Elk in Benezette PA

Dear Board,

I had never been this far west in PA, except for a couple of days in Pittsburgh, but my wife and I rented a cabin in Northern Clinton County PA, and we were determined to see some new things.

So one day we got out early and took Rte 120 out of Renovo PA up to Driftwood PA and hit Rte 555. No sooner than we started up the rise coming out of Driftwood did my wife say, "It would be really cool to see an elk along the road." Ten yards later, two young bulls were standing right in front of the truck.

It was the start of a special day and my photos don't do the day justice. When we got to Benezette we headed up Winslow Hill where we were greeted by thick dense fog. I took a nap in the truck, and woke up when an elk was bugling directly behind the truck.

Elk are native animals to Pennsylvania, but they were hunted to extinction around the time time of the Civil War. In the early 1900's reintroduction efforts were made and the elk are responding quite well and expanding in both range and population. It was special to see them in places where their ancestors walked. It was a day this 60 year old kid will never forget, ever!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA

That's really cool Tim.

As a fellow Pennsylvanian I've been remiss getting up there to try to see some Elk. Need to do that...

We live here in western PA & usually make it up every year. It is really cool to watch them go at it. It's usually too dark for photos but quite a site to see. The population has been doing quite well over the last 15 years or so. The park service has begun planting turnips (they love them), along the areas already cleared because of power/telephone lines, so as to draw the herd AWAY from the populated areas. Never fails, every year I see some idiot sending their kid in to get a shot with the elk in the background.

Just curious….is your avatar the IUP Crimson Hawk?

Pigpen101 wrote in post #19140512
Just curious….is your avatar the IUP Crimson Hawk?

Nope, Saint Joseph's University Hawk