Garner said that this area is ideal for the confident hunter who is up for a challenging hunt. Parking can be found at the southern end of the game lands in New Grenada approximately one-quarter mile past SGL 121 at the access gate and on the right side a big flat - a good place to park and get away from the road.

A prime spot to hunt is at Sidling Hill (near the Pennsylvania Turnpike) one mile into the game lands on the right side, where hunters will find brushy growth, thick mountain laurel, rocks and a steep climb - a difficult spot to get to.

On one side of the mountain is Shore Valley and on the other side is active farmland, which, Garner said, is usually hunted hard during November.

Heavy hunting pressure in the valley is precisely the reason why Garner said the hard-to-get-to spot at the top of SGL 121 is the hunter's best bet to bag a December whitetail.

Why trek to the top of SGL 121? Because, Garner said, deer are pushed out of the neighboring valleys during the early weeks of deer season in November, but they begin to migrate back to the top of the mountain to hide in thick mountain laurel.

Shore Valley is a good place to put on a drive, Garner said. This game lands consists of mostly wooded, rocky mountaintops that are not hunted out, and deer are pushed into the area by eager early-season hunters. If you're up to the challenge, this is the place to go for December deer hunting.

After a long day of hiking to the top of SGL 121, you can find a good meal at local eateries off state Route 994 in the borough of Three Springs or in nearby Saltillo.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission maintains an excellent Web site with more information about the game lands mentioned in this article including maps, season dates and bag limits at www.pgc.state.pa.us.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Web site may be found at www. dncr.state.pa.us.

For important information on road conditions in Pennsylvania, go to the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Web site at www.paturnpike.com.

If you're looking for a great place to stay overnight in Pennsylvania, visit www.experiencepa.com.

All of the Web sites mentioned above may be found by going to Pennsylvania's state Web site at www.state.pa.us.

For additional information, contact the following regional offices: Northwest Region, (877) 877-0299; Southwest Region/Ligonier, (877) 877-7137; Northcentral Region, (877) 877-7674; Southcentral Region, (877) 877-9107; Northeast Region, (877) 877-9357 and Southeast Region, (877) 877-9470.