Outfitter, guides and hunter charged in elk killing
04-18-2020, 09:31 AM
#21
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: US South
Posts: 444
But the video on the link I see, Elk, deer and more to enjoy reclaimed game lands,
Has nothing to do with the PA hunter case?!
04-18-2020, 09:51 AM
#22
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: US South
Posts: 444
Oldtimr, Here's the facebook account of the hunt from the outfitters as best I can cut and paste:
Elk County Outfitters
·
When we first met Richard Prentiss back on the 18th of August it was under an incredible set of circumstances. Rich had just, an hour or so previous to the drawing, purchased one single $25 chance for the 2019 KECA raffle tag...just one chance!
It was a day to remember for all, when his ticket was pulled out of the barrel and his name called. The crowd erupted, over the noise of a raging summertime thunderstorm, when it was realized Rich was there in attendance. The high fives, pats on the back, and hugs flowed all around as the hail and torrential rain pounded down on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center. Rich's wife, Jennifer, was along that day as well as his grandson Jacob and Jacob's friend, Vincent.
We had a good meet with Rich that afternoon and with him living in Cogan Station, which is within an hour and half of the elk range, we knew the “on call” scenario would be in play if needed. Fast forward, almost a month, to the morning of September 10th. As luck would have it, while we filled the RMEF tag, one of the guys showing up to help with the extraction brought reports of a monstrous bull seen on private property. With a brief description of the rack and the location of the sighting we quickly knew which bull it was.
ECO has had a lot of history with this particular bull dating all the way back to 2014 when a friend found a set of sheds that made us go “hmmm...”. They were from a bull we had seen several times throughout the rut and we could really see the potential in this young bull. As we had kind of expected he eventually developed into a giant bull and one of the guys ended up with two more sets of sheds from him. Each year we thought there was no way he could get bigger and yet somehow he would show up on trail cam pics each summer bigger than the previous year.
We hunted this bull in the general November seasons for several years prior but we were never able to seal the deal due to private property access that no one is granted for elk hunting. A trail cam check, during the summer once again revealed him, and once again we couldn’t believe our eyes that he had somehow gotten bigger! His tell tale left side 4th point was again wide and palmated and his tines seemed like they had all gotten longer as well.
We made the call to Rich on a Wednesday morning to see if he would be available to come out and hunt for a few days. There was a loud “HELL YEAH” over the phone and the true sound of excitement in Rich’s voice. Rich made it into camp Wednesday afternoon and plans were laid for the evening hunt. The big bull was spotted that evening but even though there was no opportunity for a shot we knew we could get Rich in the mix over the next couple days.
Wednesday evening Rich’s nephew Brodie came into camp as he had a few days off of work to be able to share in his uncle's hunt. Thursday morning dawned with solid fog as is pretty much the norm for the area. There was bugling all around and several smaller bulls and cows seen but not the big bull we were looking for. The evening hunt came and went the same as the morning hunt minus the fog with several elk seen.
Friday morning dawned and we were happy to see that the fog was minimal and the bulls were bugling well. After a quick relocation from the area we started in at daylight, Rich was taking aim at the huge bull. Shortly after 7:20 Rich’s 6.5 Creedmore rang out as the bull was pushing cows at 136 yards. A second shot at around 175 yards and the bull was hit hard as he ran into the brush line.
As Rich neared the downed bull his emotions over came him as well as several of the ECO gang. We had a monstrous bull on the ground that we had many years of history with and it was almost bitter sweet. The bull that had gotten away several times, had been the main focus of shed hunting for years, and was a frequent topic of our camp fire stories had finally slipped up and we were able to close the chapter on this true PA monarch!
This harvest wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of private property owners and past relationships. We stress all the time to folks we talk to, not to overlook the public state forest and state game lands but at the same time you need to be able to keep an eye on key pieces of private property. We also would like to thank the KECA organization for their continued partnership with ECO.
When the KECA tag was first created and drafted into law in 2014 we had the idea to donate a six day fully guided elk hunt to KECA for the lucky winner. We knew we wanted to do something to be able to give back to the area that we all have grown to love so much. The KECA tag is often referred to as “the working man's tag” since it is awarded through a raffle as opposed to an auction. It only takes one entry to win and that’s just what Rich had in the barrel...one chance out of 10,580 total tickets sold!
Another worthy note to mention is that the monies from this year's raffle pushed the total tag proceeds over $1 million dollars raised since that first raffle in 2014. These funds raised stay right here in our great state and our elk range. These funds have allowed KECA to make several large capital improvements on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center as well as implement a cooperative habitat improvement program across the elk range. These funds have also helped play a part in KECAs first permanent land protection purchase. Anyone who has purchased a KECA raffle tag in the past has played an integral role in conserving our elk range and also educating tens of thousands about the region as well...THANK YOU ALL!
