If you want to see Pennsylvania’s most majestic animal in action, and from the comfort of your home, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has begun livestreaming their Elk Cam. And it should be quite a show as September begins the peak of Pennsylvania’s elk rut and you’ll be able to not only see elk, but hear bull elk as they become more vocal while competing with one another for available cows. And this action is only a few clicks away.

The Elk Cam is located in the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk range which is an area totaling over 220,000 acres including State Game Lands 311 and Elk State Forest. Through the cam, viewers will not only see elk, but turkeys, deer, bear and other wildlife.

“Every year the Elk Cam is livestreamed to more than one million screens nationwide. The live cam’s allure lies in its unpredictability, showcasing the wildlife of Pennsylvania during daylight and nighttime with infrared capability,” said Tim Sears, of HDOnTap the provider that installs, maintains and livestreams the cam.

The Elk Cam is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, which is likely sometime in mid-October. The top time to see elk on the camera is late afternoon, says the PGC.

The stream can be accessed on the Game Commission’s website at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc/wildlife/wildlife-viewing /wildlife-cams.

For those who would like to see elk in person at the Elk State Forest as many folks do during this time, the PGC encourages them to be “Elk Smart.” By that the agency means the four simple and effective ways to view them.

*Give elk space – Keep a distance of at least 1,000 yards and never approach them. Elk are wild animals and are unpredictable and sometimes aggressive, especially during the fall breeding season. And cows are known to defend their young when they fee threatened.

*Never feed elk – Not only is it illegal in Pennsylvania, but it teaches them to associate people, cars and /or homes with food. This could cause them to approach people looking for more. Feeding also promotes the spread of infectious diseases by having them unnaturally congregate into small areas.

*Don’t name elk – Characterizing elk, or any wildlife, by naming them degrades their wild essence. Personifying elk as humans takes away their unaltered independence from humans and takes away from their truly wild nature.

*Do your part – The welfare of the elk herd is a shared responsibility. If you see someone being disruptive or careless, report it to the PGC by calling 833-PGC-WILD.

NJ SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

From On the Water Magazine reporters comes word that cooler waters have ignited a hot bite for albies and bonito inshore. The nearshore pots are also giving up some nice mahi-mahi and there’s a hot bigeye bite at the Hudson Canyon plus double-digit bluefin have moved in just offshore.