Join us for an extraordinary adventure on the Happy Valley PA GeoTour!
Prepare to explore breathtaking vistas, stunning local and state parks, and captivating historical sites as we guide you through an unforgettable geocaching experience.
Our dedicated team of volunteers has carefully curated cache types to keep the tour both interesting and challenging, ensuring an exciting journey for all participants.
Prepare to embark on a quest that will challenge your skills, ignite your curiosity, and leave you with a profound appreciation for the wonders of Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Happy Valley, uncover hidden treasures,
and delve into the region's fascinating history. So grab your geocaching gear, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to create memories that will last a lifetime. Happy caching!
Download your “Visit Centre County” GeoTour passport and/or your Jr. Geocaching Passport or pick-up paper copies at (Happy Valley Adventure Bureau) in the ground floor of the Beaver Avenue parking garage, 200 West Beaver Avenue. You’ll return your passport to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau when complete and collect your prize if you meet the minimum requirements!
Wild game animals have been hunted for thousands of years in what is now Pennsylvania, first by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, later by Europeans. By 1890 game had practically disappeared from Pennsylvania. That year, John M. Phillips and other sportsmen, recognizing the scarcity of game, formed the Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Association so that they could press the state government for protection of wildlife. This resulted in the formation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. New game laws were enacted by the General Assembly in 1897 to protect populations of deer, elk, waterfowl and game birds.
The Commission appointed the first game protectors and empowered constables to enforce the new laws. Game Commissioner Joseph Kalbus remarked that Pennsylvania hunters, "appeared to think they had...an inherent right to destroy game and birds at pleasure." Pennsylvanians, like other Americans resisted efforts to limit hunting to protect the game. In 1906 alone, fourteen protectors were shot at and three were killed. In 1905 Governor Samuel Pennypacker authorized the Commission to establish 'game preserves' in state forests to protect deer, Wild turkey, Grouse, Woodcock, and other animals. The first was on 2,000 acres (810 ha) in Clinton County.
In 1913, by act of the General Assembly, passing the Resident Hunter's License Law, the Commission began to charge one dollar for each hunting license, which provided funding to purchase additional lands for hunting.
The Commonwealth had twenty game preserves but the game population was still extremely low, so, Pennsylvania restocked the Game Lands with game from other states and Canada. Today, the Commission has set aside almost 1.5 million acres (610 thousand hectares) as State Game Lands.
State Game Land (SGL) 323 is located in Boggs, Howard, Marion, and Spring Townships, on the Bald Eagle Mt., entirely within Centre Country. All of the 2,967 acres sits within the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s (PGC) Wildlife Management Units 2G and 4D, near the towns of Mt, Eagle, Curtain, Jacksonville and Milesburg.
This is on State Game Land's so please observe all state game land rules and remember to wear Orange doing hunting season.