"Preliminary findings from ongoing, extensive forest studies of the effect of white-tailed deer population on woodland regeneration show habitat damage is heaviest in the north-central and Pocono Mountains areas of the state," said Michael DiBerardinis DCNR secretary. "For these reasons, it would be premature to draw any conclusions that would support an increased deer herd, even in areas where we observed relatively low-browse damage."

TOBYHANNA/GOULDSBORO STATE PARKS & SGLs NOs. 312 & 127
These adjoining quadruplets just cannot be separated. Tobyhanna State Park contains 5,400 acres, and Gouldsboro has 2,800 acres, most of which are open to hunting. SGL 312 has a significant 3,912 acres, and SGL 127 has an incredible 25,500 acres open to hunting.

The physical connections between the two state parks and two state game lands are tight, making it easier for hunters to make plans.

Though the four lands lie high on the Pocono Plateau, they are actually flat, with the southwest sections of SGL 127 and a north portion of SGL 312 being the hilly exceptions. In addition, the wetlands surrounded and encompassed by the public lands are wildly significant. Of great interest are Black Bear and Bender Swamps between the two state park lakes.

These swamps may be traversed by established trails, but the pathways may be obscured in wet years. In fact, the 3.2-mile Frank Gantz Trail, from Gouldsboro to the Tobyhanna lakes past Black Bear Swamp, can be particularly difficult to negotiate, but it's also rich with whitetail sign.

SGL 127 is a monster of a public holding with some rugged land at the southwest sector, which is reached by taking Exit 8 off Interstate Route 380. Follow Route 423 toward Lake Naomi. Along the way, there are numerous designated parking areas and pull-offs along Tobyhanna Creek and the ground that surrounds it.

Deer may be found all along this exceptionally curvy and dipping road. Thinning of the woods on the north and west sides of the road seems to have reduced the number of road kills that once reached staggering proportions.

For information on the two state parks, which are operated by a joint office, call (570) 894-8336.

WMU 4C
The lower, southeast portion of WMU 4C borders the Susquehanna River at Dauphin and then swings wide to the northeast to capture a major portion of Pennsylvania's old coal country in Schuylkill County.

Both ends of WMU 4C feature differing habitat. In fact, WMU 4C is one of the more geographically diverse of all 22 wildlife management units.

French Creek State Park provides the largest amount of huntable parkland in the region, with over 6,000 acres in Berks and Chester counties.

A surprising thing about WMU 4C is that its antlered-deer harvest increased in two years while its antlerless harvest declined, even though the antlerless license allocation remained the same, at 39,000.

For the 2006-07 season, hunters harvested an estimated 6,100 antlered deer, up from 5,900 the previous year. For antlerless deer, the harvest was 8,900, down from 9,800 the previous year.

The overall topography of WMU 4C is rather mountainous, with the highlight being the junction of some steep Appalachian Mountain ridges.

Blue, Second, Peters and Stoney mountains all point rugged fingers at the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg.

SWATARA STATE PARK & SGL 180
Continuing with the theme of state parks surrounded by state game lands in eastern Pennsylvania, consider Swatara State Park and SGL No. 80 in Lebanon County.

Steep, rocky and wooded, these two public lands offer a double dose of public hunting northeast of the state capital.

Swatara State Park contains 3,515 acres and most of it is open to hunting. SGL 80 has 10,600 acres, and its ridgeline along Blue Mountains features the Appalachian Trail.

Huntable land at the state park is on both sides of Swatara Creek, roughly from I-81 east to the intersection of Greenpoint School Road and state Route 433. Access is along state Route 443 on the north side of the park and along Old State Road on the south side.

Good places to hunt in fall are where the creek curves away from Old State Road and on a large wooded tract of land between the two boundaries. Old State Road is not a major highway like state Route 443, and there is better parking along the more rural road.

At the first bridge crossing from Route 72 into Swatara State Park, state Route 1022 lies beneath a portion of SGL 80, but this is steep and rocky.

A better way to access a lower portion of the state game lands is to continue on Old State Road through three-quarters of the park to Swopes Valley Road. Instead of crossing the bridge, turn right and continue for a short distance to a trailhead off Swopes Valley Road. The trail leads into the north side of the game lands.

Continue on Swopes Valley Road, T-649. This is a winding road that cuts into another portion of SGL 80 between Blue Mountain and Swopes Mountain.