Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionEach application costs $11.90, applying for all three seasons would cost a total of $35.70.
Applicants can only be drawn for one season/tag per year, and all three drawings are held on the same day (Mid-August) in consecutive order. For example, if you applied for all three seasons and were drawn for the archery season, your applications for the general and late seasons would be instantly removed and you would be awarded bonus points for those seasons (1 point per season).
Stay tuned for more information this fall.
One bonus point is earned for each unsuccessful application, but points are exclusive to each season. Any existing bonus points for the general elk season will not be applied to the archery or late seasons. For example, if you have previously earned 5 bonus points for the general season and this year you apply for the archery season AND the general season, your existing bonus points are only included in your general season application. If you are unsuccessful in drawing you would earn 1 bonus point for the archery season and 1 bonus point for the general season (meaning you would now have 1 archery & 6 general points). Those points would then be included with the following years application but only for the season in which they were earned.
Bonus points serve as a multiplier and your name is entered in the drawing for as many bonus points as you have, effectively increasing the probability of drawing a license.
Bonus points reset to 0, if drawn for a specific season, however, any points for alternate seasons remain unchanged. You must apply in the current license year for any bonus points to be included.
You can check your bonus points through the Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS) at www.pa.wildlifelicense.com. Click the first radio button, scroll to the bottom of the page, click 'Start Here' and follow the prompts. If you believe there is an error, please contact the License Division at 717-787-2084.
When visiting Benezette, tune into the Game Commission's Northcentral Elk Viewing Area Information Radio Station, WRBR385, broadcasting on 1620 AM. The radio station provides a guided tour of the heart of the elk management area. In addition to regular seasonal messages and safe elk viewing tips, the station broadcasts important notices about upcoming events and emergencies. The broadcasts are brought to you in partnership with the Keystone Elk Country Alliance and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
The application period of the elk hunt opens when licenses go on sale in mid-June and closes July 31.
Apply Online. The Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS) is the site to apply for the elk license drawing and check the status of your application. Click the first radio button, scroll to the bottom of the page, click 'Start Here' and follow the prompts. Successful applicants who provide a phone number or email will be notified promptly by those methods, others will receive notification by postal mail. Or, potential elk hunters can apply at any license vendor. Bonus points can also be checked through PALS, click on the bonus point section above.
Applicant Options: For most of the seasons, there are four options when an applicant applies.
- Antlered Only: Applicant is only interested in hunting antlered elk.
- Antlerless Only: Applicant is only interested in hunting antlerless elk.
- Either-Sex: Applicant is interested in hunting either antlered or antlerless elk.
- Point-Only: Applicant is NOT included in the current years drawing but is awarded the bonus point.
Note: The late season is currently antlerless-only and therefore only has antlerless or Point-Only options.
Know where to go, when to go, what to do and what to not do. Check out these Elk Viewing Destinations before your visit. During your visit be safe, considerate and respectful. Wildlife watchers often congregate in areas with the best viewing opportunities. Problems can arise when folks gather on the shoulders of rural roads and are focused on watching elk rather than oncoming traffic. Your actions help all elk-watchers, landowners, law enforcement and conservation officials have a good experience.
- Keep a Safe Distance — Elk are wild animals. Always observe from a safe distance, and at the minimum of 100 yards (the length of a football field). Risk of serious injury or death can occur if a safe distance is not observed. If you cause the animal to move, you are too close.
- Do Not Block Traffic — When viewing elk from your vehicle, park completely off the roadway or view elk from designated Wildlife Viewing Areas.
- Respect Private Property — Elk know no boundaries. Please respect private property when viewing elk.
- Be Mindful of Rutting Season — Mid-September through October is elk mating season. During this time bull elk are very protective of their harems and can be extremely aggressive.
- Do Not Feed Elk — Feeding elk in Pennsylvania is illegal.
Find hotels, restaurants and activities near the Pennsylvania elk range on the PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau website.
Hunters have successfully harvested elk in every hunt zone. Carefully examine each zone considering road access and the amount of available public and private land. Note that your preferred hunt zone has no influence on your chances of being drawn. For example, if you select Zone 2 and are drawn after Zone 2 has been filled, you'll simply be assigned to the next available zone.
For more details, consult the Elk Hunt Zone Map Book (PDF - 16 MB), Annual Elk Harvest Maps, the Game Commission Mapping Center and maps of the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources' state forests.
The annual drawing for elk licenses will take place August 15, 2020 during the Elk Expo at the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette. Successful applicants who provide a phone number or email will be notified promptly by those methods, others will receive notification by postal mail.
The Elk Country Visitor Center, 134 Homestead Dr., PA 15821, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. GPS coordinates are 41.3233 N and 78.3684 W. All elk must be brough to the check station within 24 hours of harvest. Weight and several biological samples will be collect by Game Commission biologists.
The check station is open to the public. A variety of vendors and educational displays and programs will be available. The Elk County Visitor Center will be open every day from 8 a.m. until the close of the check station and a presentation on the history of elk in the commonwealth will run every 30 minutes in the theater.
Note: There is no stationary check station during the archery or late seasons. Successful archery season elk hunters need to contact the Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744.
Check Station: Harvested elk need to be taken to the elk check station within 24 hours. The Elk Check Station is located at the Elk Country Visitor Center, 134 Homestead Dr., Benezette, PA 15821. GPS Coordinates are 41.3233 N and 78.3684 W. Cell coverage on the elk range is sparse. Elk Check Station (map) (PDF)
Results from the Elk Check Station
Regulations: Please consult the current Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest for details about this year's elk hunt.
Elk are Large Animals: An adult bull may weigh 600-1,000 pounds and an adult cow may weigh 400-600 pounds. Part of your hunt plan should include how to field-dress and move the animal from the kill site to your vehicle and on to the check station. Regulations prohibit the use of motorized vehicles, including ATVs on state-owned property, with few exceptions. The animal may be skinned and quartered and packed out by horses or mules or on pack boards. Hunters should bring plenty of help. Any number of unlicensed persons may accompany hunters as long as they wear the required fluorescent orange and do not participate in the hunt itself or carry a firearm. Persons just accompanying an elk hunter are not required to have an elk guide permit.
Table - License Issued and Harvest Success
Where can I get detailed information about individual elk hunt zone boundaries?
There are several options for this, but the best place to view the elk hunt zones in detail is through the Pennsylvania Game Commission's online Mapping Center. Through the online mapping program hunters can add a variety of backgrounds including aerial photos, topographic maps and roads. A second option is to download a detailed elk hunt zone map book (PDF 15MB) directly from the Game Commission's website. And a third option is to examine State Forest maps available online or at each State Forests headquarters.
Archery Elk Shot Placement (video 2:44)
To check the status of an Elk License Application: Go to
www.pa.wildlifelicense.com. Click on the "Purchase Fishing and/or Hunting License Permit and or Application/Replace License and or Permit" option, which includes the ability to "Check on the status of an Antlerless Deer or Elk Application," scroll down and click on the "Start Here" button at the bottom of the page. At this page, choose one of the identification options below to check your records, fill in the necessary information and click on the "Continue" button. Click on the appropriate residency status, which will display your current personal information. At the bottom of the page, choose the "Check on the status of any Lottery Application" button, and then hit "Continue."
Persons interested in becoming a guide for Pennsylvania elk hunters should contact the Special Permits Enforcement Division at 717-783-8164.