We left home early in the afternoon to spend three days on Pennsylvania's elk range in the Allegheny Mountains to watch and photograph elk.  My son Eugene would use a digital camera with a long lens while I shot videos of any elk we encountered.  This was my fourth trip in as many years to watch and photograph the wild elk herd.

The four-hour drive to the Elk County town of Benezette was broken up with a stop to visit Eugene's daughter, Michelle, at Penn State Tech. College in Williamsport where she is enrolled in a Medical Assistant program.  The drive from there on US 220 and onto I-80 was pleasant that afternoon compared to the darkness and fog of previous early morning trips along the same route to our destination.

It was a relief to be off the Interstate after we reached Snowshoe and continued on the Elk Scenic Corridor heading toward Karthaus.  The corridor connects "elk country" to Interstate 80 and is the best southern access to the viewing sites.  The autumn flaming foliage was just reaching peak and the scenery along the Quehanna Highway was breath-taking.  We arrived in the heart of elk country with plenty of daylight to spare.

Upon reaching Medix Run, we didn't see any elk until we came to the railroad tracks that run along the Bennett Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek.  I spotted a herd of elk laying on the ground under some evergreens.  A nice bull was grooming himself and a harem of cows were resting or grazing nearby.  After taking some photos we headed for the Benezette Store to be assigned to a campsite and setup the tent before going to Winslow Hill.

While we finished setting up camp and unloading our gear, the young bull that ran thru out campsite continued to feed in the nearby woods.  When our task was complete, we left camp to look for elk that roam the countryside.

As we turned up Winslow Hill Road, we saw some elk grazing in the backyards of residences in Benezette.  There were a few cows, and a bull nicknamed Freddy was with them.  We had seen this elk the past two years and had enough photos of him so we passed and continued on, hoping to see more elk along the way.

We didn't see any elk until we reached the Gilbert Farm Elk Viewing Area on Winslow Hill.  A large bull was in the meadow with a small herd of cows.  He wore telemetry collar No. 62 and his right antler was broken.  Probably from a hard fought battle.  Some cows were laying on the ground while a pair of juvenile bulls sparred.  The large bull continued to check the cows for estrus so that he may breed with them.  They wouldn't come to their feet when he prodded them with his antlers.

The sky was overcast and the sun had set so we went back to town.  We didn't see any more elk this day.  After a good supper meal at the Benezette Restaurant we went to our campsite.  The temperature was dropping and it would be a cold night, so we fired up the tent heater.

While the heater was warming up our tent in preparation for a good night's sleep, we studied the PA Game Digest and used topo maps to determine the boundaries of the zone for which I opted to hunt elk had I been awarded a permit to hunt this year.  We discovered that the boundary laid out in the digest was different than that shown on the PGC web site.

As part of the state's fifth modern-day elk season, which ran from Nov. 7-12 in 2005, 40 licensed elk hunters harvested 35 elk: 10 antlered and 25 antlerless.  The 40 hunters awarded licenses were selected in a public drawing from a field of more than 20,000 entrants.  I wasn't one of them.

This year, the PA Game Commission expanded the elk range to 3,750 square miles from the previous 835 square miles.  It now includes most of Potter County and a quadrant in southwest Tioga County.  They awarded elk licenses to 50 hunters in a public drawing.  18,829 individuals applied this year but because of preference points, there were 52,087 names in the system.  For the November 2006 elk hunt, the agency awarded 40 licenses (15 antlered and 25 antlerless) and, for the September 2007 elk hunt, 10 licenses (2 either sex and 8 antlerless) were awarded.  Even with preference points, I was unlucky again.

Pennsylvania's first-ever September elk hunt was not very successful this year.  Even when it was held again in October.  Ten hunters were awarded licenses to hunt elk in September.  Only two harvested cows; the other eight came up empty.

What angered Game Commission officials was that at least one farmer shot two elk for crop damage just days before the season was to be held, even though the agency created the season specifically to address elk damage complaints.  Several of the hunters were upset, too, and asked that the season be extended somehow.  While not everyone in the Commission agreed with the idea, those hunters were — on short notice — given the opportunity to return to the elk zone the last week of October and hunt another six days.  Only a few were able to get back out.  None killed an elk, however.

