Montrose hunter gets elk

More than 73 percent of the hunters participating Pennsylvania’s 2015 elk hunt have taken home a trophy.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced 85 elk were taken by hunters during the regular one-week elk season that ended Nov. 7. And for those licensed to hunt antlered elk, also known as bulls, the success rate was 95 percent.

Charles Stone, of Montrose, harvested a 6-by 6-point bull elk on the first day of the season.

The 2015 harvest included several large elk. Nine bulls each were estimated to weigh 700 pounds or more, with the heaviest bull taken in this year’s hunt estimated at 894 pounds. That bull, which sported a 7-by-6 rack, was taken Nov. 2 by Rodney Hoover, of Martinsburg.

The largest bull in terms of rack size also was a 7-by-6, harvested Nov. 2 by Scott Martino, of Cresson.
Its rack initially was measured at 387 inches, according to Boone & Crockett big-game scoring standards. That bull also was one of the heaviest, weighing an estimated 790 pounds.

The second-highest-scoring bull, taken by Timothy Iraca, of Irvona, had an 8-by-7 rack initially measured at 367 6/8 inches. That bull weighed 842 pounds.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission typically doesn’t release information about license holders, but those who are drawn to participate in the annual elk hunt often give their consent to release their names or other information. Information on successful hunters who do not sign and submit a consent form prior to the hunt is not released.

To participate in the elk hunt, hunters must submit an application, and then must be selected through a random drawing and purchase a license. The drawing annually attracts more than 20,000 applicants.