Have you heard that a herd of free-roaming elk estimated at 900 inhabits the north central areas of the Keystone State?

Elk numbers have increased to the point that the Pennsylvania Game Commission reestablished a limited hunting season as a population management tool in 2001.

Until this limited hunting season based on a lottery system was reinstated, Pennsylvania's elk herd had been protected since 1932. This column focuses on the story behind the demise and restoration of these magnificent creatures to Penn's Woods.

Major herds of Cervus Canadensis, the eastern elk, once ranged over most of the eastern United States and southern Canada with many calling the forests of the Poconos and central mountain ranges of Pennsylvania their home.

Unregulated hunting and the westward movement of civilization had a major effect on the elk populations as early as 1750. By 1800, elk were rarely seen in south-central Pennsylvania and areas west of the Allegheny River. By 1845, the elk disappeared from the Poconos.

The last known herd of 12 native Pennsylvania eastern elk spent the winter of 1852 along the Clarion River. The last eastern elk or wapiti (a Shawnee and Cree Native American word meaning "white rump") disappeared from the Keystone State's vast forests in 1867.

A short time later, the eastern elk disappeared from New York and New England. The loss was permanent; the last of the species of eastern elk joined the ranks of other extinct wildlife species.

So, how did the elk return to Pennsylvania?

During the winter of 1911 - 1912, western elk were trapped in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Fifty western elk were shipped from Yellowstone and another 22 were purchased from a private Pennsylvania preserve in Monroe County.

The elk were transported by train and released in the north-central part of Pennsylvania in 1913. You can imagine how difficult it was to transport these massive animals by train and then by horse-drawn wagons to the Pennsylvania elk release areas.

The Rocky Mountain elk, a different, but closely related species of the extinct eastern elk, were divided equally and released in Clinton and Clearfield counties. The initial releases were not successful. About 15 elk died shortly after arriving from Yellowstone.

The rest of the transplanted elk did not remain in the prime habitat areas where they were released. In less than a week, many had moved as much as 20 to 40 miles from what had been the designated elk range.

The elk eventually took hold and by 1923 there were sufficient numbers to establish a hunting season. Elk hunting continued through 1931 when the Game Commission discontinued elk hunting and established an elk protection program in 1932. The protection of the elk herd continued until 2001 when elk hunting season was reinstated.

This year marks 100 years since the first western elk arrived to replace the eastern elk that had been extirpated. The Elk Country Visitor Center (ECVC), near the village of Benezette, Elk County, has been busy celebrating this milestone anniversary and educating about Pennsylvania's elk.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates the present herd to be near 900 elk. The elk population increased after many of the coal strip mines in the elk range began closing during the 1980's. The open pit mines that scared the landscape for the extraction of coal were being filled in and replanted.

On a recent trip to Elk County for a fall Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Conference, I visited the ECVC. I consider the center and the theater program to be one of the best presentations I've ever witnessed.

The ECVC's "Celebrating 100 Years: Elk Restoration in Pennsylvania 1913-2013" was held Sept. 28 and 29. The visitor center and theater were filled to capacity.

Information: ExperienceElkCountry.com, 813-787-5168

To schedule programs, hikes and birthday par[ ties: 610-767-4043; comments: bbbcole@enter.net

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&Copy; 2013 Bud Cole