DELAWARE STATE FOREST
Delaware State Forest offers some of the better public turkey hunting land along the easternmost tier of counties. The largest part of this 81,794-acre state forest is in Pike County, but tracts of this highly fragmented state forest are also in Monroe, Northampton and Carbon counties.

Though similar in some ways, habitat and terrain are notably different from most of our other state forests. Colloquially called the Pocono Mountains, the correct name for this physiographic area is the Pocono Plateau. The terrain is very steep in some places but quite flat over large expanses. There are numerous small lakes, ponds and wetlands. Vegetation is often more like the forests of the north than common Pennsylvania hardwood habitat.

More than in most parts of Pennsylvania, it is important to understand how to use maps, compass or GPS. Getting turned around is especially easy in the wet, flat areas, and being lost in a swamp is not a pleasant experience. However, for those who do possess the skills to navigate through the remote areas, there is much more elbow room than in most parts of the eastern counties.

Promised Land State Park is in the middle of one of the larger Delaware State Forest tracts. This 3,000-acre park is surrounded by 12,464 acres of state forest. Habitat here includes beech and oak. Only about 450 acres of the park are open to hunting.

The park has four campgrounds. Electric hookups, flush toilets and hot showers are available near some campsites. A dozen rustic cabins constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s are available for rent. Each has a fireplace, electricity and an adjacent private bathroom. To reserve campsites, cabins or a picnic pavilion, call toll-free at (888) PA-PARKS from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

The park is 10 miles north of Canadensis along state Route 390. More information is available from the Promised Land State Park office, R.R. 1, Box 96, Greentown, PA 18426-9735; call (570) 676-3428, or e-mail promisedlandsp@state.pa. us.

Additional information and maps for Delaware State Forest are available from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Forest District No. 19, HC 1, Box 95A, Swiftwater, PA 18370-9723; or call (570) 895-4000.

ADDITIONAL RULES
Hunters should understand the rules governing state forests before they start planning a hunt. It is your responsibility to know them.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry manages our state forests. Camping provides a great opportunity for an inexpensive spring gobbler hunting adventure. In order to get the necessary permits and copies of the rules, start planning more than a month before your hunt. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry manages camping in three distinct categories: primitive backpack camping, motorized camping and group camping.

Primitive camping is defined as overnight camping where all equipment is transported in limited trips by non-motorized vehicle methods and where a motorized vehicle is not located near or part of the camping experience. Most state forestlands are open to primitive camping; however, there are rules governing that, too. Primitive campers spending no more than one night at a campsite do not need a camping permit. However, a permit is required if you desire an emergency point-of-contact, if you stay at a campsite more than one night, if a campfire is desired during spring or fall fire seasons, if you camp using a vehicle for storage or transportation, if you are group camping, or if you camp within the Pine Creek Gorge in Tiadaghton or Tioga State Forest.