I am thinking about hunting on State Game Lands this archery season. What kind of hunting pressure do they receive in archery season? Considering someone is willing to spend time scouting, what are the chances of harvesting a deer on SGl's? Any tips or tricks that you have for hunting game lands would also be appreciated.

One thing I am thinking about is a GPS so I don't have to mark trails to/from stand locations. Would this be helpful?

Depends which lands your talking about. I would not waste my time in any gamelands in the southeast for any type hunting. In the SE it is more like the grand central station.

Pick the biggest SGL you can find and the spot farthest from the road and you might have a chance, in archery season anyway.

Obviously not all SGL's are created equal. I know guys who hunt SGL and wait on huge bucks, and often times they get them. I hear others who don't see a deer all season. I think if you know what you are doing, scout a bunch, and have any kind of decent area, your chances are very good at taking any deer, you may even get a nice buck.

Ok, I feel you deserve a serious answer to your question. First, I hunt public land exclussively in eastern PA and it aint what it used to be. Second, I almost always get 2 - 3 opportunities a season (bow/muzzleloader/rifle) to shoot with a reasonable expectation of success. However, you must spend a lot of time in the woods to realize that opportunity. Can you recognize and find deer trails? Are the white oaks producing in your area? Is the area far from public egress? (Sorry, no matter how far off the beaten track you are, you'll always see other hunters!) Put that all together and you'll have a chance.

I have to agree with Mike. I live in Lancaster county and we have a couple SGL's in the surrounding areas. Of course they get hunted very hard and you will always see other hunters, but if you put the time in and scout you have a decent chance of seeing deer. As far as a GPS goes I found that I really don't use mine around here. I just scout enough that I don't need to mark my areas. Most of the time I can find my way to my spots just by using landmarks such as fallen trees and creeks but if you feel that you would be more comfortable using one I would suggest an etrex. They are only about 99.00 and they are pretty easy to use. Either way there are plenty of deer on SGL's you just need to pattern them and put some time in. You at least have one good thing going for you. You're hunting archery so the number of hunters you'll run into will be reduced ten fold compared to rifle season. Good luck