KERSEY – The sixth annual Elk Expo begins at 4 p.m. today and
continues through Saturday night at the Elk County Fairgrounds.

The event will kick off with a chainsaw carving demonstration by
Ridgway’s Zoe Boni. Next up will be a chili cooking demonstration
and a seminar called Pursuing Pennsylvania’s Predators by Freddie
McKnight. Topics like scouting, equipment, use of scents, call
placement, types of calls to use, shooting tips, landowner
relations and more will be covered.

The event is a boon to area businesses as people from around the
State gather for the elk license drawing, seminars and tours. Many
hotels around the region say that reservations are up for the
weekend and attribute it to the expo.

“My reservations for this year are all from last year’s expo,”
Dolly Wehler, owner of Old Charm Bed and Breakfast as well as Attic
Wonderland gift shop told The Era.

“I was filled up the day it was over last year. This time of the
year I get a lot of people in to see the elk and the leaves, so
this time of the year it’s really busy for me,” she added.

“The elk expo has definitely brought in rooms (reservations).
It’s a big draw for the area. Because of the elk expo, we have more
rooms this weekend than we normally would,” a spokeswoman for the
Townhouse Inn said. “Some weekends are slow, but we’ve definitely
picked up because of the elk expo.”

“We get some people, but I don’t think we get a big influx,”
Jeff Buchheit of Smiths Sports Store said. “Starting about
mid-August we start getting those people anyway. The tourists come
in to watch the elk throughout this period. We have a pretty steady
stream of elk watchers and the expo magnifies that. It’s almost
like advertisement that carries through. I do support it (the
expo), anything that brings tourists to the area. If they spend
money anyplace, those people come here and spend money, it’s basic
economics. It helps the entire area.”

While the seminars and tours offer entertainment, the main
reason people attend the expo is to hear who the lucky hunters will
be who will be eligible to hunt elk this season. The random
drawing, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, is slated
for 5 p.m. Saturday.

A total of 10 names will be drawn for individuals to purchase
elk licenses for the September 2007 season, including two tags for
either sex and eight antlerless tags. The early hunt will run from
Sept. 17 to 22 of next year.

Then an additional 40 names will be drawn for individuals to
purchase elk licenses for the November 2006 season, including 15
bulls and 25 antlerless tags. The hunt will take place Nov. 6 to
11.