The 7mm Mag is a great choice. It will serve you well in the NE and, if you ever plan to hunt out west, it would make a good long range gun. The .25-06, .270Win and the like will also shoot flat, but if you want a long distance elk rifle, you'd be well served with a 7mm Mag. The 300 and 338 magnums would be even better for long range elk but some might consider them over kill in Pennsylvania. I wouldn't - but some would. Another consideration is ammo availability. The .30-06 and 7mm Mag are readily available. One other question? Would you ever want to go to Canada and hunt moose?