Pennsylvania is home to the largest wild elk herd in the northeastern United States. As many as 1,400 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles in the northcentral region of the state, mostly within Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield, and Centre counties.
Pennsylvania is consistently producing some of the biggest bulls in the lower 48 each year. If you are an elk hunter who is wanting to apply for a state that is known for its quality, then you will want to start applying in Pennsylvania.
The 2025 elk application period is February 1-July 13, 2025. The annual drawing will take place Saturday July 26, 2025 during the Elk Expo. Successful applicants who provide a phone number or email will be notified promptly by those methods, while others will receive notification by postal mail.
To apply for the 2025 elk drawing, go to huntfish.pa.gov. Pennsylvania accepts online applications for the elk drawing, or you can apply at any of the point-of-sale locations through the PALS system. Pennsylvania does not accept party applications for elk. For most of the seasons, there are four options when an applicant applies:
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Non-residents and residents have equal opportunity in drawing elk licenses. There is no non-resident quota. Non-residents are eligible to apply for all available elk lottery hunts, which include rifle, archery, and antlerless. Hunters who are successful at drawing a bull elk license will not be eligible to apply for five years for any elk license. Elk licenses are awarded by a lottery system, and hunters must apply separately for all seasons they wish to be eligible to hunt. Each application costs $11.97, meaning a hunter can enter all three drawings for $35.91. Individuals can be drawn for a maximum of one elk license tag each year. Hunters may choose up to five elk hunt zones and may select the fallback option. To check the status of an elk license application, go to huntfish.pa.gov. Log in to your account and scroll to the bottom left-hand corner under Applications and click where your bonus points awarded to date will be displayed. If you would like to check your application for the current year, click “Submit Applications.”
The $11.97 application fee for each elk application is non-refundable. You may use Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s Club, or eCheck to apply for an elk license.
Except during the archery season, elk hunters and those accompanying them must wear at least 250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange, including 100 square inches on the head, chest, and back combined. During the archery elk season and archery deer season, a minimum of 100 square inches of fluorescent orange material must be displayed within 15 feet of the blind or stand and be visible 360 degrees. This is in addition to wearing 250 square inches on your body.
Hunters need to be at least 12 years of age to apply for elk.
It is unlawful to hunt in or around any area where artificial or natural bait has been used within the past 30 days.
One bonus point is earned for each unsuccessful application, but points are exclusive to each season. Any existing bonus points for the general season will not be applied to the archery or late seasons. For example, if you have previously earned 5 bonus points for the general season and this year you apply for the archery season and the general season, any existing bonus points are only included in your general season application. If you are unsuccessful in your drawing, you would be awarded 1 bonus point for the archery season and one bonus point for the general season, meaning you would have 1 archery point and 6 general points. Those points would then be included with the following year’s application but only for the season in which they were earned.
Bonus points serve as a multiplier, and your name is entered in the drawing for as many bonus points as you have, effectively increasing the probability of drawing a license. Bonus points reset to 0 if you are drawn for a specific season; however, any points for alternate seasons remain unchanged.
Simple draw odds are no longer available from Pennsylvania. Hunters must select at least one management zone they prefer to hunt. Up to five choices can be selected on the application. Selecting a fallback option can greatly increase the chance of being drawn. Fallback options allow the applicant to be awarded any remaining licenses available outside of their preferred hunt zone choices.
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Pennsylvania does not have any youth- only elk licenses available. Youths may apply for elk after turning 12 years old.
You may use manually operated centerfire rifles and handguns of at least .26 caliber that propel single-projectile ammunition 120 grains or larger and manually operated or semiautomatic centerfire shotguns at least 12-gauge firing a single projectile. Muzzleloaders must have at least .50 caliber propelling a single projectile weighing at least 210 grains. Arrowheads must have a minimum draw weight of 45 pounds. For archery, the broadhead must be a fixed or mechanical broadhead with a cutting edge at least 7/8 of an inch and a minimum weight of 100 grains. Possession of any broadhead hunting implements is prohibited while hunting elk during firearms seasons. It is unlawful to use a firearm and a bow or to carry a concealed firearm. Crossbows must have a minimum break draw weight of 125 pounds.
Pennsylvania usually offers two special elk raffle licenses. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) auctions off one elk tag and the Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA) raffles off one elk license during a auction held in person held in April. This year, it took place on April 3rd and went for $276,000. Winners will be drawn on July 27th during the Elk Expo. Individuals may purchase 1-5 raffle tags for $25 or $100 for the largest season, beginning July 1st instead of September 1st and ending November 5th, for more than 65 hunting zones. Contact information: 717-787-4250. There are no landowner tags available in Pennsylvania.
If you are successful in drawing an elk license, you may choose not to purchase it. The application fees are non-refundable.
A successful hunter must tag the animal immediately after harvest and mark the kill site before dressing the meat. The tag must be attached to the main beam of the antler until the animal is processed for consumption or prepared for mounting. When a hunter is not actively hunting elk and is not in camp, elk tag or their general Pennsylvania license and kill license must be on file with the Game Commission check station. The Elk Check Station is located at the Elk Country Visitor Center, 134 Homestead Drive, Benezette, PA 15821. GPS Coordinates are 41.3233 N and 78.3644 W. Cell coverage on the elk range is sparse.
Pennsylvania has the GoHuntPA Toolkit App, which features maps, tracking tools, weather forecasts, social media integration, and more. You can download it from the App Store. The best place to view the elk hunt zones in detail is through the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s online mapping center at http://pagame.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer.
Hunters have successfully harvested elk in every hunt zone. Carefully examine each zone, considering road access and the amount of available public and private land.
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