The first state game lands in Pennsylvania were purchased back in 1920 to provide land for wildlife habitat and hunting and trapping opportunities for current and future generations.

In 2015, the total acreage of our state game lands system topped 1.5 million acres and is still growing. Because none of that land was purchased with general state tax money, Pennsylvania hunter and trappers can be justifiably proud that their license dollars have largely helped pay for the land in our state game lands system, with additional funding coming from federal wildlife-restoration funds, conservation organizations and revenue from natural-resource development on the game lands themselves.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced it will host a series of tours on state game lands around the state during Sundays in October. All tours are self-guided and free. They will be held regardless of the weather.

Only vehicles licensed for travel on public roads are permitted on the tours; ATVs and UTVs are not permitted. 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 tours are scheduled for state game lands in our region during October. The first of those will be on Sunday, Oct. 13,

with a 7.5-mile tour of State Game Lands 108 in Cambria County from

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a one-way tour that begins at an 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.

State Game Lands 108 is a huge tract of 23,806 acres that features some beautiful mountainous terrain with a rehabilitated strip-mined area that has been converted to small-game habitat. The Game Commission releases pheasants on this habitat during the fall. Several new habitat and access improvement projects will be featured along the route.

Also on Oct. 13, there will be a tour of 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.

On Oct. 20, 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, controlled burns and quality forest management areas.

Not only hunters in Pennsylvania, but outdoor enthusiasts in general, are blessed to have 1.5 million acres of state game lands to enjoy many worthwhile outdoor recreational opportunities year-round such as hiking, wildlife watching, photography, fishing and more. More than thirty public shooting ranges for firearms, archery and shotgun patterning are also maintained on certain state game lands throughout the state.

More than 1,300 miles of roads and trails on game lands throughout the state have been designated to accommodate horseback riding, bicycling and snowmobiles during specified periods of the year. Properly registered snowmobiles may be driven on designated state game land roads and trails from the third Saturday in January until April 1. Licensed hunters and furtakers are exempt from those restrictions, however, and may ride bikes or horses on game lands anytime while engaged in lawful hunting or trapping activities.

Throughout the fall and early winter, about

400 miles of access roads that are normally closed to vehicle travel are opened to allow increased hunter access to parts of certain state game lands. Some of these seasonal road openings will occur in time for the start of archery season, while others will open for the regular deer season and usually remain open through the end of the late flintlock season.

Complete information on all the game lands road openings can be found on the Game Commission website, pgc.pa.gov. The mapping center on the Game Commission website is another great resource that allows users of state game lands to search and view enhanced quality maps with features including aerial photographs, topographic base maps and Wildlife Management Units. Users can also create and print custom maps of their favorite state game lands.

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 annual state game lands tours provide an opportunity to showcase some habitat improvements and other special projects being conducted on the interior of many state game lands.