Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-26
Huge Pennsylvania Elk Be Turned Loose For Hunters
in 1921 by State Game Commission

Gaze on them; count EN-; the real
thing in mighty elk Talk ABOUT Dis
game In Africa, why doesn't Penn
syiyania wake up ard discover tAa-
the State Game Commission is do
ing everything possible to make thi:
Comm uonwealth fragrant once more
with the aroma OF the forest, the
Whit of the deer. the echoeing Ct
the big black bear. II you drop into
the headquarters right next door to
the Telegraon building, the thought
Will strike you thac PENNSYLVANIA is
waking up 10 the lively enterprise
OF D.. EaIbfus. who IS as keen on
hunting as T. Roosevelt used to be,
and without casting an aspersions, a
little more solid OF his views OF Dig
game hunting.
For instance, PENNSYLVANIA is not
going to all this expense and labor
in order to gEut any mans desire for
blood. Not on your life. The idea is
10 furnish good wholesome sport and
plenty OF il. but not encourage
hunters to be plain killers. To this
end, in 1921 elk viii be open to hunt
and q photograph is reproduced here
OF two forest kings. unfortunately
shot down because they raided the
farmers fields, but showing what
monsters will be fair marks in a
couple more years. The only big
game, so called, now extant. are
bear and deer.
Bears are plentiful in Pennsylva-
mia, this state being one OF the
eight in the Union which offers
Bruin a bit of protection, and are
sleek, fat, sassy and almost as nu-
merous as the huckleberrieS on
which he loves to gorge. That hun
dreds will fall before the rifles OF the
hunters this fall and all without en-
dangering Bruins existence-as
species, though as an individual he
may get considerably shot up-goes
without saying, as the French say.
That we might have fine bear
hunting, when in many parts of the
natural range of the black bear the
species seems upon the point of eX-
termination, is a tribute to the wis
dom of our sportsmen and lawmak-
ers in providing a closed season,
freedom from steel traps, pens and
deadfalls, and a season limit of one
bear per man or woman. The new
code provides also that only three
bears may be killed by one camp or
body of men.
Yes, it is our boast that we have
the best bear-hunting in the Union
and better than anywhere else on
Alaska, where more formidable spe-
cies, including the brown bear and
grizzly are found. And all because
we recognize Bruin as a game ami
NAL, instead of a "varmint," and
treat him as such. Our bears are
harmless, or practically so. All they
do is bother some farmers a little,
and any farmer is allowed-nay, in
vited-to shoot him up a few when
so engaged.
At the present time there are
about 500 elk in the state reserva-
tions imported some years ago from
the Yellowstone Park. They habitate
in Center, Carbon, Lycoming, Potter,
Clearfield, Cameron, Clinton and
some other counties, but when the
time comes to loose them for hunting
they will be at all the various coun-
ty reservations. The hunting pre-
serve of Dauphin, by the way, is
situated near Lykens. A hunter may
not kill in the preserve, but only
outside and one of the game COM
mission told to-day of an instance il
lustrating how cautious are the
hunters to obey rules.
Il followed that buck three long
miles gasped a weary Nimrod to
this official, who leaned at the single
barb wire which enclosd the reserve,
AN if l had been two minutes
quicker 1 could have shot him be-
fore he got to safety" Incidents like
this are common, showing that