The outlook for WMU 1A is “very good,” with good numbers of jakes and 3-year-old birds. For WMU 1B, the outlook is “excellent” compared to the rest of the commonwealth.

Hunting pressure on public lands tends to be moderate to heavy. State Game Lands No. 101, which straddles the Erie County-Crawford County border southwest from Albion, is a good place to start scouting.

This region offers vivid contrasts in habitat. To the east in the Allegheny highlands, WMU 2F’s harvest rate is below the state average. But this is partly due to more difficult hunting conditions in the big woods. Some hunters prefer its relative solitude.

Allegheny National Forest, which covers most of southeastern Warren County and a large share of Forest County, provides more of this type of opportunity.

For more information about the region, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northwest Region office, P.O. Box 31, Franklin PA 16323. Or call (814) 432-3188.

Hunters can anticipate that the best opportunities for spring gobblers in the Southwest Region will be in WMU 2D. About half of this unit lies in the Southwest Region. The outlook here is above average for the commonwealth, but below average for this unit. The harvest is expected to be similar to last year. Heavy hunting pressure can be anticipated.

State Game Lands No. 105, which is on the northern border of Armstrong County near East Brady, is one of the few public lands here.

For a more relaxed hunt, try Ohiopyle State Park and adjoining State Game Lands No. 51 and State Game Lands No. 111 in Fayette and Somerset counties. This is in WMU 2C, which has a good stock of jakes and 2-year-old birds, plus an increasing wild turkey population thanks to reduced fall seasons.

For more information on this region, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Southwest Region office, P.O. Box A, Ligonier, PA 15658. Or call (724) 238-9523.

The North-central Region is known primarily as “the big woods,” which lies largely in WMU 2G. The outlook in this unit is “fair,” with an increasing population but indices still below state averages. Better hunting may be found to the north in WMU 3A, which has an “excellent” outlook for jakes and 2-year-old birds.

Adjoining state game lands Nos. 64 and 208, which straddle the Potter County/Tioga County border just north of U.S. Route 6, provide excellent access to this unit.

For more information on this region, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s North-central Region office, 1566 State Route 44 Highway, P.O. Box 5038, Jersey Shore, PA 17740-5038. Or call (570) 398-4744.

The most disappointing turkey hunting has been in the South-central Region -- specifically in WMU 5A including Micheaux State Forest, where researchers are still studying the problem.

Hunters in this region might do well to consider WMU 4A, which has a “very good to excellent” outlook for 2- and 3-year-old birds. One interesting option here is a boat-access hunt around Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County, where gobbles can be heard reverberating across the bays.

Most of the public land in this region lies along the rugged ridges, with birds trading back and forth from farmlands between the ridges.