It was a full circle kind of moment for Mike Kinney. Earlier in 2023, he was successful in obtaining a coveted Pennsylvania elk tag at a national auction hosted by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Several months later, the long-time RMEF member and supporter pulled the trigger on a massive bull elk.
According to Elk Country Outfitters, the bull has more than 70 inches of mass, 20-inch thirds and beams over 50 inches. Below are more details courtesy of the outfitters’ Facebook page.
Last year, we had multiple encounters with this bull but just weren’t able to close the deal. Coming into this season, we used the knowledge gained from last year to make sure we would be able to capitalize and make the most of an opening day opportunity should one arise.
While our time at camp and afield with Mike may have been short, it was still chocked full of fun and memorable things. He was amazed at how green and lush and thick our terrain here was. Also, the huge ominous towering oaks that were raining down acorns while we stood near them in the dark were impressive. Mike was sure it was animals walking all around us. He was definitely awe struck by what we have here. We as Pennsylvania sportsmen sometimes don’t realize we have it as good as we do and seeing and hearing an outsider’s perspective looking in is always a good reminder of how lucky we truly are to hunt, fish and recreate here in Pennsylvania.
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(Photo credit: Elk Country Outfitters)