Elk County Outfitters
When we first met Richard Prentiss back on the 18th of August it was under an incredible set of circumstances. Rich had just, an hour or so previous to the drawing, purchased one single $25 chance for the 2019 KECA raffle tag...just one chance!
It was a day to remember for all, when his ticket was pulled out of the barrel and his name called. The crowd erupted, over the noise of a raging summertime thunderstorm, when it was realized Rich was there in attendance. The high fives, pats on the back, and hugs flowed all around as the hail and torrential rain pounded down on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center. Rich's wife, Jennifer, was along that day as well as his grandson Jacob and Jacob's friend, Vincent.
We had a good meet with Rich that afternoon and with him living in Cogan Station, which is within an hour and half of the elk range, we knew the “on call” scenario would be in play if needed. Fast forward, almost a month, to the morning of September 10th. As luck would have it, while we filled the RMEF tag, one of the guys showing up to help with the extraction brought reports of a monstrous bull seen on private property. With a brief description of the rack and the location of the sighting we quickly knew which bull it was.
ECO has had a lot of history with this particular bull dating all the way back to 2014 when a friend found a set of sheds that made us go “hmmm...”. They were from a bull we had seen several times throughout the rut and we could really see the potential in this young bull. As we had kind of expected he eventually developed into a giant bull and one of the guys ended up with two more sets of sheds from him. Each year we thought there was no way he could get bigger and yet somehow he would show up on trail cam pics each summer bigger than the previous year.
We hunted this bull in the general November seasons for several years prior but we were never able to seal the deal due to private property access that no one is granted for elk hunting. A trail cam check, during the summer once again revealed him, and once again we couldn’t believe our eyes that he had somehow gotten bigger! His tell tale left side 4th point was again wide and palmated and his tines seemed like they had all gotten longer as well.
We made the call to Rich on a Wednesday morning to see if he would be available to come out and hunt for a few days. There was a loud “HELL YEAH” over the phone and the true sound of excitement in Rich’s voice. Rich made it into camp Wednesday afternoon and plans were laid for the evening hunt. The big bull was spotted that evening but even though there was no opportunity for a shot we knew we could get Rich in the mix over the next couple days.
Wednesday evening Rich’s nephew Brodie came into camp as he had a few days off of work to be able to share in his uncle's hunt. Thursday morning dawned with solid fog as is pretty much the norm for the area. There was bugling all around and several smaller bulls and cows seen but not the big bull we were looking for. The evening hunt came and went the same as the morning hunt minus the fog with several elk seen.
Friday morning dawned and we were happy to see that the fog was minimal and the bulls were bugling well. After a quick relocation from the area we started in at daylight, Rich was taking aim at the huge bull. Shortly after 7:20 Rich’s 6.5 Creedmore rang out as the bull was pushing cows at 136 yards. A second shot at around 175 yards and the bull was hit hard as he ran into the brush line.
As Rich neared the downed bull his emotions over came him as well as several of the ECO gang. We had a monstrous bull on the ground that we had many years of history with and it was almost bitter sweet. The bull that had gotten away several times, had been the main focus of shed hunting for years, and was a frequent topic of our camp fire stories had finally slipped up and we were able to close the chapter on this true PA monarch!
This harvest wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of private property owners and past relationships. We stress all the time to folks we talk to, not to overlook the public state forest and state game lands but at the same time you need to be able to keep an eye on key pieces of private property. We also would like to thank the KECA organization for their continued partnership with ECO.
When the KECA tag was first created and drafted into law in 2014 we had the idea to donate a six day fully guided elk hunt to KECA for the lucky winner. We knew we wanted to do something to be able to give back to the area that we all have grown to love so much. The KECA tag is often referred to as “the working man's tag” since it is awarded through a raffle as opposed to an auction. It only takes one entry to win and that’s just what Rich had in the barrel...one chance out of 10,580 total tickets sold!
Another worthy note to mention is that the monies from this year's raffle pushed the total tag proceeds over $1 million dollars raised since that first raffle in 2014. These funds raised stay right here in our great state and our elk range. These funds have allowed KECA to make several large capital improvements on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center as well as implement a cooperative habitat improvement program across the elk range. These funds have also helped play a part in KECAs first permanent land protection purchase. Anyone who has purchased a KECA raffle tag in the past has played an integral role in conserving our elk range and also educating tens of thousands about the region as well...THANK YOU ALL!
04-18-2020, 10:06 AM
#24
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
Oldtimr, Here's the facebook account of the hunt from the outfitters as best I can cut and paste:
Elk County Outfitters
October 7, 2019 ·
When we first met Richard Prentiss back on the 18th of August it was under an incredible set of circumstances. Rich had just, an hour or so previous to the drawing, purchased one single $25 chance for the 2019 KECA raffle tag...just one chance!
