Trending
Our system of state game lands owned by Pennsylvania Game Commission is a remarkable concept that has benefitted the wildlife and citizens of our state for nearly 100 years.
Now comprising more than 1.5 million acres, the primary purpose of these state game lands is wildlife habitat management and public hunting access. But state game lands don't only benefit hunters and the animals we hunt. Non-game species of birds and animals benefit from the same habitat improvements that help deer, wild turkeys, black bears, ducks and others.
Habitat projects on some game lands specifically target non-game species. State game lands are also open to many secondary recreational uses like hiking, horse and bike riding, photography, fishing and more.
The origins of what we now know as state game lands came in the early 1900s under the banner of "game refuges." Like so many of the concepts of wildlife management of that era, they were well-intentioned but driven by public opinion and emotion with little basis in science. They often tended to do more harm than good.
The concept of game refuges was to establish tracts of land, sometimes 3,000 acres or more, and exclude all access to hunting. The idea was for the animals living within the refuge area to multiply under complete protection. Once wildlife populations reached their maximum densities, the excess animals would move out and repopulate areas open to hunting. Did anyone really think that would work?
Thankfully, the wildlife managers and policymakers back then kept acquiring land eventually learned habitat improvement and other science-based concepts were the way to sustain our wildlife resources.
This fall, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will again be offering a series of tours on selected state game lands around the state on Sundays this fall. All tours are self-guided and free. They will be held regardless of the weather. Only vehicles licensed for travel on public highways 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.
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 the Pennsylvania.
These annual state game lands tours provide an opportunity to showcase how that money is being spent in the form of some habitat improvements and other special projects being conducted on the interior of many state game lands.
Three tours are scheduled for state game lands in our region in the coming weeks. The first of those will be this Sunday with a 7.5-mile tour of State Game Lands 108 in Cambria County from 11 a.m.-3 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 site, and it is also a study for grassland nesting birds and black bear. Several habitat and access improvement projects will also be featured along the route.
A tour will be presented on Oct. 11 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.
Also showcased on this tour will be the efforts of the Game Commission's forestry staff for timber production through timber sales and timber stand improvements.
On Oct. 18, there will be a 7-mile tour of the 5,700-acre State Game Lands 67 in Huntingdon County from noon-3 p.m. This tour begins in Saxton on Burma Road off Little Valley Road and ends on Route 913 between Coalmont and Dudley. The tour will feature historical sites, habitat improvements, controlled burns and quality forest management areas.
A narrated audio experience through the STQRY Guide app is available for the tours State Game Lands 26 and State Game Lands 67. Those interested in listening should go to your phone's app store and download the app ahead of time because there is limited cellular service at the tour site.
Once you install this free app, download the "Pennsylvania Game Commission SGL 26" or "Pennsylvania Game Commission SGL 67" tour prior to arriving for the tour. Users must allow the app to use your phone's location services for the purpose of the tour.