Pennsylvania Game News - August 2017 - 38

"While this elk should not have
died as it did, through RMEF's
generosity, this animal has not
entirely gone to waste because
many people will be able to see
it and appreciate it."

Bryan Burhans

Game Commission Executive Director
display, said the organization's vice
president Susan Williams.
"We completely remodeled a room
to house it, and we have a number
of artifacts of historic importance on
display alongside it," Williams said.
The 10- by 9-point bull was mounted
courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation, which last year included
the mount in its traveling Great Elk
Tour display, which made 24 stops in 20
states. In Pennsylvania, the tour stopped
at the Great American Outdoor Show
in Harrisburg in February 2016, and in
Benezette, Elk County, at the height of
the September bugling season.
Mark Holyoak, Director of
Communication for the Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation, said the impressive
mount provided a unique teaching
opportunity.
"Because this bull was taken through
poaching, it allowed us to talk about the
importance of legal and ethical hunting,
and the very important role it plays
in conservation," Holyoak said. "And
because this mount was displayed in so
many states across the country, it opened
a lot of people's eyes to the exceptional
quality of Pennsylvania's elk."
Two other bull elk were killed
alongside the "Historic Pennsylvania
3 8

Poaching Bull" in a single night of
poaching by three men in September
2014. Wildlife Conservation Officer
Mark Gritzer had been staking out the
area where the giant 10- by 9-point bull
had been hanging out and was quick to
intercept the poachers after the shot rang
out. The three men each pleaded guilty
to their charges, and their sentences
included time in jail and fines totaling
almost $39,000.
Game Commission Executive
Director Bryan Burhans said, while it's a
shame to lose such an impressive animal
to a senseless act, the agency can take
pride in the law-enforcement initiative
that brought the poachers to justice.
"Our officers often work through
the night and into the next morning in
order to catch game-law violators in
the act, and this case demonstrates that
dedication to the job and to wildlife,
and also shows the resolve of our justice
system to take these cases seriously,"
Burhans said.
An avid outdoorsman, Shaw praised
WCO Gritzer for his efforts in the
late-night stakeout that led to the three
arrests.
"WCO Gritzer and the Game
Commission can be applauded for a job
well done, and I'm hopeful the severe
sentences and heavy fines handed down
for the senseless killing of wildlife will
serve as a strong deterrent to would-be
poachers," Shaw said.
Burhans also thanked the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation for paying
to have the trophy bull mounted, and
donating it for permanent display.
"While this elk should not have died
as it did, through RMEF's generosity,
this animal has not entirely gone to waste
because many people will be able to see
it and appreciate it."
Pennsylvania Game News - August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2017
