"We keep getting reports of good hunting there and we've done a lot of habitat work. It's a beautiful piece of game lands. I think it would be good down there," Schake said. "It's a neat piece of land, and anybody who sees it just raves about it."

To reach the area, turn west onto Route 221 from Exit 11 off Interstate Route 70 south of Washington.

Information about local services is available through the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, 273 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301; or call (800) 531-4114.

NORTHWEST REGION
"We've had late hatches and small birds into the fall, which is an indication there's been a second nesting," said Northwest Region spokesman Regis Senko.

In spite of the cold, wet conditions last spring, field officers across the northwest counties, according to Senko, generally rate turkey prospects as good.

Most diverse in habitat of the six regions, the Northwest Region varies from the Lake Erie Plain through rolling, wet farming country to the heavily forested Allegheny Highlands. Turkey hunting is very good throughout, but it comes in various forms.

Locating turkeys is relatively difficult in the sprawling forest of the Allegheny Highlands. Here, turkeys are largely dependent on mast crops, which have been fair, at best, for about three years.

"I'd concentrate more on the area that is farmland because the birds are not so dependent on mast," Senko said. "And there's a lot of private land that is open for the asking."

The third-highest harvest density in the state is in Turkey Management Area 1-B. This relatively small area includes Erie County and Crawford County. One reason hunters have such good success here, in addition to a lot of turkeys, is the patchwork habitat of cultivated fields, overgrown pastures, wetlands and small wood lots.

Locating turkeys here is relatively easy. They can be seen in fields from great distances, and the odds are they will be roosting in the nearby wood lots.

Crawford County, along with a few other counties, can reasonably stake a claim as the best spring gobbler county in Pennsylvania. The biggest complication to hunting in Crawford County is that most of the better turkey hunting is on private farms because public lands are quite small, and drawing too much attention to any one of them might cause overcrowding.

It's probably better to look at the county as a package and let hunters make their own decisions about where to go.

Crawford County has about 20,000 acres of state game lands. The two largest, comprising about 11,000 acres combined, are mainly wetlands. The other 10 state game lands wholly or partially in Crawford County range in size from 4,496 acres at State Game Lands 69 to State Game Lands 85, with 114.9 acres. State Game Lands 101 is larger, but most of that is in Erie County.

Hunting pressure is not necessarily heavy at these small state game lands, especially after opening day and on weekdays. Local hunters tend to hunt on private farms.

Crawford County is an excellent destination for traveling turkey hunters, who can find information about places to stay and other local services from the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 211 Chestnut Street, Meadville PA 16335; or call (800) 332-2338.

For more about turkey hunting in Pennsylvania, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg PA 17110-9797; or call (717) 787-4250.

For more travel information in Pennsylvania, contact he Pennsylvania Office of Tourism, Room 404, Forum Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120; or call (717) 232-8880 or (800) VISIT-PA.