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HARRISBURG -- After touring the country as part of a traveling display, the mount made from a giant, illegally killed Pennsylvania bull elk has come home to Clearfield County.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation presented the mount of the now-famous "Historic Pennsylvania Poaching Bull" to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr., who prosecuted the poachers responsible for the unlawful killing.
Because of the historic significance of the elk, Shaw made arrangements for the trophy to be on permanent display at the Clearfield County Historical Society, where it is available for public viewing.
Killed unlawfully in a 2014 poaching spree near Karthaus, the bull is one of the largest on record in Pennsylvania. Its official Boone & Crockett measurements of 432 7/8 inches would rank as Pennsylvania's third-largest bull elk ever, had it been lawfully harvested.
The mount is so big, in fact, the historical society had to do some remodeling before putting the bull on display, said the organization's vice president Susan Williams.
"We completely remodeled a room to house it, and we have a number of artifacts of historic importance on display alongside it," Williams said.
Mark Holyoak, Director of Communication for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, said the impressive mount provided a unique teaching opportunity.
"Because this bull was taken through poaching, it allowed us to talk about the importance of legal and ethical hunting, and the very important role it plays in conservation," Holyoak said. "And because this mount was displayed in so many states across the country, it opened a lot of people's eyes to the exceptional quality of Pennsylvania's elk."
Two other bull elk were killed alongside the "Historic Pennsylvania Poaching Bull" in a single night of poaching by three men in September 2014. Wildlife Conservation Officer Mark Gritzer had been staking out the area where the giant 10- by 9-point bull had been hanging out and was quick to intercept the poachers after the shot rang out. The three men each pleaded guilty to their charges, and their sentences included time in jail and fines totaling almost $39,000.