Trophy Rack Lodge

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Licensed Elk Guide Service for the Pennsylvania Elk Hunt

11/04/2026

Jonathan Smith of Butler PA drew a Zone 304 bull tag. His friend Matt Smith, no relation they stressed and laughed, came along with him for the hunt.
Saturday they saw a bull and passed. Jon knew he was a shooter and wanted to see what the next day would bring. The weather was hot for this time of year and Sunday morning was foggy as they approached a gas line where Mike, his guide, knew bulls had been frequenting. They saw a bull in the thick fog and Jon said since it was the same bull they seen the previous day, it must be fate. The bull hit the ground and Jon was sure he made the right decision when he walked up to the 7 x 6.
Congrats to Jon on his bull and all the memories of his hunt he shared with his buddy Matt!

10/31/2026

FIRST DAY and FIRST ELK Down!
UPDATE: Josh’s cow was the first elk brought to the check in station and weighed in at a whopping 572 pounds live weight! The cow is a dandy, the average for a PA cow elk is 400-600 lbs so she is certainly at the top end of the scale!
Before the fog lifted and the frost wasn’t off the grass, Josh Kinsley of Landisburg PA brought down his zone 308 cow elk. His wife Amy was along for his hunt and they are off to the check station! Troy Barnyak was his guide.
Congratulations Josh for starting the Second Season PA elk hunts right for Trophy Rack Lodge!

10/22/2026

Gavin and o-Jay are set up at the Centre County CPI in Bellefonte today. Stop by for donuts, a huge peanut butter cookie and start with hot chicken and waffles for lunch!

10/18/2026

Levi Fisher of Narvon PA and his two sons received and opened an email from the Game Commission, the two boys’ messages said they were not drawn this year, Levi expected the same but got a surprise, his name was drawn for a Zone 306 archery bull tag! He and his family were all in for the adventure, a dream come true of harvesting a PA bull elk!
Levi has limited mobility but was up for the challenge. That was something Larry of Trophy Rack Lodge could help him with getting special permits for hunting. His two guides, Zach Hassinger and Nate Sharkey, knew his zone well and were up to getting Levi where he needed to be.
Levi wanted his hunt to be a family affair, that it was all of their tag. Along for the hunt was his sons Steven and Ervin, his wife, daughter and nephew Omar Zook, and Butch, a long time friend who had been a guide in Wyoming. With all of them along for support he was confident he would succeed!
They headed to State Game Lands for the hunt. Zach and Nate’s scouting and knowledge of the area had them right in the thick of things. The mornings were wild with the sound of bugles in every direction. Levi said it was like turkey hunting on steroids! His son Steven got to try out his new calling skills. Some evening were slow because of the heat. Throughout the hunt a 6 x 8 chocolate antlered bull was in and out of sight, it was their targeted bull if they could get it within bow range.
On a foggy morning hunt, Zach called and they counted 5 bulls answering. One was coming closer and then winded them. About 15 minutes later another bull approached them. Levi was tucked under a pine, the bull came straight in to them and bugled, it turned to the right and Zach said “Shoot”!!
Levi made a perfect shot, the bull went down. The Fisher’s happily headed back to Lancaster County and will have meat in the freezer for all to enjoy!
Thanks out to the Fisher family for making the hard work of bringing out the bull easy with plenty of hands to help. Congratulations Levi, your family will have lasting memories of your archery hunt for a bull in the rut in our beautiful elk country!

10/09/2026

First Season Zone 308 Cow Hunt!
John Zook from Belleville, PA, was ready to eat supper when he got word he was pulled for a PA elk. His appetite immediately vanished!
Now, better yet, his uncle Ivan, who was a long-time guide for TRL, was right there to coach him along in preparation of this zone 308 cow hunt that was coming up. After several scouting trips and obtaining permission from 300 more acres of private property, things seemed to be coming together for this upcoming early gun season hunt. As time got closer, Ivan's father was having health complications, so he decided it was best for him to stay home to help care for his dad.
So now John needed help to hunt this cow elk so he had David Kurtz come to his rescue. While hunting several hours after the season kickoff, all they could find was bulls and numerous of those. John, along with 3 of his brothers, had helped retrieve a bull that one of the other hunters had harvested before heading in the deep woods for a mid day still hunt. Preseason scouting had produced some promising sign.
Upon arrival, outside the truck while studying the map and checking the wind direction David heard a faint, distant bugle. Bingo.... Ok, boys, game on. After heading that direction an elk was seen in the distance, but it had antlers, and John needed to see a cow. After several minutes the bull meandered out of sight, but for some surprising reason, out of nowhere there comes a cow trotting by at about 75 yards and stops but was behind a pine tree and John couldn't see her. One of his brothers had a clear view of her, so John moved over, and sure enough, that's when it all happened. One double lung shot from his .270 is all it took. What an exciting time for the Zook brothers!

10/03/2026

As Time Was Running Out….
After hunting the 2 weeks of the PA elk archery season the daylight was fading and with only one day left, it is hard to keep a positive attitude.
But all of sudden there he was, right on the horizon all by himself! A beauty of a 6 x 7 bull with long tines and beams.
Steve Kidder, Doylestown PA , knew he had to make this shot count. Larry ranged it at 57 yards. Steve made a perfect shot and the bull fell.
Congratulations Steve!

09/27/2026

Congratulations to Doug Flohr, the 2026 Keystone Elk Country Alliance tag winner on a great 6 x 7 bull!!
The bull was harvested in Zone 308 in Clearfield County PA on public land.
Trophy Rack Lodge is the official guide for the KECA tag and Doug hunted for 20 days with many of our guides in zones far and wide in the Elk Management Area. Finally the stars aligned on a beautiful fall evening and under a full moon, we all celebrated Doug’s success!
Doug, of Fairfield PA, remarked that this is a year of hunting he will always remember starting off with winning the KECA tag and harvesting a PA bull, next heading for Kansas for a whitetail trip with friends and then he is looking forward to taking his 7 year old grandson deer hunting this season in PA.
It was an experience in making new friends with Doug, his son and friends who made the trip to Trophy Rack Lodge to share in Doug’s hunt of a lifetime. Enjoy the moment Doug!

Address

270 Walker Place Lane
Karthaus, PA
16845

Telephone

+18142807113

Website

http://www.trophyracklodge.com/

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