Bugling season is upon us, so elks go live in Pennsylvania in order to provide viewers an accurate view of the fascinating, chest rumbling sounds and fascinating view of a once nearly disappearing animal.
It is believed that the last native elk in Pennsylvania was killed in 1877, after which the population had seen a worrying low in numbers that placed them on the brink of extinction in the state. However, through the efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, their numbers have seen a hopeful rise by introducing elks to the forests in between 1913 and 1926.
Brought over from places such as Yellowstone National Park, today the population has grown to between 800 and 900 elk, with most of them found in Elk County. They pose as a tourist attraction, with thousands of people venturing through the woods come September in order to witness the bugling season for themselves.
It is when things heat up a bit in the forests, and elks make their booming bugling sound to attract mates that provides as a very popular source of fascination for both visitors and those interested in hunting the 1000 pounds large animal. However, few get the chance of experiencing it or even knowing the sound themselves.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has thus installed a webcam on State Game Lands 311, an area in Elk County that is normally banned to humans, but is quite frequently bursting with elk activity during bugling season. Both video and accurate sound are live streamed on the Game Commission’s official website for any viewers to partake in should they choose.
And, it seems, the world of animals on live streaming is still growing, with condors nests being monitored, bald eagles, osprey and bluebird already added to the list
Apart from sightings of elk, visitors may also see a wider variety of wild animals undisturbed in their habitat, such as turkeys, deer, and, of course, the bulking elk, though it’s certainly not a non-stop show of animal activity. The camera may lack at times, and, according to executive direction R. Matthew Hough, there’s nothing to replace firsthand experience.
However, the webcam is as close as it would get. Hough urges people to tune in, watch and listen to the live stream, capturing the large animals peaceful and undisturbed in their own natural environment. The woods of Elk County now has “one of the top herds in the country”, and people who are fascinated with the elk should certainly take a look.
Even those who are not are encouraged to try and perhaps gain an insight into the lives of bull elk and other wildlife roaming around the grounds of the Pennsylvania forests.
Image source: flickr.com
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