I've been coming to the elk range for the past 4 years and studying these magnificent animals, and my son has been doing it longer.   We feel confident we can stalk close enough for a bow shot.  I've been able to get too close to some fine bulls to resort to using a rifle.  I might consider a powerful handgun or muzzle loader which would also require me to get close.  I haven't been able to find any statistics about kills over the past hunts even though the numbers are so low.

I think the hardest thing about killing an elk in Pennsylvania is getting selected in the random drawing, with the odds being about 500-1 against it.  In addition to that, it would require a tremendous amount of manpower to extract a downed elk.  A mature bull can weigh a massive 600-1000 pounds.  While a cow is somewhat smaller, it can reach weights between 500-600 pounds.  But one Junior hunter is reported to have shot an antlerless elk weighing less than 200 pounds.

The PA Game Commission will not allow the use of any type of motorized vehicle to go in and retrieve the animal if shot on state land, despite the fact they maintain a good number of miles of access roads.  And they offer no assistance either, even though the number of hunters is so small.  Horses or mules are allowed.  So what it all boils down to is, you need a guide who has the available resources to complete all phases of an elk hunt in Pennsylvania, although none is required.

After six years of applying and being unsuccessful in the draw, I'm not sure if I'll apply again for the November 2007 hunt.  The mountains here are steep, and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to navigate through these woods.  I'll be 70 during next year's elk season.

The temperature dipped below freezing during the night.  A couple hours before dawn, I was roused from my sleep with a chill and realized I had to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag to add another fuel cylinder to the tent heater.  The warmth of the propane flame was a welcome feeling as it quickly warmed the cold air inside our canvas shelter.  It was too early to venture out in search of elk so I crawled back on my cot and quickly fell asleep.

We awoke early, greeted by a cold, frosty autumn morning.  It was still dark as we prepared to leave our tent and set forth on another day in hopes of finding elk at locations we planned to search.  This was to be the first full day I ever spent on the elk range — from dawn to dusk.

We went to Medix Run first.  It seems to be our most popular place to look for elk first, based on past experiences.  I drove all the way to the end of the valley and we didn't see any animals.  There was a light, foggy mist in the air and a coating of frost covered the surfaces.  The twilight of  dawn was just beginning when I turned around to come back through the valley.  After a short distance we saw a bull elk laying in the grass alongside the road.  He began rising from his nightly rest as I neared.  Further on, we saw another large bull walking in the road toward us before crossing, then headed to a creek behind a cabin.  An oncoming pickup and I had to stop to let him pass.  There were no other elk out and about in Medix Run this morning.

I must admit, I feel a sense of disappointment when I don't see any elk in Medix Run, especially at the orchard where we saw "Wild Eye" and his harem in 2003.  I guess you could say he spoiled me.

We made a short stop at the Benezette Restaurant for a welcome hot cup of coffee, delaying having an early breakfast because we wanted to be atop Winslow Hill before sunrise.  There was plenty of time to eat later that morning.

When we turned onto Winslow Hill Road we saw that Freddy was still in town, grazing in someone's backyard.  Early rising elk watchers were already there to see him and other resident elk that frequent town.  We didn't stop.  When we reached a meadow atop Winslow Hill there was a herd of elk feeding under a cloudy sky.  Its a location where we always watch grazing animals.

Before reaching the Gilbert Farm viewing area we saw some elk in a  shallow valley and stopped to watch them.  There was a bull with cows grazing on  the far hillside.  After closer examination with binoculars, we determined it was the same bull we had seen at the viewing area the evening before.  Bull No. 62.  Another bull was directly below us with some cows.  He was a sturdy young animal and wore telemetry collar No. 47.  Both bulls offered challenges, bugling to  each other.  They were about 300 yards apart and neither made any attempt to fight.  We could also hear another bull bugling beyond the hill.  The sound was coming from the direction of the elk viewing area.

The broken antler bull concentrated on keeping his harem together and bugled frequently, but the cows continued to graze over the top of the hill.  He rushed after them, but three cows, lower on the hillside, remained.  When the bull went out of sight, No. 47 hurried toward the three lagging cows and herded them down to join his harem.  As they walked down the hill, the bull stopped and sounded out with a bugle, seemingly to be his way of expressing his victory in stealing them from the other bull.  Both bulls offered some great photo ops.

After all the elk disappeared from view, we continued on our way.  Upon arriving at the elk viewing area, we saw a herd with an impressive, large antlered bull.  He wore telemetry collar No. 35 and put on a good show of herding cows and frequent bugling.

