Afield: Convergent paths lead to a chance to harvest Pa.’s biggest bull elk

Pennsylvania has three scheduled hunting seasons for elk each fall. With a second vote of commissioners in April, a fourth regular firearms season will be added in October. Almost all of the nearly 150 tags are awarded to applicants through a lottery, with bonus points awarded for each year that you are not drawn.

However, two special bull elk tags are awarded through different processes that generate large sums of money for elk and other wildlife habitat. Hunters winning these tags get first crack at the largest bull elk in Pennsylvania. Their season begins July 1, when elk are still in velvet.

One special license winner is selected through a random drawing of people purchasing raffle tickets at $20 each or 6 for $100. The Keystone Elk Country Alliance handles the sale of the tickets, as well as the drawing.

As reported by KECA President and CEO Jeff Gauger, 18,892 tickets were sold last year, generating $349,200. By law, this money (minus expenses) will be used to further the Pennsylvania Game Commissions’ elk management plan.

Doug Willis, an angus farmer from Rices Landing, Greene County, was the lucky winner in 2025. His prize included the bull tag, a guided hunt with Trophy Rack Lodge, a taxidermy mount and meat butchering. That was the 12th year for the drawing.

Trophy Rack Lodge owner Larry Guenot was in contact with Willis and after discussing his expectations, Guenot told him to pack his bags and be ready for a phone call. Meanwhile, Guenot and his guides set about looking for a bull worthy of the KECA tag.

Days ticked by. Guenot and his guides glassed many bulls, but not the trophy that they were looking for. On Aug. 29, Guenot woke up early to scout in Elk Hunt Zone 13, but decided to drive on to EHZ 14, about an hour from the lodge. He checked some of the usual places, and was about to head back when he spotted a monster bull — one that his guides had seen months ago. He took a short video.

A call was made to Willis at 9:30 a.m. and Guenot shared the video. Willis, his brother Bob and cousin Paul Burkett were off and made the long drive to the lodge in Centre County. By 3:30 that afternoon they were ready to hunt.

As luck would have it, they located the bull on a pipeline within the first hour. However, it was feeding over 400 yards away. They closed the distance to 322 yards and Willis made a good shot. The elk disappeared into the woods.

After waiting for the elk to bed, guide Dean Carper located a good blood trail. They circled around to get the wind in their favor and then moved into where they thought the elk would be. Willis made the killing shot from 100 yards.

Willis’ huge 8x7 bull was officially scored in early December. Certified scorer Dave Mitchell measured Willis’ non-typical rack at 427 3/8 gross and a net score of 412 4/8 inches.

“This was the hunt of a lifetime and I feel like the luckiest guy around,” Willis said.

The second special bull elk tag, often referred to as the “Governor’s Tag,” is auctioned off by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Last year’s winner was Louis Breland from Alabama. Breland’s winning bid was $275,000.

Breland selected Elk County Outfitters for his guiding service, and he was in regular contact with owner Bryan Hale. According to Hale, Breland, an accomplished big game hunter, had a busy hunt schedule lined up for fall 2025. However, he told Hale that when a trophy bull was spotted, his Pennsylvania hunt would take precedence over anything else that had been scheduled. Ultimately, he ended up in Pennsylvania over Arizona.

Guides from Elk County Outfitters first spotted a huge non-typical bull in June. They shared videos and photos of the elk with Breland. From late July through most of August the bull was spotted a few times, but difficult to keep tabs on. More sightings occurred in early September.

The guides and Breland followed up of these sightings of what Hale described as “a bull with a crazy non-typical rack.” On Sept. 12, the fifth day of the hunt, Hale, Breland and guide Matt Knaub were tracking what they believed to be the trophy bull along the banks of the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning River.

The elk tracks led Knaub and Breland across a railroad and up the side of a mountain, where they caught up with the massive bull. Breland made a perfect 212-yard shot with his 300 Winchester magnum and the bull was down.

After the required 90-day drying period, Breland’s 10x11 bull was officially measured to have a gross score of 426 and a net score of 412 2/8 inches. A true trophy in anybody’s book. Only one-quarter inch separated the two trophies.

Well over a half-million dollars was raised in 2025 as a result of these two elk tags. Much of the money from the Governor’s Tag is funding the huge Fairview Woodland Savannah Project in Clearfield County. Money from the KECA tag is funding elk conservation education, purchasing lime, seed and fertilizer for habitat enhancement on over 600 acres within the elk range.

“I thank Breeland as well as those buying KECA raffle tickets for their generous contribution to the Pennsylvania elk herd and the continuation of habitat improvements that benefit all wildlife in the elk range,” Hale said.

Mark Nale, who lives in the Bald Eagle Valley, is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and can be reached at MarkAngler@aol.com.