More than 82 percent of the hunters participating in Pennsylvania’s 2014 elk hunt have taken home a trophy.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced 88 elk were taken by hunters during the regular one-week elk season that ended Nov. 8. And for those licensed to hunt antlered elk, also known as bulls, the success rate was 93 percent.
The 2014 harvest included several large elk. Sixteen bulls each were estimated to weigh 700 pounds or more, with the heaviest bull taken in this year’s hunt estimated at more than 872 pounds. That bull, which sported a 7-by-7 rack, was taken by Mark Colt of Ligonier.
The largest bull in terms of rack size was an 11-by-7 harvested Nov. 8 by Robert C. Baker of Worthington. That bull weighed an estimated 851 pounds and its rack initially was measured at 414 inches, according to Boone & Crockett big-game scoring standards.
The second-highest-scoring bull, taken by Michael B. Weaver of Hanover, had a 7-by-7 rack initially measured at 398 inches. That bull weighed 786 pounds.
Other large bulls taken include a 7-by-8 weighing 830 pounds taken by Frederick J. Kass of Glenside; a 7-by-6 weighing 837 pounds taken by George Oko of Wilkes-Barre; a 6-by-7 weighing 829 pounds taken by John G. Trout of Felton; a 7-by-8 weighing 780 pounds taken by David L. Bailor of Madera; a 5-by-6 weighing 772 pounds taken by Justin Forsythe of Imperial; a 7-by-5 weighing 772 pounds taken by Llewellyn Kauffman of Red Lion; an 8-by-7 weighing 715 pounds, taken by David Condie of Pittsburgh; an 8-by-6 weighing 715 pounds taken by Dean Erney of Telford; a 7-by-7 weighing 715 pounds taken by Mark Wickizer, of Dickson City; and a 7-by-8 weighing 702 pounds taken by Christopher Mumber of Richlandtown.
There also were some large antlerless elk taken in the harvest. Twelve of the 63 cows taken by hunters during the one-week season weighed more than 500 pounds.
Twenty-five of the 88 elk harvested were taken on the opening day of the elk season Nov. 3.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission typically doesn’t release information about license holders, but those who are drawn to participate in the annual elk hunt often give their consent to release their names or other information. Information on successful hunters who do not sign and submit a consent form prior to the hunt is not released.
To participate in the elk hunt, hunters must submit an application, then must be selected through a random drawing and purchase a license. The drawing annually attracts more than 20,000 applicants.