by Casey Ferry
Warren County Visitors Bureau executive director
I’ve spent most of my life in Warren County, you know, right next to Elk County. I was an embarrassingly mature age when I found out that there even was elk in Pennsylvania, let alone in the county right next to us. What’s more embarrassing is that one of my parents is from Ridgway. Either I wasn’t paying any attention as I grew up or it just wasn’t ever a topic of conversation. I don’t know why because it seems like a big deal when I think about it. Let’s just blame my parents for this lack of knowledge. (Sidenote: when I texted my adult son and told him I would be staying later than planned so that I could see an elk, he asked where there were elk. We’re not going to blame his parents for this.)
Again, I was an adult when I first heard of it. I decided I would definitely have to go someday. Of course, life is busy and full of things to do and places to go, (which apparently never really included Benezette, at least for me). When I got this position at the visitors bureau, I thought now is my chance. I have to see it because people stop through all the time and ask questions. The only answers I had were from the literature, which we have plenty of. (Seriously, we have brochures coming out of our ears!) Don’t get me wrong. With all we have here, it’s definitely enough to get you there and to tell you what’s going on, but there’s just something more exciting about hearing a story firsthand about how great an experience it was. When I looked at it on the GPS, I realized that, quite frankly, it’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s not “on the way” to many places from here. In other words, you have to make a point to go there. So, last year when I had a work trip that was in the eastern part of the state, I decided to take a bit of a detour and go to Benezette on my way. It was a good bit out of the way, but I had the time and thought it was the perfect chance. As I neared town, they were signs saying to watch out for elk. The adrenaline pumped. Are they going to be all over? In people’s yards? Would there be any on the road and I might hit one?
I looked and looked and saw nothing. “OK,” I thought, “maybe they’ll be at the center that has the overlooks I’ve read in the brochures and told people about.” I went to the Elk Country Visitor Center. It’s a absolutely beautiful place. Even if you don’t see the actual elk, it’s still worth going to.
However, I really wanted to see an elk. Alas, I saw nothing, and it was time for me to head out to my final place. I was told that I had come in the middle of the day, and it was too warm for them to be wandering out to be seen. So I went on my way. Months later, a similar situation happened where I was going in the general direction and thought I would give it another go. My sister told me that she had gone and it was such a beautiful thing to see the elk. She advised that if I see cars pulled over on the side of the road, I should pull over too, because they’re very likely seeing some. To my great excitement, there were people pulled over on the side of the road as I got closer to town. I pulled over as soon as I found a safe place and ran out with my camera. “Where? Where?” I asked, and they pointed in the trees. I saw nothing. Finally, I saw some rustling in the distance. Eventually, I saw a rear end amongst the trees. “Hey,” I thought. “At least I saw something. This must be a sign that I’m gonna see some actual elk!”
Guess what. I was wrong. Nothing again. Strike two. I left with my tail between my legs.
I had all but given up on this dream when America 250 PA decided to hold a meeting in Benezette. I figured I wouldn’t see anything again because this meeting was in the middle of the workday so it would be too warm for the elk. Part of the meeting included a wagon ride. No elk.
I attended the very informative meeting, and then it was time to go. I poked around a little bit and bought a couple of cute things from the gift shop and overheard staff say that the elk should be coming out around 5 or 6 o’clock. Now, that was still a few hours away, but it was earlier than I thought that the elk would be out for the evening, so I decided to dig my stubborn heels into the ground and decided that I wasn’t leaving until I got a good view of an elk. They say you should come early in the morning or later in the evening. Well, I’m not a morning person, like at all, so getting up early enough to drive about two hours to see it just isn’t my thing. As for staying later and watching, once again, I am not a morning person, so staying up late makes me more tired the next morning. Kind of sad but that’s how I roll. This time, I dug in. It’s happening today.
I walked around the visitor center and the grounds for a long time. I drove into downtown Benezette, which consisted of a couple restaurants and a gift shop. I had a chicken sandwich, which came out too fast because it didn’t kill enough time. I went to the gift shop across the street and took my good ol’ time walking around and bought a couple of cute things there. I thought I would drive the roads for a bit, which I did, and, of course, I saw nothing.
