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| A Rocky Mountain Bull Elk Photo Retrieved From:https://www.fws.gov/ |
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the eastern elk, one of six species native to North America, inhabited most of Pennsylvania. As immigrants pushed further inland, destroyed habitat, and exploited the elk for meat, antlers, and teeth, their numbers dwindled precipitously. By the late 1800's, elk in the state became a rarity even in its most rugged corners.
The distinction of slaying the last native elk continues to be a matter of debate. The first contender is John Decker, who killed a bull elk in 1877. Reportedly, the bull had been pushed south into Decker Valley by wildfires in northern counties. John Engle of Clinton County's Sugar Valley claimed that the elk he shot in Black Gap in 1878 was indeed the last of the eastern elk in the state, a straggler bull weighing "300lbs." It too had be pushed south by northern wildfires.
A common denominator for both claims is folklorist Henry Shoemaker, who publicized both accounts in his works about the state's folklore and history. Shoemaker, who never let facts get in the way of a good story, often added his own spins to these tales, however to what degree will never be known. Having both elk displaced by wildfires may be on of Shoemaker's "additions," as neither he nor the hunters would have known this fact at the time. Whoever the title may belong to, the eastern elk was extirpated in Pennsylvania by the late 1870's.
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| An illustration of eastern elk Image Retrieved From:https://en.wikipedia.org/ |
For over 40 years, elk in Pennsylvania were nothing more than a memory. Interestingly enough, an entirely opposite problem would see their return. Out west, Rocky Mountain elk, a separate species from the eastern elk, were overpopulating federal lands in Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole Refuge. Mass starvation loomed as food sources could no longer sustain the growing herd.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture was unwilling to permit hunting to check the balance of elk in these areas, but announced it was open to relocation as a solution. The Pennsylvania Game Commissioners along with Executive Secretary Dr. Joseph Kalbfus saw this as an opportunity to reintroduce elk to Pennsylvania.
In 1913, the plan was set in motion when 50 elk costing $30 a piece (Over $800 a piece in today's currency) were shipped by rail from Yellowstone National Park. Amazingly, all would survive the journey and were released in two groups of 25 onto state lands in Clearfield and Clinton counties. Once freed, the elk found themselves in an unfamiliar environment, with unfamiliar terrain, with unfamiliar food sources. It's a wonder that any survived this initial phase at all.
In 1913, the plan was set in motion when 50 elk costing $30 a piece (Over $800 a piece in today's currency) were shipped by rail from Yellowstone National Park. Amazingly, all would survive the journey and were released in two groups of 25 onto state lands in Clearfield and Clinton counties. Once freed, the elk found themselves in an unfamiliar environment, with unfamiliar terrain, with unfamiliar food sources. It's a wonder that any survived this initial phase at all.
A year before the reintroduction of elk began, the Pennsylvania Game Commission was in the process of creating a network of game preserves across the state. In the spring of 1913, the commission was searching for a location in Centre County to erect a new preserve, a decision influenced by the release of elk in Clinton and Clearfield counties.
By April, the commission had finalized a plan to establish a preserve near the village of Ingleby in what is now Bald Eagle State Forest. The preserve would encompass roughly 3,000 acres stretching from Ingleby to Cherry Run. Later that same year, 22 elk were purchased from a private reserve in Monroe County; 12 of which were released within that same county with the remaining 10 transported to the game preserve in Centre County.
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| Democratic Watchman April 25, 1913 Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive |
Game preserves of the era consisted of a single wire stretched around the perimeter. Cloth "No Hunting" signs hung from the wire every few yards. Hunting, carrying of firearms, or running dogs was prohibited within the preserve, but passing through or fishing within it was permitted. To ensure these rules were enforced, a watchman was hired to oversee each preserve and a cottage was built to house him. Mr. Harry J. Wingard would serve in this capacity for some time. Ironically, he would be arrested and fined in August 1929 for concealing a deer killed out of season.
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| A topo map showing the area that would have encompassed the preserve Imaged Retrieved From: https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/ |
The elk arrived at the Centre County preserve in May 1913. Two bulls (males) and eight cows (females) were first released into an enclosure to acclimate them before they were later released to roam the preserve freely. These ten elk would serve as the nucleus for the population as no additional elk would be released into the preserve.
