For 15 years, I had been putting in for a chance at drawing a Pennsylvania elk tag. I finally received a phone call that I’ll always remember. I had been drawn for a Pennsylvania elk tag! I was out with my dad and brother-in-law, Ben, clearing trails and setting trail cameras on our family property. We were all excited at the chance at one of Pennsylvania’s big bull elk. I missed the call, but we probably listened to the voicemail 10 times while sitting in the woods that day.
I decided to hunt with Trophy Rack Lodge, and after meeting with them, I knew I was in good hands. My guide, Todd, had plenty of knowledge of the area in zone 8 where I would be hunting. He had been seeing one huge 7x6 bull that was staying right near the border of my zone.
Sunday evening, the day before the hunt, we scouted my zone and the big bull was nowhere to be found! All we could do was hope he didn’t move out at the last minute. After a sleepless night, we set out Monday morning to zone 8 where we spotted a small bull that my target bull had been seen with, but he wasn’t there. We continued on down the ridge through the woods to a lower field, and there he was! My .300 Weatherby dropped him in his tracks. The bull’s estimated live weight was 870 pounds and had an official non-typical Boone and Crockett score of 390 4/8". His gross score was 402 0/8".
What made this elk hunt so special was that being so close to home, some of my family and a couple friends could make the trip. Once we had the bull down, I was able to call my wife, Brittnee, who brought along our daughter, Shaylyn, who was just 4 months old at the time, to come down to the field we were in. They were waiting not too far from where we were hunting that day along with my mom. They could even hear the shot. It was so special to me to have family there, which is why it was so meaningful for me to receive an elk tag in my home state. I was able to have my dad, mom, brother-in-law, Ben, sister, and good friend, Dakota, along with my wife and daughter there. Being able to hunt monster Pennsylvania elk was such an incredible experience, but looking back, having my family and friends along meant so much more to me and that is something I will always remember. I was able to have my friend Justin, who works with Dakota and me at our non-profit group, Band of Heroes Outdoors, work on some video footage of the hunt for me.
I know tags are hard to come by in Pennsylvania. I can tell you that if you do draw a tag, it’s well worth the wait. Elk in Pennsylvania have become truly world-class animals, and with the hard work from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other groups, elk will continue to flourish, and I can’t thank them enough!
I took my elk to Shane Corle at Corle Wildlife Taxidermy to have it mounted and can’t wait to get it back. He does incredible work. All I have to do is find a place to put it that it will fit.
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