HARRISBURG, PA - One of the most highly sought-after hunting opportunities in the country is the chance to pursue Pennsylvania elk, and the most popular of the state’s three elk seasons starts soon.
The general elk season opens Monday, Nov. 4 and runs six days through Saturday, Nov. 9.
While Pennsylvania now has three separate seasons for elk – a two-week archery season in September, the general season, and a late season that begins Dec. 28 – the general season is tops in participation.
This year, 68 of the 140 Pennsylvania elk licenses awarded by lottery are valid for the general season. Of those, 30 hunters will be hunting antlered elk, or bulls, and 38 will be hunting antlerless elk, or cows.
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 simultaneously with 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 from 360 degrees.
Successful hunters must properly tag elk harvests and bring them to the Game Commission’s check station, where the elk are weighed, and samples are collected for disease testing. To date, Chronic Wasting Disease has not been detected in Pennsylvania elk. The elk check station is located at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of the season.
“The check station is open to the public and is a great opportunity for everyone to get a firsthand look at wildlife conservation in Pennsylvania,” said Game Commission Elk Biologist Jeremy Banfield. “But to see, and share in, the hunters’ excitement is truly special. From the Game Commission’s perspective, we do everything we can to make the check station a seamless and enjoyable experience.”
A variety of vendors and educational displays and programs will also be available. The Elk Country Visitor Center will be open every day from 8 a.m. until the close of the check station and a presentation on the history of elk in the Commonwealth will run every 30 minutes in the theater.
Real-time harvest results can be viewed at www.pgcapps.pa.gov/Harvest/Elk.
Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith thanked all who participated in Pennsylvania’s annual elk-license drawing – this year nearly 56,000 people applied for the general season – and wished good luck to those hunters who were drawn for 2024-25 elk licenses.
“Pennsylvania’s world-class elk provide an incredible, one-of-a-kind – and often once-in-a-lifetime – opportunity like none other in Penn’s Woods,” Smith said. “It’s no wonder why hunters mark their calendars to be sure they submit their applications each year. For those who will be venturing forth this season to set their sights on a Pennsylvania elk, good luck. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau - 717-705-6541
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