http://www.trophyracklodge.com/

Trophy Rack Lodge, 270 Walker Place Lane, Karthaus, PA (2026)

04/15/2026

The decisions are final for the elk tag allotments and new zone borders. The total number of tags for the year has increased from 140 elk tags in 2025 to 155 tags for 2026, the extra 15 tags are all bull tags.
Following are some basic changes:
An October rifle season is added this year.
All seasons include Sunday hunting. Seasons are extended to start on Saturday and end on the following Sunday. Archery is two weeks, starting on Saturday and ending on the second Sunday.
May 1st is the first day to apply for an elk tag.
You must already have your general PA hunting license to apply for the tag.
One application fee of $11.97 that will give you 5 choices to pick the season, the s*x and zones that you want to put in for.
There will be no fallback option.
All previous points you have are to be combined into one pool. You get drawn for a tag, you lose all your points.
Bull tags are now once in a lifetime. There is no 5 year wait for previous bull tag winners and all are eligible to apply this year.
Nonresidents are limited to 10% per s*x per season.
All choices are your personal decision based on your preferences. We will provide you with the zones that Trophy Rack Lodge has had success with harvesting big bulls.
Our suggestions are, in order: First 308, second 304, third 306, fourth 309, fifth 303.
Many factors come into play for each season, how many people apply for the particular zone in that season, s*x applied for and how many tags allotted for the zone.
The PAGC will be giving more information on the new borders for the zones soon.
Good luck to all and if you have questions, reach out and we will be glad to help!

04/08/2026

The mount of the KECA bull is complete and is ready to go to the Elk Expo in July during the elk tag drawing! Thanks out to Victor Cook and his donating the mount of Doug Willis’s bull. Trophy Rack Lodge is ready to guide this year’s KECA hunt once again! Support the Keystone Elk Country Alliance and buy a chance on this hunt of a lifetime!

02/26/2026

Matt Staggert of Montgomery PA, had a very accurate description of a Zone 13 cow in the late season, the elusive “Ice Ghost”!
The weather was brutal, ice and sleet, then pouring down rain with wind so strong it came down in sheets that went sideways. Matt and his friend Mike Zarr covered miles a day with their guide Mike Conaway, would come back to lodge, put all their clothes into the dryer after being soaked to the skin, and go right back out after lunch.
On the first day they saw 2 cows on Larry’s son’s property, fellow Trophy Rack hunter Casey Rotz was there first and had one down the first day. Some people are disappointed that their hunt was over the so quickly. After a few days of not seeing any elk, killing the first day doesn’t sound so bad!
Tuesday the group went hunting and the rain from the previous day turned everything to solid ice, then the snow came and camoflauged the treacherous ice underneath it. They saw no tracks. They decided to take a journey along the river side hill on State Gamelands hoping to see sign around oak trees of elk digging for acorns. In the meantime, Larry was going to check around our property at the lodge for sign of that other cow seen Monday.
Bingo! Larry saw tracks and then the cow within a few minutes of going out. He would have to wait until Matt and Mike returned from the morning hunt and hope the cow hung around.
As soon as they returned and talked to Larry they headed to where the lone cow was seen, followed her tracks and spotted her. One shot brought the cow down. Then they saw movement and went forward for a possible second shot if needed. Five steps and Matt’s feet went out from underneath him and his gun went flying into the air, landing hard on the ground. A brand new Vortex scope bought 1 month before was bent in an angle! Thank goodness a second shot was not necessary.
Congratulations out to Matt and his guide Mike, and a big shout out to Vortex, who replaced his scope under their 100% replacement with no questions asked guarantee!

02/26/2026

I want to give Eugene “Shorty” Deller his due!
I had the video of his shot in an earlier post during late season but here is the man behind the rifle.
Shorty and son Grant went back to Red Lion after sharing an unforgettable hunt with a memory for the books and a bull on the wall.
Thanks for hunting with Trophy Rack Lodge and congratulations!

02/24/2026

Bringing in the New Year 2026 with a Bang!
Dave Good of Stillwater PA set up his tripod for a 150 yard shot to bring down his Zone 10 late season cow on New Years Day. Along for his hunt were his two sons, Brad and Adam. His guide, Trophy Rack Lodge’s Kenny Myers.
It was a difficult, cold, snowy and icy hunt. We talked about the hard going in the woods and how many slips and falls they each had, 6 falls said one son, the other thought for a moment and said “to many to count” and they all laughed! All worth it when the hunt is over with a cow elk on the ground!
Now it was time to celebrate, congratulations Dave!

