I just received word that the Game Commission has been successful in acquiring nearly 6500 acres of additional game lands in Elk County. The new lands are an addition to SGL # 44 in Horton and Fox Townships and include lands that were formerly a hunting club lease and closed to public hunting.

These new lands have tremendous potential for small game habitat development and we are looking forward to developing some good habitat partnerships with various state and local Conservation and Sportsmen organizations.

One thing that be a big help in the foreseeable future would be a group of volunteers willing to walk the boundaries removing the old posted signs. If our Food and Cover Crew members have to do that it will mean less of the more important habitat improvement work that they could be doing.

Is there any local interest in getting a group of volunteers together to do some of these work projects on this new land?

Dick Bodenhorn

I'd be willing to lean a hand.... !!

Sounds like a great way to scout the land.

The Game Commission was fortunate to have been able to acquire about 6500 acres of new lands that have been added to SGL # 44 in the Shawmut and Brandy Camp areas. About 5000 acres of this land had previously been posted against trespass and was part of a hunt club. Those lands therefore still have the “No Trespassing” signs in place and quite frankly the Food & Cover crew will not have the time to get the signs down before the hunting seasons. There are also a number of other projects that should be taken on to make these lands more manageable for the coming seasons but our personnel just don’t have the manpower to get them accomplished before the seasons get underway.



There have been several people that have volunteered to come out and help with these projects if we organize a work day before the season. We have done that by scheduling a volunteer work day for September 27th. Since some volunteers are available in the morning and some only in the afternoon we have set up meeting times to accommodate both morning and afternoon work crews. Will meet the morning crews at the Shawmut Road entrance to the Rock Shanty Tract at 8:00 am and get those crews working on several projects. Then at noon we will return to the Rock Shanty Gate and parking lot for lunch (provided by donations and Game Commission personnel). The volunteers will enjoy a break and lunch while the afternoon crews arrive and join us fro lunch. Then about 12:30 pm, or so, we will have the afternoon work crews heading out to work on the afternoon projects.



The Game Commission will provide some tools and equipment for these projects but anyone who has digging bars, shovels, picks, posthole diggers or other such tools might want to bring them. Work gloves, work boots, safety glasses and hard hats would also be recommended equipment for those that have them.



To get there I will try to provide directions from both Route 219 north and south.



If coming north on Route 219 from Brockway go through Brockport and watch for the Shawmut Road on your left. For those coming via Route 153, take a left onto Route 219 at the end of 153, go about two miles while watching for the Shawmut Road on your right. Once on the Shawmut Road you will go about three miles and through the tiny village of Drummond (a few houses along the road and a dirt road to the right). Stay on the paved road fro just a bit further and after passing a couple of camps (on the right) and a house on the left there is a dirt road to the left while the paved road turns to the right. Take the dirt road to the left and go up that road about a half mile (past a camp on the left) to the Game Lands sign and parking lot. That is the meeting point for both morning at afternoon.



If coming south on Route 219 from Ridgway and points north once you get about seven miles south of Ridgway you will go past a couple of farms on the right and a barn on the left and under a large power line. After going under the power line watch for a paved road to the right, that is the upper end of the Shawmut Road. Take the Shawmut Road. After about a mile you will go past a junk yard (right along the road) then you will come to the top of a hill (with a gated dirt road on the right and an open gated road on the left) keep going past those and down the hill. Where the road turns to the left you will come to a dirt road on the right (if you go too far you will come to camps and houses). Take the dirt road to the right and follow it up past the camp to the Game Lands sign and parking lot. That is the meeting point fro boththe morning and afternoon projects.



I hope to see you there on the 27th. If you have any questions let me know.



Dick Bodenhorn