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| The Democratic Watchman July 11,1913 Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive |
It didn't take long for the elk to be seen outside of the preserve. By October, an elk was spotted along Pine Creek in Haines Township. A comical incident involving the elk also transpired that same month. Jerry Snyder, a farmer of New Lancaster Valley, had an encounter with an elk after confronting three of them in his corn field. As the elk were happily munching away on his future harvest, Jerry decided to hurl a stone at a large bull. Not surprisingly, the bull did not take kindly to this and charged towards Jerry. With nowhere else to go, Jerry shimmied up a tree and was forced to take refuge there until later in the evening.
The coming deer season in November established that even though there was no open hunting season for elk, they were not safe from poachers and hunters who "mistook them for deer." Dayton Aikens "misidentified" a 700lbs. bull elk as a deer and killed it near Siglerville. His father informed the authorities and Dayton was brought to Bellefonte and made to pay a $200 fine ($5,000 in today's currency).
Unfortunately, punishment for killing elk suffered from poor execution. The first flaw was the fine itself. Half of the fine was given to the informant of the poacher, which was usually a family member who then returned the money to the poacher. Additionally, the money that could be made by selling the antlers, hide, or teeth outweighed the fine, allowing poachers to pay the fine and still make a profit. This was exemplified by a newspaper article on Dayton not long after.
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| Democratic Watchman November 28, 1913 Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive |
Below is a timeline of events that notes significant events and dispersion of the Centre County Preserve elk.
1913
- 3 of the elk had been killed by the end of the year
- On March 13, 1914, it was reported in the Democratic Watchman that 5 elk had be killed thus far. The rest had not been seen for some time.
- In April, farmer Emanuel Eisenhuth killed an elk feeding in his grain field in High Valley. His brother Barry informed the authorities. Emanuel pled guilty and paid the fine.
- In December, an elk was spotted outside of Boalsburg, 20 miles away as the crow flies from the preserve
- A cow elk was seen in Tusseyville (14 air miles from the preserve) in February. It appeared that the winter had taken a toll on the animal as it appeared famished. Locals began to fill a feeding trough with hay to nourish it. It continued to hang around the area for some time.
- September brought with it the death of the last original bull that had been released in 1913. It became clear that he had been succumbed to an act of cruelty. Wounds from a BB gun were observed in the elk's eyes and head. Game wardens estimated his weight at between 1,000-1,200lbs. It was hoped that he would be replaced by younger bulls born to the original cows that were reported in good numbers.
- An article in the Centre Reporter in April remarked that the last of the original elk placed in the preserve, an old cow, was found dead near the railroad tracks east of Coburn. Believing its death to be the result of poisoning, the game warden had the head and stomach shipped back to Harrisburg.
- Demonstrating how far elk can wander was a bull that had claimed the Isle of Que in Selinsgrove in March. It had previously been seen wandering in the Lewistown Narrows. Game wardens were planning to erect fencing to contain the animal so it could be relocated, but before this could be done, the animal swam a branch of the river and made it to shore on the Port Treverton side where it made its home in the woods outside of town. The distance between the Centre County Preserve and Port Treverton is over 30 miles as the crow flies.
- On January 24, state game wardens were ordered to kill a large bull on the preserve as it was reported to be aggressive. After tracking it for three days, the wardens found their query near Ingleby and opened fire. it reported took 16 shots to bring the 800lbs. brute down. This was believed to be the last bull roaming the area. 9-12 cows still remained, but without a bull, the elk could not propagate, and the remaining cows would be left to expire naturally.
- The first elk hunting season opened (Dec 1-15). Only bulls with at least 4 points on one antler could be lawfully harvested. No records of bulls being killed in Centre County could be found in newspapers. Overall, 23 bulls were taken statewide.
- In a list of game refuges and their contents drafted by the Pennsylvania legislature, elk are omitted from the contents of the Centre County reserve. Other reserves in Clinton, Clearfield and other counties still contain elk.
- Pennsylvania concludes its elk reintroduction. 177 elk have been released across 10 counties: Blair, Centre, Clinton, Cameron, Clearfield, Carbon, Elk, Forest, Monroe, and Potter.
- An article in the Democratic Watchman reported a vehicle speeding through Bellefonte in December with a four-point elk strapped down on it. It is unknown where the animal was killed, but it was reported that the caravan had come from the Penn's Valley region.