01/29/2026

UNVEILING THE PROPOSALS FOR THE 26-27 ELK SEASONS!!
Trophy Rack Lodge needs this information to prepare for our guide business and want to keep you on top of what is happening. The one thing that is a definite is that they are delaying applications for the elk seasons until MAY 1, 2026 due to the many changes to the Zone boundaries and renaming of the zones, dates and lengthening of the elk hunting seasons, and a new additions of an October season, bringing it to four elk hunting seasons.

APPROVED: MAY 1, 2026 is when you can apply for an elk tag.

Proposed changes to be voted on in the April meeting of the PAGC:
1. New boundaries and using letters instead of the number used now to name the zones.
2. Approving the dates of the seasons and lengthening the seasons to include Sundays. Example, the General season in November would be 9 days instead of the 6 day season of the past years.
3. The addition of a 4th season in October and possible increase in bull tags, keeping the cow tag allotment the same.
4, Proposed season dates with Sunday hunting in all seasons:
Archery Season September 12 to September 27
October Season October 3 to October 11. ***Proposed season
General Season. October 31 to Novemeber 8
Late Season. January 9, 2027 to January 17, 2027
Keep in mind everything but the application date needs approval in the April meeting! We will be posting our suggestions for what to pick for your 5 preferred zones in the near future, be sure to watch for it.
**Photo below is of Ben King’s bull taken in late season January 2026 in zone 14 guided by Trophy Rack Lodge guide Buck Gardner.

01/15/2026

It Was a VERY Good Day!
A cold and windy January day in the late season turned into a good one! Hunters and guides toughed it out and it was worth it with four bulls to show for it!
That evening everyone at Trophy Rack Lodge went out to celebrate and watched each bull be scored in the garage. Great time with everyone gathering for a few drinks and lots of laughter while the snow was blowing outside.
I want to give credit to our hard working guides from left to right: Jason Rankin, zone 11; Larry Guenot, zone 12; Buck Gardner, zone 14; Matt Lutz, zone 10.
Job well done guys!

01/04/2026

Larry and I would like to share the news of a new little hunter added to our Trophy Rack Lodge family! Our son O-Jay’s daughter Caleigh and her husband Elliot are the happy parents of the first baby born in 2026 at Mount Nittany hospital, our little great-grandson Myles John Peters.
Elliot sent the news on the family group text at 4:30 AM on January 1st saying, “We won the New Year’s Baby Gift Basket!” We all think little Myles is the best gift of all!

01/04/2026

Snow Covered but Happy!
The two brothers from Connecticut brought the snow and cold temps with them, but despite the weather they were going home with Justin McGraff’s hammer of a bull that was taken in Zone 11 of the PA elk range!
The hunt began with an ice storm , turning to driving rain, then high wind warnings and brutally cold temps. Trophy Rack Lodge guide Jason Rankin showed Justin bulls every day beginning with 3 bulls on day 1, but on trespassed ground, day 2 they saw 5 bulls at 400 yards, then another on our lease that they playing cat and mouse with it
but never getting a shot.
Finally on day 3, Jason, Justin and Jeff spotted a bull feeding only 80 yards away on a hillside. The hunters set up for a shot but the bull was facing straight on and started to turn behind some trees. Guide Jason made a cow call to stop him and Justin pulled the trigger as the bull was quartering away. It was a hit, a little more forward on the bull than Justin liked, but after trailing it just 40 yards they found the bull. As they field dressed the bull they saw that the shot had hit a lung and the heart.
Congratulations Justin on your 7 x 7 rack that will look great on the wall and a story of a hunt that you shared with your brother!
***Jeff, left-Justin, right

01/02/2026

Ice, Wind & Mountains, and Coming Out on Top with a Massive Bull!!

