With an official score of 455, this is the biggest elk ever recorded in Pennsylvania.
Updated May 12, 2022 Original Post September 9, 2021
Duane Kramer lives in Bellingham, Washington, and he bought a few raffle tickets last year (okay, a lot of raffle tickets) for the 2020 Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA) Raffle. The lucky winner would get the chance to hunt one of Pennsylvania’s monster bulls. And you guessed it, his name was drawn.
He owns Kramer Concrete Construction, and when he’s not working, he’s hunting. So, when he found out his name was drawn, he had to carve out some time from work and other hunting trips, which means he knew he needed help from an outfitter. With offers from a couple of outfits, he chose Elk County Outfitters because instead of just telling him they knew where the big bulls were, they showed him pictures to prove it, he said.
At one point on the hunt, Kramer passed up what he and his guide guessed were bulls in the 420-inch range. “There were enough 400-class bulls running around there that it wasn’t a question of getting a 400-inch bull, but a matter of how far over 400 we could get,” Kramer said.
One day, Kramer had the bull he eventually killed at 18 yards, but he couldn’t get an ethical shot as the bull’s cows were milling too close to it. “I thought he was going to come right for us because we were standing right in the game trail,” he said. “I kind of wish I had taken my bow.” They hunted that bull for the next few days. Finally, at 70 yards and with a clear shooting lane, Kramer made one shot with his 7mm Dakota shooting a 180-grain Berger bullet.
Kramer’s bull is beyond impressive, and thanks to conservation efforts by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), and other partners, Pennsylvania’s elk are thriving. In 1990, RMEF contributed funds to help the PGC acquire habitat and then improve it. Once the habitat was ready, RMEF assisted the PGC in trapping and relocating elk from around the state. Then in 2001, Pennsylvania had its first elk hunt in more than 70 years. Since 1991, RMEF and its partners have enhanced 27,399 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 10,189 acres, according to RMEF.
Excellent habitat produces healthy herds, and Kramer’s bull isn’t the only example. A quick look at Big Game Records LIVE shows that in the past decade, Pennsylvania has produced at least 19 Rocky Mountain elk in the Boone and Crockett records, including eight non-typicals north of the 400 mark.
Chances are good that the record books haven’t seen the last of Pennsylvania’s elk. With proper management and habitat conservation, the herds there will continue to grow and records will continue to be broken.
