The Elk of Benezette Pennsylvania... Sept 22, 2014
Today was yet again another fantastic day. Cloudy most of the day but no rain. Chilly morning in the low 40's in the high country of pennsylvania.
Cleaned the motorhome and finished all laundry, loaded potable water onboard and then struck out to find some Elk. And I did !!!
~ Link to Photos ~
I visited several areas and the best was in Benezette, PA. They were all over the place. in the roadway, in fields, under apple trees, on peoples lawns. The fall is the rut for these huge animals and they did not let onlookers down. They were strutting and bugling, bulls chasing cows and bulls confronting each other when one gets to close to anothers' harem. Lots of movement in the area today. Got some news today that my journey will be cut short because the house I am leasing in Florida will be ready and available Nov 1st.That's 60 days early. I still have a month of traveling ahead of me so I'm thrilled. I've been out just 8 days so far and wow!! Tomorrow is another travel day-In the mid 1860s, Pennsylvania's last few native elk were still roaming in Elk and Cameron counties. Within a few years, though, they would be gone.
In 1913, Pennsylvania's first shipment of Yellowstone elk arrived by train. The 50 elk cost about $30 each.
-To ensure the preservation of elk being released, the General Assembly in 1913 enacted a law protecting them until November 15, 1921, when a two-week elk season would be held.
-As of January 2017, there are about 1,000 elk in Pennsylvania.
-In Pennsylvania wild cow elk live an average of 10 years, while bulls live an average of 8 years. The oldest known cow in Pennsylvania was 32, and the oldest bull was 15. Captive elk live longer than wild elk. -Bears and coyotes will prey on elk calves, but cow elk have a strong maternal instinct to protect their calves and predation accounts for less than 1 percent of elk calf mortality.
-People are the only predator of adult elk in Pennsylvania.
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