Everyone in Pennsylvania has at least seen some level of wildlife. Squirrels, rabbits, and deer, among others, snuggle up to human civilization and we seem to get along quite well. There is wildlife in PA, however, that is quite solitary and unbeknownst to many people: the Rocky Mountain Elk.
Now, if this sounds kind of peculiar at first, you may not know the whole story. Back in the 19th Century, the eastern elk was common in the state of Pennsylvania, and the entire Eastern United States from New England to the Midwest.
(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia)
As European settlers arrived, the elk population dwindled, with the last in Pennsylvania disappearing in 1867. Then, between 1913 and 1926, almost 200 rocky mountain elk were trapped and relocated to previous herd ranges: not surprisingly, Elk County.
In 100 years, the population has flourished, growing from just under 200 to over 1,000 according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and now spans over four counties in Northwestern PA. You can learn more about the history of elk in Pennsylvania by clicking here.
(Photo Courtesy of PA Game Commission)
Now these elk are enjoying the lifestyle of their late eastern ancestors; who needs the Rockies, anyway?
Being from Elk County myself, I have interacted frequently with the elk herds, and I can say from experience that they are absolutely stunning. A great thing about them is that, since they have no natural predators here in Pennsylvania, they are very lax when it comes to people. You can get great shots of them up close; just don’t get too close or the animal will become uncomfortable and possibly hostile.
If you ever get a chance, I would highly recommend taking a visit to Elk or Cameron County to see these beautiful creatures. A good starting point would be the Elk County Visitor Center, which can give you a complete history of PA wildlife and conservation, along with great up close views of the elk. Then, venture out to Cameron county, where there has to be more elk than people. (This isn’t true, but once you’re there, it sure seems like it.)
Also, for any hunters, there is a chance every year to apply for an elk license. These are extremely hard to attain, however, because nearly 30,000 hunters apply and only 108 tags are given in a lottery. I’ve never been elk hunting myself, but I imagine it is quite a thrill. Since hunting is severely restricted, some of the older bulls can achieve an impressive rack of antlers.
(Photo by Jake Dingel for the PA Game Commission)
You can even see them on a Live Stream provided by the PA Game Commission!
I really enjoyed reading this! I think it’s great that you’re doing blogs that relate to your own interests so it feels a lot more personal and informative. It’s a topic I really don’t know much about and your information was pretty clear and made it enjoyable to learn about.
This is a great article about PA wildlife. I don’t believe I ever seen an elk in the wilderness myself, but I love how you were able to use your own personal experiences with elk to make this blog post. You provided a lot of interesting facts about the history of elk, where they are usually located, and how people can interact with them, which makes this article fascinating to read. I also really like how you included links to your outside sources so people can read more about elk, find where they are located, and actually see elk for themselves through the live web cam. Overall, I can tell you’re very knowledgeable about the topic at hand, and you present it well through this point. I only see one error: in the first paragraph you say “solitude” instead of “solitary,” but that’s really easy fix. I look forward to seeing what else you have to post in the future!