Centre County man accused of illegally killing two trophy bull elk during closed season
A Clarence man was accused Friday of illegally killing two trophy bull elk in the Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region.
Christopher Brooks, 39, shot the animals in December, the Pennsylvania Game Commission wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. Brooks told investigators he thought he was shooting at an antlerless deer.
He fired the shots from his rifle after dusk, the game commission wrote. Brooks believed he missed his first shot, then fired a second. He said he realized he shot the elk as he went to recover the animals, which were later confiscated.
Elk are members of the deer family and share many physical traits, but are typically much larger. Adult bull elk can weigh between 600 to 1,000 pounds, while the average adult buck weighs about 140 pounds.
There were about 1,350 elk in Pennsylvania as of March 2020, according to the commission.
Brooks was charged with two misdemeanor counts of unlawful killing of big game during a closed season and six summary hunting violations. A defense lawyer was not listed.