Pennsylvania’s brief elk hunt brought tales of success for lucky few

Pennsylvania’s abreviated elk hunting season provides a special opportunity to just a few lucky hunters.

For those who found success, the experience became more special.

To take part the six-day season that ran began Oct. 30, hunters submitted an application and were selected through a random drawing. This year, 118 names were drawn for 25 bull and 93 cow tags out of approximately 30,000 applications. While one hunter missed his chance because of illness, the rest hit the woods and fields of elk country.

Windy and somewhat rainy weather greeted hunters across most of the state’s elk range on opening morning, and Pennsylvania Game Commission elk biologist Jeremy Banfield noted the elk check station in Benezette saw little action. More success was found as the day progressed, with 12 bulls and 47 cows harvested by nightfall. Day 2 saw 19 elk taken, with 26 more through Nov. 4.

The week finished with 104 elk shot by the 117 hunters — an 89 percent success rate.

“Although the wind and rain affected hunting, I think that the warm weather during much of the previous two elk seasons negatively impacted the hunting more than the wind and rain,” Banfield said. “This year’s cooler temperatures helped to keep the elk up and active for longer periods, giving more hunters an opportunity for success.”

For those who found fortune, the stars aligned to bag the trophy of a lifetime during the opening day. Others worked really hard for much of the week and experienced varying degrees of success.

Alfred Hake, of Manchester, York County, drew a bull permit for elk hunt zone 13 in northern Centre County, one of the toughest zones in which to hunt.

“I don’t have the right words to explain the feeling. It starts as soon as your name is drawn and that first outfitter calls,” Hake said. “And the excitement continues through scouting and the hunt. The anticipation was tremendous.”

Hake and his guide Larry Guenot of Trophy Rack Lodge walked nearly 11 miles opening day. They saw deer, and then during the late morning, they heard an elk bugle. It was difficult for them to pinpoint the direction of sound in the high wind. Fortunately, the bull kept bugling, enabling them to zero in on its location.

It was a huge 8x8 bull with 15 to 20 cows — but on on posted property about 70 yards outside of State Game Lands 100. It was back to the drawing board for the pair, and many more miles of walking.

“We saw 15 cows and three bulls on Tuesday evening,” Hake said. “The cows were feeding in a grassy area, and the bulls came out later. I passed up a bull that Larry said would score around 360. We were hoping for a bigger one.”

On that Friday, Day 5, Hake went to a farm in the so-called “open zone,” Elk Hunt Zone 1, where any licensed hunter can hunt. That township is now requiring a separate $100 guiding permit and Guenot didn’t have one, so another Trophy Rack guide, Jamie Morgan, took over.

“We slowly popped up over the edge of an old spoil pile that was now wooded, and two bull elk were straight ahead at about 275 yards,” Hake said. “I was using a homemade shooting stick and wobbling a little. I missed the first shot and the bull started to run. I jacked another round into the chamber and connected solidly with my second shot. To be honest, I was lucky. I hit it in the neck and it went right down.”

Hake’s huge 6x7 bull had an estimated weight of 803 pounds and a gross Boone and Crockett green score of 396 3/8. It was one of the largest bulls taken during the regular season.

“It doesn’t really sink in until you see the mass of the elk’s antlers,” Hake said. “I was blown away with the green score.”

David Cairns of Stahlstown, Westmoreland County, was another hunter who burned a lot of shoe leather to bag his elk. During the first three days, Cairns, a friend and Elk County Outfitters guide Bryan Hale walked over 15 miles. They covered Elk Hunt Zone 12 in Clearfield and Clinton counties, mostly in the Quehanna Wild Area. Their luck changed the morning of Day 4.

“We relocated on private property near Frenchville. It was a farm with a Keystone Elk Country Alliance habitat project,” Hale said. “We were slowly walking down a lane that goes through the property and boarders the Moshannon State Forest.”

They discovered a large bull, and Cairns made a nice 200-yard shot with his 300 Winchester Magnum. His family joined him at the hunt site in celebration. The bull sported a 9x7 rack, with a gross green score of 394 3/8.

Local hunters who drew elk permits included William McNichol of Julian, Kyler Phillips of Bellefonte, David Rummel and Bryan Fultz of Spring Mills, Richard Connelly of Warriors Mark, and Albert Dreibelbis III and James Purdum of Port Matilda.

McNichol shot the largest bull in Zone 4, a nice 8x8 on Oct. 30. Fultz harvested a 5x5 bull in Zone 1 near Shawville on the foggy morning of Nov. 1. That elk was wearing an old, non-functioning radio collar. He learned from Wildlife Conservation Officer Mark Gritzer that the elk had been captured in Cameron County and collared as a calf in 2010.

“The collar expanded as the elk grew,” Fultz said. “I was surprised to see that the hair was normal under and around the collar.”

Dreibelbis, Phillips, Connelly, Purdum and Rummel all harvested antlerless elk.

The youngest hunter to find success was Jacob Good, 18, of Smicksburg, Indiana County, who shot an 8x8 bull. The oldest hunter was 92-year-young Ralph Gingerich of York, who shot a cow elk in Elk Hunt Zone 8 on the opening morning.

Other large bulls included an 8x7 taken by Shawn Latshaw, from Franklin, and a 7x8 shot by Jeff Smith of Dauphin. Not all bull elk were scored at the check station, but of those scored, a huge 8x9 bull was harvested by Robert Cook of Earlville, N.Y. Its Boone and Crockett green score of 431 6/8 should put the bull in the record books.

Quite possibly the largest bull elk was an 8x8 taken Nov. 3 by Ron Marney of New Kensington, in Elk Hunt Zone 13. The elk was not scored at the check station, but is being scored later this week.

Banfield was pleased with the week’s results from a wildlife management perspective.

“The harvest of 104 elk out of 117 permits was excellent,” Banfield said. “Unlike some previous years, there were no areas where elk were severely under-harvested. It was a very successful hunt.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Pennsylvania’s brief elk hunt brought tales of success for lucky few."