The Game Commission says it will see hunters harvest about 10 percent of the 1,000 elk in the Benezette area this week.

Workers are recording the hunters’ finds at an elk check station. We stopped by to see the results of the hunt.

This is one of more than 60 elk that have come in so far, and it weighs in at more than 700 pounds.

“I found the bull that I wanted, had to look at him and shot it about 100 yards after I stalked it for about 20 minutes,” says Doug Knapic, a hunter from Nanty Glo.

Knapic says he used an outfitter’s service and spotted four bulls at the same time.

“We walked up this big hill and we were coming down the hill and we seen a big buck and my dad said to watch in the pines for the elk,” says outfitter guide’s son Colton Bollman, 13.

The elk was weighed and had a 6-by-7 in antler points. Before the hunter drove away, scientists took specimens. brock catalano, elk biologist aide

“Our veterinarian looks at the lungs of all the animals for tuberculosis. He looks at the uterus for pregnancy. He collects the blood. He does the fecal sample for stress hormones,” says Game Commission elk biologist aide Brock Catalano.

They take a tooth for age and test brain tissue and lymph nodes for chronic wasting disease, but haven’t found any so far, Catalano said. Parts of the elk are also used for college research. colton bollman, guide’s son

“The reason I come up here is because I want to be a biologist,” says Bollman.

“It’s very difficult to get a permit, so I hit the lottery,” says hunter Robert Eveler from York County.

More than 20,000 hunters usually apply for a limited number of spots.

This year, the Game Commission has tags for 99 cows and 25 bulls.

“You can pay every year and don’t get the drawing for a long time,” says onlooker Ellen Berdell from Brockport.

Eveler is one of the lucky ones, but it took several shots to bring in his cow.

“I hit it the first shot, and then we had a foul up on it, and it was in really thick stuff,” says Eveler.

He plans to take the elk home to his local butcher, for the meat.

“I’m just glad I got it. The hunt of a lifetime!” says Eveler.

So far, about half of the possible elk that hunters are looking for have come in, and the elk check station will be open through Saturday.