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THE KEYSTONE ELK CALL
The Newsletter of the Keystone Elk Country Alliance
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APRIL 2026
“CONSERVING & ENHANCING PENNSYLVANIA’S
ELK COUNTRY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS”
The Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA) is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit wildlife conservation organization dedicated to conserving and enhancing
Pennsylvania’s Elk Country for future generations. Through a long-term lease with
the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
(DCNR), KECA proudly operates and manages the world-renowned
Elk Country Visitors Center in Benezette—located in the heart of elk country.
Enjoy this newsletter, and we hope to see you in Pennsylvania’s Elk Country in 2026!
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✏️55,000+ Students of All Ages Educated
🏡Taught 47 PA Counties & 8 Different States
🚜905 Acres of Habitat Enhanced
🦌250,000-300,000 Visitors at ECVC
🌎Visitors from 50 States & 57 Different Countries
🎫$349,200 Raised from KECA Elk Tag Raffle
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SHED HUNTING ON THE RISE!
An exciting time here in elk country is the beginning of March into April, with the anticipation of the elk to start dropping their antlers. White tailed deer and elk are members of the Cervidae family, which is known for growing antlers annually and shedding them each year.
Many people travel to elk country in search of elk and their antlers. Any antlers collected can be kept, throughout state parks, state forests, and PA game lands: hunters of all ages look for these unique bone structures.
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If you are interested in looking for antler sheds this April, explore some of our gorgeous Pennsylvania public land. Be mindful of private property, remember to ask permission and check where you are walking before you go out. During this time of year it is important not to push or pressure the elk. Bulls are still recovering from the winter, so chasing or harassing the elk can have very negative effects. In addition, this is Illegal.
Also check out events like the 11th Annual Elk Antler Shed Hunt. They have sign-ups in the beginning of the year for those wanting to compete for largest antler found. You can visit the scoring location on May 23rd, 11am-1pm at Pottersdale Park, where they offer antler scoring.
Happy Hunting!
| | Click on the button above to learn more & contact our Education Department! | | See below what the Conservation Education Department has been up to this month! | | |
Great Non Profits Review from Kristin McGinnis on 3/11/2026:
"The Keystone Elk Alliance out of Benezette, PA has been a tremendous asset to our school. When I first inquired about setting up a long-distance elk presentation, they were quick to respond and eager to help me set up a date that was convenient for my classroom schedule. They sent us (free of charge to our school) a large box/trunk containing elk presentation materials (including an elk hide, elk & deer antlers, elk & deer hoofprints, a bison horn and elk & whitetail deer skulls (size comparison). It was remarkable to allow students to touch, feel, and experience elk materials firsthand, to learn about their habitats, conservation efforts, and where they live in PA, as well as our own state of VA. KECA has been a tremendous blessing to our school with this free distance learning program, for which we are grateful!"
| | ELK COUNTRY VISITORS CENTER EVENTS | | Join the Keystone Elk Country Alliance for a fun filled afternoon with our Annual Easter Egg Hunt! There will be eggs hidden for kids of all ages with candy and prize tickets stuffed inside! BYOB(Bring Your Own Basket), collect some eggs, then take some photos with Benny the Bull and the Easter Bunny! | | See below what the Field Directing Department has been up to with banquets! | |
Big Spring Cleaning!
Thanks to our wonderful maintenance crew the interior of the Elk Country Visitor Center has been cleaned from beams to floors. What took a total of 4 days and 6 maintenance crew our Elk Country Store, 4D Movie Theater, Great Room, and Discovery room are ready for spring.
KECA's 2 full time and 4 part-time maintenance employees work hard every day to keep the center clean and functioning.
Thank You Maintenance!
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Faith Mattocks
I have been a part of KECA for 6 years and have served as the Elk Creek Chapter Chair for the past 4 years. My passion for elk conservation grew even stronger after visiting Benezette and having the life-changing experience of seeing an elk in person, something I now hope others can experience too.
I love being involved with KECA because I enjoy creating a unique banquet for people to attend, and it is rewarding to know the money raised from our banquet stays right here in Pennsylvania to support elk conservation.
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ELK: The Longest Trail
By: Wade Robertson
Ethical hunters realize it's often necessary to use all your skill and experience trailing an animal you’ve hit with bullet or arrow. Sudden turns, a scanty blood trail, thick cover make following even a fatally hit animal extremely challenging. Rain can wash away the blood trail, snow melts eliminating the tracks or a host of other puzzling circumstances can intervene. Perhaps then it's no surprise it took over 40 years for Grandfather to reach the end of his long and unusual trail.
