Once upon a time, eastern elk inhabited the entire state of Pennsylvania. By 1867, the species was extinct statewide, and within a few years the eastern elk was gone from its entire range in the northeast.

Today, approximately 700 elk roam six north-central counties. They are descendents of the Rocky Mountain subspecies introduced to the state by the Pennsylvania Game Commission between 1913 and 1926. For decades the population fluctuated. The first scientific census in 1971 revealed a population of 65 animals.

The current herd is healthy enough to sustain a modest harvest. In November, 45 hunters selected randomly from a pool of 17,432 applicants will participate in a six-day hunt.

Though elk are members of the deer family, they are easily distinguished from the ubiquitous white-tailed deer.

The first clue is size. Compared to deer, elk are huge. At birth, an elk calf weighs about 30 pounds compared to four to eight pounds for a newborn white-tail. A mature bull elk stands about 60 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs 600 to 1,000 pounds; female elk weigh 500 to 600 pounds. Mature white-tailed deer, on the other hand, stand about 33 inches tall at the shoulder, and an average buck weighs about 140 pounds; does are smaller.

Differences in the pelage of elk and deer are also quite obvious. An elk's winter coat is dark tan with a darker, shaggy neck and a creamy rump. The bull's antlers are enormous, consisting of one main beam and usually six points. White-tailed deer are grayish brown in winter. The underside of the large flag-like tail is pure white. Bucks' antlers consist of several tines arising on a single main beam.

Other differences between elk and deer include:

• Gestation: elk 8¹/₂ months, deer 7 months

• Elk have short tails, about five inches; deer tails are about 11 inches.

• Elk have a pair of upper canine teeth; deer lack canine teeth.

• Elk are primarily grazers; deer are primarily browsers.

• Elk rarely have twins; white tails usually have twins.