FARM-GAME CO-OPS
One of the best places to hunt Canada geese in the Susquehanna valley is in farm fields, which serve as dinner tables for local flocks. Migrating geese frequent these fields to build up calories for their southward journey. Resident geese feed in the fields to fatten up in preparation for the cold weather ahead.

Thanks to a special program run by the Game Commission, hunters don't have to be related to a farmer to gain access to private farmland in the Susquehanna Valley. Under the Game Commission's Farm-Game Cooperative Program, owners of private farmland agree to keep their lands open to public hunting in exchange for various compensations from the Game Commission.

Hunters can find these farms by visiting the Game Commission's Web site and then clicking on "County Information." Choose the county in which you want to look for farms, and a general map of that county will appear -- for example, a link for "Lancaster County Map." Click on that link, and a new map will be generated, listing the locations of all the farm-game properties. Use that map to guide you to those properties in the field. Always ask permission before you hunt.

In York County, look for concentrations of farm-game properties in the southern end of the county around the village of Brogue on Route 74; around New Bridgeville off Route 425; and around Muddy Creek Forks near the junction of Downs Road and Muddy Creek Road. There's another cluster worth checking out in the northern end of York County, west of Mount Wolf off Route 181 and around Strinestown along Route 295.

In Dauphin County, look for farm-game properties near Killinger along Route 25 and Middle Road. The area along Powell Creek from Powells Valley to Waynesville east of Route 225 is another part of Dauphin County worth checking out. There are farm-game properties there along Matamoras Road, Lehman Road and Camp Hebron Road.

Cumberland County is littered with farm-game properties in the area between Lisburn Road and Yellow Breeches Creek to the east of Carlisle. This area is well known as a goose-hunting hotspot because it has lots of water for roosting, plus lots of farm fields for forage.

Take Route 74 east from Carlisle and turn right on Martin Road to find a few farms. Continue on Martin Road and turn right on Lutztown Road to find a few more.

No discussion of goose hunting on farm-game properties in the Susquehanna valley is complete without a mention of Lancaster and Lebanon counties. Every year, according to the Game Commission, more geese are killed in these two counties than anywhere else in Pennsylvania. One of the primary reasons for this is the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Lancaster-Lebanon line near Kleinfeltersville.

Owned by the Game Commission, Middle Creek is managed primarily for waterfowl. There's a main lake with a series of small ponds scattered throughout the project area. Crops such as corn and alfalfa are planted specifically for wildlife. Hunting on a large part of the property is either severely restricted or prohibited entirely. Access to the restricted area is by lottery drawing.

Contact Middle Creek's office at (717) 733-1512 for information on accessing this area.