Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021 - 35

with limited scouting time - maybe just
weekends - look for grasslands online
using mapping tools like Google Earth,
then follow up by exploring such potential
hotspots in person.
" It's one thing to look at a place on a
map or on an aerial photo. It's something
else to be on the ground. And you really
want to mix those two things as best as
possible, " Banfield said.
When hunters do physically get to the
elk range, it's best to scout early and late
in the day. Banfield said elk, like deer, are
crepuscular, meaning most active in the
first two hours after dawn and the last two
hours before sunset. Those times offer the
best chance of spotting animals.
BULLS OR COWS?
Visually confirming what kinds of elk
are present where you'll hunt is important
since they tend to break into exclusive
groups of just cows or just bulls.
" There are areas that are traditionally
occupied by bulls and there are areas that
are traditionally occupied by cows, " Banfield
said. " Now, there's obviously overlap
between those. But there are places that I
could point you to and nine of the 10 elk
you see there are going to be bulls and
vice versa.
" Why? They have roughly the same
nutritional requirements, " he continued.
" The difference, I guess, is that bulls are
in those three- to 10- or maybe 12-animal
bachelor groups and cows are in 20- to
50-animal groups. It's likely related to
group size and that changes how they
move about the landscape and distribute
themselves to resources. "
Banfield also recommends hunters
explore out-of-the-way places. State
Game Lands 14 in Elk Hunt Zone 3, for
example, offers some wonderful elkOCTOBER
2021
RESEARCH ROLE
Every elk hunt that ends with an
animal harvested sets in motion a partnership
between the Game Commission
and the successful hunter.
Its goal: provide scientific information
about Pennsylvania elk while allowing
hunters to take care of their trophies.
Before the season starts, the Game
Commission mails a letter to every
hunter who draws an elk license, outlining
the role they play in elk research. It
says, among other things, that hunters
who kill an elk are to collect a blood
sample from that animal - using a provided
vial - for disease and pregnancy
testing.
All general-season and late-season
elk hunters are required to take their
elk's head to the check station. Archery
harvests are checked in the field. Teeth
and brain stem tissue are removed, for
aging and Chronic Wasting Disease testing,
respectively.
But hunters have some flexibility
along the way.
There's no legal requirement saying
hunters must bring their entire elk to the
check station, for example.
" You can cut it up and carry it out
in pieces and that's totally acceptable.
That's what I'd do actually, is quarter it
and carry it out that way, " said Jeremy
Banfield.
Likewise, hunters planning to get
their elk mounted can take the head
to a taxidermist after visiting the check
station. The taxidermist can cape the
animal and remove the antlers, then
mail the remainder of the head, which
includes the CWD sample, back in a
provided, prepaid cooler.
Those are all things to consider going
into the season.
" It's great to know where the elk are
and have things play out where you get
one, " Banfield said. " But once you get
one down it's a big job. They're a big
animal. So have a plan to get one out
and think about what you want to do
with it afterward, " he said.
- BOB FRYE
35
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021

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