Elk were originally native to Pennsylvania, but by the late 1860s very few remained. Jim Jacobs, a Native American, reportedly shot one of the last remaining elk in Flag Swamp near the Clarion River about 1866. The last recorded elk taken was reportedly shot by John D. Decker in 1877.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission was created in 1895 and immediately began ambitious programs to restore the decimated deer, turkey and elk populations, In 1913 the first shipment of 50 Yellowstone elk arrived by train and were released in Clinton and Centre counties. Additional elk were stocked at later dates.
The elk, after a long, noisy main trip suddenly found themselves released into vastly different geographical terrain with totally different food sources. Not all survived, but the majority quickly acclimated to their new habitat. The herd soon grew large enough for the first hunt to be held in 1925.
The first elk season, of course, generated tremendous interest among hunters who were thrilled to have the opportunity to pursue these magnificent animals. Even in those early days elk brought tourists from other areas of the state simply to see the large and exotic animals.
As it so happened my grandfather, Arthur Roosevelt Hayes, only 19 years old at the time, paired up with an Italian gentlemen who we'll call Angelo. Angelo had a 30-06 Springfield rifle while my grandfather carried a .35 Remington, skinner-back, pump chambered in 35 Remington. Most hunters agreed the best method of hunting elk would be to walk the skid trails that intersected the impenetrable clear cuts south of St. Mary's and stand at locations offering good visibility. The night before homes, hotels and taprooms were hives of activity all eagerly awaiting the big event.
The first day dawned bright and clear, a crisp 20 degrees. Granddad and Angelo were walking the skid trails as planned. Coming to a gentle valley with good visibility they stopped. Suddenly, both turned their heads to the right. Click, click, click, crack-crack, the sudden snapping of a large branch. With a gulp Granddad realized the strange sound was caused by tree limbs striking the antlers of a running bull elk!
Almost immediately the elk appeared, barely visible through the saplings. He was angling past them some 50 yards away. Angelo started shooting, wham, wham, wham, went the 06. Granddad saw an opening in front of the elk and waiting until he reached it, fired at the same instant as Angelo let go with the last shot in his rifle. The bull raced down the side of the valley, turned to his left and fell.
Angelo began yelling as he ran down the trail; "I got him, I got him!" By the time both reached the elk other nearby hunters, hearing the shots and shouting, began appearing.
Grandfather marveled at the big 6x6's massive antlers, noticing only a single shot had hit the bull behind the shoulder. In no time a crowd had gathered and someone volunteered to get a team of horses to drag the elk.
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Angelo became a local celebrity, but Granddad wondered privately which of them had really killed it. His shot had looked good, but being a boy and in the mayhem that followed along with Angelo's repeated assurances he'd killed the bull, it seemed very poor taste to question the fact. The bull was later mounted and proudly displayed. Over 50 years had passed and Grandfather, now in his 70's, drove to the Kersey area to visit relatives. When he returned his face was aglow, but he refused to say what it was.
Two weeks later, the night before deer season, we were all at camp. After dinner Granddad stood, pipe in hand and motioned for silence. We all looked at him expectantly.
"This summer I was visiting relatives, Dick M. came up to me and asked for a moment alone. We went outside for some privacy"
"Art, you remember that my grandfather, Jacob M., skinned and butchered that elk Angelo claimed."
"Well boys, that word "claimed" certainly caught my attention.” Dick went on; "Well, there was only one hole in that elk and when Jacob got down to the rib cage he found the fatal bullet under the skin. Art, it was a .35 Remington bullet, you killed that elk! I thought it was time you should know.”
We'd all heard the original story and the table erupted in loud exclamations and shouts. Pop was beaming with pride, but then held up his hand. "Now listen to me. What you heard stays at this table. Angelo's family is proud of their grandfather, still have the mount and I don't want them hearing of this. Do you understand? It's enough for me and you to know I killed that bull."
We all looked around at each, then nodded. As always, at the end of any trail, Grandfather was the perfect gentleman.
Wade Robertson lives in Bradford, PA. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and is a past winner of the Elk Resource Award jointly sponsored by POWA and the Keystone Elk Country Alliance.
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SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS TODAY 📸📸
Grand Slam Photo Contest Winner will receive THE WINNING photo on:
👑 The 2026 Elk Expo Patch
👑 A Special Edition Wine Label from Benezette Wines (Fall 2026)
👑 The Cover Photo of the 2027 KECA Raffle Calendar
▪ Submit YOUR PHOTOS for a chance to be a winner in the Grand Slam Photo Contest and Fundraiser!
