“Estimating for those that we don’t find, I would conservatively say between five and eight bulls will die from combat-related injuries annually.”īanfield stresses that anyone coming to Elk Country to see the elk, particularly during the rut, needs to follow a few guidelines to ensure safety for themselves and other people as well as the elk. Banfield notes that they usually find at least one fallen elk each year. “They are usually brief under most circumstances but can last several minutes before a clear victor is apparent.” With sharp hooves and antlers and a lot of pent-up aggression, the bulls can severely injure each other during these battles, and sometimes it even leads to death. “Fights can be spontaneous (at least from our human perspective) and intense,” Banfield says. When one bull approaches to challenge another, the two size each other up, and although they often avoid direct contact, tensions can escalate quickly. In Pennsylvania, cows outnumber bulls by approximately three to one. “As the days begin to shorten in the fall, increases in testosterone induce the breeding behaviors.”Įlk cows and calves tend to stay grouped together throughout the year, but during the rut, bulls join into the mix and aggressively guard herds they have claimed as theirs. “The physiology behind the rut is changing hormone levels (mainly testosterone), which is triggered by photo-period or day length,” says Jeremy Banfield, Pennsylvania Game Commission elk management wildlife biologist. Photo by David Schmude.Ī number of complex biological and social factors come together to cause the rut each autumn. To get a taste of what you can find in person, check out the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s live elk cam, which will offer a live feed from Elk Country for the next several weeks.ĭuring the rut, elk cows and calves gather in harems, and bulls fight for dominance of these groups. You might hear bulls bugling, pawing the ground, or crashing their antlers together in the midst of battle. If you don’t see anything right away, just listen for a few minutes. As you explore Elk Country, watch for a herd of cows being guarded by a dominant bull. ![]() It’s a thrilling phenomenon to see and hear, and it’s not one you’ll forget anytime soon.Įlk are generally most active around dawn and dusk as they move from feeding in the open fields to sheltered woodlands, but they spend a lot more time out in the open fields during the rut. However, during the mid-September to mid-October “rut,” or mating period, you can hear bulls (male elk) bugling as they call for cows (female elk) and claim their territories, and you can watch as the bulls engage in violent clashes in their attempt to take over each other’s “harems,” or groups of cows gathered for mating. Any time of year, you can take a drive through and around Benezette to catch sight of them. ![]() These powerful animals can measure nine feet tall from hoof to the tip of their antlers and weigh more 800 pounds, and Pennsylvania’s Elk Country is home to about 1,000 wild elk that roam freely through the mountains and valleys of Elk and Cameron Counties. Photo by Tina Blackwell.Īutumn signals the annual mating season for Pennsylvania’s wild elk, and it’s one of the most exciting times of the year to see these magnificent creatures in person. I could not believe that this fascinating place is right here in PA and this was the first time we visited.A bull elk bugles for mates. In the future, we hope to visit this area each fall. The day we visited, we did not see any elk from the visitor center however, as we left the grounds, we came upon a large herd. There are a few hiking trails around the grounds with observation areas too. We highly enjoyed the 3D/4D Story Theater, items sold that were all made in the USA, the educational aspects plus the floor to ceiling glass which enable you to view the elk if they are nearby. ![]() The newer Elk Country Visitor Center is a wonderful creation and definitely worth visiting. We also stopped at a little country store in Medix Run. We stopped several times to take pictures of the beautiful area. 555 and next to the water was very scenic with many fall colored leaves still on the trees. It appears that if you have an apple tree in your yard, the elk will come. ![]() We saw several elk right along the road, in people's yards. We went to Benezette on a sunny, cool fall day in October.
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