Pa Elk .Com

We were at our camp in Benezette Pa this past weekend (7/31 – 8/02), and as usual we took several trips up to the designated elk viewing areas there. Here are some photos we took while at the Primary viewing area. (The one that has the visitors center, lecture area, benches…. If you are coming from the Benezette Store up Winslow Hill it is the second viewing area you get to and is located on the left hand side of the road.)

In this photo you can see the field off in a distance where you are most likely to see elk from this viewing area. On most days to get a close up look you will need a good set of binoculars or a spotting scope. On the good days you will have elk standing only a few feet away from you in the designated “Human Viewing Area” checking you out just as much as you are checking them out.

This is a photo from the right side of the viewing area looking back away from the lecture pavilion. This is actually only a small part of the actual viewing area where you can stand or sit, but since I had the wrong lens on my camera I could not get a wide shot. In any case there are several benches and picnic tables here  and along the rock wall there are informational plaques as well. All in all it is a good place to come and relax and see some elk.

This is the Visitors Information Center, where (when open) you can speak with a Game Commission officer as well as collect elk pamphlets and fliers and get an up close look at a Pa bull elk by checking out the huge stuffed one they have in there. (See Photo Below!)

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I have received numerous request over the last week regarding how to find Pa elk easily. Most want to know exactly where to go and when. To a certain extent I don’t mind handing out that information, but the old adage, “Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime!” comes to mind.

So instead of simply pointing out exactly where and when you need to be I will give you some basic pointers that I live by when looking for elk. (We are currently working on an exhaustive compilation of the best places to see Pa elk and will release it when its completed. No ETA just yet.)

First, you need know that Elk are really not everywhere in Pa, they are currently only found in certain parts of Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton and Potter counties. From my experience Elk county (big surprise) will give most the best chance to see elk up close since the elk population is pretty high there and there are also several easily accessible elk view areas and state game land trails.
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Since elk have to constantly eat to keep up their weight most of the photos you get of them will be of them out having a snack. Here are a couple of the pics I have taken of them out grabbing a snack.

One of the best times to catch a glimpse of a big Pa bull elk is when they are out just before dusk grazing in the fields. This fella was standing a few feet from a local camp munching away.

Another great way to catch up to big elk is to learn their travel patterns and favorite snacking spots. You can almost set your watch by this guy as he travels from one grazing area to the next. If you look carefully behind him you can see the fence set up to keep the elk out, but trust me it does not work on this guy.

This bull (#57) is another example of a creature of habit. I see this bull on a regular basis, however he tends to travel quite a bit. It appears to me that he has a route he travels with consistency, but instead of it being a daily route it seems that he has a large territory he travels over the course of several days. About every 3 days or so he makes it back to this spot, but the other times I seem him he is up to 2 miles away from here.

This is one of my favorite photos of an elk eating. This guy stopped chomping long enough to check me out and had a leaf hanging out the side of his mouth. I took several photos of this bull while he was eating and several of them turned out like this with food hanging out.

Tip For Locating Pa Elk:

A rule of thumb to follow when looking for elk grazing is to check early in the A.M. when they are just waking up and are hungry, just before dusk when they are getting a pre sleep snack and just before a weather front passes through when they are trying to get a bite before a storm.