It was a day to remember for all, when his ticket was pulled out of the barrel and his name called. The crowd erupted, over the noise of a raging summertime thunderstorm, when it was realized Rich was there in attendance. The high fives, pats on the back, and hugs flowed all around as the hail and torrential rain pounded down on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center. Rich's wife, Jennifer, was along that day as well as his grandson Jacob and Jacob's friend, Vincent.
We had a good meet with Rich that afternoon and with him living in Cogan Station, which is within an hour and half of the elk range, we knew the “on call” scenario would be in play if needed. Fast forward, almost a month, to the morning of September 10th. As luck would have it, while we filled the RMEF tag, one of the guys showing up to help with the extraction brought reports of a monstrous bull seen on private property. With a brief description of the rack and the location of the sighting we quickly knew which bull it was.
ECO has had a lot of history with this particular bull dating all the way back to 2014 when a friend found a set of sheds that made us go “hmmm...”. They were from a bull we had seen several times throughout the rut and we could really see the potential in this young bull. As we had kind of expected he eventually developed into a giant bull and one of the guys ended up with two more sets of sheds from him. Each year we thought there was no way he could get bigger and yet somehow he would show up on trail cam pics each summer bigger than the previous year.
We hunted this bull in the general November seasons for several years prior but we were never able to seal the deal due to private property access that no one is granted for elk hunting. A trail cam check, during the summer once again revealed him, and once again we couldn’t believe our eyes that he had somehow gotten bigger! His tell tale left side 4th point was again wide and palmated and his tines seemed like they had all gotten longer as well.
We made the call to Rich on a Wednesday morning to see if he would be available to come out and hunt for a few days. There was a loud “HELL YEAH” over the phone and the true sound of excitement in Rich’s voice. Rich made it into camp Wednesday afternoon and plans were laid for the evening hunt. The big bull was spotted that evening but even though there was no opportunity for a shot we knew we could get Rich in the mix over the next couple days.
Wednesday evening Rich’s nephew Brodie came into camp as he had a few days off of work to be able to share in his uncle's hunt. Thursday morning dawned with solid fog as is pretty much the norm for the area. There was bugling all around and several smaller bulls and cows seen but not the big bull we were looking for. The evening hunt came and went the same as the morning hunt minus the fog with several elk seen.
Friday morning dawned and we were happy to see that the fog was minimal and the bulls were bugling well. After a quick relocation from the area we started in at daylight, Rich was taking aim at the huge bull. Shortly after 7:20 Rich’s 6.5 Creedmore rang out as the bull was pushing cows at 136 yards. A second shot at around 175 yards and the bull was hit hard as he ran into the brush line.
As Rich neared the downed bull his emotions over came him as well as several of the ECO gang. We had a monstrous bull on the ground that we had many years of history with and it was almost bitter sweet. The bull that had gotten away several times, had been the main focus of shed hunting for years, and was a frequent topic of our camp fire stories had finally slipped up and we were able to close the chapter on this true PA monarch!
This harvest wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of private property owners and past relationships. We stress all the time to folks we talk to, not to overlook the public state forest and state game lands but at the same time you need to be able to keep an eye on key pieces of private property. We also would like to thank the KECA organization for their continued partnership with ECO.
When the KECA tag was first created and drafted into law in 2014 we had the idea to donate a six day fully guided elk hunt to KECA for the lucky winner. We knew we wanted to do something to be able to give back to the area that we all have grown to love so much. The KECA tag is often referred to as “the working man's tag” since it is awarded through a raffle as opposed to an auction. It only takes one entry to win and that’s just what Rich had in the barrel...one chance out of 10,580 total tickets sold!
Another worthy note to mention is that the monies from this year's raffle pushed the total tag proceeds over $1 million dollars raised since that first raffle in 2014. These funds raised stay right here in our great state and our elk range. These funds have allowed KECA to make several large capital improvements on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center as well as implement a cooperative habitat improvement program across the elk range. These funds have also helped play a part in KECAs first permanent land protection purchase. Anyone who has purchased a KECA raffle tag in the past has played an integral role in conserving our elk range and also educating tens of thousands about the region as well...THANK YOU ALL!
Elk County Outfitters
October 7, 2019 ·
When we first met Richard Prentiss back on the 18th of August it was under an incredible set of circumstances. Rich had just, an hour or so previous to the drawing, purchased one single $25 chance for the 2019 KECA raffle tag...just one chance!
It was a day to remember for all, when his ticket was pulled out of the barrel and his name called. The crowd erupted, over the noise of a raging summertime thunderstorm, when it was realized Rich was there in attendance. The high fives, pats on the back, and hugs flowed all around as the hail and torrential rain pounded down on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center. Rich's wife, Jennifer, was along that day as well as his grandson Jacob and Jacob's friend, Vincent.
