Pennsylvania Game News - July 2024 - 8

from tornado-damaged forest to prime
elk habitat, all on state forest land.
" It's a unique project for many reasons,
but especially because of the fact
that we're using Game Commission elk
license dollars to turn degraded forest
into healthy grassland, which is great elk
habitat, " Bearer said.
Such work can pay dividends.
State Game Lands 100 in Centre and
Clearfi eld counties is a great example of
how elk respond to suitable landscapes.
Located, too, on the eastern side of the
elk management area, it's an emerging
elk hotspot, with more and more animals
using it over the last fi ve to 10 years,
Banfi eld said.
Expect good things for elk on Game
Lands 293 in Elk County, too.
" We have a 140-acre tree cutting and
autumn olive mowing project there, "
Mock said. " Working with our forestry
staff we are taking a degraded stand,
clearing trees and stumps and converting
it into a herbaceous opening. "
In all cases and all places, across the
entirety of the elk management area,
hunters will be most successful in fi nding
elk if they focus on just that kind of
habitat fi rst and foremost, Banfi eld said.
" If herbaceous habitat is available, that
is what elk will prefer, " he said. " Now,
for the late season, snow of enough depth
can cover it up and hide it and make it
harder to get at. Elk will dig to a degree,
but then they'll shift over to more of a
browse-based diet. So during winter
especially, if we have a lot of snow for
that late season, timber cuts, anywhere
they've done a timber harvest that has regenerating
browse, where potentially the
tops of the trees were dropped and left
to create browse, that's where they tend
to focus.
" But still, if I had to pick one thing to
draw elk, throughout all the hunting sea8
sons,
I would look for that herbaceous
cover. "
As for where in the elk management
area to seek bulls and cows - hunters of
course apply by hunt zone - there are
some similarities between them. All hold
their share of big bulls, for starters.
" I know everywhere hates that answer, "
Banfi eld said. " But there are big
bulls in every single zone if you can fi nd
them and get access to them. "
But there are plenty of diff erence between
hunt zones, too. Elk hunt zones
2, 6 and 8 are " probably on the gentler
side, " Banfi eld said. So if you're a hunter
with limited mobility or just not in the
shape to walk miles upon miles day after
day, they might be good options, he said.
On the other hand, elk hunt zones 3, 4
and 14 are " probably on the gnarly side. "
Zone 3, for example, is big, with lots
of public land. But covering it means
mostly walking; opportunities to drive
around seeking elk are far more limited
than in some other places.
" But that eliminates a lot of your competition, "
Banfi eld added.
To learn more about all that, check out
page 57 of the 2024-25 hunting digest. It
breaks down each elk hunt zone, off ering
descriptions of the habitat and terrain
hunters can expect to encounter.
But do apply for a license. It's true,
the chance you'll get a tag are slim, given
their scarcity relative to the number
of people seeking them. But those who
do get a license make magical memories
every year, year after year.
" We've got a lot of people interested
in a limited resource, so the odds of getting
drawn are always going to be long, "
Banfi eld said. " Still, we wind up with
lots of very happy hunters every year.
" I don't want to call any of this routine.
But we've got a pretty good system
going. "
Jacob Dingel
Pennsylvania Game News - July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - July 2024
