Armstrong was on hand at the elk check station in Benezette last week, during general elk season, where those lucky hunters had to bring their harvested elk within 24 hours of being killed.

The elk hunters are chosen through a lottery system by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for a chance to hunt one of the 1,400 elk that call Pennsylvania home.

“I’ve put in 22 years, and I never thought I would get it,” said Scott Dimmitt of Pottstown, while standing beside the elk he harvested last week, in Benezette.

“I couldn’t be any happier. This is a once in a lifetime,” said Dimmitt with a smile.

A large bull elk is hangs upside down as it’s weighed at the Elk County Welcome Center on the first day of the elk hunt in Pennsylvania recently. 140 elk were allowed to be hunted during this year’s season in Pennsylvania. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Like many elk hunters, Dimmitt used an elk hunting guide. Ernie Bertolasio of Hicks Run Outfitters assisted Dimmitt in locating an elk.

Bruce Jones of Montoursville, who harvested an elk last week, also sees the benefits in using a guide.

“Trophy Rack Outfitters and Todd Walters, they worked very hard to give me the opportunity to harvest an elk,” Jones said.

The hunters and guides put in a lot planning and familiarizing themselves with the area before opening day.

“A lot of effort went into preseason scouting, scouting right up until the night before the season,” shared Jones.

Two large bull elk are seen along a road near Driftwood on the first day of the elk hunt in Pennsylvania recently. 140 elk were allowed to be hunted during this year’s season in Pennsylvania. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it. I was walking between five and seven miles every day looking for an elk for the last two weeks,” said Bertolasio.

His satisfaction comes from helping the hunter get their elk.

“I don’t even put in for the drawing. I would rather guide someone else and watch their joy and watch the excitement and their tears. That’s more fun to me than pulling the trigger,” said Bertolasio.

The opportunity for Jones to get his bull came last Tuesday after a hard day of hunting on Monday, not seeing anything.

“We went to a field near Benezette. We snuck in in the darkness, as it started to get daylight, there was literally a fog laying in the field, like a postcard. We could see more and more as the light came on, and there was elk all over the place in that field,” said Jones.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRUCE JONES Bruce Jones and son Dutch with the elk Bruce harvested this month.

As it began to get light, Jones’ guide saw there was a shooter bull in the field.

“So I got excited to say the least. I had to wait eight minutes for shooting time. He said these are going to be the longest eight minutes of your life,” said Jones with a laugh.

Jones got his bull which turned out to be an 8×7 and had a green score of 385 inches. A green score is the total number of inches of the bull’s antlers.

It was a team effort for Dimmitt to get his elk as well.

“We located him last night and didn’t think he would be out there this morning, because he always comes out at night. So we thought we would give it a shot and lo and behold, my son was with me, that made it even more special and we saw him,” shared Dimmitt

He had to wait until daylight and took his shot.

The elk was recovered within 60 yards, which couldn’t be any better, Dimmitt added.

Getting the elk out of the woods is no small task.

When nearby hunters and guides heard that Jones had shot his bull, they came to help.

“My son Dutch was with me, he was a big help to me. There were eight people total that it took to get that bull out of that field,” said Jones

They took a big log, put it in behind the rack on the elk and used one of the guy’s leather belts and wrapped it around to secure it. They got in there like draft horses and pushed and pulled to get the elk over to a trailer to take it to the check station.

‘It was quite an effort,” said Jones.

One of the things that stuck out to Jones is the camaraderie of the experience.

“It was a really nice experience all the way around, everyone kind of pitched in and wanted to help each other out,” shared Jones.

“The local folks in the area congratulated you when we stopped for gas. It’s like your 15 minutes of fame. You get swarmed, everyone wants to take pictures, People want to touch the antlers,” said Jones.

At 69 years old, Dimmitt has been hunting since he was 12 and thought he may never get his chance to harvest a Pennsylvania elk.

When he got the call informing him that he had won a license in the lottery, he let the call go to voicemail.

“I thought it was spam,” he shared with a laugh.

Jones had been entering the lottery for 22 years as well and wasn’t sure he would ever be chosen.

“Don’t give up, don’t give up, you get a point every time you don’t get drawn, your name goes in again. I would encourage people to keep trying,” said Jones.

Thousands of people come out every year to the elk check station at the Benezette Welcome Center, to get a look at the massive animals and where state biologists examine and take samples.

“The elk, it’s super unique to see them up close. If you see them in the wild, you have to stay 100 yards away. At the check station, even though they’re deceased, you can get a cool view of them and get to appreciate the large size of those animals,” said Mercy Melo, wildlife management supervisor for the Northcentral Region of the Game Commission.

“I had all my kids and grandkids here last week. This was a family affair,” said an emotional Dimmitt.

“I told them, now you have put a lot of pressure on me,” added Dimmitt.

“All I got to do is not screw this up,” said Dimmitt about the night before the hunt.

When he finally got his elk, emotions ran high, “My wife’s crying, I am crying, it’s all good,” said Dimmitt with a smile.

One of the best parts of his hunt for Jones was sharing it with his 22-year-old son Dutch, a senior at Lycoming College.

“It’s just a once in a lifetime experience. I know he is never going to forget it. He is still talking about it with his buddies. That’s something special that he and I can share for the rest of our lives and someday he can hopefully tell my grandkids about when Pap and he got that big bull,” said Jones.