Much has been done to make the hillsides surrounding Raystown Lake friendly to deer hunters. Many gates that are closed to the public during the rest of the year are open to allow better access in late fall. Red blazes on trees mark the division between private land and project property.

State routes 26 and 994 provide access to the two sides of Raystown Lake. Secondary roads bisect both of these corridors.

More information on this area is available on the project's Web site at http://raystown.nab.usace.army.mil.

Contact information may be downloaded from this site, as well as detailed maps that show hunting areas.

BLUE MARSH PROJECT
State Game Lands No. 280 next to Berks County's Blue Marsh Lake provides 2,681 acres of public hunting land for hunters in the southeastern portion of the state.

State Route 183 provides the primary access to this tract, which contains a variety of upland and bottomland habitat. Sharecroppers actively farm the area, and habitat improvement is ongoing.

The game lands exist in two separate parcels. The largest tract is on the northern side of the lake. A network of roads off state Route 183 provides access to this area, which is near Pleasant Valley. A smaller parcel lies along the southwestern portion of the lake near Brownsville.

A map of this state game lands can be downloaded from the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Web site, noted above.