Introduction
Wild elk have been in Northwestern Pennsylvania for centuries, but their population has been shrinking for years. In 1913, elk were reintroduced into Pennsylvania and their population is now thriving. Even though they are not native to PA, there are over 200 elk living here today!
The reintroduction was a success: today you can find wild elk throughout the entire state’s elk range. There is no natural predator for them, so their only threat is human hunters who want to shoot them for sport or food.
They were reintroduced in 1913
Elk reintroduction began with the importation of 15 animals from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. These elk were captured, tagged and then released on Elk State Forest near Williamsport, PA. The animals were transported by rail via train car to their new home where they began their journey into Pennsylvania’s history.
Elk have few predators and there are now over 200 in the elk population in PA
Elk have few predators in PA, and the state’s elk population is thriving. Elk are now common in many states and can be found in 35 states and 4 Canadian provinces.
Since then they’ve grown to be the largest free-roaming population east of the Mississippi river, with roughly 200 individuals roaming Pennsylvania today.
They have sharp antlers that they use to fight each other for mates
While elk are generally peaceful animals, they can become aggressive when it comes to mating. Elk have sharp antlers that they use to fight each other for mates. Since these fights can be dangerous, the elk must be careful not to hurt each other too much. Sometimes the elk break their antlers in the process of fighting with others for a mate.
Elk also may become aggressive with each other when there is not enough food available or if an area has too many animals in it and there isn’t enough room for everyone’s needs (such as food). They will then try to push other animals out of their way so that they can get what they need before anyone else.
Viewing the Wild Elk in Northwester Pennsylvania
There are elk viewing areas in North Western Pennsylvania. One of the most popular spots is 
in Benzette. Here you can visit the Elk Visitors center and then go outside to viewing areas areas to catch a glimpse of these wild elk. We went before sunrise to Winslow viewing area and were fortunate to see several elk roaming around. It was a very foggy morning and when we walked back the dirt road a bit, we unintentionally camp upon 2 elk. It was a majestic site, but we probably too close so we remained still and quiet and fortunately the elk didn’t charge us.
You can check out the elk on our Youtube Chanel here:
