Pennsylvania can be proud of its elk.

According to the current Elk Management Plan, over 60,000 tourists flock to the Pennsylvania wilds every year to view them. At every nook and cranny, picturesque mountains rise above the winding and scenic roadways, and in these expansive forests some 700--750 elk reside.

"Elk and Cameron counties are the most populated, followed by Clearfield and Clinton," said Colleen Shannon, Pennsylvania Game Commission Land Management Group Supervisor. "Centre and Potter counties are included in the elk range, but they do not sustain steady subpopulations of elk to my knowledge. Most of the elk are on public land -- Elk, Moshannon and Sproul state forests."

But state forests are not the only locations where elk can be found.

"Elk can be found occasionally in Sinnemahoning State Park, Parker Dam State Park and Kettle Creek State Park," she added. "Elk are also located on state game lands 14, 34, 94, 311 and 32."

Anthony Ross, regional biologist in the Northcentral region, also cites another location.

"Winslow Hill probably has the highest concentration of elk. In the past, people were feeding elk, especially in the winter, and that has kept the elk within that general area," Ross said. "Also, improvements to strip mine sites have increased the amount of grazing material for elk."

Though the elk herd has increased in population over the last decade or so -- enough to allow limited hunting -- this did not happen without human intervention.

Shannon emphasizes, "I am quite convinced that few people understand the effort that the Game Commission puts into habitat enhancement in the elk range. We have done a tremendous amount of habitat improvement and enhancement in the last 15 years in order to provide more foraging opportunities for elk. We currently have about 2,200 acres of herbaceous openings we are managing in the elk range. My land management group is responsible for 1,800-plus acres of this total."

About half of the 2,200 acres is on state game lands.

"We added substantial new acres of food plots on game lands during the habitat initiative. Also, there is a massive mining reclamation project on SGL 311 that provides new forage areas for elk on a weekly basis. We never rest when it comes to enhancing habitat on state game lands," Shannon said.

In 1996, an elk plan was drafted.

"The Elk Management Plan provides direction for the elk program. It establishes an Elk Management Area and it addresses research that needs to be done to give us a better understanding of the biological preferences for elk in Pennsylvania, and it establishes a time frame to accomplish these activities," explained Ross.

Why do elk congregate in this remote portion of the state?

Simply answered, it's the habitat conducive to what elk need: a wide expanse of forests and grazing areas which, because of the Elk Management Plan, are now leading elk away from farmlands.