▪ This contest has not 1, not 2, but 1️⃣3️⃣ WINNERS!!!!
▪ Top 13 Photos (voted by the KECA Committee) will be awarded a spot in KECA's 2027 Annual Raffle Calendar.
▪ The top 13 photos will then be posted on our Facebook Page for the public's vote on the #1 Photo.
▪ THIS PHOTO WILL BE CROWNED THE GRAND SLAM WINNER. (The most "likes/loves" on a photo to receive the most "votes" will win)
▪ The remaining 12 winners will each get their photo in a respective month in the upcoming raffle calendar.
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RULES:
FREE SUBMISSION
Deadline to Submit: April 15th, 2026
PHOTOS MUST BE OF ELK ONLY.
Submit up to 5 photos.
Photos must be in LANDSCAPE format.
High Resolution Photo DPI/PPI of 300 or higher.
Highly recommend submitting SEASONAL photos such as winter, spring, summer and fall as these will possibly be entered into the 2027 KECA Raffle Calendar
All photos must be from original photographer***
If photos submitted are copyright, photo will but automatically disqualified.
All photos have the right to be used in forthcoming KECA marketing***
Good luck—and may the best shot win! 📷🔥
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All You Can Eat Elk Shed Buffet!
Elk sheds are chewed on by rodents like mice, squirrels and porcupines, which are the most common culprits, but biologists have observed coyotes and even bears chewing on sheds.
Antlers turn out to be a sort of multivitamin, providing mainly calcium, which accounts for about 20 percent of an antler’s make-up.
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2026 Tracks & Racks Released in April!
Did you know that KECA Members receive our annual Tracks & Racks magazine via the mail? Members also receive a 6 pack of each raffle when they are released, along with 10% off in the Elk Country Store. If you are interested in being mailed future Tracks & Racks, become a member below!
Become a Member here!
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Happy April! The snow is gone so now the rain and budding trees return. More sunny days ahead with everyone coming out of their homes to enjoy the warmer weather. The recipe below is one my Aunt Kim would always bring around Easter. It’s a family recipe on her side and we always loved sharing these with family and friends who would visit this time of year. Focusing back on the wild, rabbits and hares are quite notorious for this time of year! You can see them everywhere around your house and find their small nests.
Now why do we see rabbits all over the yard this time of year, well it’s a pretty interesting reason. As many animals are coming out of hibernation and as food becomes available, many species start pairing up for mating. Rabbits start as early as March having litters and don’t stop until September. Since they are not a species that sleeps away winter they hop right to it! Making small depressions in the ground lined with grasses and fur. Young are born helpless, blind, and hairless but will soon be kicked out of the nest by day 16. These young grow up quick and start raising their own litters by late summer.
Rabbits are one of the many prey species in Pennsylvania that often don’t commonly live past a year of age due to predation. Though occasionally they have been recorded to live up to four years in the wild. This species is very important to our local ecosystems by providing food to foxes, bobcats, birds of prey, and many more species. Every species has a part to play in the food web, that’s why I think rabbits are a big symbol of spring. Life is short and everyone has a part to play in their ecosystems/families/communities. Happy spring and enjoy the recipe below!!
| | ELK COUNTRY STORE - MAKER SPOTLIGHT | | | |
Pennsylvania's Local Artisans
This month we are spotlighting an Elk County vendor, Hibbard Distributing from Kersey PA. Owner Dan Hibbard has been supplying the Elk Country Store with his special Brew
B-Q sauces for thirteen years. Whether you are grilling, marinating or dipping, you will find your favorite in our Elk Country Store.
| | Along with the new kids line we also have a new America 250 collection celebrating our nations anniversary! We also have new T-Shirts, patches and stickers for sale online only! | | All donations go right back to our Elk Conservation Fund for elk habitat and education. | | With over 2,300 current members that range from general, sponsor, & life members. | | We rely heavily on volunteers to run banquets, monitor trails, manage habitat & so much more! | | If your looking for a fun way to support KECA come to a banquet. Live & silent auction, raffles, games & more! | | Coming soon 26th annual elk expo! More than 100 exhibitors, free seminars, food, & the elk tag drawings! | | With only 14 permanent staff and our seasonal staff it takes many hands to run the center. Read more about our wonderful staff! | | |
KEYSTONE ELK COUNTRY ALLIANCE
"To Conserve and Enhance Pennsylvania's Elk Country for Future Generations"
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