We had a good meet with Rich that afternoon and with him living in Cogan Station, which is within an hour and half of the elk range, we knew the “on call” scenario would be in play if needed. Fast forward, almost a month, to the morning of September 10th. As luck would have it, while we filled the RMEF tag, one of the guys showing up to help with the extraction brought reports of a monstrous bull seen on private property. With a brief description of the rack and the location of the sighting we quickly knew which bull it was.
ECO has had a lot of history with this particular bull dating all the way back to 2014 when a friend found a set of sheds that made us go “hmmm...”. They were from a bull we had seen several times throughout the rut and we could really see the potential in this young bull. As we had kind of expected he eventually developed into a giant bull and one of the guys ended up with two more sets of sheds from him. Each year we thought there was no way he could get bigger and yet somehow he would show up on trail cam pics each summer bigger than the previous year.
We hunted this bull in the general November seasons for several years prior but we were never able to seal the deal due to private property access that no one is granted for elk hunting. A trail cam check, during the summer once again revealed him, and once again we couldn’t believe our eyes that he had somehow gotten bigger! His tell tale left side 4th point was again wide and palmated and his tines seemed like they had all gotten longer as well.
We made the call to Rich on a Wednesday morning to see if he would be available to come out and hunt for a few days. There was a loud “HELL YEAH” over the phone and the true sound of excitement in Rich’s voice. Rich made it into camp Wednesday afternoon and plans were laid for the evening hunt. The big bull was spotted that evening but even though there was no opportunity for a shot we knew we could get Rich in the mix over the next couple days.
Wednesday evening Rich’s nephew Brodie came into camp as he had a few days off of work to be able to share in his uncle's hunt. Thursday morning dawned with solid fog as is pretty much the norm for the area. There was bugling all around and several smaller bulls and cows seen but not the big bull we were looking for. The evening hunt came and went the same as the morning hunt minus the fog with several elk seen.
Friday morning dawned and we were happy to see that the fog was minimal and the bulls were bugling well. After a quick relocation from the area we started in at daylight, Rich was taking aim at the huge bull. Shortly after 7:20 Rich’s 6.5 Creedmore rang out as the bull was pushing cows at 136 yards. A second shot at around 175 yards and the bull was hit hard as he ran into the brush line.
As Rich neared the downed bull his emotions over came him as well as several of the ECO gang. We had a monstrous bull on the ground that we had many years of history with and it was almost bitter sweet. The bull that had gotten away several times, had been the main focus of shed hunting for years, and was a frequent topic of our camp fire stories had finally slipped up and we were able to close the chapter on this true PA monarch!
This harvest wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of private property owners and past relationships. We stress all the time to folks we talk to, not to overlook the public state forest and state game lands but at the same time you need to be able to keep an eye on key pieces of private property. We also would like to thank the KECA organization for their continued partnership with ECO.
When the KECA tag was first created and drafted into law in 2014 we had the idea to donate a six day fully guided elk hunt to KECA for the lucky winner. We knew we wanted to do something to be able to give back to the area that we all have grown to love so much. The KECA tag is often referred to as “the working man's tag” since it is awarded through a raffle as opposed to an auction. It only takes one entry to win and that’s just what Rich had in the barrel...one chance out of 10,580 total tickets sold!
Another worthy note to mention is that the monies from this year's raffle pushed the total tag proceeds over $1 million dollars raised since that first raffle in 2014. These funds raised stay right here in our great state and our elk range. These funds have allowed KECA to make several large capital improvements on the grounds of the Elk Country Visitors Center as well as implement a cooperative habitat improvement program across the elk range. These funds have also helped play a part in KECAs first permanent land protection purchase. Anyone who has purchased a KECA raffle tag in the past has played an integral role in conserving our elk range and also educating tens of thousands about the region as well...THANK YOU ALL!
04-18-2020, 01:24 PM
#26
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
Neither did I. The hunt was videoed by an outfit that was paid to do it. They knew what they saw was wrong and sent the video of the shooting across the road and road hunting to the PGC.
05-08-2020, 04:54 PM
#28
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
Well I've been applying for an elk tag every since since their inception and have yet to draw as had thousands of other folks. I sure won't be using this outfit should I ever get drawn. If I am lucky enough I may just go to the area drawn well before the season and do my own scouting. My friend and I have both agreed that if either of us are lucky enough to draw a tag the other will go along to help pack out the critter.
05-09-2020, 03:40 AM
#29
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
05-09-2020, 03:46 AM
#30
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
Well I've been applying for an elk tag every since since their inception and have yet to draw as had thousands of other folks. I sure won't be using this outfit should I ever get drawn. If I am lucky enough I may just go to the area drawn well before the season and do my own scouting. My friend and I have both agreed that if either of us are lucky enough to draw a tag the other will go along to help pack out the critter.