- What was most likely the last of the Centre County Preserve elk appeared in December. Mexican rancher Alvarado Ramirez was hunting with a group in New Lancaster Valley when he came upon a large bull at close range, with one source saying within 15 feet. Ramirez fired at the animal, but only wounded it. Not appreciating being shot, the elk then charged the hunter, forcing him to run behind a tree, which the enraged elk rammed. Upon the arrival of the rest of the hunting crew, the elk made its escape. Whether the elk was tracked down is unknown.
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| The Centre Reporter December 12, 1929 Retrieved from: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive |
After the 1929 encounter, no other mentions of the elk could be found. In less than 20 years, elk had once again disappeared from this portion of Centre County. Overall, the elk herd across the state was in drastic decline, a reality brought upon by a combination of human and biological influences.
Harvest records for the elk hunting seasons painted their dire situation: 12 bulls in 1929, 5 in 1930 and only 1 in 1931. With the conclusion of the 1931 season, the game commission prohibited the harvesting of elk. Of the 177 elk and their offspring, less than three dozen were said to be left by the mid-1930's. Those that remained clung to the rugged ridges and hollows of Potter, Cameron, and Elk counties. For the next forty years, the remaining elk were left to an uncertain future.
While the elk released at the Centre County Preserve only made up a small portion of the reintroduction, their saga provided an important lesson that would be utilized in the next chapter of elk management in Pennsylvania. In the 1970's a new interest in the Pennsylvania elk began to take root. Though left unmanaged for over thirty years, the elk population was slowly growing. To better manage the expanding herd, the Pennsylvania Game Commission established the Elk Management Area (EMA). Rather than having multiple disconnected preserves as it had attempted to utilize during the reintroduction of elk, the EMA would be a single contiguous zone that could be managed more efficiently.
As the elk population grew and expanded their range, the EMA was enlarged. Presently, the EMA encompasses over 3,700 square miles in Centre, Clinton, Clearfield, Cameron, Potter, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, and Lycoming counties, of which over 70% is public land in the form of state parks, forests, and game lands. Unlike the preserve method utilized in 1913, no major agricultural areas exist within the EMA. By improving habitat and monitoring the elk within the EMA, it is the intention for the vast majority to remain within it, allowing the herd to thrive within preferred habitat while limiting the potential for elk-human conflicts. Through these management practices the elk population continues to increase. Currently, the elk herd numbers roughly 1,300.
While the elk released at the Centre County Preserve only made up a small portion of the reintroduction, their saga provided an important lesson that would be utilized in the next chapter of elk management in Pennsylvania. In the 1970's a new interest in the Pennsylvania elk began to take root. Though left unmanaged for over thirty years, the elk population was slowly growing. To better manage the expanding herd, the Pennsylvania Game Commission established the Elk Management Area (EMA). Rather than having multiple disconnected preserves as it had attempted to utilize during the reintroduction of elk, the EMA would be a single contiguous zone that could be managed more efficiently.
As the elk population grew and expanded their range, the EMA was enlarged. Presently, the EMA encompasses over 3,700 square miles in Centre, Clinton, Clearfield, Cameron, Potter, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, and Lycoming counties, of which over 70% is public land in the form of state parks, forests, and game lands. Unlike the preserve method utilized in 1913, no major agricultural areas exist within the EMA. By improving habitat and monitoring the elk within the EMA, it is the intention for the vast majority to remain within it, allowing the herd to thrive within preferred habitat while limiting the potential for elk-human conflicts. Through these management practices the elk population continues to increase. Currently, the elk herd numbers roughly 1,300.
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| The Elk Management Area. 14 zones have been designated for hunting Image Retrieved From: Pennsylvania Game Commission |
After a seven-decade hiatus, elk hunting was permitted once again in November 2001. Tags to harvest an elk are subject to a lottery system and the number of tags issued varies depending on population and environmental factors. For the 2001 season, 30 tags were issued. Twenty years later in 2024, 140 tags were allotted. Fourteen elk hunting zones exist within the EMA.
Being so far outside of the EMA means that seeing an elk in southern Centre County is unlikely. The surrounding area remains largely agricultural and thus the same issues that plagued the 1913 reintroduction would once again occur. Nonetheless, the story of these elk is a colorful and influential chapter in the ongoing saga of elk in Pennsylvania.
Information Retrieved From:
To be added
Local in southern Centre county PA... the elk are back
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