August 30, 2024
HDonTap/Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Elk Cam, a 24/7 livestream at state game lands in Elk County, sometimes captures males sparring with each other during mating season. The screenshot above is from the 2020 livestream.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission's popular Elk Cam livestream is back again, giving wildlife enthusiasts a glimpse into the species' mating season.
The 24/7 feed comes from a camera positioned on state game lands in Benezette, Elk County, a place the game commission describes as "a hub of elk activity" during the animals' annual rut when they mate in the late summer and fall. Elk are one of the largest species in the deer family. They're known for the distinct bugling calls males make to attract females and scare off other males.
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"In the Northcentral Region, the annual elk rut is a unique experience in itself. Spotting a harem of elk, sparring bulls, or hearing majestic bugles ring through the fog is thrilling and exciting," said Jordan Sanford, wildlife outreach coordinator for the game commission.
The game commission recommends viewing the Elk Cam during the late afternoon for the best chance of catching the animals live. The camera switches to infrared at night, and it's not uncommon to see turkeys, deer, bears, coyote and other wildlife at different hours of the day.
Pennsylvania is home to about 1,400 elk that are mostly concentrated in the Poconos and in the state's northern counties. They once were found widely in Pennsylvania and much of the Northeast until hunting nearly wiped them from the region by the end of the Civil War.
In 1913, a federal repopulation program began bringing elk back east from Yellowstone National Park by shipping them from trains out of Wyoming. At the time, the expansion of agriculture in the western U.S. had depleted elks' feeding grounds and prompted the government to support projects to repopulate them in areas where they had once thrived.
It was illegal to hunt elk in Pennsylvania from the 1930s through the 1980s. A limited lottery system for hunting elk was later established by the game commission in an effort to protect the animal. Today's elk hunt runs in three time frames between mid-September and early January.
The Elk Cam is one of several game commission livestreams hosted by HDonTap; among the others are two eagle cams and a black bear cam. HDonTap compiles highlights that people can watch when the live feed isn't showing any animals.
In the past, the elk videos have attracted 1 million viewers per year. The camera will be live until the end of bugling season, which usually comes around mid-October.
