Before you go out goose hunting this month, be sure to check the Pennsylvania 2005-06 Guide to Migratory Game Bird Hunting that's issued when you buy your state migratory game bird license or your federal duck stamp. Hunters may also view the state's waterfowl regulations online at the Game Commission's Web site at www.pgc.state.pa.us.

MIDDLE CREEK WMA
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Lancaster-Lebanon border in the Atlantic Population Zone has to be considered the best goose hangout in the region. This Game Commission-owned property is a major resting place in the fall for migrating Canadas and it has a dense population of resident geese. With its network of ponds and wetlands emanating from the 400-acre main lake, Middle Creek is the ideal destination for waterfowl hunters.

Middle Creek is part of State Game Lands 46, though much of the property is posted as a propagation area where hunting access is restricted or prohibited. The game commission maintains a number of pit blinds inside the restricted area at Middle Creek, which waterfowlers may hunt on a lottery basis.

Hunting is permitted on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the open seasons for Canada geese.

Hunters may gain access to the pits in one of two ways. Inside the Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest issued with every hunting license is a goose blind application for Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Fill out the application and mail it in by the prescribed date. Game Commission officials publicly draw applications at random and assign hunting dates for successful applicants. It's too late to enter the drawing for this season's hunt, but keep this opportunity in mind for next year.

The other way to get into a blind is to show up at Middle Creek's visitor's center early in the morning on a hunting day, and, if hunters assigned to a pit for that day don't show up, you can put your name in a hat to apply for a "no-show'' blind. Call the visitor's center at (717) 733-1512 to find out when you need to be there to apply for a "no-show'' blind.

There is some flat, open ground on SGL 46 just outside the propagation area around the main lake that is open to general hunting and is ideal for a goose setup. Corn, alfalfa and other crops are planted on these tracts to provide food for wildlife, and wintering geese feed there regularly.

Check out the SGL 46 grounds open to general hunting on the east side of Middle Creek Lake. Head east on Route 897 from Kleinfeltersville to Cocalico Road and turn right. Take another right onto Shenks Mill Road and turn right again onto Furnace Hills Road. The area on the left side of the road is planted with crops perfectly suited for a December goose hunt. From those fields, you'll have a clear view of the lake, so you can enjoy watching hungry flocks lift off and head your way.

Another good bet is the SGL 46 land open to general hunting on the west side of the lake. Take Hopeland Road south from Route 897 in Kleinfeltersville and turn right onto Sunnyside Road. Once you get past the propagation area, you'll see a huge field on your left. Canada geese regularly feed in this field on the crops planted by Game Commission personnel.

Remember, although the bag limit is three geese per day in the South Zone, it's only one goose per day on SGL 46 and inside the Middle Creek propagation area. For a map of SGL 46, call the Game Commission's Southeast Region office at (610) 926-3136 or visit the agency's Web site at www.pgc.state.pa.us.