About this episode

Beau Martonik discusses significant changes to Pennsylvania's elk hunting program with elk biologist Jeremy Banfield.

Beau Martonik sits down with Pennsylvania Game Commission elk biologist Jeremy Banfield to break down the biggest changes to Pennsylvania's elk hunting program in years. They cover the new October season that overlaps the rut, once-in-a-lifetime bull tags, the non-resident cap and higher application cost, how bonus points from all three old seasons are now combined into one application, and the completely redrawn hunt zones numbered 301–309. Jeremy also gives an honest update on the current state of the herd — population estimates, bull to cow ratios, habitat improvements, and where CWD stands relative to the elk range. If you're applying for a Pennsylvania elk tag, this is required listening before July 12th. Apply at huntfish.pa.gov — drawing is July 25th at the Elk Expo in Benezette Topics: 00:00:00 – Intro 00:04:21 – Herd Population — 1,563 Elk and How They Count Them 00:10:31 – Bull to Cow Ratio and Why It's Too High 00:13:27 – CWD — What It Means for Pennsylvania Elk 00:17:21 – Why the Herd Grows Slowly by Design 00:23:05 – New October Season — Why It Was Added 00:26:47 – Resident vs. Non-Resident Changes 00:32:59 – Bull Tags Are Now Once in a Lifetime 00:33:50 – New Bonus…

People in this episode

Host: Beau Martonik

Guest: Jeremy Banfield

Topics covered

• Pennsylvania elk hunting
• elk population
• hunting regulations
• CWD
• hunting zones
• application process

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennsylvania Game Commission

Places: Pennsylvania, Benezette

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