We decided to stop at the Dents Run viewing area to see if any elk were in view.  In all the times we stopped there, we never saw any elk.

Our next stop was the parking area by the gate at the entrance to State Game Lands 311 off Porcupine Hollow Road.  No motorized vehicles are  allowed beyond that point, only hikers, mountain bike and horseback riders.  The fog was lifting and the sun was shining brightly.  Eugene decided to go for a walk up the road beyond the gate in hopes of seeing some elk in the meadows beyond.  While I waited, I spent time taking pictures of the autumn foliage.  I discovered a well used elk trail crossing between the Game Lands and the back side of Dents Run.  I could hear bulls  bugling on the Game Lands in the direction Eugene went, but no elk came by.

As I waited, another elk photographer pulled up in his pickup truck next to mine.  It was Ed  Zelachoski.  He traveled to the elk range from Greensburg and has been there often.  After introductions, he and I had conversation about the elk herd and camera equipment.  We shared stories about our experiences on the elk range.

Eugene returned about an hour later with a story about two bulls answering his cow calls.  He heard their bugles as they continued to come nearer to his location but they never approached close enough to photograph.  Judging by the sound of the bugles, he figured one was a younger bull and the other most likely a harem bull.  He said he wanted to go deeper into the area later in the day to see if he could find the herd.  We were both hungry by this time so we went down to the Benezette Restaurant for breakfast and returned to our campsite.

There was an elderly couple from central New Jersey in the campsite next to ours who were on their first trip to the elk range.  They told us that shortly after we left camp the evening before, a group of six elk came from the woods behind our tent and began feeding around our campsite.  We hadn't seen any other elk in the woods besides the young bull that came running through the campground.  They may have been there resting, unseen in the thick undergrowth.

They said they went to the Hicks Run viewing area the previous evening and watched two bulls fighting.  They were excited to have had the opportunity to see such an event.  We told them what we saw at Medix Run and Gilbert Farm, and suggested they visit those areas too.

We saw a group of horseback riders on the trail around the perimeter of the campground, heading for the mountain beyond.  Eugene decided to take a walk along the trail and go to the Sinnamahoning Creek to take some scenic photos.  I stayed at the campsite and rested.

When Eugene returned, he told me he found the equestrian trail and followed it.  He also found an elk trail coming from the mountain across the creek into the woods behind our campsite.  He suggested I go there and watch to see if any elk come along while he stayed in camp and took a nap.

I took my camp chair and camera, and went for a walk.  I found the equestrian trail as the group of horsemen and women were returning from their ride.  After they passed, I went to a spot along the bank of the creek, took some photos, and waited in the bushes near the elk trail.  The weather had warmed and I dozed to the soothing sounds of the water rolling over the rocks.

When I returned to camp, Eugene was studying his topo maps, plotting a GPS course of travel for an afternoon hike in SGL 311.  His plan was to follow an access road next to Gilbert Farms viewing area and travel cross country in search of the elk herd, then on to Porcupine Hollow where I would meet him for pickup.

After I dropped Eugene off at Gilbert Farm and arranged for a time to pick him up, I hung around there watching a drag line strip the land beyond for coal.  It was reminiscent of my childhood when I used to sit and watch the same type of operation in the woods around the town near where I lived in northeastern PA.  I grew up in coal country when deep mining for anthracite coal ceased and strip mining was in full swing during the 1950s.

Back then, they stripped coal from the ground and left scars in the earth everywhere.  The deep gouges in the earth have remained for decades.  A few areas have been filled and recreational parks were created on the land.  Others lands were seized because of delinquent taxes, and communities have developed industrial parks there.  Older pits and dumps that still exist are overgrown with useless vegetation.

Many of the huge slag heaps that covered acres of ground around coal breakers and mining operations are gone, having been removed and processed for the coal remaining in them.  Only this summer has the DCNR begun removing a huge pile in my home town of Olyphant for future development.  It has existed there for at least a century or longer.  But others still remain as the dark skin of the waste coal piles beneath the sparse vegetation continue to serve as a reminder of inconsiderate coal company attitudes toward the environment.

When the government passed laws that strip mining operators had to refill the holes, contour the land, and seed and plant trees, I was actively involved as a District Chairman in the Boy Scouts.  It was in the 1970s and I was friendly with a strip mine operator who had an operation on a mountainside above the valley where I lived.  Each time he completed an operation of extracting coal from the ground, and had it refilled and ready for seeding, he called me to gather a group of Scouts to do the job of planting seedling trees he acquired from the state.  It was an opportunity for Scouts to complete conservation requirements needed to earn badges.  On one weekend outing, a group of Sea Scouts planted 6,000 seedlings on a filled strip mine which is a small forest today, harboring a variety of wildlife — deer, turkeys, grouse and rabbits.

