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Again this October, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will be offering a series of nine self-guided driving tours on selected state game lands throughout the state.
The agency suspended these popular autumn tours in 2016 for financial reasons but put them back in place last fall. All tours are free and will be held regardless of the weather. Only vehicles licensed for travel on public roads are permitted on the tours.
I have taken several of these tours in past years and always found them to be a special opportunity to get well into the interior of some of these large game-lands tracts for a firsthand look at some of the habitat improvements and other special projects being conducted on the state game lands. It's also a wonderful chance to enjoy some spectacular scenery and fall foliage you will be likely to see along the way, so don't forget to bring a camera. Although the gravel and dirt roads on the routes are good for the most part, vehicles with four-wheel-drive or high ground clearance are recommended to avoid any problems.
Three state game lands tours are scheduled for our region in the coming weeks. The first of those will be this Sunday at the 12,000-acre State Game Lands 26 in Bedford County near Blue Knob from noon to 3 p.m. This 7-mile tour begins off Route 869 near the Bedford/Cambria County line and will feature habitat improvements in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation and other cooperators. Questions regarding this tour can be directed to the Game Commission's Southcentral Region Office at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.
On Sunday, Oct. 16, a 7.5-mile tour of State Game Lands 108 in Cambria County from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be available. This tour begins at the access road, which will be marked with a sign, three-tenths of a mile north of Frugality along state Route 53 in White Township and will end on state Route 865 near Blandburg in Reade Township. Tour participants will receive an informational pamphlet about the tour, and Game Commission staff will be located along the tour route to highlight projects and to answer questions.
State Game Lands 108 features some beautiful mountainous terrain with a rehabilitated strip-mined area that has been converted to small-game habitat.
Also on Oct. 16, there will be a 7-mile tour of the 5,700-acre State Game Lands 67 in Huntingdon County from noon to 3 p.m. A sign along Route 913 between Coalmont and Dudley will mark the beginning of the tour that will feature historical sites, habitat improvements, prescribed fire and quality forest management areas. Information will be provided to each vehicle at the start of the tour, but no Game Commission staff available to lead the tour as in past years. Questions regarding this tour can be directed to the Game Commission's Southcentral Region Office at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.
Although not in our region, another tour on Oct. 16 some folks might be interested in will be on the 3,800-acre State Game Lands 311 in Elk County from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This game lands is in the heart of Pennsylvania's primary elk range and also where the Game Commission's live elk camera is located. This tour will start near the intersection of Front and Walnut streets in Benezette. Questions can be directed to the Northcentral Region Office at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.
Our 1.5 million acres of state game lands throughout Pennsylvania are a wonderful resource not only for hunters but also all those who enjoy wildlife and the natural world. State law mandates that the Game Commission use $4.25 from each resident and nonresident adult general hunting license and $2 from each antlerless deer license sold each year specifically for habitat improvement. That money helps to fund many worthwhile projects on state game lands throughout Pennsylvania. These special game lands tours offer all stake holders a chance to see how those hunting license dollars are spent.