New to Hunting; Questions about State Game Lands

**Chopper7575** · June 5th, 2017, 10:55 AM

I am located in Lower Pottsgrove and I am interested to start Deer Hunting. I don't have friends or family members that can show me the ropes but have been doing research on my own. I have taken an online Hunter Safety Education Course and doing research by reading books and watching various different YouTube videos so that I can hunt in the upcoming deer season.

I looked up the State Game Lands website and located SGL 234 which is a few minutes from my house. I have seen on a message board on a different website that its not a good spot to deer hunt since there aren't any trees to put a stand in and its better for hunting pheasant. Since that post was from 8yrs ago I wanted to see if anyone has experience deer hunting there.

I also looked and saw SGL 043 and 052 are not too far from me and I wanted to know if anyone has hunted there. I just wanted to get someone's opinion on these areas to hunt before I try to scout out the area. I just have limited time and want to make the most of it.

Also if anyone has any tips for a first timer hunting please let me know. Tom

**psweigle** · June 5th, 2017, 12:02 PM

Tom,
The best advice I can give you is to spend as much time out in the area you plan to hunt, and look for signs of deer activity. The most important part of the hunt is the kill shot, recovery, and field dressing. Above all, be safe. Practice with the gun you intend to hunt with, and shoot it unrested so you can see what your maximum range will be. A good rule of thumb is to put a 5 shot group in a 4" circle. If that can be accomplished off hand at 50 yards, then that is your max range if you can do it at 75, than that's your max! Do you get the idea? I have no experience with those game lands, but he only way to be successful is to research and scout. Game lands are pretty hard to hunt for even a seasoned hunter. Lastly, don't expect to bag a buck your first year out. If it happens, great, but I wouldn't expect it.

**dk99358** · June 5th, 2017, 05:35 PM

It's been several years since I lived in that corner of the state so my info is probably a bit dated but here goes. The part of 234 near Linfield is mostly narrow strips that are farmed with very thick tree lines in between. It's not very large. I hunted there once, it was pheasant stocking day and was very crowded. I think they have added another section near Limerick, it used to be the eastern pheasant farm before it was closed. No idea what that is like. SGL 43 is larger but gets quite a bit of hunting pressure. French Creek State Park is nearby but also gets pressured. You have to watch the county lines due to firearms restrictions and also watch out for the National Park boundary but there are several thousand acres to hunt. SGL 52, is that the one near Morgantown? Never hunted it but did hunt the one further west near Mt. Gretna. Another option (again heavily hunted) is Evansburg State Park near Collegeville. Chester County used to have some limited access hunts at county parks.

I've no idea what deer hunting might be like in any of those areas any more.

BTW, you don't have to hunt from a treestand. I don't. But I've got a lot of room to roam out here and much prefer to stay on the ground.

FWIW,

Dale

**Sandcut** · June 5th, 2017, 05:40 PM

Sometimes, the best place to hunt deer by yourself is in a place with a reputation for not being good for deer hunting. That way, the only person hunting deer there is you. You only need to see one provided you have the right tags.

**PA-Joe** · June 5th, 2017, 06:14 PM

If this is your first year then you can do without the tree stand. More hunters get hurt climbing their stand then any other cause.

**Remington788** · June 5th, 2017, 07:19 PM

Off-season. Now is the the time to go out and scout those places. Evansburg has a lot of deer , so does french creek. Marsh creek also looks promising though i never tried it.

Eta. You don't mention, firearm or bow?

**Marcus99** · June 5th, 2017, 07:48 PM

I know nothing of the game lands that you're looking at. Google maps/satelite is a good tool to help see the "lay of the land" I think the game commission even has a map type tool on their website. Often times while deer hunting during rifle season the best laid plans can go out the window due to pressure from other hunters. Either someone is in the spot you planned to hunt or deer are being moved around by so many people being in the woods. Really the best thing to do is just go out and do it, researching is good, but there is nothing that substitutes for experience. I know it can be intimidating but just get out there and enjoy your time in the woods, plenty of people kill nice deer after doing little to no preparation. While scouting and research certainly increase your odds don't let it discourage you if you don't have much time to do that.

If you're not already on them I suggest two forums, http://www.huntingpa.com/ and https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/ (a national hunting forum, but many members from PA) someone on these forums may be from your area and may be willing to help you.

Also I highly recommend this book for anyone from beginner to veteran: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guid.../dp/081299406X

**gghbi** · June 5th, 2017, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Marcus99

I think the game commission even has a map type tool on their website.

They do indeed: http://pagame.maps.arcgis.com/apps/w...ce4c80ef34bbcb

**Yellowfin** · June 5th, 2017, 08:13 PM

Hunt something else besides deer first.

**Marcus99** · June 5th, 2017, 08:25 PM

Also keep in mind during your scouting that things are going to look a bit different during deer season than they do now with all the leaves on the trees and brush. What I'm saying is that you may go to an area now and find that it's too overgrown to see around you, but during deer rifle season it may be perfect. While you can certainly kill deer in thick stuff and in fields, I like to try to pick an area in the woods where I can see a lot ground around me.