Northern Bucks County and western Montgomery County have a number of public hunting grounds where the turkey population has been solid for several years.

SGL 157 and the huntable lands at Nockamixon State Park are prime spots for spring birds. SGL 157 contains over 2,000 acres of woods, fields and an isolated mountain. In addition to the open land of SGL 157, adjacent Nockamixon State Park offers another 3,000 acres of similar terrain, including a 1,450-acre lake. The state park offers plenty of access to brush, brambles and mowed fields.

For more information on Nockamixon State Park, contact the superintendent at 1542 Mountain View Drive, Quakertown, PA 18951; or call (215) 529-7300 or (888) PA-PARKS.

Southwest of Lake Nockamixon, SGLs 139 and 196 offer a total of 560 acres of aging hardwoods where turkeys can be found. Though the two game lands carry different numbers, they're close together, separated by Route 309 north of Sellersville. Turn left from Route 309 to Lawn Avenue and left again on Ridge Valley Road to find SGL 196. Turn right from old Route 309 (Bethlehem Pike) onto Butter Creek Road to find SGL 139.

Evansburg State Park in western Montgomery has over 1,000 acres of good turkey habitat. The state park contains a combination of farmland, sharecropped fields, light-density woods and Skippack Creek. Though the huntable parcels are spread out across the park, access is available throughout. Look for parking areas on Germantown Pike and Ridge Pike.

For a free map showing the huntable grounds of Evansburg State Park, stop in at the park office at 851 May Hall Road in Collegeville. For more information, call (610) 409-1150.

For more information on TMA 9-B, contact the PGC's Southeast Region office at (877) 877-9470.

TMA 1-B includes Crawford and Erie counties.

The southern area of Erie County and the eastern half of Crawford County have a number of great game lands to consider. For example, in southeastern Erie County, hunters can choose between the pocket-sized SGLs 167, 162, 102, 190, 192 and 263. These six game lands around Union City and Corry total just 2,545 acres, but all of them contain good turkey habitat.

The first four game lands are northeast and northwest of Union City. Take Route 8 to reach SGL 167, 162 and 102. For SGL 190, take Kimble Hill Road north of Union City. SGL 192 is southwest of Le Bouf Gardens. SGL 263 is accessible from Route 6 northeast of Corry on Russell Road.

In western Crawford County, hunters have a choice among SGLs 202, 85, 200, 199, 122 and 69. The first three are small public lands totaling less than 800 acres, but the remaining three game lands are much larger. SGL 199 contains 1,130 acres; SGL 122 has 2,649 acres and SGL 69 is the largest with over 4,300 acres. All are located west of Meadville. SGL 69 is accessible from Meadville by going west on Route 27 to Route 198 past Gilberts Corner.

For information on accommodations, contact the Crawford County TPA at 881 Water Street, Meadville, PA 16335; or call (800) 332-2338. For Erie County, call the Erie Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1006 State Street, Erie, PA 16501; or call (814) 454-7191.

For more information on TMA 1-B, contact the PCG's Northwest Region office at (877) 877-0299.

Blair County, near the point where I-80 and Route 76 are spread far apart, offers some terrific turkey hunting. The county is part of both TMA 7-A and TMA 6. In spring 2002, TMA 7-A had a harvest of 3,841 gobblers, while TMA 6 recorded a harvest of 2,521, but more hunters work TMA 7-A.

SGL 166 along Brush Mountain and SGL 147 along Lock Mountain are both good public lands. SGL 166 is a 10,174-acre tract featuring the kind of aging hardwood forests that is typical of Pennsylvania's southern Allegheny Mountains. With Canoe Mountain on the south and Brush Mountain on the north, SGL 166 is an excellent choice for a spring hunt.

At 6,074 acres, SGL 147 contains diverse habitat conditions. The bottom of SGL 147 is on Loop Mountain, a U-shaped contour east of Boaring Spring. SGL 147 begins in the shadow of Lock Mountain near Canoe Creek State Park.

Canoe Creek State Park near SGLs 147 and 166 has camping facilities and rental cabins.

About 45 minutes east of the park, SGL 118 covers 5,941 acres, while SGL 73 has 20,547 acres. Both are on Tussey Mountain on the Blair-Huntingdon county border. To get to SGL 118 from the park, follow Route 866 toward Williamsburg. To reach SGL 73, take Route 866 south to Martinsburg, then Route 164 east toward Clover Creek.

To reach the state park from Harrisburg, follow Route 22 east into the village of Canoe Creek. The same route, traveling west, is the best way for Pittsburgh-area hunters to reach this region.

For more information on Canoe Creek State Park, write the park manager at R.R. 2, Box 560, Holidaysburg, PA 16648; or call (814) 695-6807.

In the middle of the I-80 and turnpike squeeze is Juniata County, west of the Susquehanna River, where a substantial amount of river valley land is available for turkey hunters around the Juniata River. Move away from the valley and climb into some densely wooded and steep turkey-rich mountains.

The ends of Blue Mountain, Blacklog Mountain and Jacks Mountain contain public hunting grounds with strong turkey populations. Tuscarora Mountain is another candidate for good gobbler hunting.

Public-hunting opportunities begin along the southwest bank of the Juniata River, where SGL 171 contains 1,087 acres. Next is the Tuscarora Wild Area with 5,382 acres, and then SGL 88 with 6,930 acres, for more than 13,000 acres of great turkey-hunting opportunities.

Access to SGL 171 is along a dirt road on the south side of the river below Thompsontown. Meanwhile, the Tuscarora Wild Area is along Route 333 south of Thompsontown. The highway parallels much of the wild area, with pull-offs between the upper ridge, the river bank and the railroad tracks.

To reach SGL 88, take Route 22/322 west from Harrisburg and then follow Route 17 west from Millerstown to Ickesburg. From Ickesburg, take Route 74 north across Tuscarora Mountain. Or from Ickesburg, take Saville Road to the village of Saville and then Liberty Valley Road to Route 850, which leads into the southern part of SGL 88.

Fowlers Hollow State Park has 18 primitive campsites available for the spring gobbler season. For more information, contact the park manager through the Colonel Denning State Park office, 1599 Doubling Gap Road, Newville, PA 17241; or call (717) 776-5272. Fowlers Hollow is a few miles southwest of New Germantown.

For more information on the Tuscarora Wild Area, contact the District Forester, Box 67, Blain, PA 17006.

Also in TMA 7-A is Bedford County, which abuts the Maryland border. The county has a center-state feel to it with dense rows of long mountains. From the west there is Wills Mountain, then Evitts Mountain, Martin, Tussey, Warrior, Polish and others all the way down to Town Hill. Between the mountains are narrow valleys that attract birds in spring.

Between Wills and Evitts mountains, the Cumberland Valley contains a host of game lands. Routes 220 and 96 border the mountains that surround this valley, as well as another, narrower valley above the state border.

On Wills Mountain west of Route 220, turkey hunters should try 8,829- acre SGL 48 on top of Wills Mountain. From the Appalachian Thruway, travel west from the villages of Centerville, Patience or Burning Bush. On Route 96, travel east from Gravel Pit Station onto township Road 358.

Or, west of Route 96 on Savage Mountain, consider SGL 104. SGL 104 contains 8,204 acres north of Hyndman. Route 220 is the dividing line between TMAs 7-A and 6.

For more information, contact the PGC's Southcentral Region office at (877) 877-9107. For additional information on statewide accommodations, call (800) VISIT PA.