Planning a trip to see the elk in Pennsylvania? Here’s what you need to know

About 500,000 visit northcentral Pennsylvania each year for the chance to see wild elk roam the area.

They are massive free-ranging animals that can be found only in this region of the state.

The Keystone Elk Country Alliance and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources partner to operate the Elk Country Visitor Center throughout the year to help people understand these large deer that range from 500 to close to 800 pounds.

Carla Wehler has been with the visitor center since 2010 and is the operations manager. She said when the facility was being made, they envisioned about 70,000 visitors a year. “We exceeded that immensely. It has certainly taken off,” she said about the half-million people who make the trek to Elk and surrounding counties.

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“We want them to come to learn and understand elk by spending the afternoon,” she said. There is no admission charge to enter the facility, and the gift shop has a wide variety of products that are all made in the United States.

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The wild animals can appear in fields, woodlots, along the road and in residential areas similar to the movements of deer.

She said people should plan to come early and see the elk feeding at dawn, spend the day at the visitor center and watch the elk return to the fields toward dusk.

Elk retreat into deeper wooded areas during the heat of the day.

There are a variety of educational exhibits at the center including a 4-D movie theater that helps people see, smell, hear and feel what elk are like. It is situated around a campfire setting to give viewers a warm feel as they learn about the rare animals.

Through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the movie includes footage from an elk’s point of view as a camera has been attached to the collar of some elk. You can hear a mother cow talk with her calf and hear the bulls bugling. The video camera follows the elk throughout their 25-35 mile range, including where they wallow in muddy areas in deep timber.

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“There’s nothing cooler than experiencing two bulls sparring with their antlers and the dirt flying, but I absolutely love hearing calves,” she said. Visitors can hear the cows and calves interacting with each other, and it’s a bonding experience for everyone through the summer months.

The bull elk are known for having massive antlers that fall off in late winter and immediately start regrowing. She said they can grow as much as an inch a day into August.

To help students learn about elk, the center created a distance learning program where a trunk of items is sent free of charge to classrooms around the state. The students can touch and feel a piece of elk hide, antlers, jawbones and compare them with the size of the whitetail deer. An educator from the center holds a video virtual classroom with the school to teach about elk and answer the students’ questions. Donors to the nonprofit cover the costs of shipping the trunk to different classrooms.

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The center is gearing up for the busy tourist season that runs the end of August through October, and it’s kicked off with an elk expo that’s been happening for 20 years. The event on Aug. 21-22 at the center includes educational seminars, more than 100 vendors and the Game Commission drawing the winners of this year’s elk hunting licenses. “There’s everything from sporting goods and outdoor recreation to great food,” she said, adding that local artisans also have wildlife items for sale, too.

She said hunters play a strong role in maintaining the elk herd. The income the Game Commission receives from people applying for a chance at an elk license is used to help with the conservation efforts.

One year, the center’s conservation educator, Ben Porkolab, won a bull license.

“He’s the kind of guy you are excited that he got one,” Wehler said.  Being familiar with the area, he was able to do his own scouting and was successful at getting a bull. She said the possibly once-in-a-lifetime experience helps him explain elk to visitors in a unique way.

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Another attraction at the center are horse-drawn wagon rides to take you to where the elk might be traveling, but you are not guaranteed to see them. “Part of the allure of the animal is that it’s a wild elk,” she said. “They roam where they choose,"  she said about elk looking for changing food sources and water.

If you are planning to visit the elk, the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants to make sure it’s a safe experience for you and the wildlife.

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Jeremy Banfield, elk biologist for the Game Commission, said the peak season is September and October when the bulls are competing for mating privileges during the rut phase of the year. During this period, you should expect to see large crowds of people using the tiny rural roads.

Elk smart

The agency has developed a “Be Elk Smart” program for the public that has four key points to remember.

1. Give them space. He said you should stay at least 100 yards from the elk.

2. Don’t feed them. He said feeding wild animals creates bad habits for the animals and the practice is actually illegal.

3. Don’t name the elk. He said naming wild animals degrades them as independent wild creatures.

4. Do your part. You have a responsibility to help keep the elk as wild animals. If you witness someone being disruptive or careless, you are asked to report the activity to the commission’s northcentral office at 570-398-4744.

“You have a responsibility to keep them wild,” Banfield said.

He said the agency wants the public to come see the elk, but in a safe and balanced manner.

Elk growth

Elk hunting is growing in Pennsylvania. More than 45,000 people apply for chances each year for the coveted elk tags. This year, a record number 187 elk licenses will be awarded for three seasons that run Sept. 11-25 for archery, Nov. 1-6 for the general season and Jan. 1-8 for the late hunting season. The deadline to apply online is July 31 and the cost is $11.97.

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The elk population is estimated at 1,400 to 1,500 animals and licenses are allocated by science in determining the carrying capacity for the area. He said if the massive animals would stay on public land, the area could have more elk. However the 500- to 800-pound animals create conflicts when they make their way to agricultural fields and also end up on highways.

He said because there are some elk that live close to the highways and are comfortable with humans, that some hunters believe elk hunts are not true hunts like in other states. He said the herds that are away from the public are truly wild animals and are a challenge to hunt.

"The entire population is often mislabeled because of the few that stay in the public viewing areas near the visitor center. The animals that are not habituated (to humans) are not seen,” he said about the wilder elk that live in a larger area of the region.

For more details about upcoming events, visit pgc.pa.gov or elkcountryvisitorcenter.com.

Brian Whipkey is the outdoor columnist for USA Today Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weeklyOutdoors Newsletter email on your website's homepage under your login name.