The HuntingPA.com Outdoor Community banner

Elk hunting

3K views 30 replies 20 participants last post by  Stevo1 
#1 ·
I am doing a dry run to PA Elk zone 14.
First time up there.Can anyone shed some light on a good spot to hunt Elk .I will be coming from Pa so the closer the better.
 
#10 ·
i cant help you with advice on good areas to hunt but if by chance i get drawn, here is my plan.
Views posted below are strictly my opinion. Every one os free to do what they wish.
Now, I only put in for bull only every year. Archery, I select any open zone, rifle Ive been selecting zone 12 for a few years( no real specific reason why, if drawn you may not get the zone you select). Ive been using the "harvest maps" and plotting the bull kills on my onX. With this I plan to do a ton of online scouting, getting a game plan together to put bots on the ground with in person scouting. i know the harvest maps arent accurate but its a starting point. Using onX, Ill be able to see property lines and potentially get permission to private lands. I've been up there quite a few times now, and will probably make a lot more trips over the coming years. It may seem to be a lot of work for nothing but i will nlt be using a guide in the event of being drawn. I would like to give myself every chance to be succesful as diy. the way i look at it is that this is very much a onc in a life time draw, at the moment, i would love be able to say that i did it on my own. this year i have 8 rifle points, 7 bonus, 1 current. probably not going to get drawn but it is a lottery so you never know. when you make the trip just talk to people, most are very friendly and enjoy the discussion! dont be discouraged by the odds, someone has to draw the tags! the pgc website has a ton of info on thw elk, harvest data, density metrics, and much more that can help you be succesful!
 
#12 ·
i cant help you with advice on good areas to hunt but if by chance i get drawn, here is my plan.
Views posted below are strictly my opinion. Every one os free to do what they wish.
Now, I only put in for bull only every year. Archery, I select any open zone, rifle Ive been selecting zone 12 for a few years( no real specific reason why, if drawn you may not get the zone you select). Ive been using the "harvest maps" and plotting the bull kills on my onX. With this I plan to do a ton of online scouting, getting a game plan together to put bots on the ground with in person scouting. i know the harvest maps arent accurate but its a starting point. Using onX, Ill be able to see property lines and potentially get permission to private lands. I've been up there quite a few times now, and will probably make a lot more trips over the coming years. It may seem to be a lot of work for nothing but i will nlt be using a guide in the event of being drawn. I would like to give myself every chance to be succesful as diy. the way i look at it is that this is very much a onc in a life time draw, at the moment, i would love be able to say that i did it on my own. this year i have 8 rifle points, 7 bonus, 1 current. probably not going to get drawn but it is a lottery so you never know. when you make the trip just talk to people, most are very friendly and enjoy the discussion! dont be discouraged by the odds, someone has to draw the tags! the pgc website has a ton of info on thw elk, harvest data, density metrics, and much more that can help you be succesful!
Thanks for the positive note.This country is so fd up right now.Thinking about taking a giant bull just makes it all a little better. Good luck to you sir.And good luck to all that have been waiting so long.
 
#17 ·
I have put in every year and Now I put in for all three seasons. I don't have any preferences, but if I get drawn I have a friend, a retired WCO , who helps guide for an outfitter. I will go that route.

I Guess I better get out ther and start hiking up the sides of mountains :)
 
#27 · (Edited)
There are occasionally elk in open areas and even yards, but that is far from normal for the areas of the elk range where they haven't spent their entire life living in what has always been the no hunt zone/tourist area of the elk range.

Most of the Penna. elk are just as wild as elk anywhere else in the country. In fact when we were first trapping elk to move to expand the elk range they had a elk trapper come in from the state of Montana to show us how it was done. After the first week he declared that the Penna. elk were some of the wildest elk he had ever worked with.

When you get out of the tourist/no hunt zone you can track elk, even with telemetry that will tell you where the collared elk are at all times, for days without ever getting close enough to see them.

Dick Bodenhorn
 
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top