Rangers seek tips after eight guns found in Union County woods

Rangers in Bald Eagle State Forest are asking for tips after eight long guns and a crossbow were found dumped along Spruce Run Road in White Deer Township, Union County. Many of the weapons were wrapped and appeared to have been there for an extended period before they were recovered.

No injuries or arrests were reported at the scene, but the discovery leaves investigators with immediate public-safety questions. Firearms left in the woods can become evidence in another case, stolen property, or a sign that someone tried to discard weapons without being traced. Rangers have not publicly said where the guns came from or whether they are connected to a specific crime.

The location adds to the concern. White Deer Township sits inside the Bald Eagle State Forest footprint, a large and heavily used stretch of public land that spans 194,602 acres across Snyder, Union, Centre, Mifflin and Clinton counties. DCNR says the forest has more than 300 miles of trails, along with public-use maps and multiple trail systems, including ATV, motorcycle, shared-use and snowmobile routes.

That mix of forest roads, wooded cover and scattered recreational access points can make it easier for abandoned items to go unnoticed for long periods. Spruce Run Road cuts through a rural part of Union County where roadside dumping can be harder to spot than in more developed areas, and the recovered weapons may have sat there long enough to avoid detection until rangers came across them.

Rangers are urging anyone with information to call 570-518-8330. The Bald Eagle District Office, which handles forest management and advisories, is located at 18865 Old Turnpike Road in Millmont, PA 17845, and its office number is 570-922-3344.

The unanswered questions now center on who left the weapons there, whether any of the guns were stolen, and how investigators will trace them. In a forest system that stretches across five counties, the recovery of eight long guns and a crossbow on a single Union County road has put a spotlight on how quickly a dumping case can turn into a broader law-enforcement problem.