Two large bull elk are seen along a road near Driftwood on the first day of a recent Pennsylvania elk hunt. 140 elk were allowed to be hunted this year in Pennsylvania. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Once native to Pennsylvania, elk were extirpated from the state by the late 1800s.

A moose reintroduction movement was started in 1912 by the state game commission.

“In 1913, the first shipment of elk from Yellowstone in Pennsylvania arrived by train. The 50 moose cost about $30 each. Half of the shipment went to Clinton County, the other half to Clearfield County. Another 22 elk were purchased from a Monroe County preserve that year. Twelve were released on state lands in Monroe County and the rest on a reservation in Center County, according to the game commission.”

“To ensure the preservation of elk release, the General Assembly of 1913 enacted a law protecting them until November 15, 1921, when there would be a two-week elk season. Bulls with at least four points to an antler were identified in law as legal game for the remote season.” according to the state.

How do you get an elk hunting license to harvest one of the 1,400 elk that range across 3,000 square miles of Pennsylvania today?

The elk hunting season is divided into three separate categories: archery, general and late.

Elk live in portions of Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Center counties.

The general season is the most popular.

A hunter can apply for one, two or all three seasons and each season is its own unique pool of applicants.

The sign-up fee for each season is $11.97, or $35.91 for all three.

Hunters earn a bonus point for each year they enter and their name is not drawn. The points then multiply your chances of next year’s draw. Bonus points are season specific.

Bonus points are removed if you pull a licence.

When applying, hunters can select bull, cow or either sex along with a specific hunting area from the 14 areas, for up to five options.

The 14 areas to hunt in are a mix of state game land, public and private land.

If a hunter pulls a bull tag and harvests a bull, that bull is banned from the draw for five years, according to the game commission.

Hunters can apply for an elk tag from February through mid-July. A video on how to apply by the state gaming commission can be found at

Elk tags are drawn during the annual Elk Expo at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, July 25 and 26, 2025.

“We have some of the best moose in the world. We’ve had the opportunity to guide a lot of hunters who have hunted across the globe, hunted across the country, across North America, and the Pennsylvania experience is outstanding.” Armstrong said.