Pennsylvania Game News - October 2010 - 4

was excited for those who got the opportunity. The chance of me actually doing the very thing I was trying to visualize for the illustration was highly unlikely. I dutifully submitted my interpretation of what happened that day and moved on to the next project. After all, I seldom ever meet or even know the people whose stories I illustrate, and I certainly would never expect to actually set foot on the very spot I tried to conjure up in my mind. Little did I realize that a year later my name, too, would be drawn for a bull elk tag in Unit 10, the same unit where Dennis got his trophy. All of a sudden, what I could only imagine just months before was about to enter the realm of reality. As near as I can remember, I had applied five of the previous nine years. Each time a person applies, he or she gets preference points. In essence, your name goes into the drawing the number of times you have applied. For 2009, more than 19,000 applications were submitted, with 48 states represented in the drawing. However, because of the preference points, there were actually nearly 74,000 “names” in the drawing for 20 bull tags and 39 cow tags. Obviously, one of the greatest hurdles to garnering a bull elk in Pennsylvania is to be fortunate enough to be drawn for a bull tag in the first place. Now, for me, it was on to the next big hurdle — making good on the tag. My quest for a Pennsylvania bull elk actually began the day I received word that I had been drawn; my next goal was to plan and execute a fruitful hunt. That meant more obstacles to overcome. The next question facing most
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elk hunters at this point is whether or not to hire a guide. This is an important consideration, because if you decide to go it alone, you must be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort to increase your chances of success. After all, elk hunting in Pennsylvania is probably a once-in-alifetime opportunity. Guides, on the other hand, generally do most of the work for the hunter. They do the scouting, gain access to private property, assist in finding the elk and removing it, and in some cases, they even provide housing and meals. Guides generally charge $1,000 or more, depending on what they provide. Having already taken a 6x6 bull in Montana several years ago while hunting on my own, I decided to attempt the same here in Pennsylvania. I became more comfortable with my decision when Dennis, the guy whose story I illustrated for Game News, contacted me when he heard of my good fortune in getting a bull tag. Dennis was more than willing to share information with me; which led me to the locals who eventually became a vital part of my scouting endeavor. At one point, Dennis even took me to the location where he shot his elk. The meadow or reclaimed strip mine that I had attempted to illustrate was actually much steeper than I had envisioned; the reality of its steepness became increasingly ingrained in my mind each time I climbed the grassy terrain over the next six weeks. My first order of business was to begin to learn the land, and this effort began with map studies and virtual “fly-overs” on the computer. Following the initial map studies, it was time to put boots on the ground. I began making trips to elk country on a weekly basis — sometimes twice a week. Although it was to be a “do it yourself ” hunt, I had every intention of gleaning as much information as possible from the locals and to take advantage of their ability to act as scouts.
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Pennsylvania Game News - October 2010

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