Outdoors: Elk population is thriving in Pennsylvania

July 06, 2008 08:42 am

— 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.
"There has been extensive habitat management and improvement projects that have been directed towards the benefit of elk," Ross said.
Shannon added, "This massive habitat improvement effort has definitely helped to reduce the elk conflicts on private land."
Shannon supervises three Food and Cover crews that work in the elk range, an daunting task because of the large quantity of land.
"We began in 2001 to create new acres of herbaceous openings for elk. This was possible in part because the PGC established a brand new Food & Cover crew located in the Quehanna area to help with this habitat work," Shannon said. "The importance of this new crew cannot be overstated. We could not have the expansive elk management effort that we now have if the agency had not established the new crew."
Plantings that entice elk to herbaceous openings vary with the seasons. In summer it's clover and trefoil, and in early spring and late fall it's orchard grass, timothy and wheat.
"Clover provides the highest protein forage, so we favor it for management," Shannon said.
However, creating habitat is more than merely planting legumes. Generally, the soil has a pH (acidity) factor of 4.4 or less.
"This requires that we apply additional lime and fertilizer to keep the forage available," Shannon said.
After the planting is done, there is maintenance. This involves top-dressing, reseeding and mowing the plots once a year.
"This year, we are not planning to establish any new food plots in my area. It will be the first time in my 11 years as land manager that we are not creating at least one new food plot. One reason is a lack of manpower, and another reason is a lack of reliable funding."
With the current rise in fertilizer and fuel costs, Shannon needs to plan ahead with caution.
One bit of good news is that she has received additional funding from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, to the tune of $25,000 in 2008.
"This helps tremendously with our habitat program. We could not continue to maintain the plots that we already have without their help," Shannon said
State Game Land 34 is just one area that is reaping the benefits of elk habitat enhancement, leading to more elk sightings.
"Elk are now common here, something that was not true only five years ago. I would have considered them occasional visitors then, and rare visitors only 10 years ago," Shannon said.
While the emphasis is on elk habitat, "There are many other species of wildlife benefitting from this program," Shannon said. "For every elk that ever sets foot on a food plot, there are many, many more deer, turkeys, grouse, bear, songbirds, small mammals, furbearers, and others utilizing these areas.
"This program has provided a tremendous improvement to wildlife habitat in northcentral Pennsylvania. I was particularly impressed this year with the variety and quantity of wildlife I was seeing during the calf-collaring effort. It makes me feel good to see the positive results of our hard work."
n Connie Mertz is a hunter and nature enthusiast from Danville. Contact her at owcam@verizon.net

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