LISTEN UP: If you’re in the lower part of Elk and Cameron
counties, you might hear some elk bugling.

This is prime time for viewing the elk in the so-called
Pennsylvania Wilds and, no doubt, endless tourists will be hitting
the elk range during this part of September.

These majestic creatures are on display as they traverse various
parts of the forest in the annual courting ritual when the males
can be heard “bugling” to catch the attention of the opposite
sex.

Anyone who’s ever seen these creatures up close and personal can
vouch for their astonishing size and wonder how anyone could
mistake them (as has happened in the past) for deer!

The current edition of Pennsylvania magazine carries an article
on the elk herd which now numbers about 700 animals. While many
tourists wind up in the village of Benezette or the Winslow Hill
area, the author of this article has a unique perspective – on
horseback in the Quehanna Wild Area.

At one time, the elk range even included sojourns into the
outskirts of St. Marys. And, so, to minimize conflict between
humans and animals, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been
encouraging the elk to travel a bit to the south and that’s where
the Quehanna area comes in.

The author, Cindy Ross of New Ringgold, observes that this is
the most unpopulated part of the state – unless you count the elk,
of course.

She writes about her trip into this remote region which gave her
the opportunity to see many elk, including those involved in the
courting ritual in which males challenge each other for the
opportunity to pass along its particular genetic material to as
many females as possible.

A key part of that is the male’s bugling cry. “It is one of the
distinct calls of the wild, akin to the howl of a wolf or the call
of a loon and the sound can send shivers down your spine or bring
tears to your eyes.”

She watches as a large bull traveling with 15 female elk begins
bugling. Soon, four different bulls emerge from the trees, she
reports.

“For the next few hours, we watch the drama and listen to the
constant, heart-quickening sound of elk bugling. It is such a
moving experience to be a privileged spectator in this grand wild
show,” Ms. Ross concludes.