Energetic hunters can continue east on Mountain Road from Route 309 to the far eastern end of SGL 217, east of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The tract ends at the Lehigh River.

Park in the game lands lot on the north side of Mountain Road and hike up the mountain to the steep ridge overlooking the river. The terrain here is very steep. Most hunters avoid it, which means deer are bound to gravitate there.

For lodging information, contact the Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-747-0561.

TUSCARORA STATE FOREST
Another area that's close to a lot of people but still offers great December deer hunting is Tuscarora State Forest. Situated 45 minutes west of Harrisburg is a 45,000-acre section of the Tuscarora in Perry, Franklin and Cumberland counties.

Tuscarora State Forest is in the middle of some of Pennsylvania's finest deer habitat. It's a mix of forest and farmland, which means deer have plenty of food and cover -- two of their primary needs for winter survival.

The DCNR credits regular timber cutting conducted throughout Tuscarora for the excellent deer habitat in the forest. Naturally, the cutting allows new browse to grow. Also, once the cutting is done, the logging roads and loading areas used by the timber companies are transformed into food plots. The last job the companies complete before leaving an area is to grade the roads and worksites they used to stage and load saw logs. The DCNR then sows a variety of clovers and grasses.

For a map of Tuscarora State Forest -- and to find out which areas have been timbered most recently -- call the district forester's office in Blain at (717) 536-3191.

One area of the forest worth checking out is the lush area surrounding Fowler Hollow Run between Couch Road and Hemlock Road south of Fowlers Hollow State Park. Also check out the benches and steep slopes of Bowers Mountain off Bower Mountain Road and Dead End Road west of Colonel Denning State Park.

To get away from the crowds, explore the remote country east of Route 233 and west of Kennedy Valley Road southwest of Landisburg. The limited public-access roads and trails in this part of the forest tend to keep away all but the most adventurous of hunters.

For lodging information, contact the Hershey-Harrisburg Region Visitors Bureau at 1-877-727-8573.

STATE GAME LANDS 13
After the first few days of the firearms deer season, many hunters lose the urge to venture deep into the more rugged areas of Pennsylvania. Well, if there are no hunters heading into those areas, guess where you're likely to find some deer?

SGL 13 in Sullivan and Columbia counties is the largest tract of game lands in Pennsylvania. And its 49,528 acres encompass some of the state's roughest country in the Endless Mountains. Get back into the deepest, darkest nooks and crannies of SGL 13 in December and you're bound to find some deer.

"The terrain in the Endless Mountains is ideal for deer," said Tim Conway, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Information and Education Department supervisor for the Northeast Region. "There are rugged mountains covered with a lot of timber, but it's interspersed with farmland."