SWATARA STATE PARK
Situated along Interstate 81 in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties is 3,515-acre Swatara State Park. Take Route 72 north from Lickdale in Lebanon County to Inwood. Just past Inwood, turn right on Iron Bridge Road to get to Old State Road and turn left. Old State Road runs into the park, following Swatara Creek.

Known locally as "The Swatty," this creek is a good place to find flocks of resident Canadas in December. The migrants don't really know the Swatty is here, but plenty of resident birds call the creek home year-round.

Try parking on Old State Road in the park and hiking north to the creek. Sneak along the edge of the creek and try jump-shoot unsuspecting Canadas.

Or pick a spot that offers good cover and pitch a few decoys into the Swatty. Geese flying up and down the creek may spot your dekes and dip in close enough for a shot.

Also try taking Route 645 south from Brookside in Schuylkill County and turn right on Swopes Valley Road. Take Swopes Valley Road to Route 443 and turn right until you reach the Irving Station access road on your right. Park here and head south and east with your decoys and shotgun to Irving Pond.

For a map of Swatara State Park, contact the park office at (717) 865-6470. For information on lodging in the Susquehanna valley, contact the Hershey Capital Region Visitors Bureau at 1-800-995-0969.

For Pennsylvania's goose hunters, the Susquehanna Valley is the Promised Land. If you're looking for a goose on the Christmas dinner table, this is the place to be this month.