State Game Lands 96: hunting, parking and access
State Game Lands 96 is 5,031 acres owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Venango County, inside WMU 1B. PGC's maps show 19 parking areas and 17 gates. The game lands are in 8 separate pieces; the largest is 1,560 acres.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary, parking, roads and gates: PGC's game lands maps. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
State game landsSGL 96PGC parkingWMU lineHighway
| Size | 5,031 acres, measured from PGC's boundary |
|---|---|
| Counties | Venango |
| WMU | WMU 1B |
| PGC region | Northwest Region (office in Franklin) |
| Parking areas | 19 (16 gravel and 3 grass) |
| Game land roads closed to public vehicles | 11 miles |
| Gates | 17 |
| Separate tracts | 8 (largest 1,560 acres) |
| Nearest towns | Cooperstown (2 mi), Sugarcreek (4 mi) and Hydetown (5 mi) |
Where do you park on SGL 96?
PGC maps 19 parking areas on State Game Lands 96, listed north to south. Surfaces: 16 gravel and 3 grass.
| Lot | Latitude, longitude | Surface | Size (square feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41.58723, -79.76866 | gravel | 9,000 |
| 2 | 41.58395, -79.80842 | gravel | 5,000 |
| 3 | 41.58154, -79.82215 | gravel | 4,200 |
| 4 | 41.57897, -79.78302 | gravel | 7,500 |
| 5 | 41.57731, -79.78465 | gravel | 3,000 |
| 6 | 41.57384, -79.82649 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 7 | 41.57314, -79.80766 | gravel | 5,000 |
| 8 | 41.56758, -79.79673 | gravel | 2,400 |
| 9 | 41.56346, -79.79150 | gravel | 2,250 |
| 10 | 41.56098, -79.88140 | grass | 5,600 |
| 11 | 41.55824, -79.75370 | gravel | 2,400 |
| 12 | 41.55784, -79.87323 | grass | 1,800 |
| 13 | 41.54541, -79.82536 | gravel | 6,250 |
| 14 | 41.54222, -79.83441 | gravel | 5,200 |
| 15 | 41.53729, -79.82076 | grass | 7,500 |
| 16 | 41.53600, -79.83372 | gravel | 10,000 |
| 17 | 41.53453, -79.75748 | gravel | 2,700 |
| 18 | 41.51674, -79.83287 | gravel | 5,625 |
| 19 | 41.50640, -79.82892 | gravel | 10,000 |
Source: PGC State Game Lands parking areas. Sizes and surfaces are PGC's own records; a lot may be plowed or not in winter.
Which roads on SGL 96 are open to vehicles?
PGC's road layer shows no seasonally opened road on SGL 96.
PGC also maps 11 miles of game land road on SGL 96 that is closed to public vehicles. PGC's road layer counts 12 miles of road open to public traffic through or along the game lands. PGC records 17 gates here.
Sources: PGC State Game Lands roads; PGC State Game Lands gates; PGC State Game Lands trails. Road miles measured by FilledTag from PGC's lines.
Which WMU is SGL 96 in, and what is taken there?
SGL 96 lies wholly in WMU 1B. Seasons, antlerless licenses and harvest are kept by WMU, not by game lands; these are the figures for each whole WMU:
| WMU | Game lands acres in it | Antlered deer | Antlerless deer | Bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 1B | 5,031 | 11,070 (2025-26) | 17,627 (2025-26) | 67 (2024) |
In WMU 1B, 2026-27 archery deer runs October 3 to November 20, and December 26 to January 24, 2027 and the regular firearms season November 28 to December 13.
Harvest: PGC Annual Deer Population Report, April 2026; PGC's 2024 bear harvest release. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
How do you get to SGL 96?
Highways through the game lands: PA 428. Highways within five miles: PA 428, PA 27, PA 8, PA 427, PA 417 and PA 408. Nearest towns: Cooperstown (2 miles), Sugarcreek (4 miles), Hydetown (5 miles) and Hannasville (5 miles).
PGC's land records for SGL 96: PGC real estate, SGL 96.
PGC's rules for every State Game Lands tract, from tree stands to fluorescent orange for non-hunters, are on the Pennsylvania hunting page.
Questions hunters ask
Where can you park on State Game Lands 96?
PGC maps 19 parking areas on SGL 96: 16 gravel and 3 grass. The largest PGC lists is about 10,000 square feet, at 41.5064, -79.8289. Every lot's coordinates are in the table on this page.
What WMU is State Game Lands 96 in?
All of SGL 96 is in WMU 1B. PGC estimates 11,070 antlered and 17,627 antlerless deer were taken in the whole WMU in 2025-26.
Can you drive on the roads in SGL 96?
PGC's road layer shows no road on SGL 96 that it opens to vehicles by season. It shows 11 miles of game land road closed to public vehicles. 12 miles of road through the game lands is open to traffic.
Can you camp on State Game Lands 96?
No. PGC does not allow camping on any State Game Lands, SGL 96 included. The nearest town is Cooperstown, 2 miles away, by the Census map of places.
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Where these facts come from
- Boundary and acres: PGC State Game Lands boundaries. Parking: PGC State Game Lands parking areas. Roads: PGC State Game Lands roads. Gates: PGC State Game Lands gates.
- WMU harvest: PGC Annual Deer Population Report, April 2026; PGC's 2024 bear harvest release. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
- Public land around the game lands: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1). Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.