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Two guides who assisted Mike Skvarla on a September elk hunt in Pennsylvania have pleaded not guilty to trespassing citations after a landowner said the party lacked permission to hunt on his property. Skvarla was not cited, and the Game Commission told him he could keep the elk; officials have not decided how the case will affect its potential record status.
Two hunting guides who helped Mike Skvarla kill a potential Pennsylvania state-record elk have been cited for trespassing, after a property owner said the hunting party lacked permission to be on his land. Skvarla was not cited, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission told him he could keep the bull, but officials have not decided how the case will affect its record submission.
The hunt took place on September 15 in Centre County. Skvarla, who drew one of 15 tags selected from about 50,000 applicants in Pennsylvania’s elk lottery, killed the bull with a crossbow on his 40th birthday. He had hired an outfitter because, he said, he had little experience hunting elk. Guide Mike Conaway and caller Abner Druckenmiller, both of Trophy Rack Lodge, assisted him; Skvarla’s sister-in-law was also part of the two-day hunt.
The citations were issued on October 7 after a landowner reported that the party had not been given permission to hunt there. Pennsylvania Game Commission northcentral region law enforcement supervisor Harold Malehorn told Go Erie that, at that point, citations would be filed only against the guides. A game warden spoke with Skvarla on October 16 and photographed the antlers. The lodge said Conaway and Druckenmiller had pleaded not guilty. Their court date is set for November 19.
The elk’s antlers remain in a 60-day drying period before formal measurement. Skvarla estimates a 428-inch green score and a 395-inch net score, but those are not official results. The current Pennsylvania typical archery record is 381 1/8 inches, according to the state’s Big Game Record System. The Game Commission’s scorer, Bob D’Angelo, said the agency had not yet decided how to handle Skvarla’s entry.
The Record Depends on Review
The case places two separate questions alongside each other: whether the guides trespassed and whether Skvarla’s bull will be accepted as a record. The citations name the guides, not the hunter, and the Game Commission’s statement to Skvarla that he was not being charged does not itself settle the agency’s process for evaluating the antlers.
If the bull’s official score exceeds the existing archery mark and the entry is accepted, it could become a new state record. That recognition would make this a high-profile elk hunt beyond the legal case. For now, the score remains an estimate and the commission has not announced how the trespass allegations will factor into its decision.
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A Rare Pennsylvania Elk Tag
Pennsylvania’s elk hunt is limited: Skvarla was among only 15 people selected from roughly 50,000 applicants for a tag in this year’s lottery. He told Outdoor Life that the hunt was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that he hired an outfitter because elk hunting was unfamiliar compared with his two decades of bowhunting deer.
The state’s current typical archery record was set in 2021 by Christopher Sebulsky, with antlers measuring 381 1/8 inches. The largest typical elk listed in the Boone and Crockett records for Pennsylvania, taken by any method, scored 415 2/8 inches in 2022. The state’s elk herd is estimated at about 1,400 animals across northcentral Pennsylvania, including Centre County.
“At this point, charges are only going to be filed on the guides.”
— Harold Malehorn, Pennsylvania Game Commission northcentral region law enforcement supervisor, to Go Erie
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Trespass Case and Score Pending
The citations are allegations, not findings of guilt. Conaway and Druckenmiller have pleaded not guilty, and the supplied reporting does not establish what the property owner or guides will present in court, or whether the party’s permission to enter the land is disputed in detail.
The Game Commission has not said whether the trespass case will affect the bull’s eligibility for a record listing. The antlers have not completed the drying period or received an official score, so it is also not yet known whether they will exceed the current archery record. Skvarla’s estimates are not a substitute for that measurement.
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Court Date and Official Measurement
The guides’ next scheduled milestone is their November 19 court appearance. Separately, the antlers must complete the 60-day drying period before an official score can be determined. The Game Commission has not announced when it will rule on the entry or what criteria it will apply while the citations are pending.
Until the court case advances and state scorers complete their review, the confirmed position is limited: the guides face trespassing charges and deny guilt, Skvarla was not cited, and the bull is a potential—not confirmed—record.
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Key Questions
Who was charged with trespassing?
Guides Mike Conaway and Abner Druckenmiller were cited. Their lodge said both pleaded not guilty. Skvarla was not cited.
Was Mike Skvarla told he could keep the elk?
Yes. Skvarla told Outdoor Life that a game warden said he was not being charged and could keep the elk. The official record process remains a separate matter.
Is the elk officially a Pennsylvania record?
No official record has been announced. The antlers are still in their 60-day drying period, and the Game Commission has not decided how to handle the entry.
When is the next court date?
The guides are scheduled to appear in court on November 19. The outcome of that proceeding was not yet known in the report.
What score did Skvarla estimate?
Skvarla estimated a 428-inch green score and a 395-inch net score. Those figures are estimates, not official measurements.
Source: rss
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