By the time I went to one of the primary vistas, it was probably 3:30. I hung around for a long, long time there, which really wasn’t bad at all. It’s a gorgeous view, and it was an absolutely beautiful day. I saw some birds protecting their nest and some butterflies dancing in the air and on the flowers. Those were the only creatures I saw in the hour or so that I lounged there undisturbed. (No one else was there because everyone else knew better than I did that elk don’t come out in the heat often.) An older couple eventually arrived and stood and chatted for a while. The lady pointed out something on the hill and asked how good my zoom was on my camera. I replied that, in this case, it’s not good enough for that but let’s try. I zoomed as much as I could, took some pictures, and was convinced that a little black dot was an elk. I even swear I saw it move. I was excited because I figured that meant they were about to start coming out in droves. I hung out longer and longer even after the couple left. That black dot didn’t move so I started to lose faith that that was actually an elk. (Spoiler alert. It was not an elk. I came back hours later, and it was still in the exact spot.) The couple had mentioned another lookout that was up the road so I decided to go for a drive because, heck, what else did I have to do.
I drove there. Nothing. By this time, it was 5 o’clock. This overlook had a lovely deck that I daydreamed about being attached to my house. I imagined putting a lounge chair and sipping an iced tea with binoculars and my camera and just listening to silence. Pretty sure I could do that.
I was told that hundreds of thousands of people visit Benezette every year. The population of Benezette? 153. Is this a colossal joke that they are playing on me? The whole world is in on it I think. Where are the elk?!?!
I continued the hike and was almost back to my car when I heard an excited child squeal from somewhere. “Pay dirt!” I thought as I scurried to look around the bends. I found, on the side of the road, the same older couple that had been hanging out with me before. There, on the edge of the tree line, barely visible, were some elk.
They were annoyingly standing in the shade, blending camouflagingly, only noticeable when moving. It wouldn’t take long though until a couple wandered out into the brush. There, again, butts in the trees. What is it with these elk and only letting me see their rear ends far away in the trees??? Seems to be a theme for me. I got a few low quality pictures. Not great because I’m far away, but, at least, I can claim that I did actually see elk. It was now 5:30. Apparently, the center’s staff knew what they were talking about when they said “around 5 or 6 o’clock.” This sighting energized me enough to keep looking. I wanted a bigger herd, and I wanted to be closer.
I drove back to the big vista overlook, and, as I got there, there was a cluster of cars dispersing. I saw nothing, but one man said, “You just missed it!” and proudly showed me pictures on his cell phone of the most beautiful bull with enormous antlers. The money shot. I was a minute too late. That, my friends, is my luck in a nutshell.
I decided that my best odds were driving and just looking as I drove, so back to the car I went. I basically began driving a loop and hitting a few different spots repeatedly, finally seeing some cars that had pulled over and saw two female elk not far away at all. I gasped, parked my car, and was able to get some photos of them.
I’m going to be a little sexist here (which is SO not me. Girl power! Am I right?!?). Anyway, I was pretty disappointed they were both female. I wanted some big antlers, darn it!
I kept making my rounds and bumping into the same people over and over. We would share where one was before. Eventually, I saw a big herd in a field. A. May. Zing.
I was so excited! After parking my car, I snapped away with my camera and panned the herd for the big guy.
I couldn’t find him. I couldn’t see any antlers. Eventually, I did see one with little singular tine (is that the right word?) poking up above each ear. Looking at the large heard of female elk (“cows”) and babies, I wondered if this was a big young one or was just the luckiest stud in Elk County.
I gawked at the amazing creatures, thankful I saw them. Definitely a worthwhile experience. It had been a long day. I was wiped out. I got in my car and began the drive home, hours later than I had anticipated. As I drove, my hope to see “the big one” dwindled and I relaxed and enjoyed the scenic ride home.
I didn’t see any enormous bull which made me a little sad, but I saw enough to know that it is pretty awesome and it is worth going to. And darn it! I’m gonna have to go back. Gotta get that money shot.
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