Photo Credit: Bill Kuexzynski

Each fall, thousands of visitors make their way to Pennsylvania’s elk country to experience the wonder of the rut which is the elk bugling season.  Now you can see Pennsylvania’s elk rut live and without ever having to leave home.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that is off limits to people, that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. The camera was installed with help from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.  Video and sound from the camera are being live streamed on the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us. 

The live streaming video, which is provided by the Game Commission’s partner, HDOnTap, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission.  

Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said, “While there’s no substitute for visiting elk country in person, the camera gives viewers a taste of what the excitement is all about.  Elk have not always had an easy time of it in Pennsylvania, but since the Game Commission reintroduced elk to the state in 1913, they’ve pulled through some tough times and, today, we have one of the top herds in the country. Give credit to sound management, the creation of better elk habitat all across northcentral Pennsylvania, and most importantly, people who care. Without them, the elk’s success wouldn’t be the same.”

The live stream is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid to late October. The best time to see elk on the camera is usually late in the afternoon and the early evening.