Dents Run Elk Viewing Area
The Dents Run viewing area is another very popular elk viewing area on Winslow Hill Road. It features a covered outdoor amphitheater.
The Dent’s Run Elk Viewing Area is the most popular site for elk viewing in the state. Many people come in September and October to hear the bulls bugle and watch them compete for dominance. Each fall, the PA Game Commission conducts presentations on elk natural history in the covered amphitheater. A handicap-accessible walkway leads to an overlook where interpretive displays teach visitors about PA’s elk herd. To keep this area a popular vantage point for elk, the PA Game Commission plants crops of winter wheat, oats, grasses, and clovers in the fields every spring and fall.
Sinnemahoning State Park
Sinnemahoning State Park is comprised of 1910 acres which lie in Grove township of Cameron County and Wharton township of Potter County. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural resources website, the park is home to a growing herd of elk. A good place to spot elk in the park is from the wildlife viewing platform that is managed jointly between the Pennsylvania Game Commission and DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks.
Pro Elk Organizations In Pennsylvania
Keystone Elk Country Alliance
The Keystone Elk Country Alliance is a nonprofit 501C3 organization. Under the federal tax code, 501C3s are corporations, trusts, unincorporated organizations, or other types of organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) or section 26 of the United States code.
Here is a quote from The Keystone Elk Country Alliance Facebook Page. “We are a Conservation Education Organization that primary focuses are Education, Land Stewardship, and Permanent Land Protection. KECA’s mission is to conserve and enhance Pennsylvania’s elk country for future generations.”
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation was formed by four elk hunters/enthusiasts in 1984 in Troy, Montana. It is an organization dedicated to the conservation of elk and elk habitat. From their website, their mission is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and our hunting heritage. Source I also copied and pasted the following list of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation projects and accomplishments in Pennsylvania from their website. Source
- “In 1991, the RMEF contributed toward the PGC’s purchase of 1,359 acres in the Winslow Hill area of Elk County near Benezette, now known as State Game Lands (SGL) #311. To date, RMEF has helped purchase and make public more than 8,500 acres for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation and funded thousands of acres of habitat enhancement across the state’s elk range. RMEF fully donated 245 acres plus $1.4 million to help construct Pennsylvania’s world-class Elk Country Visitor Center.
- These efforts have contributed hugely to this legendary herd’s resurgence. More than 900 elk roam the Pennsylvania wilds. The state held its first modern elk hunt in 2001, and thousands of hunters now vie for the chance at a coveted tag.
- RMEF and its partners received national recognition in 2012 from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation, and Enforcement for transforming 320 acres of abandoned mine lands at Dents Run on SGL #311 into prime habitat for elk. In addition to the land benefits, the work also helped allow for Dents Run to be stocked with trout for the first time in 80 years.
- RMEF is steadfast in its commitment to the future of this herd. In 2015, the Elk Foundation provided $100,000 in funding assistance to the PGC’s purchase of the 81-acre Woodring Farm addition to SGL #311. Centrally located in the elk zone, it significantly expands public elk viewing and education opportunities. RMEF continues to help cover the cost of creating and maintaining quality wildlife habitat on public lands across the state’s elk range.”
Today’s Pennsylvania Elk Herd
As of 2022, the Pennsylvania elk population numbers around 1400 animals that are enjoyed by hunters and non-hunters alike. I copied the following mission statement from the Pennsylvania elk management plan, which was written by wildlife biologists Jeremy Banfield and Christopher Rosenberry of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
“Pennsylvania’s elk population is a valuable public resource available for the enjoyment and
benefit of all people. The Pennsylvania Game Commission, as the Commonwealth’s wildlife
management agency, is legally mandated to manage the elk population as well as the habitat that
supports their existence for both current and future generations. Based on this direction, the
Game Commission adopted the mission statement – to manage Pennsylvania’s elk for population
sustainability, habitat health, and social acceptance while maximizing recreational opportunity.“
