Discover your next “how did we not know about this?” moment.
Clearfield County is home to roughly 300 wild elk—and depending on when you visit, there’s more than one way to experience these majestic animals.
Pennsylvania is home to the largest free-roaming elk herd in the Northeast, and Clearfield County sits right in the heart of elk country. You’ll find them in our forests, fields and communities—or pretty much where elk feel like going. Which is worth remembering when planning your trip.
Your best chances are generally around dawn and dusk. Try Knobs Road near Goshen, Woolridge Road near Keewaydin or Tipple Road near Karthaus. The Quehanna Wild Area is another good place to keep your eyes open.
Fall is When Things Get Loud
You can see elk year-round, but September and October bring the rut, or breeding season. That’s when bull elk begin bugling—a high, eerie call that can carry through the forest.
It is not the sound you expect an animal that size to make. Which makes hearing it for the first time even better.
Spring is When Things Get Interesting
Those enormous antlers don’t stay attached forever. Most bulls shed them in March, leaving some very impressive souvenirs scattered across elk country.
In fact, Clearfield County hosts an annual Elk Antler Shed Hunt, turning a walk through the woods into one very large-scale scavenger hunt. Naturally shed antlers may also be collected legally on public lands where permitted. Finding one, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, is about 90% luck—which seems about right.
Give the Locals Some Room
We want you to get a great look at Clearfield’s elk. Just not too great.
Elk are big, genuinely wild animals. So, keep your distance, never approach or feed them and be especially cautious during the fall rut. And if you’re shed hunting, remember: only naturally shed antlers are fair game. Antlers still attached to a skull stay put.
Our best advice? Bring binoculars. Arrive early. And be patient. The elk will handle the rest.