The strip mining operation I watched at Gilbert Farm will someday become another grazing ground for elk in the area, much the same as many of the areas in the elk range have already become, thanks to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

I departed Gilbert Farm and went to the Dents Run viewing area to be closer to Porcupine Hollow.  Many visitors came and went.  All were disappointed they didn't see any elk there.  Some were newcomers to the elk range.  I sat on the benches and basked in the warm sun.  I volunteered to take pictures for couples so they could both be in their photos.  And I suggested they try other elk viewing areas later in the day where they would have a better chance of seeing some animals when they are moving about.

I've been to that area at all times of the day since coming to the elk range and have never seen an elk there.  About the only interesting thing I saw was MacDarvey Castle, visibly rising from its pristine setting above the tree line on the hill across from the grazing area.  They say that 67 windows adorn the castle from where you can view one of the many elk grazing areas surrounding it.  I wonder how many elk they see.

A spotting telescope was setup, but no one used it.  A DCNR employee came to reposition the scope and I overheard a conversation that it was apparently trained on an animal resting in the woods on the fringe of a food plot.  I didn't look to see.  Although its advertised that staff is available there on weekends, there were no state employees or volunteers visibly available there to tell people about it unlike that which I encountered Eagle Watching in Lackawaxen, PA.

Thousands of tourists come to this much touted PGC viewing area at Dents Run.  Very few come with binoculars.  Most come equipped only with cameras.  Whether they read about it or are told about the chance of seeing elk, they come with the expectation of seeing animals on the food plots.  Rarely do they see anything, even at the most active elk movement times.  They could have a more intimate experience with elk in the town of Benezette.

After the estimated time of three hours for Eugene to reach Porcupine Hollow Road, I left the viewing area.  It was a short drive and within a few minutes he came down the road from SGL 311.  He found a herd of about twenty elk and saw three bulls.  Some were bedded on a hillside in  the shade; some were grazing.  First he saw one bull.  He gave out with a cow call and another appeared.  Then the largest bull came out of the woods beyond.  He watched them until the herd began moving off for their evening feeding.  Studying topo maps of the area and some discussion, we predicted where they might be going.

We left Winslow Hill and headed for Hicks Run to see what action might be there.  When we arrived at the viewing area, there was a large contingent of elk watchers.  A cow and calf were feeding in the forage plot.  Eugene went to the viewing blind constructed there and learned that its handicap accessible.

Heading back to Winslow Hill, we stopped at the Gilbert Farm viewing area.  I met some of the people I saw earlier at Dents Run.  There were no elk there yet and I told them to be patient and wait until the sun was setting.  We decided to go see if the elk Eugene saw on the Game Lands reached the meadow we predicted they were headed for.  They weren't there yet either, so we went down to Medix Run.  When we reached Benezette, the roads were clogged with elk watchers.  It was impossible to get through so we drove the streets on the outskirts of town.  Luckily, we were able to continue on.  As we approached the intersection of PA-555 we saw what the attraction was.  Freddy and another bull were in town with a number of cows and calves and were grazing behind the Post Office.

By time we left from Medix Run, we were ready to sit down to a good meal.  We decided to eat at the Elk View Diner on Winslow Hill.  It was dark by this time, and as we neared the restaurant the road was clogged with elk watchers' cars blocking the road.  The herd Eugene followed in the afternoon was in the pasture where we predicted they would be.

When we entered the diner, we saw the couple from New Jersey who were camped next to us and many of the elk watchers I talked to at Dents Run viewing area in the afternoon.  The food was tasty and the service, excellent.

Our return to camp was a welcome sight after this full day of elk watching.  I fired up the heater and crawled into my sleeping bag for a good night's rest.

Last night was a repeat of the night before.  The morning fog was more dense than the previous morning.  We left camp and set out for Winslow Hill to see if the elk herd Eugene followed was still in the pasture near the Elk View Diner.  They were.

Most of the elk were out of sight over the top of the hill.  It was foggy.  I took some video of a bull laying close by.  Even after daybreak, the fog was still thick.  But this didn't hinder a score of elk watchers from stopping to see the animals.  The bulls bugled continuously and that excited the onlookers.