Trophy Rack Lodge guide Buck Gardner went to open our cabin in Zone 14 on Christmas Day and do some scouting. The temps were colder and the snow and ice deeper in that part of the PA elk range. He came back to get tire chains and bought himself a pair of ice cleats, reporting to Larry that travel on the back roads was nearly impossible and a huge ice storm was on it’s way.
Benuel King of Rebersburg PA had drawn the late season bull tag in 14. The wait was excruciating for the late season hunters as they kept track of the elk hunter’s harvests in the archery and general seasons. Now it was his turn.
Ben had plenty of family that was coming along. A few were accompanying Ben and Buck. Some of the men were going muzzleloader hunting whitetail while looking for tracks or sightings of bulls.
It was tough going on the first day, they passed on a decent bull, but there had been sightings of huge bulls that made it through the last two seasons and were still out there.
Things were looking bleak, no elk were moving, and high winds of 45-50 mph were now a factor. As the party of muzzleloader hunters were leaving on Monday morning, Buck asked Ben’s father to go hunt out on a mountain where there was known to have big bucks but also a hideaway place for big bulls.
Ben’s father reported back that evening that they had cut a track of a couple elk. The plan was set for the next morning to go there and follow up on the only lead they had.
At daylight Ben and Buck were on scene and on the tracks. Winds howling and snow and ice blowing sideways were no exaggeration. They trudged on up the mountain. As Buck later stated, “You would think they would stay low, on the protected side of the mountain, away from the wind, but no!”. They continued, nearly at the top, thinking no way were they turning back now, when Buck turned to look back and saw two bulls high above, but within range. He pointed them out to Ben who in the howling wind needed a dead rest and placed his rifle across a log and shot the obvious larger of the two. The bulls took off, did Ben have a hit? The only way to find out was to go up and check.
Confirming one was hit, they began following the running bulls. Down they followed, slipping, sliding, falling along the way. Finally a shot presented and down the bull went!
They knew it was big but coming up to it, this bull was a monster, with mass holding throughout, even on the points. Width, mass and tine length, it had it all. Buck is in the photos. They wanted to show to scale how big this bull truly was!
Getting the bull the 2 1/2 miles back down was another adventure, they called for Steve Perrine and his horse Archie who definitely earned his keep that day on the treacherous way down.
This hunt was met with large reward, all accomplished by the experience of a guide, a good hunter, family support and a good horse! Congratulations to all who made Ben’s hunt a treasured memory!

01/01/2026

Eugene “Shorty” Deller of Red Lion PA, had the good fortune of drawing a late season bull tag in Zone 10. He brought along his son Grant and his Re*****on Classic chambered in 300 Weatherby Magnum for the hunt. His guide was Trophy Rack Lodge Zone 10 man, Matt Lutz.
The weather was the talk of the hunters and guides with ice, sleet and dropping temps for the first day. Despite all of that they saw 8 cows and a small bull that they passed on. When coming back for lunch, the Zone 10 cow hunter guide Kenny said he and his hunter jumped a pretty good bull with a small herd. Matt, Shorty and Grant headed out and followed the tracks but only got glimpses of the bull but never caught up.
Monday was cold and rainy and after seeing a cow, Matt, Shorty and Grant were driving to an another spot when they saw an elk track cut across the roadway. They got out and started the pursuit. Heads down and trailing, Matt and Shorty were hot on the track, suddenly Grant looked ahead and said “Hey, there he goes!”. Slowly they worked their way forward while trying to keep quiet and downwind, finally they came upon the bull feeding ahead of them at the edge of a field. Matt set up the sticks and told Shorty, “It’s a good bull, it’s up to you if you want him”. The rest of the story is told in the video…Bull Down!

12/30/2025

Bob Milliken of Shinglehouse PA, had applied all 7 years that the late rifle and achery seasons had been opened for PA elk hunting. He got the call that he had drawn a Zone 11 bull tag in the late season and was ecstatic at the prospect of the hunt and wanted his family to share in his good fortune.
The late season is from December 27th to January 3rd of 2026. Bob made his decision quickly by the end of July to have Trophy Rack Lodge as his guide and we were happy to have him onboard.
Larry Guenot was his zone 11 guide. On the first day in Zone 1 they saw a shooter bull and could not get a shot. Sunday hunting was not allowed for the late season so they had a day to scout before hunting on Monday.
Monday was cold and with predicted 40-50 mph wind gusts with ice and sleet. They checked out a couple of fields and came out empty. Making a second round of the fields and saw 2 young bulls at 9 AM , then 4 bulls in another and one was a possibility, but decided to move on with knowlege that better bulls were out there.
Bob and Larry talked to a landowner who gave a hot tip on a couple of nice bulls on his property and invited them to hunt there. Within 5 minutes of getting to the spot, 3 bulls presented themselves and they began a stalk. The wind was blowing so strong that with his boots on the ice, it slid Bob sideways! Larry quickly pulled up his binoculars and thought one was a definite target.
Bob got set on the tripod, waited for the word on which bull, Larry said the one to the right but it wouldn’t turn. Then a larger bull showed himself further to the right, BINGO! The bull took a step and Bob pulled the trigger on his 300 Win Mag, dropping the bull with an 80 yard shot!
Congrats to Bob, and his family pictured below- his daughter Tiara Wenke, Trevor Wenke,son in law, sons Logan and Jim, friend Chris, all who made the hunt extra special for Bob. And we want to thank the landowner for his generous offer who helped make the hunt a success.

Trophy Rack Lodge

04/15/2026

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02/26/2026

02/26/2026

02/24/2026

01/29/2026

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12/30/2025

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