Wandering Aimlessly
Elk Season: 2016
by Phil Burkhouse
The grandsons began hunting deer when the Pennsylvania Game Commission introduced the Mentored Youth Program, and I gave up guiding elk hunters to hunt with the little guys. I really enjoyed the elk hunts, but after guiding for 10 years, my priorities changed. Little people rule.
A Pennsylvania elk hunt is what you make it, and I tried to keep my clients’ elk hunt as close to a real hunt as possible. I only guided in one or two zones and preferred to hunt areas away from roads and houses. Fortunately, Fran Bardo and Bob Herrold, private land owners, gave me permission to hunt elk on their properties. Their down county properties have difficult access and are restrictive in granting access permission, so we received no interference from other hunters.