Elk season set to begin Monday
Coming off the heels of an unforgettable archery-only elk hunt when 21 of 26 bowhunters — and all 10 who hunted bulls — harvested elk, the 104 general season elk license holders, 26 for bulls and 78 for antlerless, are primed for one of the most exciting hunting adventures in the Keystone State. The general elk season begins Monday and ends Saturday, Nov. 7.
Elk licenses for the general season have been allocated in 12 Elk Hunt Zones, geographic elk-management units dispersed throughout the northcentral Pennsylvania elk range. Maps of the zones can be found on the elk page at www.pgc.pa.gov.
Many other hunting seasons, including archery deer and bear, and most small game and turkey seasons, occur simultaneous to the general elk season.
Hunters participating in the general elk season, in which firearms are permitted, must wear, at all times, 250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined, visible 360 degrees.
A successful hunter must attach the tag that comes with a license to the ear of an elk immediately after harvest and before the carcass is moved. In addition, within 24 hours, each hunter who harvests an elk must take it, along with his or her hunting license and elk license, to the Game Commission check station, where samples are collected to test for Chronic Wasting Disease, brucellosis and tuberculosis.
The elk check station remains open to the public, but spectators should follow the COVID-19 guidelines including social-distancing and the use of face-coverings. The check station is located at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of the season.
Following completion of the general elk season, one more opportunity exists for Pennsylvania elk hunters. Thirty-four hunters will participate in the antlerless elk-only late season that runs from Jan. 2 through Jan. 9, 2021.
Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans thanked all who participated in Pennsylvania’s annual elklicense drawing, and wished good luck to those hunters who were drawn for 2020-21 elk licenses.
“Pennsylvania’s worldclass elk provide hunters a one-of-a-kind — and often once-in-a-lifetime — opportunity to experience thrills like none other in Penn’s Woods, but it all starts with submitting an application before the July 31 deadline each year,” Burhans said.
“Those hunters who did so this year and were lucky enough to be drawn for a license all will have unforgettable hunts, and I wish them all success.”