Brian Whipkey| Pennsylvania Outdoors Columnist
Hunters will know several weeks earlier than in past years if their name is chosen for a coveted elk license in central Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will award 144 elk tags during the 23rd annual Elk Expo July 29-30 at the Keystone Elk Country Alliance Visitor Center in Benezette.
In past years the event was held the third weekend of August, only weeks before the archery season begins in mid-September.
“It gives the archery hunters more time to look for lodging, scouting and things of that nature,” said Morgan Lovenduski, KECA’s director of marketing and communications.
“It’s an outdoors expo for not only men but women and children as well,” she explained about the more than 120 vendors registered to be there. Free activities for children include paracord bracelet building, an archaeological dig for bones, archery and face painting. There are jewelry, fishing and food vendors for the adults, too.
The Game Commission will have demonstrations about elk, black bears, martens and how they use dogs for their investigations.
There’s also a deep sea fishing digital experience that people can try. “What you’re seeing on the TV, you’re reeling it in,” Lovenduski said.“It’s a good time.”
An in-progress education building will be open for some seminars. “It will be up and running as much as we possibly can," she said.
Brandi Hanes, administrative director for the visitor center, said, “Our needs have grown and have warranted now having this new building. Our debut, if you will, we’re calling a very soft opening, will be this expo.” The nearly 3,000 square-foot building willbe used for school groups and tours and the private sector can rent the space for events.
Pennsylvania elk licenses
The Game Commission’s elk license winners will be chosen July 29 at 3 p.m.
For 2023-24, 65 antlered and 79 antlerless have been allocated across threeelkseasons in different zones of the elk range in northcentral Pennsylvania.The deadline for applications was Sunday.
For the one-week general season Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 30 antlered and 42 antlerless tags have been allocated. In the archery season to run Sept. 16-30, 18 antlered and eight antlerless licenses are available. There are 17 antlered and 29 antlerless licenses available for the Dec. 30-Jan. 6 season.
Jeremy Banfield, elk biologist for the Game Commission, said the number of elk tags each year is based on managing the number of free-ranging elk and the number, frequency and intensity of elk conflicts with humans. For example, he said, “Areas where they have a lot of agriculture, we tend to put more tags there.”
“The goal has always been to allow slow growth, stable or a slightly increasing line if you draw it across the population,” Banfield said.
The agency received 104,250 applications in 2022 for a lottery of 178 elk tags.
KECA Elk Tag raffle
The Game Commission has awarded one bull elk tag for each of the past 10 years for the center to use a fundraiser.
Hunters can purchase chances through Friday at 8 p.m. at experienceelkcountry.com, as well as at the visitor center including during the expo. Chances are one for $25 or six for $100.
“We wanted to make it affordable for everybody to have a chance at this hunt of a lifetime,” Hanes said about having a raffle instead of an auction.
The prize includes butchering of the animal from The Country Butcher, a shoulder mount of the elk by Cessna’s Taxidermy and full guide service and lodging through Trophy Rack Lodge.
The raffle generated more than $400,000 in 2022, a record. “Each year it goes anywhere between $125,000 up to typically landing in the $250,000 range,” Hanes said. “Last year was just phenomenal. It kind of blew us all away. It’s nice, the people not only enjoy it, they know where the dollars are going and that’s important as well.”
The winner will be selected July 30 at 3 p.m.
The expo is open to the public from9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 29 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 30. With 14,000 to 19,000 people visiting each year’s expo, most of the parking is held off-site. The cost is $5 per carload of people to offset the cost of busing.
Why visit Elk Country?
“It’s the greatest place on earth to disconnect to reconnect with what’s important,” Hanes said about the roughly 1,400 wild elk that roam northcentral Pennsylvania. “People love coming here and getting away from that crazy busy life."
The visitor center attracts about 280,000 to 300,000 people a year. The busiest time is mid-August to mid-November, when the bull elk have their full antlers. The fall months also include the active rutting season when visitors seek more elk in front a backdrop of vibrant autumn leaves.
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The center is open year-round. Activities take place each weekend including the winter, when events have included sled riding and cross-country skiing.
Early summer is unique. “The calving season is phenomenal. If you haven’t ever watched calves bickering with their siblings, how they back kick each other, how they run around, that is special. It really is,” Hanes said.
Horse-and-wagon rides are available during peak viewing times in mid-August into October.“It’s probably the best photographic opportunity you will get. We have stopped the wagon many times from bull elk are fighting on our pathway and watched them,” Hanes said. “We have some of the best sunsets that time of the year. It’s doesn’t get old.”
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Be Elk Smart
Banfield reminds those who want to view the herd that elk are large, wild animals.
The agency has developed a four-part Be Elk Smart program:
- Give them space. Stay at least 100 yards from the elk.
- Don’t feed them. Feeding wild animals creates bad habits for the animals and is illegal.
- Don’t name the elk. Banfield said naming wild animals degrades them as independent wild creatures.
- Do your part. You have a responsibility to help keep the elk wild. If you witness someone being disruptive or careless, you are asked to report the activity to the commission’s office at 833-PGC-HUNT or 833-PGC-WILD.
Visit elkexpo.com and experienceelkcountry.com for additional details about the expo and its schedule of events.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go OutdoorsPA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name.Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors,Twitter @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
