The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a guide to hunting on all of the national wildlife refuges it oversees. Refuges are often overlooked locations for great hunting, and Erie National Wildlife Refuge is no exception.
What the guide reports about the refuge in Guys Mills, one of just two refuges in Pennsylvania:
Erie National Wildlife Refuge
11296 Wood Duck Lane
Guys Mills, PA 16327
(814) 789-3585
www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=52520
Refuge Headquarters: 8:30 – 4:30, M – F. Note that due to limited staffing and field work, the
Headquarters may be closed. Visitors should call ahead to insure that the office will be open or
make an appointment.
Hunters are seeing more and bigger deer on Erie NWR just a few years after Pennsylvania enacted area hunting regulations requiring that only bucks with four points on an antler may be taken. Some hunters have reported sighting 10 or more bucks per day on the refuge. The biggest ones are in the bottomland swamps on this 8,800-acre refuge. Erie NWR is also a hotspot for other game. Waterfowl are plentiful because a big portion of the refuge is wetlands, creeks and impoundments. Some areas require a non-motorized boat, but many others are accessible to jump shooters pursuing the refuge’s abundant wood ducks. A wooden boardwalk on the refuge provides an opportunity for mobility-impaired hunters. The boardwalk is a great place to hunt deer, turkey and squirrel. All hunters should pick up a brochure from the refuge, which details the seven hunting areas and special regulations. Erie NWR has a lot of game, but it often requires hunting in thick, boggy habitat.
Getting there:
From Interstate 79 north, take exit 141; follow attraction signs along Route 285 east to Route 173 north to the refuge.
From Interstate 79 south, take exit 154; follow attraction signs along Route 198 to the refuge.
For Hunters with Disabilities: A wooden boardwalk on the refuge provides an opportunity for
mobility-impaired hunters to enjoy the varied hunting opportunities on this refuge.
Species: Deer, native big game other than deer, turkey, waterfowl, upland birds, migratory birds other than waterfowl, small game.
Refuge Hunting Permit: Yes. The permit and a survey form can be obtained from refuge headquarters. The survey must be completed for hunters to be eligible for the next year’s permit.