For information on the state park, call (570) 477-5675. For advance camping reservations, call (888) PA-PARKS.

COLUMBIA COUNTY
At two important game lands in Columbia County, hunters can take advantage of their woods-and-ridge terrain in addition to surrounding agricultural lands. The composite of forests and farms with rural residential development keeps good numbers of turkeys in the area.

SGL 226 is on the western border of the county north of Jerseytown. With over 4,300 acres of primarily wooded, low ground, this public land contains excellent turkey habitat and is very accessible. Route 442 provides access from the northeast, while Route 44 between Jerseytown and White Hall offers access from the southwest. A number of good two-lane highways run through SGL 226 with pulloff sites. State Route 4023, Spruce Run Road, Gillespie Road and Ants Hill Road all weave in and out of this public land.

On the opposite side of Columbia County, SGL 55 runs across the top of Huntington and Lee mountains, but the steep mountainsides are supported by a network of streams and farms that aid in keeping turkeys around the hills.

SGL 55 covers slightly less than 2,500 acres, but its topography makes it seem like much more. Work your way into the lower ground between the two mountains to get far away from it all. SGL 55 takes more than the average amount of foot power to traverse, and hunters willing to make the effort may find less-pressured gobblers at either end of the state game lands.

Primary access is north of Berwick Heights along the mountain pass road of state Route 1025. There are good pull-offs along this road. On the northside of Huntington Mountain, Route 487 and then state Route 1020 are the main roads that lead to spur roads partially up the hillside. Look for these roads immediately after crossing two covered bridges.

TIOGA COUNTY
When the black cherry and beechnut trees have had a good fall, a wise spring turkey hunter still heads to the northern tier of Potter, Tioga and Bradford counties because the birds will stay with the food. Oaks do not dominate in the upper reaches of the center state, so everything revolves around the softer mast crops.

SGL 37 is a massive game lands south and east of Hammond Lake and Route 287. With over 13,200 acres, this game lands consists primarily of wooded hills. Frankly, it's an easy place to get lost!

Route 15 between Mansfield and Tioga provides access to the general area, but hunters must make their way around to the south side of Hammond Lake to access the best hunting. There aren't a lot of roads on the western portion of SGL 37.

East of Route 15, access is a little better, but not that much better. From Route 15 south of Tioga, take T-667 into the game lands. This road goes deep into the parcel before being gated. From the village of Painter Run, take state Route 1004 into a small wedge of the public land along Mill Creek.

While SGL 37 offers a lot of public land, Tioga State Forest has even more opportunities in Tioga and Bradford counties. This is the seventh-largest forest in the state with 161,600 acres. With so much land, it's hard to pick a place to begin. Newcomers might want to try the area north of Marsh Creek along Route 6. From Marsh Creek, two major roads fork off into the forest and spur trails off these two roads provide additional access into this land. I've always liked Strait Run Road along Straight Run. (Yes, according to local signs, it has two different spellings!) The bottom of Strait Run Road cuts between two ridges, and then it forks into Left Strait and Right Strait roads.

Southwest of Marsh Creek is the village of Asaph. From Asaph, take Asaph Road, which forks into Left Asaph and Right Asaph and, lower down, Goodall Road. The Asaph twins split at Middle Ridge, and there is plenty of good forest ground all through this area.

For turkey hunting with a little easier access in Tioga County, continue west on Route 6 to Manhattan and then take the main road south into SGL 208.

This public land has over 8,800 acres of exceptional turkey habitat west of rugged Pine Creek Gorge. In this elevated region the terrain is rolling hills and wide valleys, even though it is on high ground. Many sportsmen have established hunting cabins around this area, so stake your claim carefully. Nevertheless, this is an excellent place to find a niche to hunt gobblers in this area.

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
Accessible to both Philadelphia- and Harrisburg-area hunters, Schuylkill County has some surprisingly rugged mountain hunting where wily old toms are often taken.

SGL 222 is one of the best in the region and is framed by the steep ridges of Locust Mountain northwest of Tamaqua. SGL 22 contains 1,505 acres and is adjacent to Wiser State Forest and Tuscarora State Park.