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These images of elk were captured in Elk County, PA.

Elk once lived throughout Pennsylvania, but by the mid 1800s, their range had been greatly reduced, with the last elk killed in 1867. Between 1913 and 1926, the Pennsylvania Game Commission attempted to restore an elk herd by releasing 177 western elk. This herd grew slowly, but a 2011 count recorded close to 900 animals which called parts of the Pennsylvania Wilds home.

These majestic creatures outsize their deer cousins, with a mature bull weighing in between 700 and 1000 pounds. Observing elk is best done at dawn and dusk, particularly in September and October, during the mating season, or rut.