PHOTO PROVIDED Shown is an elk in this photo by Michael Allen. In Benezette, elk herd can be seen and people drive from hours away to get to witness them.

Benezette, Pennsylvania. There is perhaps nowhere else in the Commonwealth where hundreds of people are willing to get up before dawn and drive to remote locations for the possibility of seeing and hearing male elk bugle during the mating season.

The Pennsylvania elk herd is primarily located in Elk County, northwest of State College and only a couple hours from Williamsport. Elk were reintroduced into this area in 1913. Currently the Game Commission estimates that the herd has grown to approximately 1,200.

The elk shift locations as the years pass, but elk fanatics share tips about hot locations, as the elks’ patterns change, such as “Right now, they are behind the Benezette general store.”

The word spreads and soon by 6:45 a.m., trucks and occasional cars line both sides of a one-lane dirt road, waiting for dawn and the haunting bugling of male elk. At hot spots, a newbie might find a dozen elk fanatics in camo gear, lined up with top-of-the-line cameras on tripods, just hoping for that most spectacular picture as the fog subsides and the sun rises.

Elk viewers also might also capture prizewinning photos of herds of female elk accompanied by a single bull who has beaten out other bulls for the opportunity to control his own herd of cows.

If you are lucky, you might see a huge bull in the middle of his harem with every intention of keeping the females cozied together so that when one cow goes into heat only for a mere couple of hours, he is immediately ready.

Then days later perhaps, another cow will be ready to breed, giving each bull many opportunities. Last month in Benezette we saw one large bull escorting a herd of 16 cows as they ambled between cabins and houses feeding on grass.

Benezette visitors might also see individual bulls or a few bulls together. Such solo males have probably competed with other elk over a herd of cows and have been defeated by stronger bulls. Such bulls often merely sit idly for long periods of time in an open field, offering the photographer magnificent views.

Benezette is home to a most informative visitor center, complete with full -sized male and female elk created by taxidermists. Seeing these models is the best way to appreciate how truly huge these animals are. Mature bulls can easily weigh 800-1,100 pounds compared to an average whitetail deer weighing 110-130 pounds.

There is nothing like the actual experience of standing quietly on a remote road while slowly watching a huge bull appear out of the brush and then slowly walk across the road, maybe 15 feet in front of you.

Such majestic experiences explain why people are happy to get out of bed in the dark, put up with pre-dawn traffic jams and wait in the cold with their cameras.

Elk magic is totally worth it.