GAME COMMISSION OFFERS TIPS FOR ELK VIEWING SEASON
With Commonwealth's elk viewing season fast approaching, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe is offering some guidance on where to go, as well as encouraging those planning to travel to "elk country" to be respectful of local residents.
"With a little guidance anyone can easily see elk this September and October, especially between Labor Day and Halloween, because the mating season, or the 'rut,' is on," Roe said. "Also, as winter approaches, elk are consequently on the move. So, you don't need to be an expert in elk biology or be intimately familiar with the region's topography or roads to find them. Folks just need some help with where-to-go and what-to-do information when they get to this rugged, big country.
"If you do travel to Elk, Cameron, Clearfield and Clinton counties to view this majestic animal, we encourage you to be mindful of local residents and the property. Since elk viewing is better in some areas than others, it stands to reason that the largest numbers of wildlife watchers will be in those areas with the best viewing opportunities. However, wherever people congregate along narrow rural roads, the potential for problems increases, especially when motorists and wildlife viewers on the road's shoulder pay more attention to elk than oncoming traffic. Be safe. Be considerate. Be the one who knows he or she is doing everything right."
GAME COMMISSION RESCUES ELK TANGLED IN SWING
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Doty McDowell, on the morning of Aug. 20, had planned to tackle some routine administrative duties and check on bear traps he had set to address nuisance situations in the area. But, with a call he received at just after 7 a.m., he found that his plans were going to change in a big way, as he was called to rescue a bull elk that had become entangled in a swing on the old school grounds of Benezette, Elk County.
"When I arrived, the bull appeared to be extremely agitated, and was thrashing its head," WCO McDowell said. "The elk would run in an attempt to escape, but as it reached the end of the swing rope, the elk was picked up off its feet and swung back in the other direction.
"After hitting it with a tranquilizer dart, it took about 10 minutes for the drugs to take effect and the elk to calm down to the point we could approach it."
For more information on these two articles, please visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency website:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=11&Q=177082