We headed up the hill to Gilbert Farm, and found Bull No. 47 in the valley where we had seen him the previous day.  He was there with a few cows and bugled frequently.  I didn't bother taking any video because a group of loud, boisterous horseback riders camped in a parking area nearby and were foolishly mimicking the elk calls without any accuracy.

From there we headed to the viewing area but the elk weren't there yet  so we decided to go to Hicks Run.  When we got there we saw a small group of cow elk grazing in the cemetery.  We learned that a large bull was there earlier but he headed down toward Sinnamahoning Creek after a large group of noisy elk watchers gathered.  We went down to look for him but saw only a few cows in the woods.

Driving west back toward Winslow Hill, we saw some cows at a farm and stopped to watch.  A large bull came out of the woods and began herding the cows toward the creek.  Eugene followed him and took some great shots of the bull crossing to the opposite shore.

Back at Winslow, we continued on to Porcupine Hollow Road.  When we got to the bottom of the hill, we pulled over to listen for elk calls.  We were greeted with bugles close by on the hillside below.  The sound was coming from near the gate at SGL 311.  When we got there, a herd of about a dozen elk including three bulls was in a small meadow offering a great opportunity for photos.

A symphony of bugles coming from the bulls continued on and on all the while we were filming.  As the elk moved off into the woods, we decided to go back up the hill so we could watch them move through the forest below.  Considering the direction they were traveling, it  was likely they were heading for the grazing  meadows near Dents Run.  Maybe visitors would see something there this day.

After identifying the bulls, Eugene decided that this was part of the herd he followed the previous afternoon.  He said it was the herd we  saw earlier in the morning near the diner.  Upon  studying topo maps to try to determine their route, we were puzzled over how they reached this location so quickly.  The reason was revealed later when we met a couple of hikers who had been on the game lands watching this herd.  They told us about a group of equestrians who were riding across the grazing area and saw the herd.  They rode down toward the elk, resulting in them running off, headed toward Dents Run.  The riders chased the elk until they escaped into the forest.

Wanting to get an early start back home with hopes of having enough time to go deer hunting, we headed for Benezette and  had breakfast in the restaurant.  Carol Mulvihill and Tom Murphy were there.  It was good to meet up with them again this year.  Carol had some friends stay with her at her cabin in Medix Run and took them elk watching.  A bull had spent the night behind the cabin and her guests were excited to have the up-close encounter.

Tom told us about receiving a phone call in September that a bull elk was seen struggling with a tire swing tangled in his antlers.  It was in the Sinnamahoning Creek near Benezette, and was thoroughly exhausted when Tom notified the Game Commission about it.  Elk biologists came to the rescue.  The tired bull was tranquilized and relieved of this unusual addition to his normal headgear.  Being an accomplished videographer, Tom videotaped the whole rescue. [story ]

Carol told us how she spearheaded a movement against a change in the boundary of an elk hunting unit near Benezette, reduced in size by the PA Game Commission to allow more hunting opportunities in the area.  Elk biologists determined that the boundary change was necessary to allow the removal of some very old bulls from the range.  Since the elk in Benezette have become such a popular tourist attraction, the group felt the Commission should leave the old bulls there.  They would continue to help fuel the local economy which relies mostly on elk watching tourism.  As a result of Carol's and some local residents' effort, the boundary reverted back to what it was in previous years.  This explains the discrepancy we found between the Game Digest and that which we found on the PAGC web site.

We returned to the campground and began taking down the tent when Ed stopped by.  He said he didn't take many photos on this trip but wasn't too disappointed because he frequents the area and already has a sizeable collection.

After striking camp and packing our gear, we headed for home.  The drive thru Medix Run didn't afford sighting any elk.  As we climbed the hill out of the valley on the Quehanna highway, a coyote beat a quick retreat across the road in front of us.  The flaming foliage had become more vibrant since we had come down the highway a few days before.  We stopped for some photos.

When we reached Williamsport, we modified our route home to take a quicker way to the farm where we hunt in Susquehanna County so there would be enough time for us to get in some bowhunting for deer in the evening.

The route took us through the Endless Mountains of Sullivan County past Worlds End State Park.  After a short stop at Forksville to stretch our legs, we were on our way again.

We didn't shoot any deer on this trip, but we did capture some elk on film.  We're planning another trip to elk country next winter.