Picking one area over another might be a challenge because turkeys are virtually everywhere. If the late winter weather was harsh with heavy snowstorms and frigid temperatures, scout areas with good thermal cover, areas with steep, narrow cuts containing hemlock thickets and spring seeps, where turkey survival should be best.

For an enjoyable spring adventure, try camping at Elk State Park in Elk County. About 3,151 acres are open to hunting in the park. Hunters may boat across East Branch Clarion River Lake to remote locations, or hunt other areas in nearby Elk State Forest or State Game Lands 25.

For camping and other information, contact Elk State Park, c/o Bendigo State Park, P.O. Box A, Johnsonburg, PA 15845; or call (814) 965-2646.

Hunting is getting more and more crowded on public lands in the Northeast Region. This is a region of contrasts from the Canadian-like Pocono Plateau with all of its lakes and wetlands to the eastern edge of the Allegheny Highlands and the rolling farm country between. It is hard to beat the varied habitat of Bradford County for spring gobbler hunting.

Mount Pisgah State Park north of U.S. Route 6 is a good base of operations. Hunting is allowed on some of the park. State Game Lands 289 is south and State Game Lands 123 is a few miles north. Much of the surrounding land is agricultural.

For more information, contact the Mt. Pisgah State Park office, R.R. 3, Box 362 A, Troy, PA 16947-9448; or call (570) 297-2734 for information.

Winter weather and fall mast conditions are seldom, if ever, problems for turkey hunters in the Southeast Region. The biggest problem for turkeys here is urban-suburban sprawl. Harvest rates are quite high, but mostly dependent on access to private lands. Spring gobbler hunting can be good on the state game lands along mountain ridges in the northern part of the region, but compared to the rest of the state, hunting pressure is heavy.

Although the Southcentral Region includes the only depressed turkey population in Pennsylvania, this certainly does not mean hunting is poor throughout the region. Quite the contrary, some of the best turkey hunting can be found here.

In fact, when wild turkeys had been eliminated from most Eastern states, this was one of the few remaining strongholds. As habitat improved elsewhere, turkeys from the central mountains spread their range.

One of the more unusual spring gobbler hunting opportunities is at Raystown Lake, where some areas are best accessed by boat.

For more information, contact the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, R.D. 1, Box 222A, Seven Points Road, Hesston, PA 16647; or call (888) RAYSTOWN.

Part of Wildlife Management Unit 1A, the best wildlife management unit for turkey hunting in the state, is in the Southwest Region. Though this region contains the urban center of Pittsburgh, there is ample public land and plenty of great hunting.

According to biologist Casalena, the area has a good diversity of habitat.

Ohiopyle State Park, one of Pennsylvania's largest state parks, has excellent turkey hunting, as do neighboring State Game Lands 51 to the west and State Game Lands 111 to the east. This is rugged country, some of it remote. Information about camping is available from the Ohiopyle State Park office, P.O. Box 105, Ohiopyle, PA 15470-0105; or call (724) 329-8591.

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

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