Greencastle man one of chosen few for PA elk hunt

Frank Webster Jr. of Greencastle achieved a goal of a lifetime, and reached a Top 5 list as well. He bagged an elk on his one and only such hunting venture, taking down a 520-pound antlerless elk in Benezette Township, Elk County, on Nov. 7. That was the fifth largest of the 33 harvested during the Pennsylvania 2012 elk hunt, held Nov. 5-10.

“There were over 18,000 entries in the elk drawing, and I have been trying since 2001, when they first started,” said Webster. “It just goes to show you that you should never give up; your name may be pulled. She dressed out over 400 pounds. We then had almost 300 pounds of awesome, lean meat for the freezer.”

He found out Sept. 14 that he would be a lucky hunter. The names were drawn at the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Harrisburg.

“I shot her at about 9:45 in the morning and that was the end of a lifelong dream for me,” Webster continued. “I'm grateful to the PGC for this opportunity. I challenge everyone to visit the Elk County Visitor center at least once in your life for an awesome experience.”

The Pennsylvania Game Commission issued 65 licenses, which resulted in the harvest of 52 elk. Nineteen were antlerless. The estimated live weight of the heaviest antlerless elk was 616 pounds. The heaviest antlered elk was 840 pounds.

“Since 2001, when the first modern-day elk season was instituted, 523 elk have been harvested,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “In 2013, the Game Commission will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the elk restoration project. Watch future issues of Game News and the agency website for more highlights on this major conservation milestone.”

As has been the case every year, agency biologists extracted samples needed for chronic wasting disease testing, and results are expected early next year.