You can reach it either by boating from the Linesville recreation area or by hoofing it west from Route 6 at the extreme north end of the park.

Another good bet is in the Pymatuning Swamp area of SGL 214. This massive marsh is north of the Hartstown Reservoir. Take Shermansville Road north from Route 322 and then hike west into the swamp. Look for geese in the potholes and creeks in the middle of the swamp.

Just a stone's throw from SGL 214 is another goose hunter's paradise -- SGL 213. This property encompasses nearly 6,000 acres near Geneva in Crawford County. For goose hunters, the focal point of SGL 213 is Conneaut Marsh, which is more like a lake than a swamp.

There's a small propagation area south of Geneva Road, and the Bessemer & Lake Erie railroad line, which are off-limits to goose hunters. The lake property north and south of that area, however, is fair game.

A boat launch off Route 285 east of Geneva provides access to the southern half of the lake. Put in there and head south toward the Route 19 bridge. Set up in an open area along the shore where honkers are likely to touch down.

A launch near the intersection of Geneva and Watson Run roads provides access to the north end of the lake. Put in there and head north to the Conneaut Outlet creek that feeds the marsh. Geese love to hang out at that end of the lake.

This is the most anticipated month of the year for Keystone State honker hunters. There are plenty of hunting opportunities from Erie to Philadelphia.

For information on hunting in this zone, contact the Game Commission's Northwest Region office at (814) 432-3188.

RESIDENT POPULATION ZONE
This is Pennsylvania's largest goose-hunting zone, covering everything in between the northwest and southeast corners of the state. The opportunities abound for December honker hunters in this zone.

Before we talk about places to hunt, it's important to consider the factors that affect geese this time of year. Because this is the Resident Population Zone, biologists believe the primary population of Canadas that hunters will encounter here are resident birds.

These geese are not considered to be migratory like the Atlantic and Southern James Bay populations. But according to Ian Gregg, a Game Commission waterfowl biologist, these resident geese will take part in mini-migrations to escape adverse weather conditions in winter.

For example, Gregg said, if the northern part of the state is socked in by snow and freezing temperatures so that farm fields are buried and ponds and lakes freeze, the resident geese living there will move south to find food and open water.

Those geese are sure to come back when conditions improve -- but that might not be for a month or more.

You can find resident Canadas all over the state during summer and fall, but that doesn't mean those geese will still be in the area come December. Before you go hunting, you need to get out and scout the places we're about to discuss, to see if the birds are there.

SGL No. 127
SGL No. 127 in Monroe County is one of those places in the resident zone that can be jam-packed with geese in December if weather conditions aren't too severe. This massive property encompasses nearly 26,000 acres of Pocono Mountain swamp east of Route 380 to the north of the town of Pocono Lake.

One of my favorite goose hunts at SGL 127 starts at Bradys Lake at the end of the SGL 127 access drive off Route 940. Hike the trail that heads north along the west side of the lake and then west into a swamp, where you'll pick up a railroad bed.